[Grassman]

Does anyone here eat the wild hogs you shoot? I have never shot one(not yet) and I've always heard they are not good to eat? But I don't know why? Would you only eat a young one, and not an old boar? I personally think they would be fine, maybe 50/50 mixed with venison for sausage. Do you just leave em' for the varmints?

[MCgunner]

I wouldn't spend all that time and money if I didn't wanna eat 'em. They're far better than venison IMHO. Tasty and lean, the other, other white meat. :D The BIG ones are gamey, but under about 200 lbs, not a problem. They are very lean. Don't use 'em with venison for your sausage or you'll have very dry sausage. I mix bacon fat sold as 4 lbs bacon pieces with the wild pork about 50/50 for sausage.

No, I've let big hogs walk right on by before. I mean, you can eat 'em, but the smaller ones are mild and easier to process. I don't shoot the big ones and my trap is small enough to eliminate the really big ones. I've caught a 200 lb boar in it, about all that'll easily fit through the door, probably designed that way.

[Grassman]

How are the ribs, loin and ham? Or do you just make em all sausage?

[MCgunner]

Oh, HECK no, not all sausage. I grind the shoulders, neck, etc. The ribs barbeque up nice. Try that with venison, you'll wind up with some kind of charred bones. I cut the ribs in half and barbeque 'em. The hams I'll usually crock pot. I love that McCromick's "Pulled Pork" mix. You put the ham in with 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/3rd cup cider vinegar, and 1/2 cup catchup along with the mix and crock pot it for the day, usually about 8 hours. Don't let it get too dry. Put a little water in it if it does start to get dry before it's done. Pull it apart when it's done with a fork, as in shred it. We had the last ham I had in the freezer last night. It's so dry here, all the hogs are on the big ranch near water at my place, so I haven't been catching any, though I've been hunting on a local WMA and may get one there, I hope.

The loin, I just cut it out like back strap and make boneless pork chops out of it. It's really good when breaded as you would venison backstrap.

All the rest I grind. I like to make pan sausage as well as in casings. I pan fry the pan sausage. Ymm. What I'll do is cut the meat up in grinding size bits, grind up some if I need it, save some for later. I sometimes get a hankerin' for a little wild pork stew and I'll use that meat as stew meat.

[Grassman]

Sounds good, I'll have to get me one soon. Do you do the butchering yourself, or have it done somewhere?

[retrieverman]

I will clean and eat a pig up to 150 pounds, and anything bigger than that is buzzard bait.

[MCgunner]

Sounds good, I'll have to get me one soon. Do you do the butchering yourself, or have it done somewhere?

I do it all myself, including the grinding and stuffing.

[Grassman]

What calibers do you guys prefer? I have .308 down to .22-250, I'll prolly use the .308

[MCgunner]

A .308 is my favorite rifle. I kill 'em in the trap with about anything, usually the concealed handgun I'm carrying that day, but hunting, I like .308. Anything that works for deer will work on a hog, though, even .243. Just use a controlled expansion bullet for the bigger ones. I would leave the .22-250 at home, though.

The WMA where I'm hunting now requires buckshot only, so I'm totin' a 10 gauge loaded with 3.5" 00 to maximize my chances. :D

[Grassman]

Pardon my newby questions, but I've never hunted hogs. Are they pretty mean? Will they charge ya?

[351 WINCHESTER]

Yea, they can be real mean and nasty. 99% of them will run away from you and usually it's the wounded ones you got to watch out for.

[retrieverman]

308 will work splendidly. I have killed 4 hogs in the last 2 weeks with mine. Here is the one that I killed last night.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v712/retrieverman/Jakespictures1257.jpg

[a-sheepdog]

I shoot and eat hogs when I see them. Like was mentioned earlier, I avoid the big boars as they stink and are usually tough. Anything under 150 pounds is good. I will take almost any size sow. They usually need to be tenderized a bit, very tasty.

[Bezoar]

these are the ferrel version of what european royalty and nobility hunted. not just for sport but for fun feasting afterwords. sure age and size andgender and diet will affect taste. but thats for all animals we eat.

[Ridgerunner665]

"Are they mean???"

If I had to choose between a fight with a 200 lb. wild pig or a 500 lb. black bear...I'd climb right on that bear.

[cliffy]

60 to 100 pound wild hogs are the other white meat. A 200 pounder borders on nasty. Wild fare is far leaner of fat than domestic piggies, but fully-flavorful non-the-less. While wild hogs are not native game, they are delicious. cliffy

[Rottweiler]

Haven't bought or eaten domestic pork in years. I've got a lifetime supply running wild. I also do all the butchering, grinding and stuffing myself

[MCgunner]

I've been charged by a wounded boar before. This brings to mind kill zone. DO NOT shoot BEHIND the shoulder. Shoot the shoulder, break the shoulder. All the good stuff is under the shoulder. Nothing is behind the shoulder, but guts. This will avoid having to blood trail a POed wounded pig.

You should see 'em go nuts in the trap. They'll charge the trap snapping the jaws trying to get a piece out of you. Evil little beggars. LOL! I think I'd pick a fight with a pig before a bear, though. The pig will usually just take a chunk out of you or lay you open before running for the brush to get away. They won't normally stick around long to finish you off. I know a guy that ran afoul of a hog when chasing 'em with dogs, has a scar from his navel to his left nipple to prove it. Dog hunters are sewing up their dogs all the time from the fights that ensue when they catch up with one. The dog guys normally carry a suture kit just for that.

[3pairs12]

The only thing I don't do myself is grind and stuff the suasage the processor does it for a dollar per pound. Other than that I do it all. Sometimes I will have him cure a ham for me because his always seem to end up better than mine. Even my wife prefers wild pork to store bought which says a lot because she won't eat venison.

[MCgunner]

I've never tried to cure a ham. How's that work?

[Mp7]

...Boar is by far the most tasty meat you make a "ragout" of.


Recipe:

Add wine, soysauce, garlic, onion, pepper, juniper, bayleaf
to a big pot and let the meat simmer in it for like 2-4 hrs.
Then take the sauce - put through screen - add some fruity-jam
ad some cream - put in mixer.

Serve with potatoes or dumplings!

Oh yum!

[qajaq59]

One recipe I like for hog is bone it and cook it in the crock pot with sliced apples, brown sugar, apple juice and some other stuff. Takes about 5 hours, but it's tender as can be and absolutely delicious.

[3pairs12]

http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/foods/458-223/458-223.html

MC This the way I tried to do it and it worked out ok. Didn't really end up the way I wanted, but was still. The processor does a combo of brining and smoking. Next time I talk to him I will get more details.

[mongo4567]

I've eaten them. Where I hunt now, they look like domestic pigs and are good up to about 200 lbs...better than venison to me. The ones that look like Russian boars need to be smaller or they will be gamey.

[MCgunner]

That curing procedure looks like a royal pain. I think I'll just keep crock pottin' 'em. LOL

[3pairs12]

It was a pain. I like to smoke them for about 6-8hrs with hickory also. Oh yeah the breakfast sausage also makes for some good bisquits and gravy. Don't limit yourself to dinner Grassman.:)

[45shooter]

Hog are very tasty unless they are too big.
The size of "meat hog" will depend on your area. In some areas a meat hogs are anything less than 200 lb. while in other locations it means 100 lb. or less. Generally older hogs are not good to eat. It also depends on the hogs diet as a hog that fed on corn feed all his life will be god to eat much longer than one thats been foraging in the swamp.

BTW. We cook our hog whole in the ground on hot stones and covered with banana leaves.