He will flee into the strongest thicket he can find, to the end he may kill them at leisure, one after another.

 

Of the Wild Boar, his properites and the manner of hunting him.

Having described the hunting of a Hart, and all other Deer according to my simple skill, I have thought good to set down here a little treatise of the hunting of the Wild Boar, and of his properties.

Although he ought not to be counted among the Beasts of Venery - yet our Tristram reckons the Boar for one of the Four Beasts of Venery - which are chaseable with hounds, for he is the proper prey of a Mastiff and suchlike dogs, for as much as he is a heavy beast and of great force, trusting and affying himself in his tusks and his strength, and therefore will not so lightly flee nor make chase before hounds, so you cannot - by hunting the Boar - know the goodness or swiftness of them, and therewithal to confess a truth, I think it great oity to hunt - with a good kennel of hounds - at such chases, and for such reasons and considerations as follow. 

First, he is the only beast which can dispatch a hound at one blow, for though other beasts bite, snatch, tear or rend your hounds, yet there is hope of remedy if they be well attended; but if a Boar once strike your hound, and light between the four quarters of him, you shall hardly see him escape. Therewithal, this subtlety he has, that if he be run with a good kennel of hounds, which he perceives hold in round and follow him hard, he will flee into the strongest thicket he can find, to the end he may kill them at leisure, one after another, the which I have seen by experience oftentimes. Among others, I saw once a Boar chased and hunted with fifty good hounds at the least, and when he saw they were all in full cry, and held in round together, he turned head on them, and thrust amid the thickest of them, in such sort he slew sometimes five or seven - in manner - with twinking of an eye. Of the fifty hounds there went, not twelve sound and alive to their masters' houses.

I gain if a kennel of hounds be once used to hunt a Boar, they will become lither, and will never willingly hunt fleeing chases again. For as much as they are - by him - accustomed to hunt with more ease, and to find great scent. For a Boar is a beast of a very hot scent, and is contrary to light fleeing chases, which are hunted with more pain to the hound, and yet therewith do not leave so great scent. 

For these causes, whosoever means to have good hounds for a Hart, Hare or Roe Deer, let him not use them to hunt the Boar; but since men are of sundry opinions, and love to hunt such chases as lie most commodiously about their dwelling places, I will here describe the properties of the Boar, and how they may hunt him, and the manner of killing him either with the sword or boarspear, as you sha;; also see it set out in portraiture hereafter in his place.

Of the Nature and Subtlety of the Boar.

The Boar is of this nature, that when his dame doth pig him, he has as many teenth as ever he will have while he lives; neither will their teeth anyway multiply or increase but only in greatness and length. Among the rest, they have four which - with the Frenchmen - are called defences, and we call them tusks or tusches, whereof the two highest do not hurt when he strikes, but serve only to whet the other two lowest; but with those lower tucks, they strike marvelously and kill oftentimes. If a Boar happen to have his eyes blemished, or to hurt them dangerously, he will heal again very soon. 

A Boar may live five-and-twenty or thirty years. It is easier to bring them into a soil in April or in May, that in any other season; that is because they sleep soundlier in those two months than at any other time of the year, for as much as they feed then upon strong herbs and buds of trees, which do so moisten their brains they become very sleepy. Again, the springtime renews their blood, which makes them sleep the more soundly.

They go to rut about the month of December, and their great heat endures near about three weeks. Although their Sows become cold again and covet not the Boar, yet do not the Boar's part from them until it be January; then they withdraw themselves unto their holds, wherein they keep close sometimes three or four days together and never come out, especially when they have found the fern, and find sweetness in the root of the fern. Sometimes, a Boar will wander far out of the forests or thick coverts to seek feeding, especially in time of the vintage in such countries as wine is made; and wheresoever they become when day appears, there will they abide without respect of the place; it suffices if they find but some tuft of thorns or brambles, and there will they lie until it be night again.

They harken earnestly, and will hear a man very far off, especially when they be under the wind, but if they be up the wind, hear not greatly. 

They live and feed upon all kind of corn and fruits, as apples, pears, plums, acorns, chestnuts, beechmast and suchlike, and of all sorts of root, unless it be rape and navy roots. Also, in April and May they feed on the buds of plum trees and chestnut trees, and all other sweet buds they can find, especially upon the buds of broom and juniper. They will feed on no carrion unless it be of a dead horse; they never become sowle or mesled - as we term it - like unto our tame swine.

