My first and only pig hunt

The National Shooting Sports Foundation urged Congress to celebrate the outdoor activities of hunting and fishing while emphasizing conservation on a special day each year.

The celebration was established by President Nixon in 1972 and titled the National Hunting and Fishing Day. The nation marks the celebration with outdoor events throughout the country.

Washington does have an event of some type, typically held on the fourth Saturday, which is Sept. 26, 2020, so keep an eye on the event/events and locations.

A few years ago, perhaps 20 or 25 by now, part of the Hunting and Fishing Day celebration was a writing contest. The writer was to submit a short story about hunting or fishing and incorporate outdoors conservation as part of the story.

Well, this was a challenge to me, so several hours were spent writing about an angler fishing Rocky Ford Creek and finding a message left several years before. The message stimulates the modern angler to work on the conservation angle of The Great Outdoors.

And then the angler…Well this is where readers are going to need to find the article, perhaps at the library where the Herald is available on micro film. The article was in the annual hunting section or tabloid we published each fall.

The point of telling readers about this contest was because the winner was me; the $500 wasn’t a bad reward.

The tourism commission in Alberta heard about the contest and the winner and asked me to bring three of my friends to experience some of what Alberta has to offer in the way of outdoor adventures.

This trip went so well, Alberta Tourism invited the entire Northwest Outdoor Writers’ Association for another trip up north. Around 20 NOWA members accepted.

Three of us were scheduled to participate in a wild boar hunt. The hunting weapons were archery or muzzleloader.

My guide explained the terrain and to be ready all the times. Indeed, the area was thick with brush. After 20 minutes or so, a pig jumped up from his hiding area and headed in our direction, angling to the right at the last moment. The .50 caliber did its job.

It was gutted, skinned, quartered, placed in plastic bags and in a box for travel. The bag was pulled next to the counter at U.S. Customs in Calgary.

The explanation about shooting a pig without having a hunting license was accepted. My companion, the pig, boarded the plane with me.

It was good eating, with lots of delicious chops and roasts.

Tomorrow: We still have a few invasive species yet to discuss.