Pig Riding
By Gary Moore
Everyone knows about bronco riding and bull riding but not a lot of people have heard of pig riding.
My best friend Tom Ladd and I tried our hand at pig riding, and with practice, might have become good at it had our mothers not had a hissy fit and made threats we could not ignore.
Our pig riding exploits are ancient history, dating back to the 50s. Now that my compatriot is deceased I can tell the story without concern about his sensibilities.
I don’t know whose idea it was, but likely it was mine as was the case in many of our misadventures in our youth growing up on Fairground Road in Bradford. Tom was very laid back and always seemed happy to try whatever I suggested, at least initially. Being two and a half years older, he should have known better.
John Gibbs had a slaughterhouse on Route 25 and he had a piggery at the top of the hill on Goshen Road. The area of three or four acres was fenced in and the pigs ran free. It had once been cleared but by the time of our adventure had a lot of pine trees growing randomly. They were not large, perhaps 20 feet tall and eight to ten inches in diameter with branches five feet off the ground.
For a little perspective, remember the 50s was a time when cowboys reigned and the movies made them our heroes. Think Roy Rogers, Gene Autry and the Lone Ranger.
We worked out a plan whereby one of us got up in a tree while the other herded the pigs underneath so the one in the tree could jump on board.
Now let me tell you these were not the Three Little Pigs of the children’s classic. They were huge boars and sows and they were not friendly.
If you have ever paid much attention to pigs you know there is little to hang on to. The hair is very short as are the ears and tails. The ones John raised were very fat, making it impossible for us to wrap our legs around them.
I think you can see where this is heading.
The pasture had almost no grass as the pigs had long ago eaten it, roots and all. What was not trees or rocks was dirt. And the dirt had ample supplies of pig dung to keep it well fertilized.
By now you are beginning to get the idea how we might have run afoul of our mothers.
We took turns jumping on the backs of the pigs from the trees which meant we also took turns rolling in the dirt and dung.
After a while we realized we were never going to stay on a pig’s back for more than a few seconds and having aching muscles and bruises from our falls, we headed home. Oh, did I mention we smelled BAD?
It was about a two mile walk through the woods from Goshen Road to Fairground Road so we had time to discuss what went wrong and what we could do differently another time. However, we did not have time to air out our clothing or our bodies.
Neither Tom nor I was allowed to enter our homes until we had stripped off our clothes and left them in a smelly pile outside. At least that is what happened to me and what Tom recounted had been his welcome home.
Mom sent me to to take a long hot bath while telling me how disappointed she was. What was I thinking? Didn’t I know better? and We could have been hurt.
Believing the threatened punishments from our mothers, Tom and I never tried riding pigs again which is why we never became rodeo stars.
We did, however, have many other misadventures of which most were my idea right up until we were both in our mid 70s. Some will be told at the right time in the future and some never revealed to protect the guilty.
Tom grew up a quarter mile down the road from me and was our only neighbor for many years. We were close and remained so to the end. I was his best man in 1968 and he mine in 1970.
Looking back, I realize we were lucky to have survived some of our antics. Now that Tom is gone, I guess I will just have to grow up, but damn we had fun.
Bits and Pieces
Tune in to WYKR 101.3 FM or 1100 AM on Thursday at 6 p.m. for The Outdoor Edge. Thoughts on the Out-of-Doors airs as a segment of the program on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of every month. My guest will be Laura Erickson of Mountain Kula Yoga. We will be talking about the Kula Yoga Fest, www.kulayogafest.com, to be held July 24-26 at the beautiful and historic Ogontz in Lyman, NH.
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The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department says many people are having problems with bears looking for food near their homes, and with the food scrap ban in effect the department is providing tips for people who are composting at home so they can avoid attracting hungry bears.
To learn more about properly composting food waste, go to the Department of Environmental Conservation’s website at VTrecycles.com.
For more bear information visit BearWise and Vermont Fish and Wildlife’s Living with Black Bears webpage. If you are having a problem with bears, please fill out the Bear Incident Report form on that page. This form will be evaluated, and staff will contact you if assistance is needed.
