May 26, 2007

Boy, 11, bags hog bigger than 'Hogzilla' : An 11-year-old boy used a pistol to kill a wild hog his father says weighed a staggering 1,051 pounds and measured 9 feet 4, from the tip of its snout to the base of its tail.

posted by commander cody to other at 02:48 PM - 81 comments

One of the many reasons I gave up hunting. Sooner or later you'd have to face an animal that could hunt you! How this kid kept a steady hand with a pistol while firing is beyond me because this thing looks like it's right out of a "B" horror movie.

posted by commander cody at 02:50 PM on May 26, 2007

I would like to see just where he was hunting the animal and what type of handgun was used. Killing a wild boar with a rifle is extremely hard to do but with a handgun something doesn't mix here. Wild boar are very nasty animals and once wounded come after you like a freight train running down the track. The picture shows a boy with this huge hog holding a handgun. I would like to know more of the details. Wild boar don't normally weight a whole lot because to put on that much weight you have to eat tremendous amounts of protein and other food stuffs. As a kid in growing up in Tenn and Northern Georgia I never saw anything near a 1000 boar. The biggest boar I ever shot with a bow and arrow was about 250 lbs and it took two shots to bring it down., Sorry but it really doesn't sound like it is on the up and up.

posted by The Old Man at 03:18 PM on May 26, 2007

The story says he shot it nine times with a .50-caliber revolver over the span of three hours, but that his dad and some guides had high-powered rifles aimed at it at the end in case the pig charged. I'm not a hunter. Does it really make sense that the adults wouldn't shoot the thing even once, if for no other reason than to be more humane and finish off the kill?

posted by rcade at 03:32 PM on May 26, 2007

Well according to the story the Hogzilla boar did check out at over 800lbs, so I guess the idea of a 1000lb one is fesable. I just wonder why no one spotted it before this kid did? I mean it's not like it wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb and I'm sure other wild boar hunters have probably been in the area.

posted by commander cody at 03:42 PM on May 26, 2007

Thats a lot of sausage, wouldnt mind trying a pork chop as big as my desk either. Too bad it seems like it was a "canned hunt", I'm with the old man.

posted by GoBirds at 04:45 PM on May 26, 2007

Yeah, I'm going to pile on, the animal should have been dispatched in a more humane manner. To track it for three hours so a kid can pump lead into it from a handgun is wrong given that there were others with rifles watching. Though I do have to respect an 11 year old that can fire a .50 caliber revolver and hit anything. Hard to hit the target from 30 yds. with my 9mm handgun.

posted by dviking at 06:31 PM on May 26, 2007

More pictures, kid is obviously about 20 feet behind the hog in the yahoo picture. its the oldest trick in the book, one I've used myself when piccing a hanging halibut -- stand way behind, reach out to make it look like you are close. Another thing: look at the gut shot on the hog. That is bad hunting practice. Three hours of agony for this poor creature so some kid can get a cheap kill at a 2-bit game park. Might as well kill some fish in a barrel, or pull some wings off a few flies. It's not sporting, and its not civilized.

posted by rumple at 06:51 PM on May 26, 2007

The gun looks like it has been photoshopped into this picture, in order to make the animal look bigger than it is.

posted by grum@work at 07:04 PM on May 26, 2007

Doesn't really matter if it is photoshopped or not a 1050 # pig is big. Rumple I would wager to say that the kid didn't get a "cheap" kill at the 2-bit game park. It probably cost a pretty penny ;)

posted by hoytie at 07:43 PM on May 26, 2007

Not to speak for rumple, but I read "cheap kill" as karmically imbalanced rather than monetarily reduced. And I agree, caged hunts are wrong. And having a five year old bag a buck is too young, in my opinion.

posted by bobfoot at 08:28 PM on May 26, 2007

Uh ok...that was sarcasm....umkay. I truly don't believe there are many 5 year olds that kill deer...I think there are alot of parents of 5 year olds that kill deer to circumvent hunting regulations to kill more deer. I also agree that canned hunts are not as good as fair chase but we are talking about feral hogs here...and in most states they aren't even covered under hunting laws.

posted by hoytie at 08:47 PM on May 26, 2007

Dang big pig!

posted by nflhou02 at 10:06 PM on May 26, 2007

Hey Drood....People Eating Tasty Animals Speaking as a hunter I think that canned hunting should be outlawed.

posted by budman13 at 11:07 PM on May 26, 2007

Hoytie, I thought that was probably sarcastic (although I'm not convinced that's the word we're looking for) but didn't know for sure, having not heard from you before. I was just trying to clarify. I lived in northern Florida for a time and wouldn't be surprised to hear of adults putting guns into the hands of five-year-olds I hope your theory is truer than mine.

