Pond James Pond
New member
I should say that it was nothing sinister first of all but it did happen in the one place that I tend to carry: the forest.
Having spent 5 hours working like a horse trying to tidy the yard of our recently bought "farmhouse" ruins I decided to let the dogs have some fun and took them for a walk in the forest. The whole day I'd had my RH .44 on my belt, under a long, untucked shirt.
After about an hour and getting close to the farm again, both my dogs suddenly stopped, faced the forest to the right of the track and started barking like crazy, hackles reaching for the sky.
It was at this point that the words of the elderly lady neighbour who'd stopped to observe my progress rang in my head: "I saw a bear a couple of years ago, just down that track!"
A second later I heard some heavy crashing in the undergrowth of that same patch of forest: something determined was moving! I raised my shirt over my grips, undid the strap and drew, muzzle at the floor.
Another second later, not one, not two but six wild boars burst from the brush and charged across the path some 25 yds ahead and disappeared on the other side. Luckily, neither dog gave chase as there were hoglets in the group.
I took stock of the situation before re-holstering, my heart pounding.
I know hogs can be dangerous, but in this case there ended up being little danger and it turned out to be a most memorable day, seeing my first ever boars in the wild, and so close to boot.
All the same, I'd still felt pretty vulnerable!!
I may not have needed it, but in those few seconds before finding out that what was coming, I was sure glad to at least have the RH to hand.
Having spent 5 hours working like a horse trying to tidy the yard of our recently bought "farmhouse" ruins I decided to let the dogs have some fun and took them for a walk in the forest. The whole day I'd had my RH .44 on my belt, under a long, untucked shirt.
After about an hour and getting close to the farm again, both my dogs suddenly stopped, faced the forest to the right of the track and started barking like crazy, hackles reaching for the sky.
It was at this point that the words of the elderly lady neighbour who'd stopped to observe my progress rang in my head: "I saw a bear a couple of years ago, just down that track!"
A second later I heard some heavy crashing in the undergrowth of that same patch of forest: something determined was moving! I raised my shirt over my grips, undid the strap and drew, muzzle at the floor.
Another second later, not one, not two but six wild boars burst from the brush and charged across the path some 25 yds ahead and disappeared on the other side. Luckily, neither dog gave chase as there were hoglets in the group.
I took stock of the situation before re-holstering, my heart pounding.
I know hogs can be dangerous, but in this case there ended up being little danger and it turned out to be a most memorable day, seeing my first ever boars in the wild, and so close to boot.
All the same, I'd still felt pretty vulnerable!!
I may not have needed it, but in those few seconds before finding out that what was coming, I was sure glad to at least have the RH to hand.