I walked out of the barn the other night at about 9 pm just to shine my flashlight across the pasture to see if anything was moving. Wow...as i neared the gate, i got a growl from 15 or 20 yards the other side of the fence. My first thought was big cat, but then thought mad boar. I started backing away and got another growl and then caught a bigun heading away from me in the beam. Of course, no gun in hand, and i was wearing my house shoes😮

That was the first time I’ve heard a growl up close, and i didn’t like it. I am going medieval on hogs. Because of the numbers we are seeing this year i had already bought a green light system to test, and all traps are reset. I’m going to catch that growler - i know what he looks like - and teach him and his friends who runs things👹

I believe I've been growled at by a pig a few times lately. It'll make the ol' caveman brain wakeup!

Yessir! That growl got my heartbeat up to double or triple time. Seeing him moving away in the light allowed the pucker factor to lessen, but it still made my walk to the blind the next morning a bit brisker than usual.

It's definitely a distinct sound that says: don't mess with me punk.

That'll definitely check the ole heart. Makes you feel ALIVE again. lol

That’s for sure nerve rattling if you don’t see it first. If it is growling verses running in your presence then for sure needs to be eliminated. They all need eliminating but one that is showing it will stand it’s ground is not good. Just my guess but this is generally either a sow with little piglets or a boar that has won enough battles to become a little too cocky. I’ve started arming just to go to the corral or feeder after dark.
Good luck taking them out and be careful out there.

It is a bit of a weird concept that humans seem to think that animals need to or should run in their...because any animal not afraid of humans must be dangerous, It could be a particularly aggressive hog. It could be a sow with young present that she is protecting. It could simply be a hog that fails to understand the threat, which is not an uncommon thing to have happen. Surprise encounters, as described in the OP, often result in unexpected reactions from the animals. For example, most bear attacks on humans are surprise encounters where the bear simply acts defensively.

Happens to me pretty much every trip to the lease and sometimes multiple times in a day. Not once has a growler come after me.

same

I've heard one growl and it certainly gets your attention. Always have my .45 with me at my place.

The whole reason I started shooting hogs was because I walked up on a large sleeping boar. I had no idea it was there until it stood up. It started "growling" and popping it's jaw at me. I took one step back and it charged me. If not for the tree next to me, I would have been in serious trouble. I literally thought I was going to be killed. Now I do the killing.

1st ever I hunted was on a small farm surrounded by city, not the one I currently hunt. Nighttime so we couldn't be seen by the public plus she hid out well. 35 acre place only. Me and a buddy spot her and follow. As were going up a small rise into some brush we heard that low, guttural growl as we had her pinned. Couldn't see her even with a light. I said to my friend that we were now the hunted with no good escape, so we noped out of there. We talked that if we could have recorded that sound Hollywod would pay good money for it. Out of this world scary.