posted by bobfoot at 11:55 PM on May 26, 2007

Doesn't really matter if it is photoshopped or not a 1050 # pig is big. Got to agree with that. Everything else just sort of fades away in the light of the fact. That is one Big Pig! When I was younger neighbors raised pigs back in Michigan and the first thing I learned was that pigs are evil. Once they get passed the cute piglet stage they turn into the meanest, rottenest, bittingest, evil creatures that god (even though I'm an atheist pigs might convince me otherwise) ever put on this planet. A pig will not just kill you, it'll eat you down to the bones then crush them. Nothing is as nasty (or tastes as good) as a pig. Pigs are evil!!!

posted by commander cody at 01:45 AM on May 27, 2007

An 11 yr old and a .50 cal??? I know large grown men who've broken wrists from the recoil of a .50 cal, and then have decided never to shoot again. People get knocked on their butts shooting .50 cals. Hmmmm, something seems strange here. I do enjoy pork chops though. If this is true, I've never seen a hog that large, but it should be good eating.

posted by bavarianmotorworker at 06:45 AM on May 27, 2007

To quote Vincent Vega...."bacon's good...pork chops are good."

posted by budman13 at 10:55 AM on May 27, 2007

When people start disappearing down there, we know who to question first. Asking a 5 year old to kill anything is indecent. This kid is gonna be the next green river killer.

posted by yay-yo at 11:50 AM on May 27, 2007

Just seems like such an ignominious end to such a majestic looking beast. What a critter. Too bad.

posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 12:54 PM on May 27, 2007

I just want to know one thing, when the kid fired his last shot did he say, "Smile you sonuvabitch"?

posted by MrFrisby at 01:19 PM on May 27, 2007

I was being facisuoius? Fasioueceoius? Fasheis... I was being sarcastic......

posted by commander cody at 07:32 PM on May 27, 2007

well the parents didn't shoot because it wouldn't be the kids kill if they did. Everybody also wouldn't be talking about how he brought it down with a handgun, if they had helped either. I would guess humanely it's no worse than taking 5 hours to reel in a hammerhead shark on 8lb test line as opposed to pulling it in in 10 minutes on a regular line (not that either is humane). But the sport itself doesn't really seem humane to me (this coming from a hunter). I've never been on one but watched them on TV and it's basically a bunch of guys going in the woods and letting a pack of dogs loose. They sit around talking until they hear the dogs yelping, they then follow the sounds of the dogs until they're in shooting range, and then shoot. I'm not sure that was the case with this particular hog (what sort of dogs would corner that?) but I never really understood the "fun" of that. You're not tracking, your not stalking, your not even testing your shooting skills since you set up and take your time while the dogs are fighting off the hog. All your really testing is can your dog sniff out a hog. Just never saw the point, but to each his own I guess (as long as it's not a felony anyways...cough, cough..Clinton Portis..cough)

posted by bdaddy at 10:06 PM on May 27, 2007

The sport is not humane in some ways, which is one of the reasons I stopped hunting. I got my first deer my first year hunting them back in Michigan when I was 14. Never again after that could I watch something die that I'd killed. Anyway I still respect the sport for those who choose to do it (esp those who do it for food) and it's my understanding that the person who gets the first shot into an animal gets the "honor" of the kill shot. If it's true that this 11 year old hit the pig with the first shot, then it became his responsibility to finish it off.

posted by commander cody at 12:57 AM on May 28, 2007

I am a hunter as well, and I do not think what they did is right. Yes, the guy that hits the target first "owns" the hunt, and is supposed to finish the animal off. However, there are limits to what is a humane hunt, and this went well past those limits. A handgun is not nearly as accurate, or deadly, as a rifle, especially a handgun in an 11 year old's hands versus a rifle in an adult's hands. So, either the kid should have been given a rifle, or, an adult should have finished off the poor creature. To pump nine shots into it from a handgun is insane. Obviously, even a couple of well placed shots would kill an 1000 # boar. So, this amounts to torture of an animal. Bad hunters give the sport a bad name.

posted by dviking at 02:41 AM on May 28, 2007

The family's milking this pig for all it's worth on their web site, monsterpig.com. Dad's letter in response to the weekend press is pretty much what you'd expect.

