Anyone care for a little "Wild Hawg"?

Apparently every state has a stereo-type. For those who live in Alabama its those who run around bare-foot, have less than a half-mouth full of teeth and speak in a real deep Southern drawl. I didn't know this stereotype - sure I had seen a few characters fitting this description in the occasional movie or two but I rarely thought there were actual people like this living - to me it was a mere dramatization - UNTIL NOW.

We left the hotel early to get pictures taken at Brett and Karen Crow's (a friend of Ben's from Butler and KSU) wedding. Upon entering Moulton, at the "T" in the road we happened to see a rather "large" animal draped across the tailgate of an old "F-150" pickup at the local gas station.

We contemplated getting out the camera, bothering the group of hunters and just generally acting like "tourists" - but we decided "Hell - these people don't know us, what have we got to loose. Plus - that, whatever it is - it's massive."

Well, tada---------------------------------------------


What we quickly realized is that this animal was actually a MONSTER. We proceeded to get out of the car (it took me awhile longer - I couldn't find the batteries or memory card for the camera) and walk up to a group of 3 hunters who were admiring a 350-lb wild boar that was recently harvested from the local "mountain."

The hunter proceeded to fill us in on how he:

a) lured it in - by using a "Hawg" call, twice while stalking (sitting) on the ground under a tree up on Sipsy Mountain

b) shot it - pointblank in between the eyes with one shot

c) guesstimated its age and weight - about 4 years (note that they age them by sizing up their tusks) and it was "the biggest of the season!"

d) planned to do with it - eat it of course!

Evidently these beasts are over-populating areas like this and there has been an effort to weed out the population by offering a week long season and several shorter seasons to hunt these pigs throughout Alabama. I couldn't decipher how many, what type and the method in which they could hunt the pigs from this particular person but I can tell you he was a) excited about his bounty and b) very patient with our 101 questions.

I was informed by friends at the wedding that our description of a "WILD BOAR" is not infact the correct way to refer to this type of animal. The correct term (to fit in with the locals) is to refer to them as "WILD HAWGS." Never-the-less we experienced a very stereo-typical event of rural Alabama according to guests at the wedding who just laughed and rolled their eyes when we shared our experiences with them! Little do they know - stereo-typical or not - we LOVED every minute of it! Ben might even go back for a little "HAWG" hunting of his own!!!!