First timers first hog is a good one

We took my sister in law hog hunting for the first time a few days ago at one of our regular spots. We had unhooked the trailer and were vesting up the catch dogs when the bay dogs still in their boxes started getting restless. First whining and then barking and banging on their doors so my wife erin turned them loose and all three disappeared over the hill. We got the catch dogs vested and loaded up and sat down to wait. We didn't have to wait long before they bayed at about four hundred yards, we could just barely hear them barking. As we moved closer with the catch dogs the hog broak from a patch of oaks in the bottom of the draw but the dogs got him shut down again in another bunch of trees before he cold make it out of the draw. We stopped at about 150 yards and I got my catch dog, Beetle out of the box, wanting to lead her in closer before sending her in. I was getting my young pit Paisley out of her box when I heard the hog try to break again but the bay dogs didn't let him. I didn't want him to make it next time so I cut Beetle out from there and followed her on in, leading Paisley while Erin and her sister followed a ways behind with the boys. The hog tried again to break out as Beetle was getting to the bay but she got on him and caught before he made it very far. I got to the oaks they were caught in and decided that for only her second time helping out in the woods, this was a bit too much hog for Paisley so I handed her lead off and went and legged the hog. After I stuck him we started back to the pickup, got the dogs watered and tended too and loaded the hog so I could cape him for a trip to the taxidermist. I am fairly sure that I have chased this hog a couple times before, since he tended to hang out in the oats field where we park my dog trailer at the same times most days. If it is the same hog, he's outrun me a few times and whupped my pack once before when I jumped him and another hog out of the field and they bayed a ways apart. The whole hunt probably took a half hour this time. I think the ol hog must not have been paying attention this time and the bay dogs got too close too fast for any more of his tricks so he had to bay up. It was a fun hunt, but I told my sister in law not to get spoiled on hog hunting. There wasn't any briar vines, water, mud or anything on this one.

The whole crowd

The two sisters

My son and the hog

closer picture of the hog