IS TERRORIZING THE SOUTHERN UNITED STATES. >> I JUST THOUGHT, "OH, NO, SHE'S GOING TO TEAR ME TO PIECES." >> narrator: A CREATURE NOT KNOWN FOR ITS MASSIVE SIZE MAY BE REACHING MONSTROUS PROPORTIONS. >> THEY'LL KILL YOU. THEY'LL EAT YOU. >> narrator: EYEWITNESSES CLAIM TO SEE HOGS 10 FEET LONG AND WEIGHING HALF A TON. >> WHEN YOU START SEEING TRACKS AS BIG AS MY HAND, YOU KNOW YOU GOT A MONSTER HOG. >> narrator: ARE THEY ENORMOUS ESCAPED FARM ANIMALS OR GIANT WILD HOGS? >> THE FIRST COUPLE ROUNDS IN DIDN'T FAZE HIM. HE JUST KEPT COMING. >> narrator:<i> MONSTER QUEST</i> WILL LAUNCH AN EXPEDITION TO DECIPHER THE EVIDENCE... >> WE WANT A MONSTER HOG. THAT'S THE THRILL OF GOING TO CHECK THE TRAP. >> narrator: AND APPLY GROUNDBREAKING SCIENCE IN AN ATTEMPT TO FIND A MEGAHOG. >> YOU GUYS READY TO LET HIM GO? >> narrator: WITNESSES AROUND THE WORLD REPORT SEEING MONSTERS. ARE THEY REAL OR IMAGINARY? SCIENCE SEARCHES FOR ANSWERS ON<i> MONSTER QUEST.</i> THE SOUTHERN UNITED STATES IS A SPORTSMAN'S PARADISE, HOME TO TROPHY FISH, FOWL, DEER, AND BEAR. BUT THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE HERE. PEOPLE ARE SEEING A MONSTER OF EPIC PROPORTIONS, MEGASIZED HOGS SAID TO BE HALF A TON WITH RAZOR-SHARP TUSKS AND NEARLY IMPENETRABLE HIDES, TERRORIZING LOCAL FARMERS AND HUNTERS. WITH AN EXPLODING POPULATION, THESE OMNIVOROUS AND AGGRESSIVE GIANTS ARE BEING REPORTED ACROSS THE COUNTRY. >> HE REALLY DIDN'T EVEN LOOK LIKE A PIG. HE LOOKED LIKE SOME KIND OF MONSTER. >> WHEN HE THREW UP HIS HEAD, HOOKED MY BOOT, HE JERKED BACK, AND MY FEET WERE OFF THE GROUND. >> I HAD NO IDEA THEY WERE THE SIZE OF THIS ONE. >> YOU HEAR THEM GROWLING AT YOU AND GRUNTING AND, YOU KNOW, COMING AT YOU FULL BLAST. >> HIS TUSK CAME THIS WAY, AND IT JUST FLAPPED THIS SKIN UP, PANTS, EVERYTHING. >> AND I NEVER IN MY LIFE SEEN ANYTHING THIS BIG. >> narrator: MOST EYEWITNESSES DESCRIBE THE MONSTER AS SIMILAR IN PROPORTION TO THEIR NORMAL-SIZED BRETHREN BUT UP TO FOUR TIMES BIGGER. WEIGHTS CAN EXCEED A HALF A TON. THE MOST DANGEROUS PART OF THE HOG IS THEIR MOUTH AND TUSKS. UP TO 6 INCHES LONG AND RAZOR SHARP, THESE TUSKS HAVE TO BEEN SAID TO RIP THROUGH FLESH LIKE A KNIFE. THE HISTORY OF GIANT HOGS DATES BACK MILLIONS OF YEARS. ARCHAEOTHERIUM, A MEMBER OF THE EXTINCT ENTELODONT FAMILY, IS A GENUS OF A GIANT PIG THAT ROAMED THE FORESTS OF NORTH AMERICA SOME 20 TO 30 MILLION YEARS AGO. STANDING AS TALL AS 6 FEET AT THE SHOULDER AND ARMED WITH POWERFUL JAWS AND TEETH, ENTELODONTS RESEMBLED MODERN-DAY PIGS AND HAD VERY FEW FOES. >> SOME OF THE ENTELODONTS GOT AS BIG AS MODERN-DAY RHINOS, JUST MASSIVE ANIMALS. >> narrator: JACK MAYER IS A WILDLIFE ECOLOGIST WITH SAVANNAH RIVER NATIONAL LABORATORY AND HAS BEEN STUDYING HOGS FOR THE LAST 35 YEARS. >> THERE WERE GIANT HOGS, THE ENTELODONTS, SORT OF COUSINS TO THE TRUE PIGS. THAT WAS A PARALLEL EVOLUTIONARY LINE THAT WENT EXTINCT. THERE ARE NO LONGER ANY ENTELODONTS AROUND. >> narrator: BUT COULD LIVING RELICS OF THESE PREHISTORIC MONSTERS BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE RECENT ESCALATION IN ENCOUNTERS IN THE SOUTHERN UNITED STATES? IN 2004, A MONSTER-SIZED HOG WAS SHOT NEAR ALAPAHA, GEORGIA. DUBBED "HOGZILLA" BY THE NATIONAL MEDIA, IT WAS ESTIMATED TO BE OVER 12 FEET LONG AND WEIGH 1,000 POUNDS. IN ANOTHER INCIDENT THAT SAME YEAR NEAR LEESBURG, FLORIDA, AN ESTIMATED 1,100-POUND HOG WAS SHOT AND KILLED BY AN ORLANDO FIREMAN. THE STORY QUICKLY SPREAD OVER THE INTERNET WITH THE USUAL BLENDING OF FACT AND FICTION. AND IN EARLY 2007, JUST OUTSIDE ANNISTON, ALABAMA, THIS MEGAHOG WAS SHOT AND KILLED BY AN 11-YEAR-OLD BOY. THE WEIGHT WAS AN UNCONFIRMED 1,051 POUNDS. AND THE MEGAHOG SIGHTINGS CONTINUE. IN FAYETTEVILLE, GEORGIA, WILLIAM COURSEY ENCOUNTERED ANOTHER BEAST. >> MY WIFE AND SON WAS ON AN ERRAND. THEY SEEN THE HOG WHEN THEY DROVE BY. THEY PULLED UP JUST BECAUSE THEY WAS AMAZED AT THE SIZE OF HIM. AND A GENTLEMAN APPROACHED THEM, ASKING THEM IF THEY KNEW ANYBODY THAT WOULD SHOOT THIS HOG. >> narrator: COURSEY'S SON VOLUNTEERED HIM FOR THE JOB. >> I MENTIONED TO HIM THAT I WAS GOING TO GET A .22, AND HE SAID, "NO, DAD, THIS THING IS WAY TOO BIG FOR A .22." SO I GRABBED MY DEER RIFLE, AND I LOADED IT WITH FOUR BULLETS. THAT'S ALL IT WOULD HOLD. SO I WASN'T SURE WHAT I WAS GETTING INTO UNTIL I GOT AROUND THERE. OF COURSE, I HAD TO GET MY CRUTCH. I HAD A BROKEN LEG. GOT UP TO WHERE THE HOG WAS AT AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. AND WHEN I GOT OUT OF THE TRUCK, WHEN I SEEN THE HOG, I GOT OUT ON MY SIDE, WHICH IS THE SIDE THE HOG WAS ON. I DIDN'T KNOW WHETHER HE MAY COME AFTER ME OR WHETHER HE WOULD RUN, AND I WASN'T IN NO POSITION TO BE RUNNING, SO I HAD TO MAKE A