When they are in the marshes, they feed and live upon watercress, wild garlic, and such herbs as they can find. Being near to the sea coast, they will feed upon all kind of shellfishes, as cockles, muscles, oysters and suchlike.

Their season begins in the mid of September, and ends about the beginning of December when they go to the rut. Commonly, a Boar will abide the bay before go out of his den, and they lie most commonly in the strongest holds of thorns and thick bushes; when they are hunted, they stick also in the strongest coverts, and will seldom leave them until it be dark night. If it chance there be a sownder of them together, if anyone break sonder, the rest will follow the same way. The Boar sooner forsakes the hollow forests to seek strong coverts that the Hart does; thereupon, it has been spoken in proverb that a Boar is but a guest, and if a Boar be in a thicket or strong covert, being come thither from a hollow wood or forest, if you hunt him, he will not fail to go back by the same way he came thither. Whensoever they are once reared, they flee continually and never stay until they come to the place where they think themselves in safeguard. 

This have I seen by experience by a Boar which has come from his accustomed den to seek feed, and being hunted he went immediately and directly back close and roots not; then shall you say he grazes. 

These terms you may use in making report of a Boar. 

The Judgement whereby you may know a Great Boar, and first by the foot. 

Commonly. a man may know an old Boar or a great Swine by the foot where he had gone, whereof the print or form ought to be great and large, the toes round and thick, the edge of his hoof worn and blunt, without cutting or paring the ground so much as a younger Swine does; the heel great, the guards - which are his hinder claws or dewclaws - should be great and open one from another, upon the which he bears and stays him all the way when he goes upon hard ground. His footing behind should be trodden sidewards, and more outwards than his forefeet, to show the thickness between his thighs. The pleats or wrinkles which are between his heel and dewclaws should leave print or form on the ground, showing the stiffness and thickness of his hair; his steps great and long, the treading of his foot should be deep and great, to show the weightiness of his body.

The Judgement by his Rootings. 

When a Boar roots in a hedge for a root - which some call the park - then may you perceive the greatness and largeness of his roots. So may you also know in soft places where he worms, or in such other places.

The Judgement by the Soil.

When he soils and wallows him in the mire, then is it easy to know his greatness by the length and largeness of the soil, or else at his departure from the soil, you may perceive it where he has gone into some thicket by the leaves and branches he shall touch, for he goes out of the soil all mired and dirty, the which will leave marks upon the leaves and branches of his height, thickness &c. 

Sometimes, when he comes out of the soil, he will rub him against a tree, by the which you may see his height; also, he will commonly give two or three blows with his tusks upon the tree, as it were the stabs of a dagger, whereby the Huntsman may take judgement and knowledge as well of his height as also of the greatness of his tusks.

You may know and judge also by his den, for a great Boar when he is at prime of his grease will make his den deep, and at his going out thereof, will make his lesses - which is his ordure - and by the greatness and length thereof you may judge the Boar. These lesses shall never be brought to an asseembly, but let the Huntsman content himself with the sight of them in places where he finds them. 

The Difference between Wild Swine and our Hogs. 

The difference between Wild Swine and our Hogs is great, and in sundry respects.

First, they are commonly black, or grizzed and streaked with black, whereas ours are white, sanded and of all colours. Therewithal, the Wild Swine in their gate always set the hinderfoot within the forefoot, or very near, and stay themselves more upon the toe than upon the heel, shutting their claws before close, and commonly they strike their guards - which are their dewclaws - upon the ground, the which sway outwards, and the sides of their hoofs cut and pare the ground, the which our Swine do not, for they spread and open their foreclaws, leaving ground between them, and they be commonly round and worn, leaning and staying more upon the heel than upon the toe. Again, they set not their hinderfoot within their forefoot, and their guards fall straight upon the ground and never shoyle or lean outwards, and they beat and foyle the ground, and cut it not. Also, the sole of their feet is fleshy, and makes no plain print upon the ground as the Wild Swine do.

There is likewise great diference in their rootings, for a Wild Swine roots deeper, because his snout is longer; and when they come into cornfields, they follow a furrow, rooting and worming all alongst by some balk, until they come to the end. Tame Swine root here and there all about the field, and never follow their rooting as the Wild Swine do; likewise, you may know them by the difference of their feeding on corn grown, for the Wild Swine bear down the corn round about them in one certain place, and Tame Swine feed scattering here and there. 

The Difference between the Male and the Female.

