What is the image that comes to mind when you think of a hog trapper? Many of us have seen images online and in the media that depict hog trappers as carnage loving brutes. The Hog Cutters have heard many of those descriptions. Obviously there are folks who thrive on that carnage, or the so-called sport of it. Let me share with you a glimpse of the opposite side of that coin.
Yesterday morning in the early, pre-dawn light, Josey was finishing the elimination of a sounder of 24 hogs on the 23 Square Mile Project property. When the final shot rang out, he began walking up a small hill to retrieve the Gator and trailer. As he crested the hill, the sun was breaking through the tree-line ahead. A beautiful glowing brightness lifted his soul and was a vivid contrast to the scene of extermination just below.
When we are on the phone discussing trap events, Josey fills me in with details. Particular information about hog behavior or antics, numbers, genders; anything I can use to tell a story or for use in training new trappers. Some days his first comment is simply, “It was ugly”. This statement tells me the job he was called on to do that night was graphic and infringing on the lessons he has learned since childhood.
Josey was raised with a deep respect for the land and its creatures. You only kill what you plan to eat. When you do kill, it does not go to waste. It is not a sport. However, when the creature in question is invasive and serves no purpose to the eco-system it was introduced to; when it has been poisoning waterways and threatening the species that were put here; and is reproducing at a rate beyond resources, someone must intervene. Yes, he will be the first one to tell you how much he despises wild hogs. He has seen the loss and devastation they leave in their wake. Therefore, hog trapping is the profession the Hog Cutters family has chosen. Sara and Josey are passing on lessons learned as children to their sons, and to others who have reached out for training as hog trappers.
When Josey tells me it was ugly, I know that the deeper part of him is conflicted with the job that must be done. Young feral piglets may be innocent. Their miniature features can be cute and endearing to look at. However, in a few short weeks those cute little faces are beginning their own legacy of devastation.
The nature of hog trapping is graphic, but the result of a wild hogs unabated devastation is horrific.
Are you looking for a hog control plan for your property? Hog Cutters can help. Call for more information.
