View Full Version : What do you do in a wild Boar attack?
If you are hundred percent sure that you will never be attacked by a mother Wild boar protecting her piglets while on any trail then this thread has nothing for you but with increasing population of wild boars in many states of the USA someday it may happen to some hikers and I would be delighted to find out that reading this thread has helped somebody from an injury that could be quite serious in some cases.
Years before when I was stitching up a badly injured farmer from a wild boar attack back home I ask him what happened and he said “ She just came out of nowhere with her piglets and attacked me”. I asked so why you did not make a move to get out of her way when she attacked you?
He started to think for awhile and then nodded his head in despair and simply said: I don’t know.
What do you do if you find a car is charging toward you ? do you standstill ?
No you just jump left or right to give the car the space to pass. Do the same to a wild boar charging toward you. The difference is critical though.
You can jump out of the way a car at any moment but with a raging wild boar it should be at last moment. Just like a Spanish matador which moves his flag at the last possible moment.
I have seen a group of wild dogs avoided the wild boar Tusks for about an hour to catch some of her piglets and If you ask Wild boar hunters they do the same.
The worst thing is keeping your ground. Mother Wild boar when charging very rarely changes her mind at the last moment. They normally attack once to break the situation but even if they turn back to another attack the rules are the same, empty the ground in the last safe possible moment.
Please do not put yourself in a group that when asked why you did not move you nod your head and say: I just don’t know.
A Google search reveals the most common defense against a wild boar attack is to climb a tree. If you can't do that, hope you have a pig sticker knife and run it through like a bullfighter.
Of course if you actually got into a fight with a wild boar on the trail and survived you'd end up with one hell of a trail name and probably receive special mention in the ATC Hall of Fame.
Cheers!
Mountain Mike
10-25-2011, 08:03
Then start collecting lots of firewood & make a spit. Be real trai majic.
I saw some running along the AT in Smokies last month. The bears now seem a lot less dangerous.
WingedMonkey
10-25-2011, 10:19
There has never been a feral pig attack on the Appalachian Trail.
Pedaling Fool
10-25-2011, 10:25
There's a first time for everything:)
Doc Mike
10-25-2011, 10:51
Contrary to the common misconception, wild boar/feral hogs are not that maternal. I've hunted them many times and have frequently caught the young in an attempt to have the mother return. Out of the 20-30 try's never did the mother return no matter how loud the piglet sqeals. However when cornered or threatened they can be very dangerous and I've had several close calls that way.
OMG, seriously, KooKoo?!? This is "advice"?!?
So, really, what you're saying is that we should indeed stand our ground and then only jump away at the last moment.... instead of turning and running right away? I'll just stand there and try to look big and tall and then go all Jan van Beveren on it right before it gets to me.
And that's it, right? Then its over and I can go change my pants!?
OMG, seriously, KooKoo?!? This is "advice"?!?
So, really, what you're saying is that we should indeed stand our ground and then only jump away at the last moment.... instead of turning and running right away? I'll just stand there and try to look big and tall and then go all Jan van Beveren on it right before it gets to me.
And that's it, right? Then its over and I can go change my pants!?
Wild boars do not attack from a distance. They just attack if they are cornered in close contacts so they very rarle give you a chance to turn back and run. If the distace between you and the boar is enough then they donot feel cornered so why should they attack.
And this jumping on a tree, How many trees around the trail practically are suitable for climbig them in less than a second? It is doable in some short trees canopies and not so much in other stertches.
So, If you have time and there as a easily climbable tree then go for it but in sudden encounters just god help you to find a tree or time to escape.
Tipi Walter
10-25-2011, 12:16
I've seen hundreds of pigs over the years and got "mocked charged" once after scattering a group atop a high foggy bald---the rest ran off and the leader circled back and charged but stopped a few feet in front of me. We grunted at about the same time and he took off. Another time I scared up a group and they charged past while I stood behind a tree. As usual with the outdoors, people highlight certain risks way beyond normal and instill fear which seems to be an American pastime. It's always about rattlesnakes or bears or pigs but never about the real dangers---cold rain induced hypothermia, or falling trees/tree limbs, or falling while wearing a heavy pack, or random lightning strikes. These are the things backpackers should be concerned with. Forget the pigs. But then we wouldn't have the long threads on which handgun is the best for bear attacks or pig snarlings. You can't exactly drool over a weapon in a lightning storm and shoot out the sky, ergo the conversation soon turns to personal defense, a very boring topic.
