Every now and then, you get into a Boar that we like to call “Runners”.  A “Runner” is typically a boar hog that bests your dogs.  He is a boar in the 150lb range and is rangy, and full of piss and vinegar.  A mature boar will typically urinate on the run, thus, stopping a dog or confusing him because the odor from boar urine is so strong.  The dogs get in this scent and believe the boar has stopped or is near by when really he is runnin’ his ugly ham into the next county.

Seems you get these sometimes, and all “dog men” have struck the “one that got away”.  I struck one with my catahoula (Bubbles) yesterday morning, about 5 to 6 hundred yards out from where we cut her loose.  She opened up in the bottom of a creek area down in some nasty, steep, Sonoma County country.  Within about 30 seconds it sounded as if she was in solid bay as she had her back up, my 9 month old McNabb(Cornbread) with her.  With sound of solid bay ringing through the canyon I sent in the calvary, ie. the Bulldogs.  I thought we had a good solid bead on this bugger, down in the creek, standard operating procedures dictate sending in Gus and Honeybunch (APBT’s) to seal the deal.

Well shortly after they were sent in, and about the time I figured they should be at the bay, the barking went from the solid bay bark to a running bark.  The old up and over a hill into another canyon kind, and finally out of hearing range.  The only thing to do was to get up high and listen.  You guessed it, way over the abyss!  The Bulldogs were back to me, for they are seasoned and seem to know when its a lost cause.  We waited out Bubbles and Cornbread, and they finally came back with tongues draggin’.  Yup, a Runner!

Good fun, however, but its always sweeter to seal the deal.  We went back to the initial crime scene and found the tracks of where the bay started, the hoof print indicated about a 150lber, a typical runner.  I believe he broke when he saw the Bulldogs charging down at the bay, and he picked up a head of steam and did not stop.  In this scenario, the dogs did all they could do, hard to blame them.  In turn, they ate well last night, and Gus and H.B. got a good rub down for there effort!  Like old T. Michael used to tell me, “the big hogs don’t get big from being stupid!

“cut em loose”