DECISION REAL QUICK. I SHOT THE HOG BEFORE ANYBODY EVEN KNEW I WAS GOING TO SHOOT. [gunshot] >> narrator: THIS PICTURE, TAKEN BY COURSEY'S NEIGHBOR, SHOWS A CREATURE OF UNNATURAL PROPORTIONS, ITS HEAD SO LARGE THAT IT SPILLS OUT OF THE BUCKET OF A FRONT LOADER. >> I KNEW IT WAS A HOG; IT WAS OBVIOUS. BUT I NEVER IN MY LIFE SEEN ANYTHING THIS BIG. >> narrator: THE COURSEY HOG WAS OFFICIALLY WEIGHED IN AT A TRANSFER STATION AT 1,100 POUNDS, BUT EXPERTS ARE SKEPTICAL OF THESE MEGAHOG STORIES AND SUGGEST THAT THE BIG HOGS ARE NO MORE THAN PEN-FED PIGS THAT HAVE BEEN RAISED TO MASSIVE SIZE AND THEN ESCAPED. >> YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER, A WILD PIG OR A WILD HOG HAS A PRETTY TOUGH LIFE. THERE'S A LOT OF FOOD OUT THERE, BUT IT'S NOT HIGH-QUALITY FOOD, AND THEY'RE HAVING TO CONSTANTLY WORK TO FIND WHAT KIND OF NOURISHMENT THEY CAN TO GET BY. BUT, TYPICALLY, IT'S NOT ENOUGH THAT'S GOING TO ALLOW THEM TO ACHIEVE ANY LARGE SIZE, ANY LARGE BODY SIZE. DOMESTIC PIGS, ON THE OTHER HAND, THEY ACTUALLY DO ACHIEVE THOSE SIZES QUITE COMMONLY IN CAPTIVITY. >> narrator: THE LARGEST PEN-FED HOG ON RECORD LIVED IN 1933. BIG BILL WEIGHED 2,552 POUNDS, THE SAME AS A FULL-GROWN BLACK RHINO. RAISED TO DISPLAY THEIR MASSIVE SIZE, PEN-FED GIANTS LIKE BIG BILL TEND TO BE DOCILE WHILE CAPTIVE. WHILE IT'S POSSIBLE SOME MAY HAVE ESCAPED OR BEEN RELEASED INTO THE WILD, THESE MAN-MADE BEASTS POSE LESS OF A THREAT THAN A TRUE WILD MEGAHOG. MAYER WILL EXAMINE THE SKULL OF THE COURSEY HOG TO DETERMINE ITS ORIGIN: A FARM PEN OR THE WILD, ROLLING HILLS OF CENTRAL GEORGIA. FOR<i> MONSTER QUEST,</i> IT'S A DISTINCTION THAT'S CRITICAL. >> THIS IS ONE THAT WAS SHOT BY BILL COURSEY IN FAYETTE COUNTY, GEORGIA. THIS IS AN ANIMAL THAT, BASED ON ITS ANATOMY, LOOKS JUST LIKE A DOMESTIC PIG: VERY LARGE SKULL, A DISHED DORSAL PROFILE, AND A VERY WIDE SKULL. IF YOU LOOK AT THE INCISORS DOWN HERE IN THE FRONT, THEY'RE VERY SEPARATED. IN MOST WILD PIGS, PIGS THAT ARE BORN IN THE WILD AND GROW TO PHYSICAL MATURITY IN THE WILD, THOSE LOWER INCISORS ARE ABSOLUTELY UP AGAINST EACH OTHER LIKE THAT. WHEN YOU GET AN ANIMAL THAT'S BORN IN A PEN, THAT'S RAISED ON A VERY HIGH PLANE OF NUTRITION, YOU GET THIS SEPARATION OF THOSE INCISORS. LOOKING AT THE PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THIS ANIMAL, THEY ARE 100% CONSISTENT WITH AN ANIMAL THAT WAS BORN IN A PEN AND RAISED TO PHYSICAL MATURITY IN A PEN. >> narrator: BUT THEN HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN THE BEAST IN THIS PICTURE, WITH ITS SHARP TUSKS AND A BODY DWARFING ITS HUNTERS'? IS THIS A TRUE MONSTER? IN 2002 NEAR PLASKA, TEXAS, ABOUT 300 MILES NORTHWEST OF DALLAS, OREN DON MOLLOY CLAIMS HE KILLED THIS MEGAHOG, A MONSTER HE CONTENDS WAS OVER 700 POUNDS. FURTHERMORE, HE ASSERTS, IT WASN'T PEN-RAISED. IT WAS WILD. >> WHEN WE STEPPED TO THE EDGE OF THE BRUSH LINE, HE WAS THERE, LITERALLY JUST A FEW YARDS. HE LOOKED UP AND SNAPPED HIS TUSK A COUPLE TIMES, AND HERE HE CAME, I MEAN, INSTANTLY. HE CLOSED THE DISTANCE, YOU KNOW, JUST IN A SPLIT SECOND. THE FIRST COUPLE ROUNDS IN DIDN'T FAZE HIM. HE JUST KEPT COMING. MATTER OF FACT, IT MAY HAVE SPED HIM UP A LITTLE BIT. WE WERE ACTUALLY ON THE TRAIL WHERE HE CAME OUT, AND HE WAS COMING BACK DOWN THAT TRAIL JUST TO GET BACK IN THE BRUSH, AND NOTHING WOULD STOP HIM. I PUT NUMBER THREE, NUMBER FOUR, AND NUMBER FIVE IN AS HE WAS COMING, AND IT DIDN'T SLOW HIM DOWN MUCH AT ALL. JUST A FEW FEET BEFORE HE GOT TO US, HE TURNED JUST A LITTLE BIT. I PUT NUMBER SIX IN HIM, AND HE JUST FOLDED UP RIGHT THERE. WE WERE KIND OF STUNNED AT HOW FAST THAT ALL TOOK PLACE AND THEN AT THE SIZE OF HIM. I MEAN, HE LOOKED LIKE A YOUNG HORSE. AND JUST BEING, WELL, STUPID, FOR LACK OF A BETTER TERM, I JUST THREW ONE LEG OVER AND SAT ON HIM LIKE A HORSE. AND WHEN I DID THAT, HE LET OUT THIS DEEP, GUTTURAL GRUNT AND JUMPED UP AND TOOK OFF WITH ME ON HIS BACK. AND I ROLLED OFF TO THE RIGHT, AND TOBY PUT NUMBER SEVEN IN HIM ON THE LEFT, AND THAT WAS IT. >> narrator: TEXAS IS SAID TO HAVE THE LARGEST WILD HOG POPULATION IN THE UNITED STATES. WITH RECENT EVIDENCE OF RESIDENT GIANT HOGS, IT IS HERE THAT TWO<i> MONSTER QUEST</i> TEAMS WILL LAUNCH THEIR SEARCH. THE FIRST TEAM IS LED BY KEVIN RYER AND TIM HICKS. TOGETHER, THEY HAVE NEARLY 40 YEARS OF HOG-HUNTING EXPERIENCE. THEY WILL FOCUS THEIR SEARCH AN HOUR EAST OF DALLAS NEAR QUINLAN, TEXAS, AN AREA WELL KNOWN FOR ITS HUGE HOGS. >> SHOT A FEW THAT I JUST COULDN'T GET THEM WEIGHED. NONE OF THE SCALES AROUND HERE WOULD WEIGH THEM. THEY WERE--YOU KNOW, IT WOULD TOP THE SCALE. >> narrator: THEY WILL USE SCENT LURES, TRAIL CAMERAS, AND LIVE TRAPS IN THEIR ATTEMPT TO CAPTURE A MONSTER HOG. >> MY GOAL RIGHT