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

IN Arkansas for thirty-five years, the
most exciting hunts ever experienced
were III the days when hogs ran wild
in the woodlands Of the state, says
the Alabama Gazette. Even a domes-
tic hog Is a fighting animal and today
they will retrograde to wild animals
If ALLOW &c freedom of the woods, but
the rerocity Of the domestic swine is
mild compared to the ferocity of their
ances.crs Of the wood.
Tie main things necessary to the
h1Et OF the wild hogs was a pack of
trained dogs, fleet-footed horse that
could clear logs and stumps with a,
graceful leap and rifle or 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
thc 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 were trained for the hunt chas
ed head Of the horscmen. The pc
enliar yelps Of the dogs notified tho
hunters when the animals had been
sighted, and the trained horses at
once dashed into a gallop.
In those days the woods wer, filled
with fallen trees. Sometimes thc
cancbrakcs completely hid the OBJ
Strn"t'"n and horse and rider were
dashed without warming to tia
ground. In order TO run faster IN,
hogs would break for open plots in
the timber and then horses and dos
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 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
Stant death to the other dog. With one,
powerful jerk Of the head the hoy
wouI'l toss the do" in the air and then
rrnd him 10 pieces as he fell to EARTH
During hunt when herd OF hoys
were beng pursued some of the less
Skllliul dogs always lost their lives.
The hogs when finally driven tn
nay made one final stand. They hud-
died into a circle, all tails together.
In every direction there was hogs
snont 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 n day.
These wild hogs, il. appears. were
wild from instinct. Efforts to tam,
the pigs, which were sometimes CAP
turcd alive, proved about as futile as
the absolute DEMONSTRATING 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
hess of the woods.
III me 1orHat:;; eat; where the oaks were
abundant there would III some years
be bumper crops of acoms. The wild
hog preferred the acorn to any other
food. The animals that fattencd 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
tor food. In those parts Of Arkansas
where the wild animals were plcnti-
full the smokehouses Of the farmers
bulged with juicy hams.
a man who lives in Little Rock and
who is the owner of a large cotton
plantation, was a hog hntcr thirty
years ago. lie almost lost his life
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