The purpose of this hunt was to give Jamison the opportunity to challenge himself and with this challenge the opportunity to overcome fear and accomplish something that would not be easily done. As he is becoming a young man, I wanted to see if the stuff I had been given him over the years would be the right stuff and if he had enough of it to rise to this and other challenges that life would surly have in store. I have disciplined my children over the years quiet regularly and many times have heard them say that their friends did not receive the same punishment. My response has always been "I am not trying to raise another child I am trying to raise a Champion". I guess I wanted to see if I was on the right track. ... Please remember that as we work and hunt, it is also our God Given Right as Christians to hunt for the lost souls about us. You do not need a license and you can hunt in any state or country. Those lost souls will truly be our greatest trophies in the end.

posted by rcade at 12:26 PM on May 28, 2007

Sweet merciful crap, this is just getting better. "God Given Right to Hunt Souls" - Wasn't that a Slayer B Side?

posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 02:22 PM on May 28, 2007

Praise the Lord, and pass the pork chops!

posted by tommybiden at 02:33 PM on May 28, 2007

That pig had more soul than the father.

posted by rumple at 10:43 PM on May 28, 2007

When exactly are Lost Souls in season? Is there a size limit? Do they practice catch and release?

posted by apoch at 06:58 AM on May 29, 2007

Those lost souls will truly be our greatest trophies in the end. Wonder if it would be crass to mount the heads, instead of just dumping them in the river like I normally would.

posted by yerfatma at 09:47 AM on May 29, 2007

Please remember that as we work and hunt, it is also our God Given Right as Christians to hunt for the lost souls about us. You do not need a license and you can hunt in any state or country. Those lost souls will truly be our greatest trophies in the end. Isn't there a movie based on this story??

posted by yay-yo at 04:06 PM on May 29, 2007

"Porky's" (sorry)

posted by THX-1138 at 05:27 PM on May 29, 2007

From the dad's letter: Many of you have called this story the second shot heard around the world and others have called this story the place where old fashioned Christian values and our God given rights will take it's stand. Somehow the story of David and Goliath takes on a different meaning to me when you replace the slingshot with most powerful production revolver in the world today and David is flanked by a rifle-bearing posse of snipers. My New Testament is weak, though -- maybe later on somebody shoots a pig in the name of Jesus and I missed it? Also, I'm not sure which "Shot Heard Around the World" counts for him as the "first," but I bet the implied comparison to a boy shooting a pig is making Archduke Ferdinand roll in his grave. Not to mention all those whom we remembered this past Memorial Day for having lost their lives in World War I. Not to diminish the accomplishments of young Jamison, of course. What is it that makes me think that this kid was named after his father's favorite whiskey? And he misspelled it.

posted by The Crafty Sousepaw at 06:21 PM on May 29, 2007

I'm not someone who cringes when the topic of hunting comes up. My mother grew up in a very poor family that survived on what they killed. No kill, no food. That said, this is disgusting and certainly isn't sport. Hell, if the hog turned and charged the kid they would have killed it anyway. The letter from the dad shows him to be a complete lunatic. It's telling that the only negative letters the kid is concerned over are the ones that doubt he actually killed the hog.

posted by justgary at 12:17 AM on May 30, 2007

Why don't ya'll read the Bible. Maybe you would understand what the father is saying.

posted by TelamarketersBeware at 08:33 AM on May 30, 2007

I have. And my position is that the Father doesn't know much about what's in it.

posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 09:56 AM on May 30, 2007

Why? When he says " Please remember that as we work and hunt, it is also our God Given Right as Christians to hunt for the lost souls about us. You do not need a license and you can hunt in any state or country. Those lost souls will truly be our greatest trophies in the end." He means that as Christians it is our job to seek out "Hunt" lost souls, and share what God has given us. They will be our "throphies" as in that there is no greater reward in heaven then by saving a lost soul.

posted by TelamarketersBeware at 10:15 AM on May 30, 2007

He means that as Christians it is our job to seek out "Hunt" lost souls, and share what God has given us. They will be our "throphies" as in that there is no greater reward in heaven then by saving a lost soul. Which explains a lot about the hog hunt, huh? Sorry, if that father represents the views of god, I'll keep my soul. I'd rather live next to the hog than that idiot.

posted by justgary at 10:19 AM on May 30, 2007

Please remember that as we work and hunt, it is also our God Given Right as Christians to hunt for the lost souls about us. You do not need a license and you can hunt in any state or country. Those lost souls will truly be our greatest trophies in the end. Isn't there a movie based on this story?? Help me out here. I can't find the name of this damn movie and it is killing me. Here's a brief summary: The Dad thinks he hears from God and can see which people are evil and which are not. "God" delivers an axe and some other murder weapons to the guy's farm and he has his two sons help him kill "evil" people. One son starts to feel like something is wrong, the other son kills him.

