It was around two years ago when I first started to look for a pup to join my pack – I thought I was a keen pig hunter then, but today would put up a fair argument against that.
I wasn’t sure where to get a young dog so posted an add on Facebook asking if anyone had a nice natured pup that has good blood in its lines. I ended up getting a Private message from someone I didn’t know who had just received a pup back from his litter as the new owners could no longer have it. The rule with getting Anton’s pups was if the person couldn’t keep the dog for whatever reason it was first offered back to him. I ended up driving three hours to pick up this 8-month-old dog and liked him straight away. The pup had been living in a domestic house so had not seen a pig before he went back to Anton.
Bolt was his name and one that suits him perfectly. He has turned out to be a close-range holding dog and always quick to bolt of the bike if there has been or is a pig close by.
It took about a year before bolt found his first decent pig. He went just that little bit further down the ridge than the other dogs and it proved a good idea. I have found that Bolt has an apparent tell tail sign when he hits a good pig, he must be going flat out and runs straight into it – It gives him one hell of a fright and he lets out a few yaps before trying to grab it. Its an odd trait but we still get pigs.
In this case he had a crack at this wee boar on his own, the commotion of him trying to figure out how to grab it then raised the alarm for the other dogs to come to his aid. That feeling when you teach a dog to hunt and they catch their first decent pig is very rewarding.
Since that pig Bolt has been going really well and continues to catch and secure good boars.
He jumped hard off the bike about a month back and did his usual surprised yap after about 20 seconds, the boar must have been close by because I could smell it too. They stopped it about 3 minutes later after a bit of a chase went down. I quickly went to the dogs, there was not a lot of commotion going on other than the up and coming pup (Fern) bailing flat out – another tell tail sign it’s a good pig when my other two dogs are quiet and there no pig noises other than grunting.
I turned up to my surprise of Bolt holding the 147lb boar on his own by the ear, I had to shoot it as prior times have proven Bolt will let one go just as I’m going to stick it and it’s not a nice feeling.
My other dog Nike is an arse ender. He was having a rest, as he does whenever I turn up – That dog catches good boars too, I think his thrill is the find and stop with no holders but he’s a story for another day. I look forward to seeing what the winter of 2021 will do for Bolt now he knows exactly what to do.
Bolt is racking up a good boar tally but I have chosen only a couple of pictures.
Brooke Jenkins