Contrary to the common misconception, wild boar/feral hogs are not that maternal. I've hunted them many times and have frequently caught the young in an attempt to have the mother return. Out of the 20-30 try's never did the mother return no matter how loud the piglet sqeals. However when cornered or threatened they can be very dangerous and I've had several close calls that way.
You had a gone in your hand and an intention to hunt her. She is not stupid to risk her life for just one piglet. Contrary to general believe I found wild boars very intelligent and I expect them to feel and understand the differences between a hunter and a hiker in a short period of time after moving to a new area which has both hunters and hikers.
PapaGarrettP
10-25-2011, 12:24
I think Tipi Walter hit the nail on the head. Time to close the thread...
I've seen hundreds of pigs over the years and got "mocked charged" once after scattering a group atop a high foggy bald---the rest ran off and the leader circled back and charged but stopped a few feet in front of me. We grunted at about the same time and he took off. Another time I scared up a group and they charged past while I stood behind a tree. As usual with the outdoors, people highlight certain risks way beyond normal and instill fear which seems to be an American pastime. It's always about rattlesnakes or bears or pigs but never about the real dangers---cold rain induced hypothermia, or falling trees/tree limbs, or falling while wearing a heavy pack, or random lightning strikes. These are the things backpackers should be concerned with. Forget the pigs. But then we wouldn't have the long threads on which handgun is the best for bear attacks or pig snarlings. You can't exactly drool over a weapon in a lightning storm and shoot out the sky, ergo the conversation soon turns to personal defense, a very boring topic.
You are right. The real danger is statistically somewhere else. I know something about wild boars and share. You've had some experiences about Lightning strike for example and share. That is the way I donot need to have my own experinces to know what to do in lightning strikes.
You are right. The real danger is statistically somewhere else. I know something about wild boars and share. You've had some experiences about Lightning strike for example and share. That is the way I donot need to have my own experinces to know what to do in lightning strikes.
You must be troll !! Otherwise I can not myself contain. Two of you have mighty fine experiences, no?!!
hikerboy57
10-25-2011, 12:40
flame thrower is best. kills and BBQs em at the same time.(make sure boar is within a fire ring).
I can only speak for Georgia wild pigs, but we have a bunch of them down here. I hunt them and I know dozens of hunters that are either in the woods hunting them or in the woods with them frequently. I have never heard of anyone being charged, attacked, cut, or had any kind of encounter with a wild pig in which they did not run away. I know people that hunt them with dogs that have been injured when trying to stab or tie up a pig that has been bayed by dogs but that is a different matter.
As far as walking along, pig charges...I can pretty much say it never happens around here and we have a lot of pigs.
I can confidently say it it did happen to me I would hop onto a tree or tree branch and pull my legs up out of the pigs reach.
I did have one chase my 18lb dog (terrier mix) after he ran across a field after a mother with piglets. My dog wasn't sure what that was but he wanted to go check it out, maybe chase it maybe play with it. Once he got down there he decided he wanted anything to do with it. The mother stood her ground, my dog tried to go check them out and she chased him maybe 200 yards in one direction then back 100 yards the other direction. I took a shot at the pig but hit behind her (250 yards running, I was hesitant to aim too far ahead because my dog was up in front). I missed but the sound scared her back into the woods and my dog ran back to me with wide eyes and a new respect for sticking close to his Dad at the hunting land, I think.
I can only speak for Georgia wild pigs, but we have a bunch of them down here. I hunt them and I know dozens of hunters that are either in the woods hunting them or in the woods with them frequently. I have never heard of anyone being charged, attacked, cut, or had any kind of encounter with a wild pig in which they did not run away. I know people that hunt them with dogs that have been injured when trying to stab or tie up a pig that has been bayed by dogs but that is a different matter.
As far as walking along, pig charges...I can pretty much say it never happens around here and we have a lot of pigs.
I can confidently say it it did happen to me I would hop onto a tree or tree branch and pull my legs up out of the pigs reach.
