A south Alabama man sprang into action last week, when he found his dog barking at an 820-pound wild hog in his front yard, shooting and killing the large animal, according to multiple reports.
Wade Seagos, a deer hunter who also operates a taxidermy shop, told AL.com that it's not unusual for wildlife to wander onto the 100 acres he shares with his family in Samson. He said he wasn't alarmed on July 11 when he heard his pet schnauzer barking outside his family's home.
He realized something about the situation was wrong when he heard his daughter scream, AL.com reported.
When he looked to the front of his home, he found his dog barking, just feet away from a massive wild hog.
Afraid the animal would attack the family pet, Seago grabbed a .38 caliber pistol and fired three shots at it, killing the hog, AL.com reported.
"I didn't think twice about taking down this hog," he told the news site. "I'd do it again tomorrow."
The day after the encounter, Seago weighed the hog on a commercial scale, according to WKRG. The hog weighed in at 820 pounds.
Seago said on social media that he plans to mount the hog in his taxidermy shop.
According to the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, feral hogs can pose a serious danger to native wildlife through of a combination of their high rates of reproduction, lack of natural predators, voracious eating habits and destructive rooting behavior, among other things.
Feral hogs are considered game animals in the state, meaning they have no closed season and no bag limits.
"This means that on private land, hunters can legally hunt hogs every day of the year with no harvest restrictions," according to officials. "Alabama sportsmen and land managers are encouraged to help control this non-native species."
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