Bigger Than Hogzilla!
Posted by: Loren Coleman on May 25th, 2007
The story goes, the animal is one very big wild boar shot in Alabama.
As Mark Frauenfelder said over at Boing Boing, “It’s an AP story, so I am guessing this astonishing photo is legit.”
Jamison Stone, 11 years old, shot the wild boar that weighed in at a “staggering 1,051 pounds and measured 9-feet-4 from the tip of its snout to the base of its tail.”
The boy was hunting with his father Mike Stone in east Alabama on May 3, 2007, when he killed Hogzilla II, with a .50- caliber revolver. They chased it for three hours before it died in a creek bed on the 2,500-acre Lost Creek Plantation, a commercial hunting preserve in Delta, Alabama. There is nothing cryptozoo about this at all. Were they shooting a boar in a barrel?
Stone and his father realize the fame that lies ahead. After all, there’s a movie being made called “Hogzilla” about the hog given that name because it was big, but not as big as this one.
Jamison’s father put up a website here.
About Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading living cryptozoologist. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct).
Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. He returned as an infrequent contributor beginning Halloween week of 2015.
Coleman is the founder in 2003, and current director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.
The thing that got me, was that this kid used a 50 cal. *handgun* to bag that monster. I’m not that familiar with firearms, but I’d think a 50 cal gun would have a tremendous kick to it, and you’d need to be built like a professional wrestler to handle it. Beyond that, I’m amazed at the size and weight of that pig. 🙂 🙂
I guess if I ever go BF hunting in Alabama, I darn well better have a .50 caliber something with me just to protect me from the wild pigs…sheesh
Still can’t get over the size of the thing…that would freaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaak me out if I ran into that in the woods…and no I would not mistake it for BF…
Incredible! “One very big wild boar” is an understatement. It’s larger than my car. Glad something like that isn’t roaming our neck of the woods.
Great stuff Loren!
Imagine a walk in the woods and then this guy shows up, (The porcine, not the boy) and perhaps angry.
This is twice the size of the largest bear I’ve ever encountered. It’s like finding a rhino in the Deep South.
If this is legit, then what else could be out there?
An easy two-pointer for Cryptozoology, and certainly a slam dunk for Guiness!
I sure am glad that thing didn’t find civilization before Jamison found it!
Can you imagine the devastation that beast would have wrought upon a town?
I understand how people think that killing animals like this is wrong, but that is nature’s way, kill or be killed.
Thankfully, they didn’t bury the thing!
I’ve fired the .50 cal revolver before…YES it does have the kick, but I doubt it was the initial bullet that dropped it. The .50 cal round carries with it a HUGE SHOCKWAVE that on impact with a biological entity causes for a split second the blood to pump in reverse…thus nausia and untimely death (called Hydro-shock). The boar would have probably been stumbling around for those 3 hours (poor creature) 🙁
The .50 cal revolver was probably a Smith & Wesson M500, that is the only .50 cal revolver I am aware of.
ANY .50 caliber round IS NASTY NASTY STUFF!
Hogzilla was a hybrid. I’m sure this fella will prove to be a hybrid too. There is not a good argument to be made for allowing that aberration to wander through the countryside. The amount of damage a normal sized 300 lb wild hog can do is staggering. This one could have uprooted an apple orchard. It was arguably an alien top predator in that ecosystem. More power to the kid. (although a .50 caliber pistol is pretty decent power)
Holy cow! What in the world do you feed animals in Alabama?? Imagine the size of the bigfoots!!!
Your’re too quick, Loren. When I got home and turned on my PC, I saw this story and was going to mail you the link. Then I went to Cryptomundo and-BOOM-there it was. That is one ENORMOUS animal. My thoughts kind of echo Remus’-what else could be lurking “out there’?
Am I the only one who thinks this might not be on the level? The gray areas on the pig’s fur have that Photoshopped smoothness.
The size looks a little off, too. If the pig is really 9’4″, how big is that kid?
That’s incredible !!
On the AP story I saw on CNN, they stated that it will produce 500 to 700 pounds of sausage! Yes, LiberalDem, a 50 caliber handgun is quite a lot to handle, especially by an 11 year old boy. The fact that it took eight shots with the most powerful handgun round made, and tracking it for 3 hours, tells a lot about the size of this beast! I didn’t know that these things could get that big! I wonder what the largest ever recorded is??
Nice kid. On his father’s webpage he states that he wants to hunt Bigfoot with a blowgun.
If he’s from Alabama, he means it.
Holy smoke!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That’s a lot of bacon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That kid is standing quite a way back from the hog though isn’t he, giving it a false perspective (it’s the old trick they use in shark photos….i.e Vic Hislop etc).