I did have one chase my 18lb dog (terrier mix) after he ran across a field after a mother with piglets. My dog wasn't sure what that was but he wanted to go check it out, maybe chase it maybe play with it. Once he got down there he decided he wanted anything to do with it. The mother stood her ground, my dog tried to go check them out and she chased him maybe 200 yards in one direction then back 100 yards the other direction. I took a shot at the pig but hit behind her (250 yards running, I was hesitant to aim too far ahead because my dog was up in front). I missed but the sound scared her back into the woods and my dog ran back to me with wide eyes and a new respect for sticking close to his Dad at the hunting land, I think.
Is it fair if I say in a sentence : Iranian dogs big or small never bite ust because they are Iranian.
By almost the same Token It is hard for me to accept what you said about Georgian wild boars. I give you that an attack to hiker would be extremly rare by a mother wild boar but their defence mechanism about their piglets is an instinc deep inside their Genome and it is the same all over the world so your statement that:
"As far as walking along, pig charges...I can pretty much say it never happens around here and we have a lot of pigs." is not accurate. Wild boars rarely attch humans but they certainly do in some occasionsand statistic shows it happens all over the world. Here is mostly hunting accidents and it is a good sign to not to be worried that much.
You had a gone in your hand and an intention to hunt her. She is not stupid to risk her life for just one piglet. Contrary to general believe I found wild boars very intelligent and I expect them to feel and understand the differences between a hunter and a hiker in a short period of time after moving to a new area which has both hunters and hikers.
Based on that logic of the "thinking pig" from what you are saying all one would have to do is carry a stick and rub a little gun powder on your clothes and all pigs would stay away from you. Really??? I think your trail/thread handle should be THINKING PIG.
Simmer slowly in some apple brandy with carrots, apples, sweet potatoes and onions?
Based on that logic of the "thinking pig" from what you are saying all one would have to do is carry a stick and rub a little gun powder on your clothes and all pigs would stay away from you. Really??? I think your trail/thread handle should be THINKING PIG.
If you act like a real hunter and not like a scared person who knows he has a gunpowdered stick and not a gun they might really be scared of you. Chances are, some are going to crap in thier pants which may dominates the smell of gunpowder:cool:.
There has never been a feral pig attack on the Appalachian Trail.
Don't get me started. :)
Gray Blazer
10-26-2011, 07:56
This thread is boaring.
Rocket Jones
10-26-2011, 08:34
This thread is boaring.
Attention hog.
Gray Blazer
10-26-2011, 09:42
Attention hog.
Like damn you! LOL
4eyedbuzzard
10-26-2011, 09:59
This thread is boaring.Yeah, pretty unattractive. Lipstick might help.
What ever happened to Minnesota Smith?
4eyedbuzzard
10-26-2011, 10:22
What ever happened to Minnesota Smith?Persona non grata to many. Personal domestic issues played out on WB. Wasn't a very attractive scene. Heard he hiked again. Probably back to work now.
Uh - get the eggs and frying pan ready?
Do I win?..................
You'll see weather on the AT that'll make a charging hog seem tame. Lightning is deadly, I'd best stay home. :rolleyes:
Oh, and check the toilets for black widow spiders before sitting down...............then there's those pesky rattlesnakes. Once one of them decides to defend itself it's too late to climb a tree...........
The last boar I saw was grazing in a parking lot at Big Fat Gap in Joyce Kilmer. When I saw this post, I was hoping Tipi Walter would reply. My guess is that Tipi has seen more boar than all of us put together. Here is what he says and (as usual) he is pretty much on the mark:
I've seen hundreds of pigs over the years and got "mocked charged" once after scattering a group atop a high foggy bald---the rest ran off and the leader circled back and charged but stopped a few feet in front of me. We grunted at about the same time and he took off. Another time I scared up a group and they charged past while I stood behind a tree. As usual with the outdoors, people highlight certain risks way beyond normal and instill fear which seems to be an American pastime. It's always about rattlesnakes or bears or pigs but never about the real dangers---cold rain induced hypothermia, or falling trees/tree limbs, or falling while wearing a heavy pack, or random lightning strikes. These are the things backpackers should be concerned with. Forget the pigs. But then we wouldn't have the long threads on which handgun is the best for bear attacks or pig snarlings. You can't exactly drool over a weapon in a lightning storm and shoot out the sky, ergo the conversation soon turns to personal defense, a very boring topic.
I wish I had read Tipi Walter's post. He said the same things I did and I swear (promise to you southern folks) that I didn't copy him! :D
He said it better, too (except for the eggs and frying pan part). :)
modiyooch
10-27-2011, 21:35
We scattered babies one hike. They went to both sides of the trail and squealing. We had to walk inbetween. I just knew mamma was going to charge, but I never saw the mamma.
