No big deal Nacho, I was curious and had many of the same thought processes prior to having the opportunity and meeting good enough people to show me how it's done and actually witnessing a fight firsthand. You are correct in the sense that it takes some physical and mental conditioning. I have came home many nights with vomit all over my chest because I lost my supper while sprinting through the dark swamps due to not being in top physical shape. I am definitely an adrenaline junkie, and I would venture to guess almost every person who runs hogs with dogs is similar. I'm not having fun unless there is some danger to it.....though...I'm awful young to be having the aches, pains, and scars that I do. I'm sure the older guys I run with appreciate having a young, bullheaded, "Let's do the damn thing" type around to take a lot of those risks. If I cut get down, I gotta limp around on crutches and sit in the back of classrooms....if one of those guys gets cut down, their whole family might suffer.
A lot of those guys catch a BUNCH of hogs every week and do their best to make a living off of them. You can sell a live hog....can't sell a dead one unless it was processed at a licensed facility and yadda yadda. Also, if you kill a hog in this heat, you have to attend it to almost immediately cause of the heat. It's quite a pain in the ass to try and butcher a hog quickly while you are listening to a bay 500 yards away. You might be taking a break from hunting, but the dogs sure ain't.
Plus, you can pen a hog and use it for training dogs, while feeding sweetfeed to it to plump it up and make it great eating.
Vonnick you need to start hunting with me some. :crip
Also, I'd like to point out that I am not that experienced when it comes to hog hunting with dogs. I have just been lucky enough to finally make a few good friends, whom are willing to take me and show me and have been doing it forever...and I am a good listener when I feel like someone knows what the hell they are talking about.
don't worry,all those "bumps" you take in your 20's-30's won't bother you till 40-50, then you lose your eyesight and body goes to hell all at once and live with constant pain. make the most of these years while your still able. wish I was still in my glory days. of all my car/motorcycle crashes, falls and fights the most pain I get is from a softball game in 1978.
I hear ya, Nacho. I used to be able to lug appliances around all day in my 20s and 30s. I did it once at 41, and I've been in pain ever since. My back still hurts.
