BERTIE COUNTY, N.C. — A hunter in Bertie County shot and killed a 500-pound wild hog after spotting it last month.

The massive animal didn’t stand a chance against veteran hunter Jett Webb’s .308 caliber rifle.

Webb spotted the beast roaming near the Indian Woods on land leased by the White Oak Ranch Hunting Club.

It is the same hog hunters have been vying for since seeing it on trail cameras years ago.

“I had no idea that there could be something that big running around the woods of Eastern North Carolina,” Webb told WNCT.

Webb describes the animal as a beast, far from a domesticated docile pig that most are used to seeing. He says the hog has a Mohawk down the back and the tusks are really lean.

Mike Mansell, president of the White Oak Ranch Hunting Club, agrees this size hog game is rare.

Hunters said the pig is part of a growing wild boar population in the East, one they estimate is doubling each year.

“They’re a species that is invasive,” Mansell said. “Once you have them, you’re not going to get rid of them. They just continue to multiply.”

According to WNCT, Webb killed a similar-sized pig two years ago that’s now mounted on the walls of the hunting club.

This time, he will be harvesting the meat, filling two coolers to the brim with sausage, pork chops and tenderloin.

“We’re not going to waste anything,” Webb says. “So that pig will provide food for me and my family for a good year.”

Webb swears his picture is not photo-shopped and says most reaction online has been positive.

Source: WNCT