We scattered babies one hike. They went to both sides of the trail and squealing. We had to walk inbetween. I just knew mamma was going to charge, but I never saw the mamma.
........... and that was just walking into the Waffle House.
Attention hog. Go ahead, Ham it up.Az
I was charged by a boar earlier this year on the Duncan ridge trail in Georgia. It may not have been a deliberate charge... we surprised each other, and he may have just started running at me by mistake. A couple of rounds from a .45 across his bow changed his direction at any rate.Az
Creepwood
10-28-2011, 19:54
Find the closest tree grab a limb and jump up is what i've always heard
Yeah, pretty unattractive. Lipstick might help.
And a pair of high top galoshes ...
rmitchell
10-28-2011, 22:57
We scattered babies one hike. They went to both sides of the trail and squealing. We had to walk inbetween. I just knew mamma was going to charge, but I never saw the mamma.
I did see mamma on a hike up Long Hungrey Ridge in the Smokies. She was rooting up the trail as I rounded a bend. My hiking partner behind me said "there are piglets on the hill". I replied that mamma was just ahead. We stared at each other for an eternity (about ten seconds). She stopped rooting and grunted to the piglets. She held her ground until the piglets ran off, then she followed. My partner said there we two small piglets that still had there stripes. All I saw were the sows tusks.
Wise Old Owl
10-29-2011, 00:49
What ever happened to Minnesota Smith?
Probably the best post ever....
I did see mamma on a hike up Long Hungrey Ridge in the Smokies. She was rooting up the trail as I rounded a bend. My hiking partner behind me said "there are piglets on the hill". I replied that mamma was just ahead. We stared at each other for an eternity (about ten seconds). She stopped rooting and grunted to the piglets. She held her ground until the piglets ran off, then she followed. My partner said there we two small piglets that still had there stripes. All I saw were the sows tusks.
Just for my knowledge : was there a tree or limb of it accessible right there to jump on it and stay safe?
modiyooch
10-29-2011, 09:01
Just for my knowledge : was there a tree or limb of it accessible right there to jump on it and stay safe?is that with or without 30 lbs+ on your back. exactly, how much time do we have to react? I didn't see that as an option for me and my daughter. I like the advice to jump out of the way at the last possible moment. I hope they are right about one charge only.
rmitchell
10-29-2011, 09:05
Just for my knowledge : was there a tree or limb of it accessible right there to jump on it and stay safe?
Lots of trees around, but all were old growth trees with first limbs well above reach. I thought about using my trekings poles to poke at her but remembered that they had rubber tips. Since then I removed the tips. Almost had to use them when approached by a yapping Yorkshire Terrier at a road crossing in VA.
Lots of trees around, but all were old growth trees with first limbs well above reach. I thought about using my trekings poles to poke at her but remembered that they had rubber tips. Since then I removed the tips. Almost had to use them when approached by a yapping Yorkshire Terrier at a road crossing in VA.
The point I am trying to convay is that for people who think they jump on a tree or hang on a branch to escape the attack it is not practical in many forests. The trees are mostly too tall to hang on the first branches but my suggestion need no tree . The attck if happen is very fast, sometimes too fast to find any other option other than what i said
Lots of trees around, but all were old growth trees with first limbs well above reach. I thought about using my trekings poles to poke at her but remembered that they had rubber tips. Since then I removed the tips. Almost had to use them when approached by a yapping Yorkshire Terrier at a road crossing in VA.
The most findable piece of equipment left on trails I think is Trekking Pole rubber tips.