NOW IS BIG HOGS: 400 POUNDS, 500 POUNDS. AND, HEY, IF A 1,000-POUNDER COMES UP, HE'S MINE. >> narrator: 200 MILES NORTHWEST OF THE FIRST TEAM, NEAR ARCHER CITY, TEXAS, EXPERT WILDLIFE TRACKERS MARK PETERSON AND BILL RAMBERG WILL LEAD THE SECOND EXPEDITION. >> THERE'S A HIGHER DENSITY OF HOGS IN TEXAS THAN THERE IS ANYWHERE IN THE COUNTRY. WHENEVER YOU HAVE VOLUME OF ANIMALS, YOU HAVE BETTER ODDS OF LARGE ANIMALS. >> TEXAS IS A NEW EXPERIENCE FOR ME. THE TERRAIN IS BEAUTIFUL. AND SO I THINK IT'S GOING TO BE REALLY, REALLY EXCITING. >> narrator: THEIR MISSION: CAPTURE A HOG, RIG IT WITH A VIDEO SYSTEM, AND SET IT FREE TO CAPTURE FOOTAGE OF SOMETHING MUCH LARGER. >> WE'RE GOING TO TAKE A SMALL HIGH-TECH CAMERA, AND WE ARE GOING TO TRY TO PUT IT ON A LIVE HOG AND TURN IT LOOSE IN THE WILD. >> narrator: FOR THE FIRST TIME, A WILD BOAR WILL BE EQUIPPED WITH AN ONBOARD VIDEO SYSTEM. >> I'LL TELL YOU WHAT; IT'S GOING TO BE SOME OF THE MOST EXCITING FOOTAGE YOU'VE EVER SEEN. IT'S GOING TO BE PHENOMENAL TO WATCH WHERE A HOG GOES IN THIS THICK STUFF THAT WE CAN HARDLY GET THROUGH. >> narrator: IF THE EXPEDITION IS SUCCESSFUL, THE HOG WITH THE ATTACHED VIDEO SYSTEM WILL REJOIN THE LARGER HERD IN THE IMPENETRABLE UNDERBRUSH AND CAPTURE PROOF OF WILD MEGAHOGS ON VIDEO. FIRST THEY WILL NEED TO FIND A LARGE HERD OF HOGS ACTIVELY FEEDING, WHERE THEY WILL SET UP A BAITED LIVE TRAP TO CAPTURE A HOG LARGE ENOUGH TO CARRY THE VIDEO SYSTEM. BUT WILD HOGS ARE WARY ANIMALS, FEARFUL OF HUMANS, SO MARK PETERSON HAS BROUGHT ALONG THE PERFECT FOUR-LEGGED DISGUISE. >> A TWO-LEGGED ANIMAL, LIKE US, CAN'T GET VERY CLOSE TO WILDLIFE. HORSES CAN. ESPECIALLY HOGS, THINGS LIKE THAT, THEY'RE USED TO SEEING LIVESTOCK, BEING CATTLE AND HORSES. SO HORSES ARE A HUGE PART WHEN YOU'RE TRYING TO MAKE YOUR WAY THROUGH THE WILDERNESS IN SEARCH OF WILDLIFE. >> narrator: PETERSON AND RAMBERG TEAM UP WITH PAT CANAN, A GAME WARDEN WHO HAS WORKED FOR THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND WILDLIFE FOR 17 YEARS. >> HOGS ARE NONGAME ANIMALS IN TEXAS, SO, ESSENTIALLY, ANYBODY CAN HUNT THEM AT ANY TIME. AND SINCE WE KIND OF MONITOR ALL THE HUNTING IN THE STATE OF TEXAS, WE'RE INVOLVED WITH HOGS ALMOST ON A DAILY BASIS. >> narrator: CANAN DIRECTS THE TEAM TO SOME WHEAT FIELDS WHERE HOGS ROUTINELY FEED. >> WHAT WE'LL DO IS, YOU ALL COME ON YOUR HORSES. GO STRAIGHT TOWARDS THAT BRUSH LINE. THEN GO AROUND THAT SOUTH SIDE OF IT WHERE THOSE DEER ARE. >> narrator: JUST AS CANAN PREDICTED, AS THE TEAM ROUNDS THE BRUSH LINE, THEY COME UPON A HERD OF HOGS. >> THAT WIND CHANGED JUST A LITTLE BIT, AND THAT HOG ON THE FAR RIGHT GOT A WHIFF OF US, AND, AS YOU CAN SEE, THEY'RE TAKING OFF ACROSS THAT WHEAT FIELD. THEY'RE NOT RUNNING REAL HARD. I THINK THEY'LL PROBABLY STOP AFTER A COUPLE HUNDRED YARDS. >> narrator: AS PETERSON AND RAMBERG GET CLOSER, ONE OF THE ANIMALS GETS SPOOKED. >> WE WERE TRYING TO SEE HOW CLOSE WE COULD GET TO THEM. WE GOT WITHIN 75, 80 YARDS. THEN THE HOGS SPOOKED. THEY WANTED TO GET BACK TO THEIR SHELTER. >> narrator: THEY BELIEVE THEY HAVE FOUND A HERD LARGE ENOUGH TO HAVE SEVERAL CANDIDATES TO CARRY THEIR VIDEO SYSTEM, READY TO REVEAL WHATEVER MIGHT BE LURKING IN THE DENSE UNDERBRUSH. >> ALL RIGHT. >> WE'LL DO THEM ABOUT EVERY FOOT ON THE WAY UP HERE. >> narrator: THE PIG WILL NEED TO BE ABOUT 250 POUNDS, STRONG ENOUGH TO CARRY THE VIDEO SYSTEM. THEY WILL INSTALL RECONYX TRAIL CAMERAS TO DETERMINE THE BEST PLACE TO DEPLOY THE LIVE TRAP TO CAPTURE THE TROJAN HOG. WITH THE FLIP OF A SWITCH, THE MOTION DETECTORS ARE ACTIVATED, AND THE CAMERA WILL DOCUMENT ANY ACTIVITY WITHIN THE VIEWFINDER'S RANGE. WITH THE CAMERAS IN PLACE, PETERSON AND RAMBERG HEAD BACK TO CAMP. BUT NAVIGATING THE TEXAS TERRAIN PROVES TO BE MORE DIFFICULT THAN THEY ANTICIPATED. [dramatic music] ♪ ♪ >> OH! OH. >> HE WAS ALMOST UP. IF HE GETS UP THIS TIME, HE'LL BE ALL RIGHT. >> YEAH. >> JUST THROW THE GUN ON THE SIDE. DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE... >> I'M SURPRISED HE'S NOT ON HIS FEET. SOMETHING WRONG WITH YOUR LEG, BUDDY? [clucking] >> narrator: THE HORSE ESCAPES THE INCIDENT UNSCATHED. >> IT WAS JUST ONE MISSED STEP. AND, LUCKILY, THE HORSE IS OKAY. I THINK HIS FRONT LEG GOT DOWN INTO A LITTLE BIT OF A HOLE. HE GOT NERVOUS. HE PULLED OUT. HE STUMBLED, LOST HIS BALANCE, AND NOW HE WAS STUCK IN BETWEEN SOME ROCKS. >> narrator: WITH THE CAMERA TRAPS IN PLACE, THE TEAM DECIDES TO CALL IT A DAY AND GIVE THE HORSES A MUCH-NEEDED REST. THE INHOSPITABLE TERRAIN OF TEXAS CAN TAKE ITS TOLL ON MAN AND HORSE, BUT HOGS HAVE ADAPTED AND FLOURISHED HERE SINCE HERNANDO DE SOTO BROUGHT THEM TO THE NEW WORLD IN 1539. LEGEND HAS IT THAT DURING THE TEXAS REVOLUTION IN