Bad Bo' Hog

by Wayne Fountain

Dear Fellow Hog Hunters,

I ain't much on writing letters, but my friends wanted me to write this down, so here goes...

My name is Wayne Fountain, I'm a Deputy Sheriff, my hunting partner's name is Clay Floyd, he's a farmer. We live and hunt in Middle Ga. We hunt in the river swamps, and around crop land fields...

On this particular nite, about 10 pm, we were around a peanut field about October of '96. We had hunted this place several times, and caught 1 good boar hog. They would run into a 10 yr. old clearcut that a rabbitt didn't want no part of, there they would lose him. This was mainly a place for us just to hunt and run puppies, it was close to home...

We turned the dogs aloose and didn't go 500 ft, when the dogs disappeared in the woods. In just a minute we knew they had him. They were having a "sho nuff knock-down & drag out" fight. We got there in about 5 minutes. All I could see was my "bay and catch" Catahuola and a yr. old puppy baying. We eased around to get a better view and there he was. Damn, he was big. There were no other dogs around. I told Clay that I thought there must be more than 1 hog...

We eased up to a tree behind the hog and saw he was sitting down on his butt. There was a small oak tree right beside his right rear leg. I got beside it and just barely touched his back. When he didn't move I guess I got brave. Or stupid. I slowly put my left hand down his leg and then got a grip with both hands on one leg. When I came up with that leg, I knew he was the most Hog I had ever grabbed. I screamed for Clay to help me and he was there before I got it out of my mouth. We threw him, and somehow I managed to hit the side of my face on that small oak tree. Knocked me silly. I put a pair of hand cuffs on the hog and Clay handed me another pair and it was over. Or so we thought...

We looked around at the trees and bushes, there was blood everywhere. On trees, and bushes, and all in that tore up ground. I caught "Ike", my dog, and looked him over for cuts. Nothing too awful bad, I knew I had to do some sewing and stapeling.

Clay started looking for dogs. And found them. His year and a half old Yellow-blackmouth's lower jaw was broke clean into and hanging down. Albert, his Dominy bred Outlaw Cur was punctured in the belly. And there was "Buck", Clay's pride and joy. He was cut in the belly, up, at a angle towards his shoulder. His back 2 ribs were cut into and enough guts hanging out to fill up my hat...

I told Clay that I didn't think I could save him, that the Doc might could. We took the tracking collar off him and hung it up on a limb. We tried to carry him out but his guts kept hanging on briars and such. I told Clay that I would go out and get my 4-wheeler. When I got back we put Buck in the box on the back. Albert in front of me and Clay holding Jed behind me. We had little trouble getting Ike and the other puppies to follow us. They were whipped...

We took Clay's dogs to Dr. Hall. He's a personal friend of ours. He works on all the cattle around here. We called and woke him up. He said to meet him at the clinic. When he saw Buck, he said he didn't think he could save him but he would try. We stayed and tried to help, but I think we were more in the way than anything else. Dr. Hall is a very good Vet...

We left Clay's dogs and started back to get the hog. We went by the barn and got the goose-neck trailer and woke Clay's brother, David, up to help us. I knew we couldn't pick that hog up and load him on the 4-wheeler...

We went right back to the scene without any dogs, looked around and didn't see the hog. My tracking collar was hanging right where I hung it. NO HOG. We were sick. We figgered he had broke the cuffs, but we couldn't let that hog get away...

I went back and got Clay's young Catahuola gyp and put her on the trail. It was a Full-Moon, and the leaves had fell. You could see where he went down the hill towards the creek. Kate, the little gyp, stayed right on the track. They crossed the creek and went up the other side of the hill...

And Kate bayed. She was baying the fool out of that hog. Clay and David were a little ways ahead of me. I was on the 4-wheeler trying to get across the creek when I heard her cut loose...

I left the 4-wheeler and ran towards them. I had given David my light, it was no fun running in the dark, so I started walking. When I got there, she had him bayed solid...

Clay and I grabbed him and threw him again. He had broken the pair of cuffs that Clay had handed me. Not my Smith & Wesson cuffs. I had one little short piece of tye string with me, it was not enough to do a good job. His left front leg was out. 3 legs were tyed good. But I know now I could have tied him better. Hindsight is 20/20...

I had brought my lasso with me to drag the hog down the hill. We was going to hook it to the 4-wheeler, and drag him, across the creek. Plans are good, but they have a way of not working out. These plans didn't...

I got astraddle of the hog, back on his hindquarters, and was putting my lasso between his front and back legs. That little gyp was still baying her heart out. Clay walked up from the right side of the hog, and waved his hat at the puppy. Clay was scared she was going to get cut. This "Bad Boy" had some nice cutters. Just as Clay leaned over to swat his hat at the puppy, it happened. WHAM. The hog hit Clay on the upper front of his thigh, on his left leg...

Clay staggered back and stopped. I asked him if he was cut. He said he didn't know. I told him to look. I kept fooling with the lasso, trying to hurry. Clay said he was cut bad. I asked him was it just bleeding or was it pumping. He looked again, and said it was just bleeding...

Now you have to know Clay to appreciate this, he's kinda quite, but, he told me I could kill that S.O.B. or turn him loose, but I had to get him to the hospital, now...

I kept fixen my lasso and tyed that hog up close to a sweet-gum tree. We went down the hill, crossed the creek. Clay rode the 4-wheeler out, and David and I walked behind...

I took Clay to the emergency room, and had a seat. Waited, and waited. Now just picture what I looked like. In a clean, white, emergency room. I wasn't good. Folks looked at me like I was a Leper. I kinda felt like one...

Clay finally came out of the "Sewing Room". Now folks, if ya'll could have seen him. Baseball cap, glasses, muddy boots, bloody, just filthy. Wearing that gown, with no back. If I'da had a camera I'd be rich, cause I'da blackmailed that rascal...

On the way home, we decided to call in reinforcements. I told Clay that we couldn't ask any of David's friends to help, cause if they got hurt, there Mamas would have our butts. Whatever was left after our wives got through with us...

I took Clay home, and called about 10 friends and asked them to help me get that hog out of the woods. Nobody could say that they could come for certain, they all had to call in to work and see if they could get off. So I told them where I would be, just to come on if they could...

I went back and waited, and waited, and waited. And they started showing up, before long, everyone that I called had come to help. They said they just had to see that hog...

We went in, and found the hog right where I left him, tied to the tree, he was just as quite. We started trying to get the hog loaded, and that was a job in itself. We wrapped is mouth up with a sack, so we wouldn't get cut. Cause somebody had to get at his head, and I knew what was up there...

We finally got him loaded on the front of the 4-wheeler and started out. Now the problems started again. The hog was too wide for us to pick our way through the woods. So I rode behind the boys and they pulled the smallest of the trees out of the way. And thats how we got him out of the woods. It was 10 a.m. when we got out of the woods, 12 hrs. after he was caught. And guess who had come up. Yep, Clay. He couldn't stand it, he had to be there...

We shot the hog with antibiotics, and sprayed him down good with blue lotion, and put the hog in the trailer. He never stood up again. The circulation had been cut off in his legs too long. He later died, and Clay had him mounted...

Jed, the yellow-blackmouth had to be destroyed. Albert, the Outlaw cur, made it alright. Buck lived to catch a few more good hogs. Clay had to have him put to sleep because of a Cancer growth that Dr. Hall said was caused by that hog cut. Buck was with us about 1 yr. after this hunt. That was a sho'nuff Bad Bo' Hog.

p.s....We never got to weigh this hog, but I would not be afraid to say that he weighed 450 lbs......