April 2000

I am not a hunter but I got it in my head that in order to prove to myself that I could kill if I ever had to then I had to hunt at least once.  My conscience would not allow me to hunt deer or 'weaker' animal so I chose to hunt for boar.  I went to a preserve in Pennsylvania as that is the only place to find herds in my area and paid up the money to hunt.  When hunting boar you need to do it as a team, the hunters and the flushers.  You can either use other people are dogs, we chose to help each other as we did not wish to risk a dogs life.

My two partners got their kills early in the day.  One was a 200 pound black Russian and the other a razorback, both small.  By midday I took a shot at a black Russian that I had been stalking most of the morning.  I took my shot but missed, so I thought at the time.  The dynamic of the hunt changed after that first shot though, the boar left the herd and at first appeared to be wondering around.  I learned within a few hours that it appeared to actually be stalking me.

Unsure if I had actually hit the boar the first time I told my partners that I wanted to continue the hunt.  If I did hit it, I did not want to leave a wounded animal behind.  My friends told me to wait in a clearing and they would drive the herd in my direction.  Shortly after they left I heard a rustle behind me, when I turned around I saw him.  He was 250 pounds, mean, pissed off and looking right at me.  He was also 100 yards away.  Now I shot marksman in the military but that was with an M16 on a range at 50 yards, now I was facing an animal that could kill me at twice that distance with a .308 that I had not sighted in myself.  He was also facing me, the bone in his skull was going to stop this bullet and I had no other shot.

Here I am facing this animal that will kill me if it charges me without a single kill shot, except one.  I had to take the shot before the boar charged as I had no place to go, the nearest tree stand was behind me and it moves faster than I do.  So, I raised my rifle and took aim using the iron sights.  Aiming at his eye, the only shot I could take, I asked Fion to guide my aim and give me the kill. BOOM!!!

The pig let out a grunt as if saying "Fuck You!" and fell to the ground twitching.  I was pretty shaken up as I approached the animal as I was unsure if I killed it or knocked it out.  When I inspected the body I found two entry wounds, the eye and the center of the spine.  It seems that I did hit the guy earlier but it did not even slow it down.  To this day I do not claim the kill, Fion had guided that shot and insured my survival.  I have also learned that if I ever had to do it, I could kill for food.  As it is, I prefer to go and get my pre-packaged meats from the grocery store down the street.