Still, a huge animal though.
Yup, I can see that this is forced perspective.
I see some pixel distortion in the photo, especially around the head and ears. I think this photo has been altered. Ironically, the recent National Geographic special on the first Hogzilla showed how enlarging the subject could be done, even though it was proven that the first Hogzilla was quite large. I think someone borrowed the idea here.
That’s not real right? No way do they get anyway near that size! Must be photoshopped.
Obviously, it’s a man in a suit.
The wild boar was taken in a preserve apparently privately set aside for just these kinds of packaged hunts, as noted in the blog above.
This boar is wild, yes, but its killing is as expected as the death of the cow raised for meat in the hamburgers being sold down the street from you.
My hope is that when Bigfoot is discovered, a massive protected area will be created to not allow any hunting of Bigfoot. But it will only happen after they are found.
In the meantime, to think about this kid wanting to go hunt Bigfoot (for a trophy kill?) is a frightening thought. His success rate seems rather high.
Random comments:
Not much in the picture suggests it is fake.
The pig looks more like a hybrid than a wild boar.
People should be more scared of their own kind than of innocent oversized hogs.
Hunting should be banned even in Huntsville.
Blobpig
Not being a hunter myself, I just wondered if it was normal to go out hunting with 50 calibur rounds?
@dialthree
“The desire to kill an animal like this serves no purpose”.
Really? Have you ever heard the term “Pig Roast”? mmmmmmmmm.
I appreciated seeing this entry here, even though it is not necessarily crypto related, but it is an unusual sized animal. As for all those who can’t seem to get over that things are hunted, and eaten, unless you are a vegan, you don’t have any room to complain as animals are killed on a daily basis so that we all have food to eat. And, if you are, this is a free country and people are free to do anything that is legal, and hunting certainly is. People don’t bug you about your choice to not eat meat, and don’t bug everyone else for their right to, including their right to hunt (or fish for that matter) for what they want to eat.
There is a lot of satisfaction from hunting and fishing and working for the meal that is on your table. At one point in our evolution, everyone had to do that. Today, just because you go to a grocery store to pick up your food doesn’t mean that they are not killed to provide a meal for you.
I hate to see the political commentary of this sort, condemning people for having the liberty to do the things they want. That is what makes this country so great. If this kid and his family enjoy hunting the things they eat, power to them. Cryptomundo should be about the discussion of cryptids, and leave out the personal political agendas. Bigfoot is neither Republican, nor Democrat….but maybe Libertarian! Not all people who are into conservation of species, ecologically minded, or in finding new undiscovered species lean to the left…
Live free or die!
Judging by the nine foot long boar, the kid looks about five feet tall to me, if he’s leaning at an angle.
I just went to the website and found out that Jamison is five foot five! They grow em’ tall out there in Alabama!
In answer to mystery_man, if you’re planning on hunting something that is known for it’s viciousness, you take the biggest gun you have!
Ever seen “Old Yeller”? That thing could have had “Hydrophobee”.
A REALLY small boy?
Around here, it is usually the rifle that is normal tool for hunting boar. To those who keep on screaming “innocent animal” and such, please hear me out. I have seen the damage boar, an introduced species, can do to the environment. I once had quail in my woods before the hogs came in and decided that the eggs were fair game.
Check this other photo on the kids website. It’s less “show” and gives you a better sense of the pigs size. http://www.monsterpig.com/news.htm
The kid in the photo is sitting about 5 feet back so it makes the hog look like it’s the size of a hippo. I saw another photo and the kid was closer to the hog and it wasn’t that big. Sorry but, that photograph lies. The hog is big, the biggest I’ve very seen, but it’s no monster. The other photos I saw were on a site called liveleak.com if anyone wants to look at them.
Oh and for anyone who want’s to know a 50.cal handgun does have alot of kick, but you didn’t have to be professional wrestler to handle one.
Just a few thoughts from a gun nut, a hunter, and a biologist:
50 caliber guns pack quite a kick. The ear deafening boom is what I hate most. They can be handled fairly well with both hands at once. They’re really a novelty.
50 caliber handguns are still pretty rare. The average hunter would rather take a dependable 30-06 or 30/30 rifle hog hunting, instead of the S&W 500 that this kid was packing. The price tag on that pistol is almost certainly over $1000. Most hunters can’t even afford the ammo, much less the gun itself.
Actually, I consider it ridiculous to allow a child to carry such a firearm. Seeing as the hog had to be hit 8-9 times, the poor kid probably had trouble aiming that cannon precisely. The S&W 500 was meant for Alaskan grizzly country or maybe an African safari, not Alabama hog hunts.