colonel r
10-30-2011, 11:26
I was charged (maybe mock charged) at Tremont in March of this year. A very large boar in the middle of the trail. It was virtually sheer face on both sides of the trail and no trees worth climbing. I won't regurgitate what I reported then but would like to add an incident that happened just last week on 10/23. My wife and I were picnicking on the river at the trail head in Tremont when I heard a gun shot. Probably the first shot I have heard in the park in 40 years. The rangers had trapped and killed a wild boar It took shots); the whole affair was just 20 yards behine us. This one is a bit smaller that the one I encountered in March but it is within 2 miles of that incident. The cage in the back of the truck was for something else.142621426314264
I was charged (maybe mock charged) at Tremont in March of this year. A very large boar in the middle of the trail. It was virtually sheer face on both sides of the trail and no trees worth climbing. I won't regurgitate what I reported then but would like to add an incident that happened just last week on 10/23. My wife and I were picnicking on the river at the trail head in Tremont when I heard a gun shot. Probably the first shot I have heard in the park in 40 years. The rangers had trapped and killed a wild boar It took shots); the whole affair was just 20 yards behine us. This one is a bit smaller that the one I encountered in March but it is within 2 miles of that incident. The cage in the back of the truck was for something else.142621426314264
Thank You. so charging while on Trail is a remote possibility not non existant.I am from a country that we call a wild boar average if less than 300 pounds. here they are smaller but they can sometimes get huge and aggressive accordingly
I think Tipi Walter has the right approach. The pig grunts, you grunt back, pig leaves. My dog misbehaves, I growl, and she freezes. A bear gets too close, I roar, the bear takes off. My neighbor's dog runs like hell when I do my bear imitation. And if the bear doesn't back down, I like the paleo approach with the trekking poles, as mentioned before.
Tipi Walter has seen more wild boars than all of us put together - remember, that guy LIVES in an actual Tipi in Telico Plains, NC part time and backpacks nearly full time in Joyce Kilmer / Citico Creek Wilderness - I mean every time I hike in that place (winter, spring, summer, fall), he's there (with the boars). He's a "gear tester" by profession.
Wise Old Owl
10-31-2011, 22:43
I think Tipi Walter has the right approach. The pig grunts, you grunt back, pig leaves. My dog misbehaves, I growl, and she freezes. A bear gets too close, I roar, the bear takes off. My neighbor's dog runs like hell when I do my bear imitation. And if the bear doesn't back down, I like the paleo approach with the trekking poles, as mentioned before.
This is wonderfull you roar back and for years thereafter - they will be looking for Bigfoot - with boots.
Shutterbug
10-31-2011, 23:02
If you are hundred percent sure that you will never be attacked by a mother Wild boar protecting her piglets while on any trail then this thread has nothing for you but with increasing population of wild boars in many states of the USA someday it may happen to some hikers and I would be delighted to find out that reading this thread has helped somebody from an injury that could be quite serious in some cases.
Years before when I was stitching up a badly injured farmer from a wild boar attack back home I ask him what happened and he said “ She just came out of nowhere with her piglets and attacked me”. I asked so why you did not make a move to get out of her way when she attacked you?
He started to think for awhile and then nodded his head in despair and simply said: I don’t know.
What do you do if you find a car is charging toward you ? do you standstill ?
No you just jump left or right to give the car the space to pass. Do the same to a wild boar charging toward you. The difference is critical though.
You can jump out of the way a car at any moment but with a raging wild boar it should be at last moment. Just like a Spanish matador which moves his flag at the last possible moment.
I have seen a group of wild dogs avoided the wild boar Tusks for about an hour to catch some of her piglets and If you ask Wild boar hunters they do the same.
The worst thing is keeping your ground. Mother Wild boar when charging very rarely changes her mind at the last moment. They normally attack once to break the situation but even if they turn back to another attack the rules are the same, empty the ground in the last safe possible moment.
Please do not put yourself in a group that when asked why you did not move you nod your head and say: I just don’t know.
I have never been attacked by a wild boar, but I had a javelina run right at me. I was hiking in Arizona and rounded a curve in the trail. A javelina was sleeping in the middle of the trail. He was as startled as I was, jumped up an ran directly toward me. All I could do was hold my hiking pole like it was a lance. The javelina turned to the side just before he reached me and ran into the woods.
The experience is relevant because it demonstrated:
1) There wasn't enough time to climb a tree.
2) There wasn't enough time to reach for pepper spray. (I don't carry it anyway.)
3) There wasn't even enough time for me to raise and focus my camera, which was in my hand.
The only defense I had was my hiking pole.
It is possible that a hiking pole jammed into the eye of a boar might stop an attack. If not, a hiker would be in a lot trouble.
There was a technical/cultural problem since I started this thread. When I talk about wild boar attack ,It automatically reminds me wild boars of Iran which are huge( Iran is a soutern neighbour to Russia) .i mean average about 250 pounds or more. It is not uncommon to hunt 350+ boars there. When they reach to that size, they are strong and their tusks are long. There is no chance in the world you even go for your trekking pole if you see those huge boars. Why you dont go for your trekk pole? It is the same like you decide to stop a car charging toward you by your pole, it just doesnot make sense.
