Tusked and Dangerous
By Jim Zumbo
Hunting wild hogs is one of North America's top adventures.
August 2005
John Phillips was in big trouble, and there wasn’t a thing I could do about it. He had just fired a shot at a wild hog with a revolver, but the bullet didn’t strike a vital area. As John ran forward to take another shot, he tripped and fell to the ground. Suddenly the boar whirled and charged, its tusks bared. John fired three times, but the pig kept coming. Finally, his next bullet hit pay dirt. The boar skidded to a halt and died 3 feet in front of John’s nose. I stood there with an unloaded gun, watching helplessly.
In all my years of hunting, this was the closest I’ve ever come to witnessing a serious injury. I’ve been bluff-charged by grizzlies and chased by rhinos, but this sobering incident in Alabama had all the makings of big trouble. John Phillips is an outdoor reporter, and he’s still writing about that incident that happened 15 years ago.
Wild hogs are popular quarry in many parts of the country, inhabiting 19 states. Tops are Texas, California and Florida, with growing populations in Oklahoma. Hawaii also has plenty of pigs on some islands.