The “canned hunt” also probably cost a pretty penny. These reserves practically breed these things this way. Not sure if you can really call them “wild”. They’re hybridized with domestic strains and are practically fed like range cattle. Expect more monster hogs in the future. A lot more.
I hog hunt, but do not condone the release of domestic or captive bred hogs into the wild. They’re an invasive species, that needs to be eradicated to free up resources for natural species. Hogs are extremely tough, surprising fast, and very intelligent. Thats what makes them such a popular game species AND what makes them a major ecological threat.
just my opinion
Here is the link to the liveleak.com page with three photos of the big hog. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=7cf_1180163384
Greetings folks!,
Been a reader for a long time, jump in a few times a week to peruse whats new, but after this article I had to write a comment.
Firstly, that is one big beast of a pig, hybrid or not, it detracts nothing from its value, as any breed of pig would be proud to have such a girth.
Secondly, regarding the pistol, a .50 caliber handgun does NOT kick as extremely as rumoured. I’ve fired one, repeatedly. Now admittedly I’m not a small fellow, however, my wife is TINY and she has fired it without harm or percussive recoil as well.
Thirdly, I was lead to believe after reading the website regarding this kill, that the bugger was injured 8 or 9 times by the handgun. At which point of course he trundled off for some hours, during which he was stalked. Do not decieve yourselves regarding this piggy, brutish as he might be he has no magical bullet reflective blubber, or muscles so thick it was required to shoot him this often to kill him. In fact, ask anyone who has ever hunted boar, they are renowned for their tenacity. Personally I’ve been chased by a 400 pound plus boar after being wounded with both a bow and a pistol. These critters take a serious amount of caution to hunt, as they can be extremely dangerous. Anyways, thats one monstrous piggy, and it does lend credence to the theories regarding hidden wonders in our world, doesnt it.
The boy’s father and the guides were holding high powered rifles in case the hog turned and charged. The hunting preserve lists both wild boar and feral hogs as being available for hunts. I wonder if they seed the place with imported livestock and then let them continue to breed (do regular pigs breed with wild boar?)? Is there a place where they are specially trying to develop large hogs for this purpose? An article by a trophy hunters group referred to another large hog taken at Lost Creek plantation, saying that LCP trapped it (I wonder where), and then a hunter “harvested” it.
http://www.lostcreekplantation.com/
I always was told to take something a little bigger when boar hunting. Their heads are basically armored. 50 caliber has a little bit of a kick (I guess that will depend on the shooter), but I never thought it would be big enough to take down one of those. I bet he used some cuss words when he first saw that one. It is dangerous to hunt the average size boar. I know plenty of people who in everyday life wouldn’t cuss if they cut off a part of their body, but were cussing like sailors (no offense to any sailors) when the boar turned on them and never let up.
Greetings once again,
I find myself struggling to understand how hybridized/feral/domesticated or any other title we can implant to this hog detracts in any way from its value as a rewarding hunt, or trophy for an eleven year old. Ask yourself, would YOU not be proud having been the hunter who “bagged” this beastie? As well, ive seen a lot of reference to power, and size in reference to whats “wise” or “safe” to hunt boar. Let me first start by saying, a .50 caliber (calibre) handgun does not in ANY way exceed the power delivered by say, a .308 rifle, or even a .270. It was designed more as a novelty than anything else, as its cost both for initial purchase as well as follow up costs, I.E. ammunition etc. etc. make it less than cost effective. I don’t want to make this post sound like a lecture, or in any way question anyone elses hunting knowledge, but I’m struck by the assumptions you need some vehicle mounted cannon, or a TOW missile launcher to hunt these animals. Gentlemen, and Ladies of course, its all about shot placement. A .22 long rifle round dispatches countless hogs throughout the USA daily, as small farmers/breeders harvest hogs for whatever reason. No question wild boar are tough to kill, ive admitted as much myself, and my personal preference of round while hunting them is NOT a .22 as well. But to make the point clear, again, a larger caliber is likely, although not NECESSARY. Oh, and anyone desires of feeling the recoil of a .50 caliber handgun merely has to know someone who owns one, ask them to accompany them to a range, and fire it. The primary concern with firing any handgun, be it some brute like a .50 caliber or a small can killer like a .380, is the fear of what exactly the recoil will be like. If the weapon couldn’t be fired by hand, they would not have made it. Believe me, a weapon being produced has to have a market, and if the recoil from the SW .500 was so extreme nobody would fire it, and thus not purchase it, it would not have been made. Just remember to get a bit of instruction regarding safe firearms practices before venturing out to the range and trying your hand at firing ANY gun you arent familiar with.
