Retired NFL Defensive End Gets “Up Close” With A Wild Hog in Florida

Brotherhood Outdoors season 14, episode 3 exclusively on YouTube

Spring Hill, Tenn. —Retired NFL defensive end and a member of the NFL Players Association Joe Tafoya travels from Washington State to Florida to experience his first-ever hound hunt for wild pigs on a new episode of the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance’s (USA) Brotherhood Outdoors.

The USA kicked off the 14th season of its Brotherhood Outdoors series, which takes everyday union sportsmen and sportswomen on extraordinary hunting and fishing adventures, on Jan. 3, with episodes airing exclusively on YouTube.

Episode three, now available on YouTube, begins with Tafoya, an avid deer and elk hunter in his home state, hefting a heavy spear with a massive point as he contemplates the conclusion to his hunt for a feral hog in the Florida scrub.

Retired NFL defensive end Joe Tafoya harvests his first Florida hog on the USA’s Brotherhood Outdoors.

“I’d never hunted a wild hog before,” he said, “much less hunted one behind a highly trained hound wearing a radio collar and a Kevlar vest.”

Tafoya and guide Grayson Padrick use a side-by-side ATV to stay within range of Padrick’s hog hound, Merle, as he scours the thick brush for the scent of swine. When Merle’s frantic barking, punctuated by the squeals and grunts of an agitated hog, pierce the air, the hunter goes into action.

By this time, Tafoya has decided to swap the spear in favor of a 9mm handgun because the thrill of this hunt is in getting up close and personal with a large and unpredictable pig, not the weapon used in the harvest.

“There was howling and grunting,” described Tafoya. “It was pretty visceral and exciting. I had to make sure the dog was clear, then make the shot. Given an opportunity, I’d do a hunt like that again in a heartbeat.”

Watch Now and subscribe to the USA’s YouTube channel to get notified when new episodes are posted.

Presented by ULLICO, Brotherhood Outdoors is also sponsored by the following unions, contractors and corporate partners: Carhartt; International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers; International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers; National Electrical Contractors Association; and the United Association/International Training Fund’s Veterans in Piping Program.

Union Sportsmen’s Alliance (USA): The USA is a union-dedicated, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose members hunt, fish, shoot, and volunteer their skills for conservation. The USA is uniting the union community through conservation to preserve North America’s outdoor heritage. For more information, visit www.unionsportsmen.org or connect on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.