Feral Hogs as Food

[cliffy]

Feral Hogs are any hogs out of a pen. Texas has over three million of those, and forty states now have too many. Michigan begs any hunter to shoot any wild hogs they see. Feral Hogs taste better than domestic hogs because they're leaner and tastier. Feral Hogs are the most destructive beasties in America. They kill and eat fawns, eat game bird eggs, foul streams, destroy acres of farmland by rooting, and eat the same food as whitetail deers. Feral Hogs have replaced deer in many areas. Exotic in nature, but Carp-like in survival and propagation. Cooked Carp are hard to swallow, but the only virtue of wild hogs is they are extra-delicious. Cliffy

 

[shevrock]

so what's this thread about?

 

[Vegaslaith]

I think he wants to know if anyone has any experience eating or cooking wild hogs. That's a no for me.

 

[3pairs12]

my family and i have eaten several and if you get small enough you are absolutely right very tasty indeed.

 

[wally]

They are eatable, just be sure to cook them enough to kill the parasites!

My buddy is an avid hunter and I've enjoyed many a feral pig roast party at his place. Taste good to me.

As to the taking, they can be pretty tough critters, he likes .30-'06 for 'em.

--wally.

 

[skinewmexico]

I just hate cleaning them, and feeling like there are fleas and ticks crawling all over me when I'm done.

 

[cdrt]

I hate gutting them; the smell is just nasty, but we have made some great sasusage from them.

Most of the ones I've shot have been with my .280 Remington. They are tough to put down.

 

[cliffy]

This Thread is about hunting Feral Hogs

Apparently I wasn't clear enough in my subject. Feral Hogs have over-run Texas and Oklahoma and Louisiana and Florida and Hawaii. Feral Hogs are destructive alien species akin to Zebra Mussels regarding replacing native species of wildlife in America. Look up a myriad of Internet entries regarding Feral Hogs. Some people have never heard of Feral Hogs, but these wild pigs should concern every American. In part of Texas, Feral Hogs have already replaced Whitetail Deer as the primary species. I'm not certain what else I can add to clarify the magnitude of my post. Cliffy

 

[Drgong]

Indeed they are a pest, And I will gladly hunt any that are in my area. I have heard that Michigan and Texas are being overrun with them.

From what I understand, 6.5 x 55 sweede is the smallest round really to go hunting with them, me, I am thinking that hunting them with a mosin would be a cheap way to hunt them.

 

[Crunker1337]

I heard that hogs are tough to put down because they have a strange "kill-zone" so to speak... like you have to hit them just next to the shoulder, because that's where there's less protective flesh, and it leads to the entrails... is this true? Or do you just go for a headshot, haha...

 

[dakotasin]

i can appreciate and understand what you're saying...

what kills me, however, is this pest species needs to be eradicated, but if you want to do it, most times you need to pay to play. i don't understand it. same goes for prairie dogs, canadian geese, and whitetails. the same farmer and rancher that complains to no end about the pest species is also the one saying he'll let you hunt 'em for $x...

 

[whiskey]

Understand the kill zone on a pig before you hunt. I like head shots when hunting over bait, but that ain't the only way to kill them. It is the only way to not to have to track them.

over at www.texasboars.com there are photos and reasoning for the advised kill zones. Check out the FAQ on texasboars.com

 

[Flash!]

them are tasty critters!!! a little sweeter meat than store bought pork.....just eat the ones that are 150 lbs or less..... the real big ones are stinky and nasty tasting.....

 

[rangerruck]

well, you do want to clean them real good, and the bigger they are, the more scent glands they have, they look like little clusters of small peanuts, under the skin. the backstraps are freakin the best thing I have ever eaten. now then, what i like to do with the straps and other areas to cut steaks, take a plastic bag, put in your pieces, with all the seasonings you like. Leave in the fridge for a day or two, then rinse all out, to remove all settled blood. repeat the above step for a day, then put in a pan, with about 1/4 inch of oil in the bottom, cook up medium heat, to a nice brown top and bottom, and eat away!!!! I like olive oil for this.

 

[Crunker1337]

Praire dogs? Canadian geese? White tails?
Pests?

I respectfully disagree. Feral hogs are different altogether from the aforementioned animals as they are an invasive species.

 

[cliffy]

Now, some responses verify why pigs taste good

Most ducks and other birds contain parasites, as do rabbits, yet they're delicious table fare. Wild Hogs are no different; hunters must get passed the inevitable parasite and never eat wild organ meat. Most animals, probably since the caveman days, have unsightly parasites within them. All humans have microscopic parasites, that certainly would put me off from eating those creatures, but I'm not a vegetarian. Even pen-raised Pigs have parasites. Parasites are a fact of nature regarding all living creatures. Many fishes contain parasites, so thorough cooking is essential with all meat products, domestic or wild. Cliffy

 

[Crunker1337]

@ whiskey
So you aim just a tad behind the shoulder? Also, where exactly in the head do you shoot? In between the eyes, but higher?

 

[Kentucky-roughrider]

Dokotasin,

A lot of farmers and ranchers are cash poor, and need every way they can to make money, so if making a hunter pay to kill a pest its a double plus for them. And two, it helps limit the number of hunter in their fields. If you give free hunts, some people take it to mean anyone and everyone can hunt.

Wild Boars have a cartiage shield over their heart and lungs, to protect them in fights with others boars. This is where, the odd kill zone comes from. I havn't hunt th'm, yet.

 

[cliffy]

Feral Hog Kill Zone

Feral Hogs are different than deer, in that one never should shoot a Hog behind the front leg. A Pig is all stomach just behind the shoulder. The pig vitals reside forward of the front leg by a smidge. Centered neck shots break the spine, but high neck shots don't kill. Brain shots kill normally as in any other vertebrate animal. A pig's pumper is more forward than on most ungulates. The heavy shoulder-shield can repel light bullets of varmint grade construction, but a .243 Winchester with 100 grain Nosler Partition bullets work well with well-placed hits. Hogs leave little to no blood trails cause the hits seal-up well. Cliffy

 

[bragood]

Question: Planning on hunting hogs if I get a chance later this weekend on a spot of land that I know they frequent. Ive never done this except when hunting deer. Will a 12 gauge witha slug work and how does one go about cleaning them? Similar to a deer?

 

[Nathanael_Greene]

I had feral hog for dinner tonight, in fact. Mesquite-smoked young sow, left over from my last hog-hunting trip.

Yum, yum.

 

[gbran]

The reason there are so mnay feral hogs is that far too many landowners either won't allow hunting on their property or charge high prices to hunt the beasts.

 

[cliffy]

Feral Hogs Continued

Love the experienced responses thus far. Farmers and ranchers hate the beasties, yet charge hunters to hunt them. Fair-enough, as long as prices are not ridiculous. $150 to shoot a hog is a stiff price for something they'd like to get rid of at any price or cost. As Hogs increase in numbers, shooting costs should go down. I have a Texas Internet buddy, who invited me to shoot Feral Hogs on his ranch for free, and he'd even treat me to a free bar-be-que. Friends like that are rare, but soon as I'm able . . . Cliffy

 

[LSU Fan]

I heard that hogs are tough to put down because they have a strange "kill-zone" so to speak... like you have to hit them just next to the shoulder, because that's where there's less protective flesh, and it leads to the entrails... is this true? Or do you just go for a headshot, haha...

Headshot is the way to go... don't mess up that good meat!

Here's a couple we got last week. (Sorry for the redundant post for those of you who saw this in the hunting section) First pig with my new stag 15, my buddy got the other with his 30.06

 

[Rugerlvr]

There are none in Utah. Otherwise I think I'd hunt them.