My instructor helps me to experience a blade ...

[EastCoastKenpoist]

Orion’s Belt
(One story of our Wild Boar Hunting in Hawaii)​

Orion’s Belt was not made of stars, but it did belong to a hunter.

Our outfitter, Orion, hiked the 4 of us through the beautiful 30,000 acre ranch. Wild game included turkeys, steer, sheep, pheasant, as well as other birds I was not familiar with, but we were after feral pigs.

Orion hunted with 6 dogs of various breeds, I recognized some boxer, bulldog, and pit bull blood in a few of them, but what was common to them all is they loved hunting pigs.

Off the dogs went and Orion’s pace was not much slower than the dogs. We hiked alongside and sometimes after our guide and his dogs. For 2 hours the dogs found many signs, but no real trail to follow. After hiking up a ridge I noticed the dogs weren’t within sight and I hadn’t seen them in a few minutes, which was different from the previous 2 hours. And then it happened. Up in a thicket we heard barking from the dogs, that also was something different, it was the first barking I had heard. From inside the thicket came the snorting, growling, and yelping of dogs fighting a worthy adversary. Followed by 2 dogs from the thicket burst what looked like a squat rottweiler and they took off fast.

While in pursuit of the 2 dogs and their prey we noticed the dog “Brownie” walking towards us slowly, which was out of place for these dogs who loved to run. As she got closer we could hear that her breathing was strange and then we saw it, a large flap hanging from her side. She had a sucking chest wound. Terry Ellis from Alaska quickly diagnosed the problem and slapped a plastic bag on it to stop the air leak. Orion pulled a medical staple gun out of his medical kit and Terry went to work patching up the hole with help from Orion and some assistance from Ingrid . This dog was lucky it was in good company and she was quickly stabilized.

Off in the distance we can hear that the dogs are still working the pig. Orion, Art Copple and I head towards the barking. 1/3 of a mile later we see steam rising from a thicket, where the commotion is coming from. 2 dogs are struggling to pull this 100 lbs sow from a thicket. Art grabbed my extra gear from me as I had drawn first position the previous night. With spear in hand I followed Orion to the where the dogs are fighting this pig. When she notices us advancing, she pulls the fight back into the thicket. 2 dogs on her and she is still able to control the environment. The fight goes to deep into the thicket, so Orion and I circle around to the other side of the thicket.
The dogs are doing their job, and well. The fight was near the other side of the thicket, but the dogs cannot get her out. Orion cuts a few thorn branches out of the way and tries to establish some sort of control in the fight, but it is just chaos. I stand a few feet away from him awaiting further instructions. Dogs changing position from holding onto an ear to grabbing behind the front leg, the pig swinging them this way and that, while getting in a strike on this dog or that. I decide it is my time to end the fight and tell Orion to come under my spear as I hold it so that I can keep it between myself and this thrashing pig. I step onto a large thorn branch to control it and start looking for my opening between the dogs towards a vital area. Orion tells me to put the point of my weapon on the target and then push, this great advice limited the risk of missing the target or worse injuring a dog from a wild thrust. I found my opening, placed the spear tip behind the pigs shoulder, and thrust. The pig let out a squeal. I removed my spear from the pig and exited the thicket. The dogs and Orion were now able to pull the pig out of the thicket and I finished the job on the pig.