Mr.Wrekker is miles and miles away in West Texas on a feral hog hunt.
I am here on the homeplace, taking care of business. This a usual scenario.
He called me to check on a pregnant Beagle in his pack. I moved to her to the maternity ward. (A single occupancy pen, nearer the house). And that’s all. Not, are you ok? Is the house still standing? Any aliens land on the lawn? Nada. Oh, well.
I make a trip out to my garden to check on things. I have the house dogs with me. I stepped in a hole, possibly ruining my ankle for any future walking. I notice while lounging around on the ground ( where I fell) there were tiny cloven hoof prints. Lots and lots of tiny cloven hoof prints. My new greens have been chewed on. My squash leaves have bites taken out of them. Ok I’m pissed. Nothing, tiny and cute may you be, will eat my garden. Not when I have a huge gun-safe full of guns and ammo. I’m used to this with rabbits every spring. I have electric fencing to keep them at bay.
You know, I’m a good shot. The garden is close enough to the deck I can sit out there and watch for varmits intruding on my seedlings. I load a 22 rifle. Get a bucket of warm water with Epsom salts, for my ankle. And set up my surveillance.
I’m sitting there watching the cats pace in front of the French doors, when pregnant Beagle, Bluebell, let’s out a growl and a bark. I look over and she’s on her hind legs looking toward the garden. Clearly not in labor. I look toward the garden and see a little feral piglet. Maybe a foot long. It walked right under the electric wire and started eating. I won’t skeeve y’all out or get PETA on me. But the pig is now in pig heaven. I told you I’m a good shot.
Mr.Wrekker goes all the way to west Texas. And he could stay right here soaking his foot and shoot the same kind of game. I can’t wait til he calls again. He thinks the only news I’ll have is about puppies. Bluebelle is nesting, I think we’ll have babies by morning.
Ah, the circle of life!
oohhh was he in wild boar mode yet? im told those are the best eating … …i was gonna make a crack about leaving the hunting to the mr but since ya got him …
No, no don’t eat feral hog. It’s all kinda nasty.
Sounds like you’re more like a good, good, good hunter. And that is so sweet, the injured Big Mama working with the New Mama to show the boys what’s what.
^^^Hear me roar.
(After I threw-up when I went and got the dead pig out of my garden.)
So … did the puppies arrive yet?
Not yet. Bluebelle is in labor. I called the Vet. He said if she’s still struggling after noon to bring her in. I’m trying to keep it low key around her. I’m pacing. Well, limping on my ankle.
ETA she’s a proven Mama. This is her 3rd litter.
I see two little feral pig babies all the time on my way to and from work. They’re about the size of cats, and seem to be living in the culverts alongside the road. I gotta say, they are super cute!
Ok. Now I feel like a pig baby murderer.
Did you lower your hotwire? Or put a second, lower strand on?
StG
I thought wild pigs were tasty? Andrew Zimmern has chowed down on a few on TV. Hmm, tiny little spit slowly turning over some swamp wood.
Dennis
I haven’t. I’m not much for that kinda work. When Mr.Wrekker comes in I’ll have him do it.
I’m at the Vets office with Bluebelle. They’ve given her a shot of stuff to make her labor progress faster. The radiograph shows she has one big puppy and one smaller puppy. If they have to do a c-section he will spay her. Mr.Wrekker ain’t gonna like that. He gets big $$$s for her puppies. I have a call in to him but he’s not called back yet.
More later.
House dogs, house dogs?
Have we finally solved the cats on the beams corundum? :dubious:
If she gets spayed she can move indoors. The cats would love that.
When you saw the tiny cloven hoofprints did you first assume piglet or tiny demon?
Yeah, that puzzled me also. Is there a major difference in taste between feral pig and never-domesticated-wild pig? Because the latter is supposed to be good eating, if you can believe all the medieval stories.
ETA: I hope Bluebelle and the puppies are okay.
Miss Bluebelle has had a C-section. Bikini cut, I think. She’s resting quietly with 2 female pups of the Lemon and white variety. Very sweet. The larger one I
have tentatively named ‘Babe’ after the Pig movie and the small one ‘Charlotte’. They are staying over night in the hospital. Vet says he expects all will go well. Mr.Wrekker was understandably upset his Bluebelle was spayed, but he’s happy about the puppies.
I forgot to tell him of my feral hog hunt and my sprained ankle.
Ah, the life of Calamity Beck. So eventful and exciting.
IT’S 2 GIRLS!
P.S. drop, the pack beagles never do well as house pets. I’ve tried.
It is legal to hunt feral hogs in TX from a helicopter; however, helos make lots of noise & scare the hogs into running.
Therefore, some “brilliant” (:rolleyes:) member of the legislature proposed a (now passed) law to make it legal to hunt feral hogs from a hot air balloon.
Except:
[ul]
[li]Hot air balloons are very quiet until you hit the burner to, ya know, make the air hot.[/li][li]Hot air balloons can only go in the direction of the wind; if said hogs run any other direction, all those in the balloon get to see is smaller & smaller hog butts.[/li][/ul]
:smack:
They hunt from blinds and ATVs. Landowners advertise and sponsor these hunts. You buy a temporary permit. Set up a camp and go hunting. Apparently a large time is had by all. They decidedly do NOT eat the hogs. They are diseased and wormy.
Isn’t that why we were always told to be sure to cook pork well-done, to kill the bugs and the worms?
I think pork from the grocery store is probably not diseased or wormy. At least, I hope so.
Even if they cooked feral hog thoroughly the dead worms would be in the meat. Ewwww!
I ain’t eating it. YMMV