This past weekend I took my son on his first real boar hunt. He's been with me before on the Brazos river spot lighting hogs and he goes with me to check my trap but this was his first outing with me, my dad, my brother and the hounds.

We were guiding a gentleman and his wife from PA and we were after trophy boar, and my dad knew where we'd probably get into one. We were hunting just east of Brownwood, TX and a cold front had blown in so the temp had dropped, which was a good thing because it had been unseasonably warm.

Unfortunately the north wind was driving pretty hard so hearing the dogs was difficult. However, thanks to the Tritronics tracking collars and cell phone technology we were able to keep up with them pretty well.

My brother, Robert, an experienced guide and horseman was horseback riding out the watering holes with the hounds while we followed at a distance in the truck. The hunter wasn't really in shape to be staying up with the hounds and I'd promised him he wouldn't have to walk far. My son was in the back seat watching everything, holding his Red Ryder BB Gun should the need for it arise.

The dogs struck and Robert called and said that it was a pretty good boar but that he was running away from us. The catch dogs didn't have time to get to him before he broke and ran again, this time heading to the opposite side of the ranch.

Driving, fast through the pasture, we went around to get ahead of them with my dad's direction from the tracking collars. After about half a mile or so, this boar did what is typical of all great Russian Boar, he quit running and turned to fight. This type of situation is no place for a dog that doesn't have enough sense to know when to get out of the way. A boar like this one will kill a dog in a heartbeat, I've seen it. I've seen dogs completely gutted by hogs with tusk like this one has. Pit Bulls and Dogo's have their place but one that only knows to rush in and grab will get cut, badly. This is no time for false bravado, wannabe guides or cowards. This is the adrenal rush. This is rock and roll. The boar was in very thick briars near a barbed wire fence. Wild animals, dogs, horses and several people to keep in mind including my son who was watching the whole thing, still with the Red Ryder, I moved us to the catch.

I got the hunter out and led him to the thicket where the dogs had the boar bayed and waited for a clear shot. Finally the boar moved and I was able to get the dogs back long enough for a clear shot. The hunter, Marv Rieck of PA shot the boar in the shoulder with an Ithica 12guage shotgun using a 1oz slug. The hog was knocked off of his feet by the impact.

My son came running up with wide eyes when I called him to me. Then he committed his first act as a guide just like I did over 30 years ago. He held a dog. That was his first job as a guide just like it was mine when my dad started guiding all those years ago. The dogs were still excited and wanting to get in on the hog and we needed to move him so I needed the dogs held back. The first time I gave him a dog to hold on to, it got away from him. The dog weighed more than he does at the ripe age of 6. I gave the dog back to him, looked him in the eye and said, “son, your job is to hold this dog. Do not let go again.” He didn't. Later he helped me clean the boar by holding a back leg, again just like I did a million times growing up. My son is an 8^th generation Texan and is taking his first steps toward being a 3^rd generation guide.

Just like me, this wasn't something he fell into, this was something he was born to. It's in his blood.

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