I had set out a few DP traps to rid the place of some more raccoons. Went out, mid-morning yesterday to "run the traps." As I approached one of the stock tanks where I'd set a trap, I heard noises that sounded like a combination of hogs and raccoons. I topped the berm and there, about 60 yards away, was a small hog with a raccoon in its mouth! The 'coon was caught in the trap, and the hog was shaking it like a terrier shakes a rat. The 'coon was yelling, the hog was grunting and trying his best get the 'coon free of the trap.

I yelled, and the hog spun around and began trying to find the source of the noise. It would run left, then right, then stop and start popping its jaws, swinging its head left and right. I was decidedly under gunned for the occasion, since I just had my 9mm pistol loaded with 124 grain Gold Dots. I didn't have a backup gun. I started to back up out of the tank, and as soon as I moved, the hog started toward me. I stopped; it stopped. It wasn't happy and neither was I. This little game went on a couple more times, and each time the hog wound up closer to me. Finally when he was about 20 yards away, I lined up on his eye socket and told him that if he took just one more step toward me, I was going to shoot.

At the sound of my voice, he took another step and I squeezed off a round. He dropped to his front knees, squealing loudly, so I gave him 2 shots in the ear. He kept thrashing and hollering, so I gave him a few more. (I had a 12 round magazine, so I was ready to continue the dance as long as the ammo held out!) He finally stopped twitching and then I heard this crying sound and saw that it was the mangled 'coon making the noise. I came over to him and finished him off. The chain and braided wire that I had used to attach the trap to the cinder block was all wrapped around the block and the 'coon. A real bloody mess.

I went back to the hog, dragged him to the truck and took him to the bone yard. I was gone about 20 minutes or so. Returned to the crime scene to clean things up and discovered that the 'coon was gone! The cinder block had been moved about 10-15 feet and there were drag marks and blood that marked the direction it was being pulled. Parts of the 'coon were still in the wire and chain, and his foot was still in the trap! Really spooky. The hair was standing up on the back of my neck.

I beat a hasty retreat, went back and got my DP-12 loaded up with 12 rounds of 00 buck, and returned. The ground was so dry that there were no tracks to follow. There were spots of blood every few feet for several yards, and then the blood trail ran out. I continued tracking in the general direction the trail had led me, but didn't find any other markings. I went back to the trap and got it all straightened out and reset it. I have no idea what could have done this, other than a large hog. No other animal would have the strength required to move that cinder block; not a coyote or bobcat, for sure. We don't have any mountain lions around that I've heard of, so it's a mystery.

The hog I shot only had one eye. The other one was all scabbed over and it was not a recent wound. That may account for his peculiar behavior when our encounter began. The lesson I learned from this is that I will not be running traps or even wandering around the place without some serious artillery on my shoulder.

Holy crap....that is one cool story! Never hurts to be overgunned.

More than likely a BIG hog. Killed a huge boar many years ago that was carrying a dead spike in his chompers.

I set some of those coon traps a couple of years ago, and when I got to one that was wired around the tree, all of the bark on the tree about a foot and a half up had been rubbed off by the wire going around the tree so many times up and down the trunk. The scene looked like a horror film. Little scraps of blood and bone and hair for about a 3-ft radius around the tree. At first I thought the coon had just gone crazy trying to escape, but it later dawned on me that something had grabbed him and pulled him into pieces trying to get him off the trap. I thought it was a bobcat, but could've been coyotes or a big hog.

The woods can be creepy.

Dayum. I would've needed an underwear change after that encounter. Glad your okay.

Great story. Betting it was a big boar who drug him off. He was probably attracted in by the squealin' of the first pig you shot. They are opportunists for sure.

We had something take a coon and trap one night. Broke a fair sized cable in doing it, no way the coon broke it on his own.

At least you had the side arm!

Janie, only the person who does my laundry knows just how frightened I was! Between the strange acting hog and the "disappearing" raccoon, it could have been a "two drawers change day!"

TxAg, I'm pretty sure you're right about the big boar. I'm surprised he hung around with all the shooting and yelling; and he sure didn't waste much time coming in to collect that raccoon!

Fun morning. Probably just another hog came in for a quick meal. Blood in the air is a great attractant for hogs and coyotes alike.

Great story, glad I was not there.

be prepared for whatever you might encounter! Hogs can be dangerous and I have seen them consume the majority of a good sized doe before the I could get to her to even gut her.

Glad your safe. Hogs can be real mean

Man that had to be exhilarating. Next time have a game cam setup by that DP trap

PMK, I've been hunting the beasties for about 25 years and I am aware of how destructive and aggressive they can be! I kinda let my guard down in this instance; I've not seen a hog in daylight on my place for years, and had only taken my pistol with me to dispatch any 'coons I might have caught in the traps over night. Certainly did teach this old and experienced dog a new thing or two!

Pic of trophy cinder block? They don't weigh that much, a yote could move one easy if it's like this:



That said, being that one hog was already there, suspect another finished the coon off.

At least you had a 9! I usually check my Dukes carrying a .22! Good job staying on point.

yep, totally understand but I bet you don't do that again, eh? I've been hunting them for over 50 years and it only took once for me to see just how aggressive they can become once they get the taste of blood along with some of the stories I heard from old timers when I was a kid ... I am not near accurate enough with my 9mm to carry for a charging pig (unless the BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, etc sound scared it enough) but I can roll one on a dead run with one of my rifles. guess I should practice more with the sidearm.

Western, I normally carry my PMR-30 for my trap running chores, since, as I said before, I rarely see a hog out and about during the day. I grabbed my 9 because I had been working on some reloads for it, and had checked them for proper function and knew that they were hitting about where I was aiming. I was going to do some serious range work and sight adjustment after I had run the traps. Kinda glad I didn't have the face-off with the one-eyed, coon-eating piggy with 22WMR's to throw his way.

Definitely learned a lesson, PMK, and will arm myself a bit more heavily from here on out. And this hog I took down was not "charging" me; he would kinda lunge my way, and then go to the right and then the left and then stop to pop his chops at me. He was standing dead still when I began unloading on him. The chances of my hitting him if he had, indeed, charged me, would probably be slim to none. I'm not exactly a pistolero! That's why I carry shotguns with buckshot, since they compensate a little bit for my lack of shooting skills.

Ha - I just read this after coming in from setting traps. I will be carrying artillery when running them in the morning.

Great story!
Adios,
Gary

That is a great story.

Thanks for sharing.

That's the kind of cinder block I use, but I fill half of it with QuikKrete. Adds quite a bit of mass and severely reduces "dragability!" Even an unmodified cinder block is hard to drag across rough ground. Doubt that the scrawny 'yotes we have around here could drag it anywhere. A wolf-sized animal, or mountain lion or hog could drag it pretty easily. Big boar 'coons can barely do more than turn it around; of course, they're doing it with only 3 legs!

Awesome story.
I would hope I had the wherewithal to just stop and enjoy the show.

I never go to the lease with out the .45 in a shoulder holster