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Those beasts are just scary, I can only imagine the damage they do. Well done! How big is your freezer??!
yezzuh, wait till one starts growling at you while you're walking through the woods in the middle of the night looking for them...

pigs that big are dropped off at the pet cemetery. feral boars get really rank and are good for not much else than maybe, and i stress maybe, tamales.

we eat the babies and the sows up to about 125 lbs.

i've got two freezer/fridges, and my parents who live a few miles down the road have a big upright freezer. all that plus three young, growing kids means we don't really have storage problems.
 
how do wild hogs taste? had a few around the house last year, (only saw tracks) but was hoping to shoot one, and see how they taste.

it depends on how big they are and how they're handled after they hit the dirt.

i shoot them in the head for two reasons:

1. so that i don't have to pursue them through the cedar thickets down here when they run (tracking a wounded wild animal with daggers on either side of it's head in heavy cover in the dark can get you a darwin award), and
2. so that there is not a bunch of hemorrhage in the torso, making a mess for butchering, and fouling all the cuts of meat.

obviously gut it and cool it right away. knock on wood i've never done it, but if the gut or bladder is nicked while still inside the animal (or it's gut shot) i'd throw the whole carcass out. but that's just me,...i've never been that hungry. (if it's gut shot you aren't likely gonna find it till the buzzards do anyway.)

from there, i remove the head and hang it from it's back feet on a gambrel and hit it with the hose real good so the blood will drain quickly. then i skin it and quarter it, taking the back straps and tenderloins. (there are videos all over youtube that can teach you how to do this. watch a bunch of them and cull the best knowledge/techniques from each.)

from there i pack the cuts in ice in an Rtic cooler, drain the bloody water off at the end of each day, and re-pack the meat in fresh ice. i do that for 4 days to get as much blood out as i can, and let it age a bit. blood is what give pigs and deer that gamey taste people complain about sometimes.

if i had a big walk-in cooler i'd just gut it/decapitate it and let it hang skin and all for 4 days, but me not rich, namsan?

after day 4, we either feast or vacuum-seal wrap and freeze. the back straps and loins make some of the best pork tenderloin you'll ever have in your life. soak them for a day or two in the fridge in worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, spices, and a beer, whatever, then wrap them in bacon, pat on a little brown sugar and salt, and set them over orange coals. cook them only until the bacon is cooked on the outside and the internal temp is ~160-170 degrees just in case the pig had trichinosis.

you don't want trichinosis...ask steven rinella. if you cook it to the right temp (use a meat thermometer) you have nothing to worry about, even if the pig, bear, etc. was infected.

the shoulders go in a crockpot bone-in to be turned into the best carnitas you've ever had, and the hams either go in the crockpot or go in the smoker.

there are recipes for feral pig all over youtube. just like anything it depends how good a butcher and cook you are. it may take a few times to get it right, but practice makes perfect and the country is overrun with these wild swine.

feral pigs are likely the greatest untapped resource for people like me who aren't big fans of the commercial meat industries. you can hunt them year round, you can pattern them over bait to make harvesting easy (albeit not very challenging as far as hunting goes), they're everywhere, and the smart landowners who don't hunt are willing to let competent, safe, trained individuals hunt/remove them from their property.

and if done right they taste outstanding.

additionally the 2+ billion moslems in the world and our brothers the jews want nothing to do with them so there's less competition!!

also, they're an outstanding way to teach children (and some adults) about anatomy, how to butcher and handle an animal (definitely not taught in schools as it should be), and the importance of respecting life and thanking the Lord for providing. the whole process from the hunt to the belly is as rewarding as, if not more than, raising chigguns.

many consider feral pigs a nuisance. i consider them a blessing for my family and friends.



dang it, now after all this talk i'ma have to go get me one or two tonight!!!
 
it depends on how big they are and how they're handled after they hit the dirt.

i shoot them in the head for two reasons:

1. so that i don't have to pursue them through the cedar thickets down here when they run (tracking a wounded wild animal with daggers on either side of it's head in heavy cover in the dark can get you a darwin award), and
2. so that there is not a bunch of hemorrhage in the torso, making a mess for butchering, and fouling all the cuts of meat.

obviously gut it and cool it right away. knock on wood i've never done it, but if the gut or bladder is nicked while still inside the animal (or it's gut shot) i'd throw the whole carcass out. but that's just me,...i've never been that hungry. (if it's gut shot you aren't likely gonna find it till the buzzards do anyway.)

from there, i remove the head and hang it from it's back feet on a gambrel and hit it with the hose real good so the blood will drain quickly. then i skin it and quarter it, taking the back straps and tenderloins. (there are videos all over youtube that can teach you how to do this. watch a bunch of them and cull the best knowledge/techniques from each.)

from there i pack the cuts in ice in an Rtic cooler, drain the bloody water off at the end of each day, and re-pack the meat in fresh ice. i do that for 4 days to get as much blood out as i can, and let it age a bit. blood is what give pigs and deer that gamey taste people complain about sometimes.

if i had a big walk-in cooler i'd just gut it/decapitate it and let it hang skin and all for 4 days, but me not rich, namsan?

after day 4, we either feast or vacuum-seal wrap and freeze. the back straps and loins make some of the best pork tenderloin you'll ever have in your life. soak them for a day or two in the fridge in worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, spices, and a beer, whatever, then wrap them in bacon, pat on a little brown sugar and salt, and set them over orange coals. cook them only until the bacon is cooked on the outside and the internal temp is ~160-170 degrees just in case the pig had trichinosis.

you don't want trichinosis...ask steven rinella. if you cook it to the right temp (use a meat thermometer) you have nothing to worry about, even if the pig, bear, etc. was infected.