THE 1830s, THE TEXANS RELEASED THEIR LIVESTOCK, AND THE DOMESTIC PIGS WENT WILD. >> PIGS BEING PIGS, THEY GO WILDER QUICKER THAN ANY OTHER DOMESTIC SPECIES THAT WE HAVE. AND ONCE PIGS GO WILD, ONCE DOMESTIC PIGS GO WILD, THEY BECOME KNOWN AS FERAL HOGS, WILD PIGS THAT ARE SOLELY OF DOMESTIC ANCESTRY. >> narrator: COULD DESCENDANTS OF THESE WILD HOGS HAVE GROWN TO MONSTROUS SIZES? HOG HUNTERS KEVIN RYER AND TIM HICKS ARE EMBARKING ON A SEARCH TO FIND OUT. KEVIN RYER RUNS ONE OF THE BIGGEST HOG-HUNTING OPERATIONS IN TEXAS. IF ANYONE CAN FIND A MONSTER HOG, IT'S RYER. >> MY GOAL RIGHT NOW IS BIG HOGS. >> narrator: AS A HUNTING GUIDE, TIM HICKS HAS AN IMPRESSIVE TRACK RECORD FOR FINDING HOGS IN THE AREA THEY HAVE TARGETED FOR THEIR SEARCH. >> I WAS AVERAGING BETWEEN 300, 400, 500, YOU KNOW, IN A YEAR FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS. >> narrator: THE TEAM HAS GOTTEN A JUMP START ON THE EXPEDITION. THEY'VE HAD THEIR CAMERAS DEPLOYED FOR SIX WEEKS. WHILE THEY HAVE NOT YET PHOTOGRAPHED ANY GIANT HOGS, THE IMAGES FROM THOSE CAMERAS CONFIRM THEY ARE IN THE RIGHT PLACE TO FIND WILD HOGS. THIS TRIP, THE GOAL IS TO CAPTURE A MEGAHOG ALIVE. THEY BEGIN THEIR EXPEDITION BY SETTING UP AND BAITING TRAPS. >> YOU CAN USE ALL DIFFERENT STYLES OF TRAPS. YOU CAN USE SCENT PRODUCTS. YOU CAN USE CORN. YOU CAN USE MIXTURES OF STUFF. YOU KNOW, YOU FIND A TRAIL. YOU MARK THAT TRAIL. YOU CORN THAT TRAIL TO YOUR TRAP. YOU TRY TO GET YOUR TRAPS IN THE AREA THAT YOU KNOW THAT THEM HOGS ARE GOING TO COME. >> WE'RE GOING TO SET UP BAIT IN THE FORM OF AUTOMATED FEEDERS. WE'RE GOING TO PUT SCENTS AROUND THOSE FEEDERS. >> narrator: IN ADDITION TO THE LIVE TRAPS, THEY'LL USE TRAIL CAMERAS TO MONITOR HOG ACTIVITY IN THE AREA. >> THE TRAIL CAMERAS WILL MORE OR LESS TELL ME WHEN A HOG IS COMING, WHAT TIME OF DAY OR NIGHT WE EXPECT TO GET HIM. >> narrator: ALONG WITH THE TRAIL CAMERAS, RYER WILL ALSO USE A POTENT SCENT THAT ATTRACTS WILD HOGS. >> IT'S A PLEASANT SMELL. IT'S VERY EASY TO USE. YOU JUST SIMPLY COAT THE BARK OF THE TREE WITH THIS OIL, AND THIS WILL HELP KEEP THE HOGS IN THIS AREA FOR A LONGER PERIOD OF TIME. THAT IS YOUR TARGET. IF YOU'RE AFTER MONSTER BOAR, YOU WANT A SOW IN HEAT TO COME HERE AND SPEND AS MUCH TIME AS SHE CAN SPEND, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THE BIG BOARS FOLLOW. >> THEY'RE SO SMART, YOU JUST SOMETIMES-- IT SEEMS LIKE-- IT'S LIKE, "OH, I'M NEVER GOING TO GET THIS BUGGER." AND THEN, YOU KNOW, ALL OF A SUDDEN, YOU LOOK UP. YOU GOT A GATE. THE GATE'S DOWN. AND, BOOM, THERE STANDS UP A BIG 'UN, YOU KNOW, AND THOSE BIG ONES ARE FUN, BUT THEN THE WORK BEGINS. THEY GET PRETTY MEAN WHEN THEY GET IN THE TRAP. >> narrator: WHILE 1,000-POUND HOGS ARE DANGEROUS, EVEN A SMALL HOG CAN BE FEROCIOUS. TIM HICKS WILL NEVER FORGET HIS RUN-IN WITH AN ANGRY HOG BACK IN 1998. >> I WENT OUT FISHING ONE SATURDAY MORNING AND CAME BACK AND DECIDED, "WELL, I BETTER GO RUN THE TRAP." AND--ONLY HAD ONE. AND SO I DROVE DOWN TO IT, AND IT HAD ABOUT SIX LITTLE BABIES OUTSIDE THE TRAP. SO I THOUGHT, "MAN, I DON'T WANT TO LET THOSE BABIES DIE." I EASED UP TO THE TRAP, AND OF COURSE SHE STARTED SLAMMING INTO THAT TRAP, TRYING TO GET ME. AND I THOUGHT, "YOU KNOW WHAT? I'LL JUST OPEN UP THIS GATE AND LET HER OUT." AND I LEANED MY GUN OVER ONTO A TREE, WALKED OVER TO THE TRAP, AND SHE RAN TO THE OTHER END. I THOUGHT, "WELL, THIS AIN'T GOING TO BE THAT HARD." AND AS I LIFTED UP THE TRAP, SHE WENT FROM THE OTHER END OF THAT 12-FOOT TRAP. SHE PICKED THAT GATE UP, AND SHE CUT ME OPEN RIGHT HERE IN THE LOWER--THE BUTT. I THOUGHT, "OH, CRAP." I MEAN, I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO THINK. I DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO THINK. THE ONLY THING I KNEW TO DO WAS GET WHERE SHE COULDN'T GET ME. I PANICKED, AND, YOU KNOW, I JUST STARTED GETTING UP, AND I JUST THOUGHT, "OH, NO, SHE'S GOING TO TEAR ME TO PIECES." AND THE LAST THING I REMEMBER BEFORE I PASSED OUT WAS HER CIRCLING THAT TRAP, TRYING TO GET ME. AND I WOKE UP, AND THERE WAS BLOOD, YOU KNOW, ALL IN THE TRAP. MY PANTS WERE SOAKED WITH BLOOD. I JUST GOT IN THE TRUCK, DROVE MYSELF HOME TO THE HOSPITAL. IF I WOULD HAVE FELL DOWN, THERE'S NO TELLING. I DON'T KNOW. SHE PROBABLY WOULD HAVE JUST GOT HER PIGLETS AND GONE. I DON'T KNOW. I WOULDN'T--I DON'T WANT TO KNOW. >> narrator: TRAPPING A SOW WITH PIGLETS IS SOMETHING MARK PETERSON AND BILL RAMBERG ARE HOPING TO AVOID BY SCOUTING FIRST WITH THEIR TRAIL CAMERAS. THEY ARE NEAR ARCHER CITY, TEXAS, TRYING TO DETERMINE THE BEST AREA IN WHICH TO PLACE THEIR LIVE TRAPS TO CAPTURE A HOG LARGE ENOUGH TO CARRY THE VIDEO SYSTEM. >> LET'S TAKE THIS CARD BACK TO OUR CAMP HERE AND SEE IF WE'VE GOT