I?ve been hunting pigs for about 30 years. I cull crop raiders as a past time and favor for ranchers and farmers.

Took over 20 of them last weekend for a rancher friend.

I?ve taken them with everything from handguns and rifles to knives and tire irons. I?ve never found them to be the ominous beast so oft depicted. No more than any other wounded, pressured, or cornered animal could be expected to respond.

In the above situations, they will likely react in a defensive manner as would a rat or a dog.

I?ve had a wounded shoat try to remove my kneecaps and a wounded boar try and munch my nuts.

The big ones obviously have more mass to throw around and tusks to injure any would be hunter.

But, I?ve had the same size shoats and large boar scatter and run given any chance. Even stepped on a big boar unexpectedly in a thick draw. Falling to my back as he launched out from underneath me, I figured I was in for the fight of my life. Only to watch him beat feet down the draw. Given an option of fight or flight, they will usually choose flight.

But, injure or corner one, and you might want to have a plan. I?d say the same thing about a raccoon, though.