Although some hunters hold opinion, there is small judgement to be taken of the difference between male and female being young Swine that yet keep the sownder. Yet have I observed divers differences in my time, whereby you may know the male and female, yea, were they but Pigs of a year old following the dames, whereof I will show mine opinion in this sort.

The male Pigs following the dame commonly scatter further abroad than the females do, and will nuzzle and turn up the ground ten or twelve paces further off from their dames than the females; that - I think - is because they are hardier than the females are, for they follow the dame as close as they can, and dare not scatter abroad as the males do. 

You may judge them also by their gait, for every male Pig or Hog goes broader with his hinder legs than the females do, and commonly they set the track or print of the hinderfoot upon the outer side of the print of the forefoot, by reason of the thickness he bears between the thighs more than the demale, which bears them high, short and loose, one being near unto another, and therefore she strikes not her guards on the ground so often as the male does, yea, though she do, the print of them is but small and sleight, and spoils not outwards like the male. 

Also, commonly the female has not so great a heel as the male, and has her claws longer and sharper before, and opening wider than the male. The soles of her hinderfeet are lesser and straighter than the males be.

How to hunt the Boar with Hounds at force.

You shall not by your will hunt a young Boar of three years at force, for he will stand up as long, or longer, than a light young Deer which bears but three in the top. But when he is in his fourth year, then may you hunt him at force, even as well as a Hart of Ten, and yet he will stand up rather longer. Wherefore, if a Huntsman goes to rear a Boar of four years old, he shall do well to mark whether he went timely to his den or not, for commonly these Boars which tarry till it be dalight before they go into their couches or dens, following their paths or ways long time, especially where they find fern or beech, whereupon they feed, are great murderers of dogs and very hardy. 

The Huntsman shall not need to be afraid to come over near unto such a Boar for rearing of him, for he will not likely be reared for him; but if he find of a Boar which soils oftentimes, and which roots now here and now there, never staying long upon one place, then is it a token he has been scarred, and withdraws himself to some resting place at all adventures, and such Boars most commonly come to their dens, couches or holds, two or three hours before day. Then, let the Huntsman beware for coming over near them, for if they once find him in the wind, or have the wind of his hound; they will be gone, and he shall hardly come near them again, nor find them. 

If a Boar mean to tarry and abide in his den, couch or fort, then makes he some doubling or crossinf at the entry thereof upon some high way or beaten path, and then goes into his hold to lay him down in his couch or den. By such means, a Huntsman being early in the woods may judge the subtlety or craft of the Boar, and according to that which he shall perceive, he may prepare to hunt with hounds which are hot or temperate. For if it be a great Boar, and one that has lain long at rest, he shall do well to hunt him with hounds that will stick to him, and let the Huntsmen on horseback be ever among them, charging the Boar and forcing him as much as they may to discourage him; for if you hunt such a Boar with four ot five couple of hounds, he will make small account of them, and when they have a little chafed him, he will take courage and keep them still at bay, running upon anything he sees before him, but if he perceive himself charged and hard laid unto with hounds and Huntsmen, then he will become astoned and lose courage, and then he is enforced to flee and to seek the country abroad.

You must set relays also, but that must be of the staunchest and best old hounds of the kennel, for if you should make your relays with young hounds, and such as are swift and rash, then when a Boar is anything before the rest of the hounds in chase, he might easily kill them in their fury at their first coming at him, But if he be a Boar which is accustomed to flee endways before the hounds, and to take the champagne country, then you shall cast off but four or five couple of hounds at the first, and set all the rest at relays about the entry of the fields where you think likely he will flee; for such a Boar will seldom keep hounds at bay, unless he be forced, and if he stand at bay, the Huntsmen must ride at him as secretly as they can without much noise, and when they are near him, let them cast round upon him all at once, and it shall be hard of they give him notone scotch with a sword, or some wound with a boarspear. Let them not strike low, for then they shall commonly hit him on the snout, because he watches to take all blows upon his tusks or thereabouts; but let them lift up their hands high and strike right down, and let them beware they strike not towards their horses, but that other way, for on that isde a Boar feels himself hurt, he the sooner hurt or kill their horses if they stroke towards them. 

If they be in the plain, let cast a cloak about their horses, and they may the better ride about the Boar and strike him as they pass, but stay not long in a place. 

It is a certain thing experimented and found true, that if you hang bells upon collars about your hounds' necks, a Boar will not so soon strike at them, but flee endways before them, and seldom stand at bay. 

An End of Hunting of the Boar.