Good example of how a photo can tell a thousand lies-this photo looks like a publicity shot for the old Aussie Killer Pig movie-Razorback!
Having said that-the other more accurate ones show this to be one hell of a monster!
When I was 12-13 or so, my stepfather would take me shooting out in an old gravel pit frequented by many locals. Yes, a .50 cal should have a quite a kick to it, and I have to give the kid some credit for being able to fire it, but the kick largely depends on the weapon itself. I shot 9mm pistols that recoiled back enough to hit me in the forehead, and 12 gauge shotguns that felt like a little tap on the shoulder, so it can vary a lot. We once had another shooter come up behind us and start plucking away with a .44 cal pistol, and I can assure you that the sound of that was enough to turn our heads, even with protective earwear, so I can only imagine the sound of this hand cannon the kid was carrying.
As for my take on hunting, I say that if you kill it, you should eat it, or at least sell it to someone who will. As long as it’s not a Spotted Owl, California Condor, Tasmanian Devil, or some other endangered animal, I can’t find any fault. I just don’t approve of those who go out hunting just to kill something and leave its meat to waste or fishermen who throw them back (If you want to sit around and drink beer in the hot sun for hours, why use the mutilation of small animals as an excuse?). Mind you, I don’t lose too much sleep over this, as there are people right now doing far worse to their own pets or other people.
Personally, I think we should always have hunters around, as a continuance of an ancient way of life, much like the Japanese government pays people to fish in the traditional ways (Using Cormorants), and so such knowledge always remains within the human experience. It is also worth noting that, should civilization fall to pieces, these are the guys that are going to be providing food for all our flabby Mcbutts!
I have to say though that hunting BF with a blowgun sounds a little too much like an episode of “Messin’ With Sasquatch.” You could probably pelt him all day long until he looked like a porcupine without doing any serious bodily harm (Especially if that mud and rock “armour” theory is true). Kid, if you’re serious, take the hand cannon…
DUDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lyndon is right- there is clearly a forced perspective in this photo (although i’m sure its still a pretty big pig)
And cryptonut- “People don’t bug you about your choice to not eat meat” could only have been written by a meat-eater…
The .50 cal revolver was probably a Smith & Wesson M500, that is the only .50 cal revolver I am aware of.
Smith & Wesson is not the only company that makes a 50 cal. Israel Military Industries does as others I’m sure. And that is the weapon I would have with me in the deep woods, 50 cal Desert Eagle ( Only for safety mind you ). I have never shot a 50 cal., But my buddy has one. Also has a 44 Desert Eagle I have shot. The 44 is awesome!!!!!!!! I can just imagine the 50 cal.
Anyway, That kid has some freeolies to mess with that pig, 50 cal or not. That is one big slab of bacon. Probably not good eating though. So to kill something like that for a trophy is just a shame. I’m not a hunter though, but still, that (was) an amazing animal. To bad it had to die unless it was it boaring down on ’em. Which it wasn’t, it was in a game farm. Them game farm’s suck if you ask me. Can’t even call yourself a hunter going to them places. They should all be outlawed in my opinion. Even if it is 2500 hundred acres. But like I said I am no hunter. I would rather go down the street and grab a burger, than take the life of such an amazing creature. To each his own though.
Wow…. Poor kid is taking a thrashing on his web site….
Anybody think it’s suspicious that the hog has (allegedly) been cut up and made into sausage, effectively destroying the evidence?
If I had a hog this size that made international news, I’d stuff it and charge admission at fairs; you could make a fortune. Turning it into sauage seems very suspicious to me…
Benjamin Radford responds:
May 29th, 2007 at 2:41 pm
Anybody think it’s suspicious that the hog has (allegedly) been cut up and made into sausage, effectively destroying the evidence?
If I had a hog this size that made international news, I’d stuff it and charge admission at fairs; you could make a fortune. Turning it into sauage seems very suspicious to me.
Ben, if you read the kid’s web site you will see it says ” Video Coming Soon-Hog is being mounted-Many witnesses-Sausage is all gone” So maybe we will see a mounted head at least.
My ? is this. I heard that hog’s this size aren’t good eating. Is this true? Does anybody know if this is true? Cuz it sure would be a waste to kill this animal if you couldn’t even eat the meat it produced. Unless of course it was terrorizing your farm or something like that.
DARHOP: Thanks… hmm, still skeptical….
They made it into sausage precisely because that is the best way to make unpalatable meat edible.
Do YOU know what is in your commercial sausage?
Hahahahaha!
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