ANY HOGS HERE TO PLAY WITH. >> EXCELLENT. >> OH, THAT IS A BIG HOG. IT'S COMING RIGHT UP TO THAT 4-FOOT-TALL TAPE MARK. I THINK WE SHOULD PROBABLY HAVE DARYL PUT THAT TRAP DOWN ON THAT BAIT. >> narrator: DARYL WINES HAS BEEN HANDLING HOGS SINCE HE WAS A BOY AND IS THE LEAD HOG WRANGLER ON THIS EXPEDITION. NOW THAT PETERSON HAS IDENTIFIED AN ACTIVE HOG LOCATION, IT IS UP TO WINES TO PREPARE THE TRAP. >> WHEN I HEARD Y'ALL WAS COMING TO PUT A CAMERA ON A HOG AND SEE WHAT HAPPENED, THIS JUST SOUNDED LIKE SOMETHING I NEEDED TO BE PART OF. WE'RE GOING TO BACK DOWN IN THERE AND SET THIS TRAP OUT. >> narrator: WITH DARYL WINES' TASK COMPLETE, PETERSON WILL MONITOR THE TRAP FROM A NEARBY BLIND. >> [whispering] THEY'RE PROBABLY GOING TO GO AROUND AND CHECK SOME OF THE OTHER AREAS FOR FOOD. AND WHEN THEY DON'T FIND ANY FOOD ANYWHERE ELSE, THEY'RE GOING TO COME HERE. >> narrator: HE DOESN'T HAVE LONG TO WAIT. JUST AS PETERSON PREDICTED, THE HOGS ARRIVE. THE QUESTION IS, WILL THEY ENTER THE TRAP? ONE OF THE COUNTRY'S LEADING EXPERTS ON HOGS AND IS ABLE TO DETERMINE, BY EXAMINING THE ANIMAL'S SKULL, WHETHER A HOG HAS BEEN BORN AND RAISED IN THE WILD OR RAISED IN CAPTIVITY, THEN RELEASED. >> THE DIFFERENCES IN THE SKULL BETWEEN DOMESTIC AND WILD PIGS ARE, FIRST AND FOREMOST, SIZE. DOMESTIC PIG SKULLS ARE MUCH LARGER THAN WILD PIG SKULLS. ALSO, THE DORSAL PROFILE OF THE SKULL, THE TOP OF THE SKULL IN DOMESTIC PIGS, IS VERY CONCAVE. AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT RELATES TO THE LEVEL OF NUTRITION THAT THAT ANIMAL GREW TO PHYSICAL MATURITY ON. >> narrator: OREN DON MOLLOY HAS AGREED TO HAVE JACK MAYER EXAMINE THE SKULL OF A HOG HE KILLED IN 2002. >> IF THIS TRULY IS A WILD PIG, THIS'LL BE THE LARGEST REALLY WILD PIG I'VE EVER LOOKED AT. >> narrator: MAYER CONCURS THAT THE FEATURES OF THE ANIMAL IN THE PHOTO ARE CONSISTENT WITH THAT OF A WILD HOG OF ENORMOUS PROPORTIONS. BUT AN EXAMINATION OF THE SKULL WILL BE THE DETERMINING FACTOR. IN ADDITION TO A VISUAL EXAMINATION, MAYER WILL TAKE SPECIFIC SKULL MEASUREMENTS, WHICH HE WILL INPUT INTO A COMPUTER SOFTWARE SYSTEM FOR A DEFINITIVE ANSWER. KEVIN RYER AND TIM HICKS ARE HOPING TO CAPTURE LIVING EVIDENCE OF WILD MEGAHOGS IN TRAPS THEY HAVE BAITED WITH CORN. >> WE'RE JUST GOING TO CHECK AND SEE IF THEY HAPPEN TO HAVE EATEN CORN RIGHT UP TO THE DOOR AND WE MISSED THEM, BECAUSE WITH THIS BIG RAIN, THE RAIN WOULD HAVE WASHED ALL THE TRACKS AWAY RIGHT HERE. AS YOU CAN SEE, THE CORN HAS GONE, BUT IF THE RAIN WASHED THE TRACKS AWAY, THIS WILL TELL US IF ANYTHING'S BEEN HERE. >> narrator: THERE IS NO SIGN OF HOGS AT THE FIRST LOCATION, ONLY RACOONS. RYER AND HICKS MOVE ON TO THE FEEDER TRAP. >> I'M GOING TO RUN UP TO THE POND THAT WE BAITED UP, SET UP, SEE WHAT'S GOING ON THERE. WE NEED TO CHECK THAT OUT, SEE IF ANYTHING'S HAPPENING THERE. >> ALL RIGHT. LET'S GO. >> narrator: ON THE WAY TO THE TRAP, THEY NOTICE A DISCOURAGING SIGN. >> THERE'S SOME ACORNS STILL ON THE GROUND. THEY'RE STARTING TO ROT, FINALLY. WHEN THERE ARE ACORNS ON THE GROUND, IT SURE MAKES IT TOUGH CATCHING PIGS. >> narrator: ACORNS ON THE GROUND MEAN A READILY AVAILABLE FOOD SOURCE FOR THE HOGS, WHICH MEANS THE HOGS MIGHT IGNORE THE CORN BAIT. STILL, THE AREA SEEMS ENCOURAGING IN OTHER WAYS. >> THIS IS A GOOD SPOT, BECAUSE THERE IS ACRES OF SWAMP PRIVET BACK HERE, AND A SWAMP AREA IS ALMOST IMPENETRABLE BY A PERSON. YOU HAVE TO LITERALLY GET ON YOUR BELLY AND CRAWL. THAT'S THE KIND OF AREAS THAT BIG HOGS SURVIVE IN, WHERE HUMANS CAN'T GET TO THEM. I'M GOING TO SET A CAMERA UP RIGHT HERE. >> narrator: RYER HAS DESIGNED A SOLAR-POWERED TRAIL CAMERA THAT WILL ENABLE HIM TO CAPTURE IMAGES OF HOGS. >> AND THAT'S THE GOAL, IS TO GET A PICTURE OF A MONSTER HOG. >> narrator: HICKS KNOWS THAT HOGS BECOME MORE ACTIVE AT NIGHT, AND THE APPROACHING DARKNESS GIVES HIM ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO LOCATE A MONSTER. >> I WOULD SAY YOUR CHANCES ARE BETTER FROM JUST ABOUT DUSK TILL 11:00, 12:00 AT NIGHT, SOMETIMES 2:00. >> narrator: KEVIN RYER HAS ALSO DESIGNED SPECIAL L.E.D. LIGHTS THAT ALLOW HIS VIDEO CAMERAS TO CAPTURE NIGHTTIME IMAGES WITH AMAZING CLARITY. AS THE SUN SETS IN TEXAS, THE HUNT FOR A MEGAHOG HAS ONLY JUST BEGUN. 