Every day I pray that I can always live in the country. Almost every time I go to town, I see something that makes me smile. It might be just a little child all decked out in cowboy boots and a hat and knowing that even the young kids usually have some kind of chores on the farms where boots are needed. “It” can get real deep! 🙂
This morning Vince mentioned a place or two he’d like to go and I agreed. Once we were safely on the road, far enough away from home that I couldn’t jump out of a moving vehicle and run back home, he mentioned that he needed to go to Tractor Supply, Family Dollar, Big Lots, Wal-Mart, Home Depot and Kroger.
I’m not sure if it’s the country I love or just the fact that small towns offer fewer shopping establishments. If that man lived where there were more stores, we’d never get to go home. He does love to shop.
That was fine . . I had my knitting and I sat in the car except for Wal-Mart and Kroger. While sitting in the car at Tractor Supply, a pickup with a trailer pulled up next to us. Vince had just gotten back in the car. He said “Is that a big, black dog?” NO! It’s a pig! Let me out . . I’m taking a picture.
Wild Boar
The man had gone into Tractor Supply and the lady was in the pickup so she and I struck up a conversation. She said they catch the wild pigs and sell them to some place around San Antonio and they get shipped to Europe.
Before anyone starts feeling sorry for him, they are so very destructive. Hitting one with your vehicle causes massive damage because they are so big and bulky. They tear up fences and fields and ruin crops . . they’re a big problem in some areas around here. We haven’t seen any evidence of them around our place and hope we don’t but it’s probably just a matter of time.
Did anyone else go to town today and see a wild boar on a trailer in the parking lot? 🙂
Gwen says
I am only surprised that they buy them here from that far away! There are so many here that they are constantly being hunted and trapped and killed. They get huge and are as you said a big problem! That on looks small!
JudyL says
That’s what she said. It really was quite large — not small at all but not the biggest either.
Pamela Johnson says
Judy, hat is a great story! My son traps and sells wild hogs too! We have a big problem with them on our ranch property here in East Texas!!! Not only are the destructive , dangerous if you hit one…..they are MEAN!!! They will charge humans and that can be deadly !!
JudyL says
Oh, yes. I surely wouldn’t want to come up on one in the woods.
Carol Campbell says
Many many are trapped and shot south of you on our land. Very destructive. 3 were trapped and shot yesterday and given to a neighbor. I think he makes tamales among other items. About 2 weeks ago my husband found a huge one in the trap and took several shots to kill it and a tractor to haul it away for the buzzards. He estimated 300 pounds.
JudyL says
My aunt in Llano traps them. A couple years ago she caught two or three small pigs and fed them out. Bacon! Pork Chops!
Glen in Louisiana says
My brother gave his wife a pot bellied pig when they got married. Blossom was 21 when they lost her in the flood of hurricane Isaac. She was huge! And looked a lot like this guy.
She would root up their house, and destroyed several sofas and beds. She could open the frige and help herself. Kenny found her chewing don on a package of bacon once!
glen
Brandy M. says
chewing on a package of bacon… Now THAT”S funny!
BLM 🙂
suzanne says
chewing on bacon….LOL…..seriously??? that is funny stuff!!
Krista says
Nope, can’t say I’ve ever seen a sight like that. Today, I looked outside at the blowing snow, checked the temperature, and headed straight back up to my sewing room, where I spent the whole day, warm and happy 🙂
JudyL says
It was quite warm here. There were people out in shorts and flip flops.
shirley bruner says
You have the most unusual and fun life of anyone i know. LOL only in Texas!! hope you never stop blogging….i would be so bored and never have any chuckles.
JudyL says
Thanks, Shirley. I think we have a pretty normal life but I just see things with a but more “gusto” than most folks.
Brandy M. says
I’ve never seen a wild boar/hog/pig. I’ve seen baby “pigs,” and they’re SO cute! But, those are so much different from the wild ones. I watched some show that was all about catching the wild boar – maybe a year or two ago? It was on that show that I realized just how destructive and dangerous these animals are! I never realized, prior to that, that a “pig” would kill a human!
BLM 🙂
JudyL says
If you watched American Hoggers, those guys are from our county. They live here and most of it was filmed right around here.
