[Dixielee]

My husband told me about talking to a old lady here over 30 years ago. She remembered when the locals would let their pigs free range, just feeding them enough to keep them coming around. They would have to shoot them when they wanted one to butcher, because they were half wild. This lady also told about when she was a little girl and would walk to school, several miles away and how the pigs would ambush the kids and take their lunchs. The kids worked out a system where they formed groups, with the youngest children in the center, carrying all the lunchs, and the older kids armed with big sticks on the outside to fight off the pigs. For many years there were ferral pigs roaming these hills, but now they are all gone. When my husband first came out here, he was able to let his pigs free range, but fed them and penned them up at night to keep them tame, more or less. He says that free range pigs taste better, usually, than penned and fed ones, but they have far less fat, because they burn it off roaming around. YES. the ferral pigs should be cooked well. If cornered a ferral pig can be dangerous. If you want to hunt them putting out some corn will get them coming to that place and make it easier to find them. Dogs work well for hunting ferral pigs, but you may have to pack the meat a good distance. Good luck on the hunt.