The Charge I'll Never Forget — My First Wild Boar
Some time after I'd earned my trapping license and could finally set traps, I met my very first catch.
Today, let me tell you about that first boar. It's the record of a day that was joyful, terrifying — and unforgettable.
My first trap was a snare
Last time, I wrote about box traps and snares. The two are set in different places.
A box trap can stand on its own, so you place it near the fields you want to protect, or in the woods nearby. A snare, on the other hand, is set right on a game trail — a path the animals use — once you've found one. My very first trap was a snare. I searched out a game trail, found the perfect spot, and set it quietly. And once a trap is set, daily patrols are essential. That was the start of a long wait.
The scenery had changed
Day after day after day, I made my rounds.
Then one day, I arrived at the usual spot and stopped in my tracks. The scenery had changed.
The bamboo thicket, once dense and overgrown, was now torn wide open — as if someone had flattened it. It was my first time seeing anything like it, and my head filled with question marks. I had no idea what had happened.
And then — a full charge!
Still baffled, I edged closer.
And in that instant — a wild boar came charging straight at me!
That flattened patch of bamboo was the mark of a boar caught in the snare, thrashing desperately, mowing everything down. And I had walked right up to it, knowing nothing — as the animal came barreling straight at me.
The snare protected me
I'll be honest: it scared me badly.
But — I was saved. Thanks to the snare. Because the boar's leg was bound, it could only move as far as the rope allowed. Even that furious charge fell one step short of reaching me. I got through it unharmed.
In that moment, it struck me deeply: a trap is a tool for catching animals — but it is also a tool that protects the hunter.
My first catch weighed fifty kilos
The first boar I caught was about fifty kilograms.
By weight alone, I'm probably heavier. And yet — that wild strength. The sight of it thrashing before me carried a force far beyond the numbers, and honestly, I was truly frightened. The real, raw power a living creature holds — I learned it that day, in my body.
Fear turned into confidence
And yet, catching that one boar became something huge for me.
"I can do this too." That sense of accomplishment grew into real confidence. Fear and achievement — carrying those two opposite feelings at once, I took my first sure step as someone who catches.
My first life taken. My first fear. And my first confidence. My hunting began right there, in front of that bamboo thicket.
As the Keeper of Zero, I'll keep facing each and every life, head-on.
ZEROSPHERE / The Keeper of Zero