the shoulders go in a crockpot bone-in to be turned into the best carnitas you've ever had, and the hams either go in the crockpot or go in the smoker.

there are recipes for feral pig all over youtube. just like anything it depends how good a butcher and cook you are. it may take a few times to get it right, but practice makes perfect and the country is overrun with these wild swine.

feral pigs are likely the greatest untapped resource for people like me who aren't big fans of the commercial meat industries. you can hunt them year round, you can pattern them over bait to make harvesting easy (albeit not very challenging as far as hunting goes), they're everywhere, and the smart landowners who don't hunt are willing to let competent, safe, trained individuals hunt/remove them from their property.

and if done right they taste outstanding.

additionally the 2+ billion moslems in the world and our brothers the jews want nothing to do with them so there's less competition!!

also, they're an outstanding way to teach children (and some adults) about anatomy, how to butcher and handle an animal (definitely not taught in schools as it should be), and the importance of respecting life and thanking the Lord for providing. the whole process from the hunt to the belly is as rewarding as, if not more than, raising chigguns.

many consider feral pigs a nuisance. i consider them a blessing for my family and friends.



dang it, now after all this talk i'ma have to go get me one or two tonight!!!
thank you, as much damage they cause i do have to agree they are a source of fresh organic meat out there (if you count wild as organic as i do)
 
: )

i'm of the opinion that "organic" is a marketing gimmick.

there are numerous studies out there that show the only difference between people who buy "organic" food and those who buy non-organic (as if there is any such thing) is that those who buy "organic" simply pay more for their food. there is no benefit that kept them healthier or made them live longer.

additionally, many of the studies that show a "benefit" have large p-values that make them statistically insignificant...meaning the results of the study are not likely to be reproducible.

but yes, i agree with you, the best meat you can eat is wild game/meat, assuming it is handled and prepared properly.

keep that a secret though, i want the masses believing meat is grown on a styrofoam tray in a grocery store. the more people that hunt, the tougher it's going to be for me to feed my family.
 
it depends on how big they are and how they're handled after they hit the dirt.

i shoot them in the head for two reasons:

1. so that i don't have to pursue them through the cedar thickets down here when they run (tracking a wounded wild animal with daggers on either side of it's head in heavy cover in the dark can get you a darwin award), and
2. so that there is not a bunch of hemorrhage in the torso, making a mess for butchering, and fouling all the cuts of meat.

obviously gut it and cool it right away. knock on wood i've never done it, but if the gut or bladder is nicked while still inside the animal (or it's gut shot) i'd throw the whole carcass out. but that's just me,...i've never been that hungry. (if it's gut shot you aren't likely gonna find it till the buzzards do anyway.)

from there, i remove the head and hang it from it's back feet on a gambrel and hit it with the hose real good so the blood will drain quickly. then i skin it and quarter it, taking the back straps and tenderloins. (there are videos all over youtube that can teach you how to do this. watch a bunch of them and cull the best knowledge/techniques from each.)

from there i pack the cuts in ice in an Rtic cooler, drain the bloody water off at the end of each day, and re-pack the meat in fresh ice. i do that for 4 days to get as much blood out as i can, and let it age a bit. blood is what give pigs and deer that gamey taste people complain about sometimes.

if i had a big walk-in cooler i'd just gut it/decapitate it and let it hang skin and all for 4 days, but me not rich, namsan?

after day 4, we either feast or vacuum-seal wrap and freeze. the back straps and loins make some of the best pork tenderloin you'll ever have in your life. soak them for a day or two in the fridge in worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, spices, and a beer, whatever, then wrap them in bacon, pat on a little brown sugar and salt, and set them over orange coals. cook them only until the bacon is cooked on the outside and the internal temp is ~160-170 degrees just in case the pig had trichinosis.

you don't want trichinosis...ask steven rinella. if you cook it to the right temp (use a meat thermometer) you have nothing to worry about, even if the pig, bear, etc. was infected.

the shoulders go in a crockpot bone-in to be turned into the best carnitas you've ever had, and the hams either go in the crockpot or go in the smoker.

there are recipes for feral pig all over youtube. just like anything it depends how good a butcher and cook you are. it may take a few times to get it right, but practice makes perfect and the country is overrun with these wild swine.

feral pigs are likely the greatest untapped resource for people like me who aren't big fans of the commercial meat industries. you can hunt them year round, you can pattern them over bait to make harvesting easy (albeit not very challenging as far as hunting goes), they're everywhere, and the smart landowners who don't hunt are willing to let competent, safe, trained individuals hunt/remove them from their property.

and if done right they taste outstanding.

additionally the 2+ billion moslems in the world and our brothers the jews want nothing to do with them so there's less competition!!

also, they're an outstanding way to teach children (and some adults) about anatomy, how to butcher and handle an animal (definitely not taught in schools as it should be), and the importance of respecting life and thanking the Lord for providing. the whole process from the hunt to the belly is as rewarding as, if not more than, raising chigguns.

many consider feral pigs a nuisance. i consider them a blessing for my family and friends.



dang it, now after all this talk i'ma have to go get me one or two tonight!!!

Great. Now I am hungry.
I can bring some wild cherry for the cooker.!
 
Great. Now I am hungry.
I can bring some wild cherry for the cooker.!

Ooooo....cherry!!! never had that, but heard it's great. i'll go wait for you by the pit. : )


we don't have cherry, but we do have mesquite, oak, and pecan. in fact i have several cords of it out back...the kids call it firewood mountain and the burds won't stay off it.

many people prefer the oak (can't go wrong) or pecan, but mesquite is my hands-down favorite.
 

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