posted by yay-yo at 10:33 AM on May 30, 2007

The Bible does say that man shall rule over animals. I was referring to the letter he wrote, not the hunt. But how can the hunt represent the views of God? Just because he's a Christian doesn't mean that everything he does is right in God's eyes. I'm not sure how God would view how he killed a pig.

posted by TelamarketersBeware at 10:35 AM on May 30, 2007

Yay-yo. He doesn't mean that Christians are supposed to hunt and kill "evil" people. He means hunt and save lost poeple. That movie can be an example of how some people can mis-understand what God wants out of us.

posted by TelamarketersBeware at 10:37 AM on May 30, 2007

yay-yo, is it Frailty?

posted by bperk at 10:45 AM on May 30, 2007

yay-yo, is it Frailty? Thank you!! Not being able to remember that movie title was killing me. It's a good movie though. Yay-yo. He doesn't mean that Christians are supposed to hunt and kill "evil" people. No shit Holmes. It means they are supposed to bug the shit out of the rest of us. I saw the most awesome shirt the other day. It said "I might be going to hell" on the front, and "At least I'm not a Christian" on the back.

posted by yay-yo at 11:06 AM on May 30, 2007

What do you mean bug the shit out of rest of you? Its not like our goal is to try our best to force people to believe in God and say how great we are and that the rest of you suck. Thats not our job, and its not our business. We our supposed to spread the word and let people decide for themselves. The most common myth about Christians is that they think they are perfect and that they act just like God. Thats not true. If somebody has ever sat there and tried to force you to think that yay-yo, I will apoligize for them. Thats a bad example of a Christian.

posted by TelamarketersBeware at 11:16 AM on May 30, 2007

I'm not sure how God would view how he killed a pig. Through a telescope.

posted by yerfatma at 11:17 AM on May 30, 2007

You too funny yerfatman.

posted by TelamarketersBeware at 11:37 AM on May 30, 2007

SpoFi is always better when we drag the Bible into it.

posted by jerseygirl at 11:49 AM on May 30, 2007

Is this still about a dead pig?

posted by THX-1138 at 01:31 PM on May 30, 2007

Is it not acceptable to refer to the bible as the best-selling fictional book of all-time?

posted by yay-yo at 02:38 PM on May 30, 2007

Don't troll yay-yo.

posted by justgary at 02:45 PM on May 30, 2007

Dude there is proof all over the place. It's in science, history, earth, everywhere. Name me some proven evidence of evolution, and give me one lie about the Bible and we'll stop this discussion. Real proof that you know not " my science teacher told me so."

posted by TelamarketersBeware at 02:46 PM on May 30, 2007

TB, this isn't sports related anymore. Maybe we should curb it back?

posted by jerseygirl at 02:48 PM on May 30, 2007

Don't troll yay-yo. What does that mean? I was just wondering why the Nazi's deleted my comment.

posted by yay-yo at 02:48 PM on May 30, 2007

Oh boy! Here we go! I give it about 24 minutes from now to close the thread. Over/Under anyone?

posted by tommybiden at 02:51 PM on May 30, 2007

What does that mean? A troll is someone who intentionally posts derogatory or otherwise inflammatory messages about sensitive topics in an established online community such as an online discussion forum to bait users into responding.

posted by jerseygirl at 02:54 PM on May 30, 2007

A troll is someone who intentionally posts derogatory or otherwise inflammatory messages about sensitive topics in an established online community such as an online discussion forum to bait users into responding. So every member of this site is a troll?

posted by yay-yo at 02:58 PM on May 30, 2007

Some things you just have to take on faith. Like evolution.

posted by The Crafty Sousepaw at 02:59 PM on May 30, 2007

What does that mean? I was just wondering why the Nazi's deleted my comment. Jerseygirl answered your question yay-yo. The community has guidelines. For example, calling someone a nazi is detrimental to the community. Please follow them. Otherwise, you can debate the bible and call people nazis somewhere else. Back to the HOG.

posted by justgary at 03:02 PM on May 30, 2007

Some things you just have to take on faith. Like evolution. Sometimes Crafty, you're beautiful. You just made me spit my tasty beverage on my keyboard. Damn you straight to Hell, or wherever.

posted by tommybiden at 03:09 PM on May 30, 2007

I give it an hour and a half.

posted by hawkguy at 03:57 PM on May 30, 2007

I give it an hour and a half. Nah, a hog that big is gonna' take a lot longer.

posted by THX-1138 at 04:02 PM on May 30, 2007

Not if you've got a George Foreman grill.

posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 04:24 PM on May 30, 2007

MMMM, hams the size of truck tires. Bacon strips longer than your arm. Ham hocks bigger than a computer monitor. Slobber, slobber. (I am so attractive)

posted by THX-1138 at 04:42 PM on May 30, 2007

Eat all the bacon from that sucker and you'll have a heart attack on the spot.

posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 05:09 PM on May 30, 2007

In Deuteronomy it says I'd be hit by lightning. Maybe you have the King Lebron James Edition.

posted by yerfatma at 07:22 PM on May 30, 2007

Officials Probe 'Monster Pig' Saga

posted by justgary at 08:29 PM on May 30, 2007

Yep, you're definitely in the Deep South when you're suspected of violating pig transportation regulations.

posted by The_Black_Hand at 04:48 AM on May 31, 2007

Detailed debunking of the pictures, e.g. Just to be sure, we talked to renowned physicist, Dr. Richard Brandt. Brandt took the known measurements of the pig (9 feet 4 inches) and Jamison (5 feet 5 inches) and calculated their relative positions within the photograph. Assuming that the boy is directly beside the pig, he concludes, if the pig were, in fact, 9 feet 4 inches long, the boy's height would be 3 feet 9-1/2 inches. it loaded slowly, but it did load... Google cache here.

posted by rumple at 05:23 PM on May 31, 2007

Andress said officials also will review whether the hunt complied with the state's "fair chase" law, which requires that prey at hunting plantations have a reasonable chance of escape. I love this. Isn't it a fenced enclosure?

posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 06:19 PM on May 31, 2007

The way I read the article, yes it is.

posted by tommybiden at 07:05 PM on May 31, 2007

I love this thread! Pig hunting and religion...if we could only work a midget into the story. Rumple, thanks for that link, explains (in overkill, pun intended) how the photos were doctored. So, let me see if I have this correct. Dad pays good money to let his son shoot the crap out of a wild boar that was transported illegally, and kept in a fenced enclosure. Son takes 8 or 9 shots to bring the animal down, letting it suffer for three hours. After killing the beast, Dad has son pose 10 feet behind the pig to make it look larger in the photos. After taking some heat about the whole hunt, Dad equates the canned hunt with making his son a champion, and quotes the bible as to why his son should terrorize a fenced in pig. I am so pissed off at my dad right now, I never got to do anything like that.

posted by dviking at 12:22 AM on June 01, 2007

I am so pissed off at my dad right now, I never got to do anything like that. Really! All my dad ever did was let me dig through his trunk for half an hour looking for pigeons. He finally came up and grabbed a fluorescent orange disc and said, "here they are".

posted by MrFrisby at 12:30 AM on June 01, 2007

You guys obviously aren't Biblical scholars. Hold on a second while I find the part about animal torture and photographic fraud. I know it's in here somewhere... "And lo, Jesus said unto them, taketh thy offspring, equipped with heavy armaments, and verily go forth and slaughter the swine of the field, which you will be able to find easily, as it will still be staked to the ground in its pen...and then, after the slaughter, thou shouldst photoshoppeth the beast with thine portly offspring to make the fruit of thy loins look less fat whilst making the great beast seem even greater."

posted by The_Black_Hand at 06:03 AM on June 01, 2007

Interesting link rumple. The debunkers of this story certainly have some convincing evidence.

posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 10:44 AM on June 01, 2007

You guys obviously aren't Biblical scholars. Hold on a second while I find the part about animal torture and photographic fraud. I know it's in here somewhere... "And lo, Jesus said unto them, taketh thy offspring, equipped with heavy armaments, and verily go forth and slaughter the swine of the field, which you will be able to find easily, as it will still be staked to the ground in its pen...and then, after the slaughter, thou shouldst photoshoppeth the beast with thine portly offspring to make the fruit of thy loins look less fat whilst making the great beast seem even greater." T_B_H, what verse is that, Porky's 3:16 ?

posted by tommybiden at 12:08 PM on June 01, 2007

Ladies and gentlemen, this is a thread about faked dead pig photos that has been going on since May 26th. On SportsFilter. I know I'm stating the obvious, but....Awesome!!!

posted by THX-1138 at 12:24 PM on June 01, 2007

The story gets better: Monster Pig was a gentle farm animal until being sold recently.

posted by rcade at 08:03 AM on June 02, 2007

They killed wilbur.

posted by justgary at 02:58 PM on June 02, 2007

umm, who's wilbur? I'm thinking it was Arnold from Green Acres

posted by dviking at 04:39 PM on June 02, 2007

umm, who's wilbur? I'm thinking it was Arnold from Green Acres Read a book! It's the pig from Charlotte's Web.

posted by tommybiden at 05:22 PM on June 02, 2007

sorry, been 30-40 years since I read that book, not that I'm sure I read it, maybe I saw the movie.

posted by dviking at 12:53 AM on June 03, 2007

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