What could be simpler than catching a wild hog, putting it in a sack and crossing the finish line? In Bandera, they call it hog-catching.
“I thought I’d try something new,” Axcon McDorman said. “It’s my first time doing it.”
Bandera is known as the Cowboy Capital of the World, and one weekend during spring break, the city goes to the hogs for the Wild Hog Explosion.
The annual Hog Catch starts with a youngster Hog Touch. There’s also an adult division, but these teens say the medium-sized pigs are just right.
“It pumps you up because like, just when you’re out there trying to get the hog it gives you a little bit extra adrenaline,” competitor Justin Lugo said.
That adrenaline fueled competitor Jana Voges and her cousin, Bailey Bass, to a time of just over 10 seconds.
“We tried to think of plans but it didn’t really work out, so we kind of just run and do whatever, try to catch it,” Voges said.
In addition to the hog-catching, the Wild Hog Explosion has a barbecue cook-off and other pork-related events. But it’s the catching that brings a crowd.
“It was exciting,” McDorman said. “Never had anything like that before.”
This was the event’s 13th year, and Voges and Bass say they’ll be back.
“It kind of suits me,” Bass said. “It’s fun.”
The Wild Hog Explosion is a fundraiser for the local library. It takes place each year on the last Saturday of Bandera’s spring break.