Carolyn says
And you wonser why that hunting mag wanted you to write an article! 🙂
Karen Langseth says
I have a wild boar head hanging in my family room on the wall….my husbands idea of wall art….it was shot last year north of you about 100 miles. I think they are going back this year too.. Actually I was suprized how good the meat was….it needs to be cooked low and slow but was very tastee.
JudyL says
People around here will eat the young ones but not the old big ones. Friends once tried to use it for sausage and even with the seasoning and added “stuff”, it wasn’t worth eating. A lot depends on what they eat too.
Sarah M says
This is why I love your blog. You never know what you are going to get. Keep up the good reads.
JudyL says
Kinda like a box of chocolates, huh?
Bonnie Litts says
My goodness, I didn’t even leave the yard, let alone go to town and see a wild boar. You certainly lead an exciting life.
Bon
JudyL says
Oh, Bon! You know you can come down here any time you want a little added excitement.
Stella Nemeth says
There is a Tractor Supply in one of the local towns, but no wild boar!
JudyL says
You might need to spend more time in the parking lot. You could be just not there at the right time.
Donna F says
When I lived in my hometown in Florida, I went outside to my car on night I never made it off the doorsteps. There was a wild hog standing in my front yard the size of a cow, a grown cow!!! I screamed, it screamed, I ran one way and it ran the other. That was enough of wild hogs for me! After that I was like “a Judy” I always had someone watch me go outside. lol
Peg H says
Oh sure – several of ’em in fact. NOT! Thanks for the laugh Judy. 🙂
Norece says
I liked that they used dog collars to keep the gate of the pen closed – very creative. I can’t remember who we use to visit that raised pigs, but from a little girl I knew never to go near the pigs without an adult with me.
myrna sossner says
The format for the comments is rather “narrow minded” today!
myrna sossner says
OOPS! the comments have filled themselves out … must be my computer that made the lines only a couple of words wide!
Cheryl says
I so love your blog!!! Everyday is truly an adventure! I hope you never stop blogging!
Mel Meister says
Not a wild boar, but I did see Orion and his faithful dog, Sirius tonight. We got our telescope out and took a class yesterday.
Susan says
I can’t say that’s something I ever expect to go into Knoxville and see anywhere. =) Once in Texas (hmmm, is there a theme here?) we pulled into an RV supply store. While Paul went in, I sat in the truck and watched oranges come down conveyer belts and be dropped into huge trucks to be shipped somewhere. That was a different experience. Love my Texas!
Laura says
You are right Judy…they are very destructive and can be quite aggessive as well if threatened. We had them on our ranch property in the Hill Country and killed more than one. The largest one was a 235 pound boar. Yikes.
Diana in RR Texas says
The guys are always on the look out for them in Brady and they have shot quite a few over the years. The big ones get left for the coyotes, they will take the hams from the small ones. Our friend shot a really big old nasty looking one a few years back. There has been problems with them closer to Austin, getting in tearing up yards etc. They can be really mean.
Carol Campbell says
The huge one my husband trapped and killed was out at Pear Valley if you know where that is.
Joan in NE says
Would not like to meet this guy in a dark alley, OR in the back yard, or the front yard — ok how about anywhere. Those things are MEAN. Sure hope they are not in your yard sometime when you go to sew or to take Speck out.
Mair says
No wild boar, but I did have a brief chat with Norm Abram (of This Old House) at a local hardware store on Friday.
Sukie says
I’ve only heard my husband tell stories of shooting wild boars at the request of landowners in south Texas, but I did go to JoAnn’s for fabric one day and saw a life-sized plastic cow in the back of a pickup truck in the parking lot.
When the owner came out she said she was going to paint it.
It’s often weird in Austin too! =)
Cassandra says
Not too much pity for the poor beast here. Just curious – why send them to Europe? They don’t need them there, either, do they?
Rebecca says
I am relieved to see that it’s behind bars, especially so soon after your post about “fearless” Miss Hattie!
Ranch Wife says
Well one ran across the pasture the other day. 🙂 We had a ton of them in Texas. People paid lots of money to hunt them and yes, they are destructive. They are few and far between here, and we’re thankful for that. I have to say that they’re pretty cute when they are little though!