Here from what I see, we are talking about saller sizes like less than 150 pounds. So If you are talking about a smaller size then it is up to you.I will jump out of the way irrespect of the size, but if some want to use their pole it is a fair option in small size boar attacks. Jumping over tree as you mentioned is not a viableoption in many cases.
Grunting back to a wild boar as somebody mentiond earlier as an option, I never hard of it before but my experinc says it is not gonna change the mind of a boar .They have heard human voice before. It might make them stutter ,who knows.
So sze makes difference here. I was talking about 300+ ( that is my cultural bias you might say) and here we have normally minus 150 pounds on trails.
Shutterbug
11-01-2011, 00:02
There was a technical/cultural problem since I started this thread. When I talk about wild boar attack ,It automatically reminds me wild boars of Iran which are huge( Iran is a soutern neighbour to Russia) .i mean average about 250 pounds or more. It is not uncommon to hunt 350+ boars there....
You are right that there is a cultural difference. In the U.S., when you speak of a "boar" two different animals come to mind. In the east, one thinks of a feral pig. Some of them grow to a large size.
In the southwest, when you speak of a "boar" one usually thinks of a javelina, a different species. They have a reputation for being more aggressive toward humans than feral pigs.
This is wonderfull you roar back and for years thereafter - they will be looking for Bigfoot - with boots.
Alleged, but never photographed!
I have never been attacked by a wild boar, but I had a javelina run right at me. I was hiking in Arizona and rounded a curve in the trail. A javelina was sleeping in the middle of the trail. He was as startled as I was, jumped up an ran directly toward me. All I could do was hold my hiking pole like it was a lance. The javelina turned to the side just before he reached me and ran into the woods.
The experience is relevant because it demonstrated:
1) There wasn't enough time to climb a tree.
2) There wasn't enough time to reach for pepper spray. (I don't carry it anyway.)
3) There wasn't even enough time for me to raise and focus my camera, which was in my hand.
The only defense I had was my hiking pole.
It is possible that a hiking pole jammed into the eye of a boar might stop an attack. If not, a hiker would be in a lot trouble.
PALEO TECHNIQUE!!! It's why we're all still here, biologically speaking.
Sugarfoot
11-03-2011, 08:15
I had one encounter with a large solitary male boar in my local state park here in Florida, back in about 1994. The grass prairies in the park are burned on a three-year rotation and the area I was going through hadn't been burned lately. The grasses and sedges were over my head. I came around a bend and surprised him. He raised his hackles and pawed the ground. At the time, I was singing with a local chorale and we had been rehearsing a Brahms piece, Nanie, about heroes and how even heroes must die. There was a line about one hero, Adonis, the beloved of Aphrodite, who was goared by a wild boar. It sounds scarier in German. My first reaction to the tusker was to hear the music in my head and to think how romantic it would be to die this way. This was back before Leki poles were common and I was carrying a wooden staff. I don't know why, but I raised it and pounded it onto the ground. It was enough of a surprise that he took off in the other direction. True story!
WingedMonkey
11-03-2011, 08:50
I had one encounter with a large solitary male boar in my local state park here in Florida, back in about 1994. The grass prairies in the park are burned on a three-year rotation and the area I was going through hadn't been burned lately. The grasses and sedges were over my head. I came around a bend and surprised him. He raised his hackles and pawed the ground. At the time, I was singing with a local chorale and we had been rehearsing a Brahms piece, Nanie, about heroes and how even heroes must die. There was a line about one hero, Adonis, the beloved of Aphrodite, who was goared by a wild boar. It sounds scarier in German. My first reaction to the tusker was to hear the music in my head and to think how romantic it would be to die this way. This was back before Leki poles were common and I was carrying a wooden staff. I don't know why, but I raised it and pounded it onto the ground. It was enough of a surprise that he took off in the other direction. True story!
In the 90's Myakka had more hogs than alligators, and I've never seen that many gators in one place as the southern run on the river. That's about the time they got serious about trapping them (the hogs that is).
