two escape artists are finally captured
two rogue hogs have been ignoring our fences and escaping our paddocks since the first day they landed on pork chop hill about four or so months back. in those early days, when they were tiny, I remember on many occasions baiting them with a pile of food to try and get them close enough to grab a leg so I could place them back into general population. one time I squatted by a pile of food for about forty five minutes just to “win”.
all for naught, as it turns out, as they continued to escape and live life outside the pch perimeter—time, after time again. in the end we had to enclose them in a small, fenced in, electrified space. they quickly outgrew the patch of grass they were now confined too, and for at least two months now, the plan has been to cull them from the herd—to take them to slaughter. isolated from the herd, and with little woodlot to forage, their situation was less than ideal.
each time we tried to load them in the trailer to take them to the butcher, they foiled our plans and made some miraculous, dramatic escape. that is, until tonight. jon ivy came up with a plan that sounded as crazy on paper as it felt in execution. “I got a huge bass net he said. if I can use it to grab his head and slow him down, we can get him.” no fucking way, I thought. but there we were, and after just a few short minutes of attempts, we successfully loaded the two hogs into the trailer. amazing.
success is a relative term, of course, as a stressful and hands-on load is basically the exact opposite of our ideal approach. we aim for a stress free experience, from birth to death. not only is this the most humane way to treat the animal—allowing a pig to be a pig—but it also translates to the highest quality meat at market.
sometimes, as with anything, you just gotta chuck the rule book out the window to get the job done.
and now, it’s done.
I'm High On Cooking
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