how to clean a hog?

[Mossy Bloke]

Well guys, shot my first hog ever a couple of days ago. It was quite an experience. She was a smallish sow. Pic attached.

Or at least I thought she was small until I started to drag her out of the woods. Holy Moly was she heavy! I mean, if I'd shot a deer this size I'd have been able to throw it over my shoulder and hike out with no problem, but dragging her out was a serious pain. She weighed a ton...well probably more like eighty pounds but her size was deceiving.

Another thing...she stunk like nothing else I've ever smelled. I had no idea hogs smelled that bad. It's nothing for me to clean a deer. I even butcher them myself, but I'm telling you, that hog was just about the foulest thing I've ever had the displeasure getting a whiff of.

Anyway, on to my question...I tried to clean her like a deer, but it wasn't that easy. I called around and nobody will process a wild hog around here so I've got to get better at it. Anyone have any pointers?

[joab]

Some people, after dressing, will simply dip them in almost boiling water and shave them.
I don't paticularly like fat so I skinned mine like any other animal. Except I go below the fat line.
I hope this helps it's not as clear in print as it is in my head

[DigMe]

Looks like you may have shot her in the guts. That could have been the source of the stench. I've shot hogs that smelled before but from what you're saying it seems like yours smelled worse than any of mine ever have. They can work up quite a stench though, they like to wallow and roll around in some funky stuff.

brad cook

[HARLEYCOLT]

Yep gut shot heres where you need to look at:hog_vitials

[critter]

As was said, skin the hog removing all exterrior fat you can. Gut as a deer. You can cut up the meat yourself. You may not get 'regular butcher cuts', but what is not on one piece of pork will be on the one beside it, so it's all good meat.

As to the 'stinch', you just wait till you kill a big ole rank boar! Even cooking the meat will make you KNOW why some folks cook them buried in the ground-and you may NOT want to dig it up!!!!

Fun messing with hogs though!

[Ol' Badger]

Hot Water and soap. Maybe a brush. Sorry guys, I had too.
;)

[Frohickey]

Looks like a gut shot to me.

Why didn't you just field dress the sow where she dropped at? Thats some weight that you didn't have to drag back to the truck with you, and some coyote would be happy to clean up after you as well.

[joab]

I thought it was field dressed, isnt that an entry wound high in the shoulder?

[keano44]

First, lift the tail...



Sorry, I couldn't resist. I'm starting to sound like my father!

[Spinner]

Well, you could shoot them with a .470 NE ...... shoot 'em, gut 'em, skin 'em and butcher 'em all in one step :D All that's left is to pack the pieces into little bags and chuck 'em in the freezer. ;)

BOOOOOOMMMM!!!

Spinner

[twoblink]

Deer usually have a "cleaner" meal, and so even with a gut shot, they don't smell so bad. Hogs on the other hand, eat almost anything... And so if you get unlucky enough to shoot it in the gut, you are going to smell its dinner..