200 MILES AWAY, MARK PETERSON AND BILL RAMBERG'S TEAM ARE USING A DIFFERENT TYPE OF VIDEO SYSTEM IN THEIR SEARCH FOR THE GIANTS. THE IMMEDIATE GOAL: CAPTURE A HOG, FIT IT WITH THE VIDEO SYSTEM, AND TRUST ITS HERDING INSTINCTS TO LEAD THEM TO SOMETHING FAR BIGGER. WHILE PETERSON AND RAMBERG HAVE BEEN SCOUTING LOCATIONS FOR THEIR SEARCH, A TEAM OF SCIENTISTS HAVE BEEN CREATING THEIR ONE-OF-A KIND VIDEO SYSTEM. >> COME ON IN, GUYS. >> HEY, DARYL. >> THEY FINALLY GOT HERE. >> narrator: JOSHUA MILLSPAUGH, JOEL SARTWELL, AND JEFF BERINGER ARE WILDLIFE RESEARCHERS RESPONSIBLE FOR DESIGNING AND BUILDING THE VIDEO SYSTEM THAT WILL BE ATTACHED TO THE HOG. THE SYSTEM USES A LOW-LIGHT CAMERA ENCASED IN A HOUSING MADE OF DURABLE PVC. THE HOUSING WILL PROTECT THE INSTRUMENTS FROM THE ELEMENTS AND FROM THE HOG ITSELF. THE VIDEO ASSEMBLY WILL BE ATTACHED TO A HARNESS THAT WILL BE FITTED ONTO THE HOG. THE SYSTEM UTILIZES TWO TRANSMITTERS: ONE TO RELAY THE LIVE VIDEO TO THE RESEARCHERS AND A SECOND TO SEND A RADIO SIGNAL THAT HELPS TRACK THE HOG SHOULD IT EXCEED THE RANGE OF THE VIDEO SIGNAL. >> WE'VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR THE PAST SEVEN YEARS, AND WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING IS, WE'VE BEEN DEVELOPING THIS TECHNOLOGY FOR-- SPECIFICALLY FOR WHITE-TAILED DEER, BUT WE HAVE INTEREST IN APPLYING THIS TECHNOLOGY TO OTHER SPECIES. >> narrator: THE RESEARCHERS BELIEVE THIS IS THE FIRST TIME ANYONE HAS MOUNTED A VIDEO CAMERA ON A WILD HOG. THEY'VE DISCOVERED THAT DIFFERENCES IN BODY STRUCTURE AND HABITAT ARE OBSTACLES TO OVERCOME WHEN DESIGNING A SYSTEM FOR A HOG VERSUS A DEER. >> THE FACT THAT THE HOG HAS NO NECK MAKES THIS VERY CHALLENGING. IT'S HEAD AND BODY, MORE OR LESS, AND WE'VE GOT TO PUT A HARNESS ON IT. AND THAT MAKES IT VERY CHALLENGING. WE'RE USED TO A SINGLE COLLAR. >> narrator: IN DESIGNING THE SYSTEM, THE TEAM ALSO NEEDS TO BALANCE DURABILITY WITH WEIGHT LIMITATIONS. >> THERE'S A GENERAL RULE WHEN YOU'RE DOING, SAY, RADIO TELEMETRY ON ANIMALS. YOU WANT TO STAY LESS THAN 5% OF THE ANIMAL'S WEIGHT. AND SO, YOU KNOW, IF YOU LOOK AT A HOG THAT'S GOING TO WEIGH 170 POUNDS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE TRYING TO LIMIT THAT LESS THAN 7 POUNDS FOR THE WHOLE PACKAGE. >> narrator: AS THE RESEARCHERS FINISH ASSEMBLING THE VIDEO SYSTEM, DARYL WINES AND MARK PETERSON CHECK THE TRAP. >> YOU GOT YOURSELF A HOG. YOU CAN HANDLE HIM? >> OH, YEAH. >> narrator: THE TEAM DECIDES THE BEST AREA TO RELEASE THE HOG IS IN A SMALL CLEARING JUST OVER THE HILL, WHICH ENTAILS TRANSFERRING HIM TO A TRAILER FOR THE MOVE. ONCE THE HOG IS IN PLACE, THE RESEARCHERS MEET UP WITH PETERSON, RAMBERG, AND WINES WITH THE VIDEO SYSTEM. >> NOW WE'RE GOING TO ROPE US A PIG. OKAY, OPEN THE GATE. GRAB THAT OTHER LEG. JUST TURN AROUND AND TAKE OFF. THEY'RE NOT A REAL LIMBER ANIMAL. THEY CAN'T BEND IN THE MIDDLE AND TURN AROUND AND BITE YOU. SO IF YOU GOT A HOLD TO HIS TAIL OR HIS HIND LEGS, JUST HANG ON AND DON'T TURN HIM LOOSE, AND YOU'LL STAY PRETTY SAFE. [hog grunting] HE'S GOING TO BITE, BUT JUST DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT. GET AROUND THERE, AND GET YOUR STUFF PUT TOGETHER. I GOT HIM. I PROMISE YOU HE CANNOT BITE YOU. >> I DON'T LIKE THE FIT. I WANT IT TO BE A LITTLE BIT TIGHTER. >> narrator: THE TEAM MAKES MINOR MODIFICATIONS TO ENSURE THAT THE HARNESS FITS CORRECTLY WHILE NOT ENDANGERING THE ANIMAL. >> I'M THINKING THAT THIS IS GOING TO FIT A LOT BETTER THAN I THOUGHT IT WOULD. IT OUGHT TO STAY ON HIM FOR A WHILE. >> TWO HOURS? >> I'M THINKING I WANT IN ON THIS BET NOW. >> narrator: FINALLY, THE TEAM APPLIES A HOG ATTRACTANT TO THE ANIMAL TO INCREASE ITS CHANCES OF MEETING UP WITH A LARGE BOAR. >> WE'VE GOT A GOOD IMAGE. WE'VE GOT GOOD AUDIO. >> YOU GUYS READY TO LET HIM GO? >> YES, SIR. S THAT PEOPLE ARE REPORTING EXIST, THEY MAY BE INCREASING IN NUMBER ALONG WITH THE REST OF THE WILD HOG POPULATION. >> WE'VE GOT OVER 2 MILLION NOW AND GROWING EXPONENTIALLY. THERE DOESN'T SEEM TO BE ANY WAY TO STOP THEM HERE IN TEXAS. >> narrator: THE HOG POPULATION EXPLOSION HAS CAUSED CROP DAMAGE IN EXCESS OF $50 MILLION PER YEAR IN TEXAS ALONE. >> THE CROP DAMAGE, THE DAMAGE TO JUST THE GROUND IS TREMENDOUS. THEY'LL ROOT UP A 300-ACRE FIELD IN TWO OR THREE NIGHTS AND JUST COMPLETELY DESTROY IT. >> THEIR RANGE IN TEXAS HAS GROWN TO THE POINT NOW THAT THEY'RE FOUND IN MOST OF THE COUNTIES IN THE STATE. AND THIS IS A SITUATION THAT LOOKS LIKE IT'S ONLY GOING TO GET WORSE WITH TIME. >> narrator: WHILE ATTACKS ON HUMANS ARE RARE, THEY DO OCCUR. HOWEVER, MOST ATTACKS ARE THE RESULT OF THE ANIMAL BEING PROVOKED OR INJURED. MERLE SMITH OF CLARKSVILLE, TEXAS, FOUND OUT JUST HOW DANGEROUS AN INJURED ANIMAL CAN BE. >> A FRIEND OF MINE WAS HUNTING. HE CALLED ME. HE HAD WOUNDED A--HE CALLED IT A BIG HOG. I WENT DOWN WHERE HE WAS AT, STARTED TO TRACK IT, HAD A GOOD BLOOD TRAIL, BUT THEN IT KIND OF GOT JUST A DROP HERE AND THERE. WE WERE ABOUT TO LOSE IT, AND I WAS BENT OVER, LOOKING FOR BLOOD. AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, BRUSH STARTED POPPING AND THEN BREAKING. I LOOKED UP, AND I THOUGHT, "BOY, THIS IS GOING TO HURT." EXACTLY WHAT