If a bear is causing damage, you are also urged to contact your local Vermont State Game Warden.
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The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department is accepting public comment on proposed amendments to four Fish and Wildlife Board regulations.
One would explicitly prohibit making false statements in the reporting of wild game. It would also allow the Commissioner to increase the fee paid to check-stations.
Another proposed rule language requires that all big game carcasses are tagged with a tag that contains the name of the hunter, and the applicable tag or permit number.
Another would require the current arrowhead and cutting edge standards apply for broadheads used with crossbows as well.
Also a proposal would allow hunters to employ leashed tracking dogs to legally track dead or wounded moose. The proposed amendment strikes the language limiting tracking to big game seasons and the 24-hour period immediately following. This will allow for the use of tracking dogs to locate animals injured or killed outside the legal hunting seasons.
A public hearing will be held on July 17 to solicit input on the proposed changes. The hearing is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at the VTrans Dill Building, 2178 Airport Road, Barre, VT 05641. A remote option is also available.
Public comments can be submitted via email to ANR.FWPublicComment@vermont.gov through July 24. More information on the proposed rule changes is available online at: https://www.vtfishandwildlife.com/about-us/fish-and-wildlife-board/board-rules
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The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department is asking for your help in monitoring Vermont’s wild turkey population. The department runs an annual online survey during July and August for reporting turkey broods.
Starting July 1, if you see a flock of turkeys in Vermont, the department asks you to go to the turkey brood survey on its website to report your observation, including where and when you observed the turkeys with the number of adult and young turkeys you saw.
“Information gathered from this survey helps us monitor long-term trends in the productivity of Vermont’s wild turkey population,” said Vermont Fish and Wildlife’s turkey biologist Toni Mikula. “It also helps us assess the impacts of spring weather on the survival of poults and adult turkeys which is important in the management of turkeys.”
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The 33 winners in the state’s annual moose hunt lottery drawing were officially notified by mail. A complete list of names of the 2026 winners and alternates is now posted online and can be viewed by visiting www.wildlife.nh.gov/hunting-nh/moose-hunting-new-hampshire.
Local hunter chosen include, Coryleen B Gilbert of Colebrook, Robert E Klunder of North Haverhill and Mark F Morrision of Monroe.
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Several New Hampshire Fish and Game officers were honored recently.
Lieutenant Mark Ober, Jr., was honored with the 2025 Northeast Conservation Law Enforcement Chiefs Association of the Year Award.
Lieutenant Robert Mancini, Sergeant Christopher McKee, Conservation Officer James Cyrs, and Conservation Officer Joseph Canfield were honored with the Congressional Law Enforcement Unit Citation Award for 2025.
Colonel Kevin Jordan was honored with the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies 2025 Guy Bradley Award Recognizing Outstanding Lifetime Service.
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Famed NASCAR driver Kyle Bush of Denver, NC was one of the winners of a Maine Moose hunting permit. Unfortunately, he died last month.
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Mark Breen reports in the Fairbanks Museum's Skywatch Almanac that on
June 30, 1973: “Over 6 inches resulted in widespread flooding, killing two people, with 64 million dollars in damage to roads, crops, businesses, and homes.”
Mark also supplied the June Records and Averages
Warmest: 69.6°F/2005 Coldest: 59.2°F/1958
Wettest: 9.65”/1973 Driest: 0.66”/1936
Parting Shots
My wife and her good friend, Alma Royston went all out to arrange a celebration for my 80th. Family and friends gathered at our pond to enjoy great food catered by Morgan Johnson and a chance to talk old times.
We had rented a large tent so the rain did not dampen our spirits and the biting insects mostly stayed away.
The food was delicious and in large quantities so no one went hungry and many left with takeouts.
I have had strawberry shortcake instead of a regular cake for my birthday since I was a youth and this time was no exception. There was so much of the mouth
Syndicated columnist Gary W. Moore may be reached by e-mail at gwmoore1946@icloud.com or at Box 454, Bradford, VT 05033. copyright 2026 Gary W. Moore