:sun
Sugarfoot
11-03-2011, 09:51
Still plenty of hogs and gators, WingedMonkey! Hogs have a habit of increasing their litter size when the population is under hunting pressure. Only times I have ever been scared of critters while hiking have been in Myakka. Once, I nearly walked into a gator in May, when the smaller ones (this one was about seven feet) are chased out of their ponds by the larger ones. Hungry, horny, and homeless, he wasn't happy. I'm going to go out there tomorrow and hope to see nothing more vicious than a sandhill crane.
Echraide
11-03-2011, 11:07
javelina, a different species. They have a reputation for being more aggressive toward humans than feral pigs.
They also stink to high heaven. You can often smell them before you see them.
I had one encounter with a large solitary male boar in my local state park here in Florida, back in about 1994. The grass prairies in the park are burned on a three-year rotation and the area I was going through hadn't been burned lately. The grasses and sedges were over my head. I came around a bend and surprised him. He raised his hackles and pawed the ground. At the time, I was singing with a local chorale and we had been rehearsing a Brahms piece, Nanie, about heroes and how even heroes must die. There was a line about one hero, Adonis, the beloved of Aphrodite, who was goared by a wild boar. It sounds scarier in German. My first reaction to the tusker was to hear the music in my head and to think how romantic it would be to die this way. This was back before Leki poles were common and I was carrying a wooden staff. I don't know why, but I raised it and pounded it onto the ground. It was enough of a surprise that he took off in the other direction. True story!
Wow, quite an experience.
When boars paw the ground It is the sign that they are estimating your power and reaction and aggression. It is body language against boy language. You gave him a sign that was alarming enough for him to get out of the way.
Still I am curious to know what would have been your reaction if he charged despite your efforts?
Finding a tree and jumping on it?
Defending yourself with wooden stick?
or ....?
Still plenty of hogs and gators, WingedMonkey! Hogs have a habit of increasing their litter size when the population is under hunting pressure. Only times I have ever been scared of critters while hiking have been in Myakka. Once, I nearly walked into a gator in May, when the smaller ones (this one was about seven feet) are chased out of their ponds by the larger ones. Hungry, horny, and homeless, he wasn't happy. I'm going to go out there tomorrow and hope to see nothing more vicious than a sandhill crane.
Hungry,horney and homeless ,that is a good reciepie for serial rapists!!!!!!
rocketsocks
11-03-2011, 18:58
porkchops an apple sauce.
Sugarfoot
11-04-2011, 07:06
Kookork, I've asked myself that question many times, what I would have done if the boar had charged. I was on the prairie, so trees were not an option. The grasses were pretty thick on either side of the trail, too. I guess I would have used my staff as best as I could, but whatever I would have done would have been instinctive and not the result of weighing options. The gator was easier. It was on a part of the trail that crosses wet prairie, very wet in May, and his head was blocking the trail. I wasn't paying attention and almost kicked his head. I jumped backwards and he roared. (If you've never heard a gator roar, think of the worst 1950's horror film you've ever seen and the sound dinosaurs make.) Then he settled back down. I thought of simply leaping over him, but their reaction times are like the little anoles catching a fly. I went off a ways and had a snack, but he never moved. So I took a side trail to the park road and walked the road to my car. There's almost always an alternative to confrontation!
Myakka River State Park is the second largest in Florida and there are about 40 miles of trail maintained by the Florida Trail Association. There are a few primitive campsites, but some are dry. The wildlife is great. I've seen three bobcats, red fox, and the tracks of a visiting panther whose home range is south of the park. Black bear have been reported following the slough, but I've not seen one. Snakes include diamondback rattlers, pygmy rattlers, cottonmouths, coral snakes, plus a host of friendlier ones including indigos and green snakes. I haven't seen any of the invasive boa constrictors and don't know if they have gotten this far north yet. Nor giant anacondas! The birds are phenomenal because there are so many habitats -- lake, marsh, wet prairie, dry prairie, pine uplands, oak/palmetto hammock, and slough. Next time you come down to visit the Mouse in Orlando, make a side trip and see natural Florida. Also Highland Hammocks State Park and Corkscrew Swamp! But what you won't find are mountains, like our beloved AT.
Thank you sugarfoot.All from the beginning my intenion has been simple. I want the readers think just for a moment about their natural reaction which should be getting out of the charging boar. To my surprise, we human being get out the way of an approaching car easily but the same scenario with a charging boar? some of us freez.
Wow you have quite a variety of wildlife there.You know Florida is differentin almost in every aspect of life,wilderness included.