Looks like Hogzilla was for real!

[Mannlicher]

http://www.al.com/newsflash/regional/index.ssf?/base/news-12/1110740773308061.xml&storylist=alabamanews#continue

Frankly, I had my doubts, but my cousin called this morning with some news. I did a google search, and found this. Bet I won't miss that TV show.

I hunt South Georgia. I am glad I have upgraded from the 30/30 to the M1A SOCOM!

[Al Thompson]

"and they are extremely aggressive" - LOL! :D

[Dixie Slugs]

I am very glad they did the "Dig Up"! Although they figured it might have weighed only 800+ pounds, that's still a lot of hog. When the story broke the first time, many of us that hunt real wild hogs said it was possible for the boar, crossed with wild stock and tame stock, to reach somewhere near that weight........we were about laughed (or call liars) off the web.
If one really listened to what was said about hogs last night, they just make keep from getting cut up. The more these big hogs regress, the further back into the swamps they retreat. We saw sign this last year on the coastal islands that we guess the hog to be 400 to 500 pounds. Most hogs that are seen are 1st or 2nd generation feral stuff.............James

[Mannlicher]

I used to hunt Georgia's Cumberland Island often. I took my first wild hog there. I never saw a piggy that came close to ole Hogzilla though. If I recall, I think the largest hot I ever shot there just topped 250 pounds. The darn thing did have one mean set of tuskies though. I took that one with a three screw Ruger .357, and my hand load back then of a 158 grain JSP over a lot of SR4756.

[Long Path]

Holyoak said Hogzilla was too old to butcher and too big to mount, so he buried the carcass in a grave marked by a white cross.
1000 lb hog, and he doesn't figure that even the backstraps and tenderloins are worth trying, because it's "too old?" Poppycock. Lazy pig killer.

[JohnKSa]

I believe the experts concluded that the pig was only 8 feet long at most (instead of the claimed 12) and they estimated the weight to have been around 800 lbs, not 1000. It was a very large hog though. The tusks set a new record.

For a quick comparison, claiming the length was 12 feet instead of the true 8 feet would be the same as my claiming I'm 9 feet tall instead of 6 feet.

Kind of sad, really. This was a HUGE hog. A record setting hog. But that wasn't enough for these guys. They had to exaggerate the length by adding another 50% and the weight by adding another 20%.

[Greybeard]

In the photo I saw of the man standing next to the vertically hung hog, it did look huge - but not 12'.

Assuming the man was 6' tall, it would have been twice his height and it was not. Maybe, also being a fishermen, they measured to tip of it's tail, then stretched it a wee bit. :D

[Long Path]

As a hunter, I find it shameful that the man buried all that meat. Why does THIS one have to be so celebrated?!? :(

[tjhands]

Holy hell, did you see the size of his BALLS? Like cantaloupes.

[1BadF350]

Greybeard, I noticed that too.

Tjhands, ....nevermind :D

[JohnKSa]

Watched the special today.

From measurement of the carcass, the length was stated as "less than 8 feet." From careful examination of the picture, the length was estimated to be "no more than 8.5 feet."

The age was estimated to be about 7 years which they said was young for a hog that size.

DNA analysis showed that Hogzilla was a Hampshire/"Wild Boar" cross.

[Dogjaw]

The person who started the internet rumor that the hog was 12', is obviously challenged in the art of observation. Looking at the picture, the hog is 6' above the guy's head. The observation simply wasn't made that the guy is standing in a hole , and the hog's snout is above ground level. :rolleyes: Hell of a big hog.

[Double Naught Spy]

And they said nuclear power plants would not affect plants, people, and other animals in the local environment!

[Dogjaw]

When I used to work in a nuke plant, everyone would ask if I glowed in the dark. I'd tell them "yea, and the wife loves it!" :D

[JohnKSa]

Dogjaw,

The shooter and the ranch owner started the rumor by claiming that they had measured and weighed the beast. Even when faced with the facts, the ranch owner still claimed that he had measured it before they buried it.

[Dogjaw]

Hmmm, being that bad at reading a tape measure, I hope neither of them are carpenters. I guess you have to be smarter than the tool your using. :)