The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1907-09-03
HOG HUNTING.
Great Sport That Used to Obtain in
Arkansas.

most exciting hunts ever experienced
were il the days when hogs ran wild
in the woodlands Of the state, says
the Alabama Gazette. Even domes-
tic hog is a fighting animal and today
they will retrograde to wild animals
if ALLOW &c freedom Of the woods, but
the ;Serocity Of the domestic swine is
mild compared to the ferocity Of their
ances.crs Of the wood.
Tie main things necessary to the
hunt OF the wild hogs was a pack of
trained dogs, fleet-footed horse that
could clear logs and stumps with a
graceful leap and a rifle or a shot
gun. Fox hunting in England has
formed the basis for artistic pictures
and stories of both fact and fiction,
but hog hunting in Arkansas was a
faster and more dangerous game, it
is declared by those who know both.
Owing to the density of the forests
the hogs were hunted in broad day.
light. The animals roamed the woods
at night, but during the day they
slept in the boggy places. The dogs
which we're trained for the hunt chas-
ed a head Of the horsemen. The pc
culiar yelps Of the dogs notified the
hunters when the animals had been
sighted, and the trained horses at
once dashed into gallop.
| In those days the woods were filled
with fallen trees. Sometimes the
canebrakes completely hid the OBJ
struat;on and horse and rider were
dashed without warning to tho
ground. In order to run faster the
hogs would break for open plots in
the timber and then horses and dogs
would begin the final dash for the
prey.
The dogs were trained for the sole
purpose Of hunting and they knew
the traits Of their game. The dogs
never attacked singly, but in pairs.
When they caught up with a hog they
would run along by his side and both
dogs at the same moment would
grasp an ear. Sometimes one dog
would lose hold and this meant in
slant death to the other dog. With one
powerful jerk Of the head the hog
would toss the dog in the air and then
rend him to pieces as he fell to earth.
During a hunt when a herd Of hogs
we're being pursued some of. the less
skillful dogs always lost their lives.
The hogs when finally driven to
bay made one final stand. They hud-
died into a circle, all tails together.
In every direction there was hogs
snout pointing. At this critical stage
of the hunt the dogs would circle
round and round and the hunters
| without dismounting would fire On the
animals. Large parties Of hunters
were known to kill as many as a
! hundred hogs in day.
These wild hogs, it. appears, were
wild from instinct. Efforts to tame
the pigs, which were sometimes cap
tured alive, proved about as futile as
the absolute domesticating Of Bel
gal tiger. These young hogs could
be penned up, fed and more or less
petted, but it was only question of
time until some morning the farmer.
would awake to find the pen broken
and the hogs escaped to the wilder
ness Of the woods.
In the forests; IT,; where tie oaks were
! abundant there would in some years
| be bumper crops Of acorns. The wild
hog preferred the acorn to any other
food, The animals that fattened on
these nuts possessed flavor Of meat
which is foreign to the corn and slop-
fed hogs Of the domestic variety to-
day. These hogs, it is claimed, were
not killed wantonly, but were used
for food. In those parts Of Arkansas
where the wild animals were plenti-
full the smokehouses Of the farmers
bulged with juicy hams.
4 man who lives in Little Rock and
who is the owner of large cotton
plantation, was a hog hunter thirty
years ago. He almost lost his lif;
once. by jumping from his horse and
attempting to kill large hog by cut
ting its throat while the dogs held
on to the ears.
AS he jumped from his horse, the
charger frightened at something and
instead Of standing by as Susal, ran