I THOUGHT: "THIS IS GOING TO HURT." >> narrator: THE HOG CHARGED SMITH, SMASHING HIM IN BOTH LEGS. >> AT THAT TIME, I COULDN'T PICK UP EITHER FOOT. I DIDN'T FALL DOWN. IT DIDN'T KNOCK ME DOWN, THANK GOD. BUT HE JUST HIT ME, AND HE WAS GONE. I MEAN, IT WAS THAT QUICK. A FRIEND OF MINE HELPED ME OVER TO A TREE, AND I SAT DOWN, AND WE DID WHAT WE COULD TO STOP THE BLEEDING. AND HE WENT BACK AND GOT A FOUR-WHEELER TO COME DOWN AND GET ME OUT OF THERE. >> narrator: SMITH WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT TO THE HOSPITAL SAFELY, WHERE HE RECEIVED 67 STITCHES. >> IT HIT RIGHT HERE AND RIPPED UP THIS WAY. SO HIS TUSK CAME THIS WAY, AND IT JUST FLAPPED THIS SKIN UP, PANTS, EVERYTHING. THE DOCTOR SAID THAT IT LOOKED LIKE MY FEMORAL ARTERY JUST ROLLED OUT OF THE WAY OF THAT TUSK. IT WAS THAT CLOSE. >> narrator: UNLIKE THE ANIMAL THAT ATTACKED MERLE SMITH, THE CAMERA-MOUNTED TROJAN HOG IS NOT INJURED, BUT IT IS ANGRY. >> THEY ARE A WILD ANIMAL, LIVED FREE ALL THEIR LIFE. WHEN THEY GET IN CAPTIVITY, THEIR ONLY INSTINCT IS TO FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL. >> narrator: THEY'VE MANAGED TO FIT THE VIDEO SYSTEM ONTO THE HOG, AND THEY ARE PREPARING TO RELEASE HIM BACK INTO THE WILD. THE HOPE IS THAT IT WILL GO INTO BRUSH TOO THICK FOR CAMERA CREWS AND PERHAPS GET FOOTAGE OF A MEGAHOG. AT THE MOMENT OF RELEASE, NO ONE IS QUITE SURE WHAT THE ANIMAL WILL DO. >> TURNING HIM LOOSE, A LOT OF TIMES, IS AS DANGEROUS AS CATCHING HIM, BECAUSE WHEN YOU TURN HIM LOOSE, THERE'S NO DEFENSE. IT'S JUST YOU AND THAT PIG, AND YOU GOT TO TURN HIM LOOSE AND GET TO SAFETY BEFORE HE CAN GET UP AND GET TO YOU. YOU READY? >> WHENEVER YOU ARE. >> WE'RE READY TO GO. THE SIGNAL IS EXCELLENT. >> I'M ROLLING! WHEN YOU'RE READY! [laughter] >> MOVING. IS THERE A LOT OF MOVEMENT, OR IS IT A TIGHT FIT? IT'S GOOD. >> GOOD. OH, THERE IT GOES. THERE IT GOES. >> narrator: THE RESEARCHERS HAVE POSITIONED THE RECEIVER UP ON A PLATEAU IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN THE BEST POSSIBLE SIGNAL. >> HERE WE GO. WE ARE GETTING A LITTLE BIT. IT'S A PERFECT IMAGE. IT'S JUST GETTING OUT OF RANGE NOW. >> narrator: THE TRANSMITTER'S RANGE IS RATED UP TO A MILE, BUT AS THE HOG RETREATS INTO THE THICK UNDERBRUSH, THE SIGNAL BREAKS UP. MILLSPAUGH RELIES ON THE TRACKING ANTENNA TO PICK UP THE RADIO SIGNAL. >> IT'S DIRECTLY AT THAT GREEN BUILDING RIGHT THERE. WE NEED TO MOVE THE VEHICLE. WE NEED TO GET CLOSER. >> DON'T LET ME FORGET ABOUT THIS. SENDING THE SIGNAL LIVE FROM THE HOG TO OUR RECEIVER, WE'VE GOT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE KNOW AND ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO THAT ANIMAL TO BE ABLE TO, BY LINE OF SIGHT, RECEIVE THAT SIGNAL. SO WE'VE GOT TO BE TRACKING IT ALL THE TIME. IF IT GOES DOWN INTO A VALLEY AND THE SIGNAL ATTENUATES, WE'VE GOT TO BE ABLE TO KNOW THAT, FIND IT, AND THEN GO TO IT. >> WE'RE GETTING A GOOD SIGNAL HERE. DOESN'T LOOK LIKE HE'S MOVING AROUND MUCH EITHER. NO VIDEO. THERE IT IS RIGHT THERE. OH, IT'S BEAUTIFUL. IT'S STILL ON HER. >> narrator: THE TEAM LOCATES THE HOG NESTLED IN A THICKET. >> A LOT OF TIMES, THESE PIGS LIKE THIS, SOMETHING NEW, IT STRESSES THEM A LITTLE BIT, AND THEY'LL BE A LITTLE ROAD WEARY OR WHATEVER. THEY MAY NOT WANT TO TRAVEL MUCH. HE MAY HAVE FOUND HIM A PLACE TO LAY DOWN AND RECUPERATE A LITTLE BIT, AND IT MAY BE THIS AFTERNOON, LATE, BEFORE HE GETS RESTED UP ENOUGH TO TRAVEL, MAYBE TOMORROW. >> narrator: BUT WITHIN MINUTES, THE HOG IS ON THE MOVE AGAIN, THIS TIME HEADING INTO THE UNDERBRUSH, HOPEFULLY BACK TO THE HERD TO REVEAL WHERE A MEGAHOG COULD LURK. >> THIS IS A WILD ANIMAL. YOU CAN TELL BY THE DEPTH OF THE DORSAL PROFILE. IT'S A VERY FLAT DORSAL PROFILE. THE BONE ITSELF BETWEEN THE SUTURES IS VERY FLAT, DOESN'T LOOK INFLATED, THE WAY IT IS IN THE PEN-RAISED ANIMAL. THE SKULL ITSELF IS FAIRLY NARROW. IT'S NOT BROAD, THE WAY YOU WOULD GET IN A PEN-RAISED ANIMAL. IF YOU LOOK AT THE INCISORS, THE LOWER INCISORS, THEY'RE VERY TIGHTLY PLACED TOGETHER. IN AN ANIMAL THAT'S RAISED IN A PEN, THESE TEND TO BE SPREAD OUT. AS FAR AS WHETHER THIS ANIMAL WAS RAISED IN A PEN OR RAISED IN THE WILD, THERE'S NO QUESTION IN MY MIND THIS IS A WILD ANIMAL. >> narrator: HOWEVER, THE COMPUTER CALCULATIONS TELL ANOTHER PART OF THE STORY. >> IN TAKING THE MEASUREMENTS ON THIS SKULL AND COMPARING IT TO ANIMALS WITH KNOWN WEIGHTS, IT JUST DOESN'T COME OUT BEING 700 POUNDS. >> narrator: BUT MOLLOY STANDS BY HIS ORIGINAL ESTIMATE. >> AT THAT TIME, WE HAD A-- OUR SCALE BOTTOMED OUT AT 300 POUNDS. WE'D HAVE TO HALF HIM TO WEIGH HIM. AND HE BOTTOMED IT OUT BOTH TIMES, 300 POUNDS. SO, YOU KNOW, YOU AT LEAST GOT A 600-POUND PIG, AND YOU KIND OF GOT