Years ago when Mr. Linebaugh lived and worked in Maryville, he told me about a hog hunt where they were run with dogs and when the hogs came to bay you waded in an stabbed it to death with a Bowie knife.

He said that it did not get any more exciting than that.

Has anyone on the board done this?

Byron

Not with a Bowie knife but with spear.One has to be in good physical condition. Mine was at 5000 ft. elevation, Hooper Bald in the Smokies. By the time we caught the dogs, we had run nearly 2 miles, up and down, Mostly up. Was in my early 30's...Those were the days.But after helping to carry it back, I was beginning to wish I hadn't.

While I have not knife hunted a hog I have hunted enough hogs to know that it is very risky, not only for the hunters and but the dogs also. Even a small 50-60 lbs hog can and will do a lot of damage. I saw a hog hunting dog have his underside opened up by a chased hog, with one swipe of it's tusk,the dog did not survive. A ranch manager at a place I hunted in central Missouri had his leg opened up from his ankle to knee by a sneak attack by female hog, only can imagine what she would have done if scared after being chased by a pack of dogs.

Up close and personal handgun hunting a hog can be very exciting but dangerous too, if you decide to knife hunt a hog you'd better be very strong, quick, accurate with the knife and have a big set to do it. Oh and good medical coverage in case things get too western : (

Gunner

I used to do a LOT of hog hunting back in the late 90s when I lived in SW Georgia (I was Matt/GA back then on the old sixgunner forum, the good old days). We would hunt with anywhere from 12 to 20 dogs. When they got on a hog, it was usually absolute pandomonium in the swamp...you would usually be sprinting, anywhere up to a mile, to get there quickly because you never really knew how big of a hog the dogs had bayed up.

So you're sprinting through the swamps, usually knee deep in water/mud/much, keeping an eye out for water moccasins, gators, and spiders as big as your hand, making sure you don't fall face first in all of it...when you get up close enough to see the hog, you have to make sure you don't run up to it facing head on as it is likely to charge at you (they are ornery to begin with, and even more so when there's a bunch dogs chomping on every extremity...ears, tail, nuts, etc...).

You make your way around the back of it and, if it's small (usually less than 125-150 pounds), you take your knife (6"+ blade) and you stick it between the ribs a few times. If it's bigger than that, we usually would use a sixgun with the muzzle touching the hog, right between the shoulder blades so a dog can't get in between the muzzle and the hog and you pull the trigger on a hollow point (only, not solids...to minimize penetration so a dog doesn't get shot underneath the hog.

We once had the dogs hit a heard of hogs, and they scattered everywhere. I ended up chasing down 2-3 dogs that had caught up with a small shoat. I picked it up, one handed, by the hind legs and slit its throat. It was one FINE eating wild hog!!

Yes, the adrenaline sure does get pumping when you hear those first barks, followed by the squealing...

Matt/PA

I did it a couple of years ago in Texas. It was a night hunt on a ranch where the hogs had gone nocturnal. Lot of chasing and a lot of fun. The knife provided by our host was really more like an old French WWI "knitting needle" bayonet. His instructions were to "stick it behind the shoulder and waller it around till the hog falls."

I have taken a few with knives,,,,,,,,,It was not my first choice none of the times it has happened....But it will increase the pucker factor a little.

If you can Bench press 250 lbs. Do curls with 60 lb dumbells. Sprint 880 yards without sucking wind through every orifice of your body. GO FOR IT! Make sure there are catch dogs as well as bay dogs and approach from the rear. A razor sharp 1969 M16 bayonet works quite well.b If it is a big truly wild boar 250 lbs plus you have to slit there throat. I have a buddy who is 6'3" a former marine and in pretty good shape still. He could not drive his razor sharp K-Bar through a 295 pound boars sheild in three tries finally slit its throat. Everyone should experience it at least once.

He used a lever action winchester with a bayonet. He'd skewer them as they charged him and THEN shoot them.

The only Winchester levergun with a bayonet that I'm aware of would be a model 1895, maybe in .30-40 Krag or even 7.62x54R or .303 Brit.

Not a bad choice for Jaguar in the bunch.

-AaronB

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Of the Troops & For the Troops

There were plenty of 1873 muskets made for bayonets as well. Had a friend down in california who owned one. I dimly seem to recall 1892s in that configuration, but it just might be my mind needing coffee.

Otony

Made up special. He was going after man eaters and had a cross piece fixed on the bayonet so the jaguar couldn't slide down too far and still get him.

beautiful rough place! when were you there? i huntede out of Claude Hyde's [ great name for a bear hunter!!] place.

NM.

Client had shot it with his bow. The guide went in past the dogs, grabbed one of the boars legs and flipped it on it's back, then stabbed it in the chest with a Kershaw Whirlwind (folding knife with a 4 1/2" blade).

I remember thinking; "Huh… I wouldn't have done that. " :D