Monday, October 8, 2012

This isn't the Piggly Wiggly, More like the Hoggly Woggly

I have come to the conclusion that you can find anything on the Internet.  All you have to do is go to Google and the world starts spinning and spitting out anything that has to do with what ever you typed into the search engine's vast memory.  It is almost scary.  And don't even get me started about YouTube.  If you can't find it on YouTube you very possibly only imagined you had heard a certain song or seen a certain show.  But back to Google land.  Let me tell you my story.

We took the pups out early for their walk as usual on Friday morning.  I start one way with Cricket and Mac goes the opposite direction with Chase.  We meet up in the middle and continue our walk back to the house.  Friday morning Mac told me to walk back to the garden with him, he had something to show me.  We walked over to the raised beds where we had planted collards, cabbages, brussel sprouts and broccoli.  At the end of each bed were tall wires upon which is growing masses of green bean vines.  I saw the vines, all seemed well.  Then I turned the corner.  Where once huge plants of broccoli and tall sprout stakes had stood were nothing but exposed roots.  Over at the other beds it was the same story.  My lovely dutch head cabbage were history and bell pepper plants lay haphazardly on their sides, breathing their last.  The only thing left were the beans.  And some radish...and a few tomato plants.  The wire fences had been torn down and dragged across the yard, bent and torn.  We took the pups in and came back out for a good look . We found the tracks and an odd pile of what I will politely call animal scat.  It was a small flat like a cow patty, but smaller, like I said.  The prints where the plants had been violently ripped out the earth and consumed on the spot seemed to be a split type foot or hoof.

My cousin Crystal came over to visit and suggested it might  be wild hogs.  Though we have never been bothered with them in the seven years we've been here, it bore looking into to.  We went inside for coffee and computer and I googled  wild hog scat.  Low and behold there was the odd pile of poop and the strange animal tracks.  I had tried this once before with Coyote scat and the next day a neighbor shot a coyote in his back yard.  It's getting to where I feel like I need to be packing heat just to go into my yard.  Yes, I could shoot one.  Of course hunting one down would come with problems.  For instance, should I only wing it, there would be the problem of getting Larry to the Vets (yes, I have already named the wild beastie in my mind).  Then there would be the housing of said giant hog with an electrified fence.  See?  For now I only hope that the hungry beasties  have moved on and don't return for my beans and tomatoes and radishes.  And that Big Foot isn't on the trail of some well fed wild hogs.

12 comments:

the fly in the web said...

One of the causes of the French Revolution...peasants' crops ruined by wild boar and forbidden to shoot them as only the nobility could hunt!

Vee said...

Well now, just when I assumed that I had learned all that there was to learn, a very interesting bit of history above. I'd shoot the bugger. I'd lie in wait for the dang thing to dare show its snout. Guess wild hogs have to eat, too, but not your beautiful garden. How very disappointing for you and Mac.

NitWit1 said...

We gave wild hogs in Southern AR (the are the mascot of the Univ of AR and their infamous "Sooooie Pigs"call). Texas has 'em too. The tear up everything.

There is a reality show on Animal Planet I thing of Wild Hog Hunters, some of which are women.

Shadow said...

thank you, Sandi, you got a smile through the tears...

Brian Miller said...

oy...the deer are our criminals...consuming anything we plant....i hope the coyote has moved on or found their maker...maybe it was the meal they needed to keep moving...

good to see you ma'am...smiles.

Carver said...

Your stories are always so well told.

Justabeachkat said...

Gosh, I can't imagine how frustrating it was to discover the destruction "it" caused! Grrrrr!!

Hope it doesn't happen again after all your hard work.

Hugs,
Kat

Lee said...

Wondering if a stronger fence would help. I hope they left after passing through also. If they come back would putting feed where they can find it without wrecking your gardens help?

Love,
Lee

Finding Pam said...

That is so sad about your garden. I would shoot 'um and the barbeque them. Wild hogs are mean. I would not want to tangle with one.

Thank you for the nice comment at my blog. I needed that hug.

Akelamalu said...

The biggest thing we in our garden is a squirrel, I don't think I could cope with a wild hog!

i beati said...

I can picture you walking and invigorated by the coolness

Debbie Lo said...

Wild hogs can be pretty mean if you run into one, especially one that's enjoying a free meal in your garden. Heck, maybe you should pack heat anyway just in case one charges at you.

It's such a shame that you guys had some wonderful veggies growing only to have them eaten by a wild animal. Makes you wonder what you'll need to do in the future to protect your crops!

You be careful in that garden, ya hear?