TO GUESS THE REST. AND JUST FROM DOING IT SO MUCH AND LOOKING AT HIM, YOU CAN KIND OF GET CLOSE. AND I'M NOT, YOU KNOW, GIVING YOU AN OFFICIAL WEIGHT, BUT THAT PIG WEIGHED SOMEWHERE AROUND 700, 725. >> narrator: WHILE MAYER CONFIRMS THAT THE SKULL IS, IN FACT, FROM A WILD HOG, HIS FINDINGS CANNOT CORROBORATE MOLLOY'S CLAIM. THE PLASKA HOG REMAINS A MYSTERY. BUT<i> MONSTER QUEST</i> STILL HAS TWO TEAMS SEARCHING FOR LIVING EVIDENCE OF MEGAHOGS IN TEXAS. >> WE WANT A MONSTER HOG. THAT'S THE THRILL OF GOING TO CHECK THE TRAP. >> narrator: TIM HICKS AND KEVIN RYER HAVE FOCUSED THEIR EFFORTS NEAR QUINLAN, TEXAS. >> FOUND SOME REAL GOOD HOG SIGNS, SOME WALLOWS, FRESH WALLOWS, AND LOTS OF TRACKS AND THOUGHT THAT WOULD BE A GOOD PLACE FOR US TO MAYBE SEE A MONSTER HOG. >> narrator: THEY'VE HAD CAMERAS IN THE AREA FOR NEARLY SIX WEEKS. THE PHOTOS INDICATE THEY'VE CHOSEN A GOOD LOCATION IN WHICH TO BAIT THEIR TRAPS. NOW IT'S TIME TO SEE WHAT THEY HAVE TURNED UP. >> WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY SIGN THERE WERE ANY PIGS IN HERE THE LAST TWO NIGHTS. >> narrator: THEIR FIRST STOP DOWN BY THE POND COMES UP EMPTY. >> ALL RIGHT. LET'S GO CHECK OUT ANOTHER SPOT, THEN, SEE IF WE CAN FIND THEM. WE'LL GO CHECK THIS OTHER ONE OUT. >> PLEASE, LORD. >> [laughs] >> narrator: IT'S A TRAP DOWN BY THE RIVER THEY'VE BEEN COUNTING ON. >> THERE WAS HOG TRACKS HERE YESTERDAY AND--BUNCHES OF HOG TRACKS. AND NOW THERE'S NOTHING. UH-OH. >> BIRDS. >> THAT'S DISAPPOINTING. WE'RE LOOKING FOR MONSTER HOGS, AND THEY'RE NOT SHOWING UP. CAMERA DIDN'T CATCH THEM, ANYWAY. >> narrator: HICKS AND RYER'S ATTEMPT TO CAPTURE VIDEO OF A MONSTER HOG USING AN L.E.D. NIGHT VISION VIDEO SYSTEM ALSO COMES UP EMPTY. >> A BIG HOG GOT BIG BY KNOWING HOW TO SURVIVE. KNOWING HOW TO SURVIVE MEANS STAYING AWAY FROM HUMANS. >> narrator: BECAUSE HUMANS POSE SUCH A THREAT, THE PETERSON-RAMBERG TEAM HOPES TO GET PROOF OF A MEGAHOG USING A CAPTURED HOG ARMED WITH A VIDEO SYSTEM. THE ANIMAL HAS DISAPPEARED INTO THE UNDERBRUSH, PERHAPS HEADING BACK TO THE HERD. >> I THINK THAT WENT REALLY WELL, ACTUALLY. I THINK THE PLACEMENT OF THE CAMERA WAS PERFECT. WE HAD A REALLY GOOD VIEW FROM HERE. THE CAMERA LOOKED LIKE IT WAS SITTING WELL. YOU COULD JUST SEE THE TOP OF ITS HEAD. YOU COULD SEE A LITTLE BIT OF ITS EAR. SO THAT ALL WENT WELL, SO I DON'T THINK WE'RE THAT FAR AWAY. WE CAN--WE'LL GET CLOSE TO IT AGAIN. >> NO SIGNAL. >> NO, I'M GETTING A SIG-- I'M GETTING A SIGNAL. TRYING TO GET THAT HARNESS OFF. >> IF YOU CAN GIVE ME A GENERAL DIRECTION, I MIGHT BE ABLE TO AIM THE ANTENNA TOO. >> OH, MY GOSH. IT'S TO OUR--IT'S OVER THERE. >> narrator: AFTER TRACKING THE HOG FOR SEVERAL MILES, IT'S OUT OF RANGE AGAIN. >> NOT GETTING ANYTHING? >> NO. >> narrator: UNFORTUNATELY, THIS TIME, THE SIGNAL IS LOST FOR GOOD, ALONG WITH THE CAMERA. THE TEXAS TERRAIN PROVED TO BE MORE OF A CHALLENGE THAN EXPECTED IN TRACKING THE RADIO SIGNAL. IT'S NOT CLEAR WHETHER THE HOG WAS UNABLE OR UNWILLING TO REJOIN THE HERD, BUT THIS TIME, THE VIDEO SYSTEM DID NOT CAPTURE ANY IMAGES OF GIANT HOGS. NONETHELESS, THE CREW CONSIDERS THE EXPERIMENT A SUCCESS. >> YOU ALWAYS LEARN SOMETHING. THERE'S SOMETHING NEW YOU WILL DISCOVER, AND IT'LL HELP YOU FOR YOUR NEXT PROJECT, EVEN IF YOU DON'T GET ANYTHING OUT OF THIS. >> narrator: AS FOR THE TROJAN HOG, A BACKUP SAFETY FEATURE BUILT INTO THE HARNESS ENSURES THE ANIMAL IS NOT IN DANGER. >> OVER TIME, THE THREAD AND THE CANVAS WILL JUST ROT LIKE IF YOU LEAVE A T-SHIRT OUT ON THE LINE FOR TOO LONG. THE SUN BLEACHES IT, AND THE WEATHER DEGRADES IT, AND PRETTY SOON IT JUST FALLS APART. WELL, A PORTION OF THIS HARNESS WILL HAVE THAT CANVAS EMBEDDED IN IT SO THAT IT WILL JUST ROT AND FALL OFF. >> narrator: WHILE THIS <i>MONSTER QUEST</i> INVESTIGATION DID NOT FIND A MEGAHOG, SOME REMAIN CONVINCED THAT GIANT HOGS ARE OUT THERE. >> AND THERE ARE GIANT HOGS, ABSOLUTELY GIANT HOGS. >> BIG HOGS DON'T GET BIG BY EXPOSING THEIRSELF TO THE VULNERABILITY OF BEING CAPTURED. >> IF WE HAVE TWO OR THREE GOOD WET YEARS IN A ROW, THEN THE POSSIBILITY OF A HOG GETTING THAT BIG IS REALLY GOOD. >> I DON'T KNOW HOW THEY GET THAT BIG, BUT THEY DEFINITELY DO. THEY DO LIVE HERE. YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE THE GENETICS. THEY HAVE THE FEED. THEY HAVE THE CAPABILITY AND GET THE AGE, YOU KNOW, TO GET THEM BIG. THERE'S PIGS THAT'LL DIE OF OLD AGE THAT NOBODY WILL EVER EVER SEE, BECAUSE THEY HAVE THE COVER, AND THEY DON'T HAVE TO BE SEEN. >> narrator: WHILE SOME HAVE BEEN PROVEN TO BE PEN-RAISED AND EITHER RELEASED OR ESCAPED, OTHERS HAVE YET TO BE EXPLAINED. THE QUESTION REMAINS: ARE THESE MAN-MADE MONSTERS ON THE LOOSE, OR IS NATURE CREATING THESE GIANT BEASTS?
