virgin pig hunters

[coyote315]

Going down to the florida panhandle for my first pig hunt on private land. Got a .35 remington with my +p handloads, a good PVS 14, a squealing rabbit call just in case, and absolutely no idea what the hell I'm doing. A buddy and I are making the trip; we're both experienced hunters of other species so, we'll see. Anyway, any TTPs on preserving the meat especially will be helpful, and particular things about the hunting or butchering will be appreciated. Right now i'm planning on cutting off the loins and back legs unless it's really a big one. I've never butchered a hog before, any tricks to make it more successful?

Wisdom is knowing when to confess your ignorance. Knowledge weighs nothing so carry as much as you can.

 

[Texan Scott]

Pigs don't seem to BLEED like deer... and to preserve the meat, it's important to bleed them out FAST and THOROUGHLY. Best advice I can give (you've already got it by half) is to quarter it in the field and ice it as soon as you get back to the truck. Obviously, that means having BIG foam coolers and lots of ice beforehand.

Also, they carry parasites and diseases transmissible to people and dogs. Take rubber boots and dish gloves (yes, dish gloves). When you're done with the boots and gloves, tie them in a trash bag and toss them in the bed of the truck before you get in to drive off.

 

[JC98]

Just got back from hunting them in the Everglades. It's very important to stay down wind of them. We were able to stalk them as close as 30 yards as long as the wind was right.
Boars form a cartlidge shield around their vitals as they get larger so if you can hit them behind the ear that's the way to go.

As far as meat preservation. We brought them right back to where we were staying skinned them, quartered them, rinsed the meat off and put it on ice immediately. I skinned them like I would a deer.

Hope that helps some.

 

[natman]

How can you tell if the pig's a virgin?

Personally I just shoot the first decent sized one I see.

 

[Texan Scott]

Natman, I bet you're a real hoot at the bar on ladies' night....

 

[Sav .250]

Go to "google" ask the same question. There is a tutorial on U-tube ref: cleaning,butching,etc. Good stuff.

 

[adelbridge]

I hunt hogs all the time in Texas and I have never heard of a hog responding to a rabbit call. I have used rabbit calls for coyote in areas infested with hogs and never had a hog come in. We bait with corn and every hog I have every taken has been over corn. Not sure of the baiting laws in Florida. Also 90% of the hogs I shoot are after dark, a scope with illuminated reticle or a laser zero'd to reticle is pretty much a must.

 

[MCgunner]

I bought a piq squeal call, once. No telling how many pigs I've scared off with it.

 

[Legion489]

Depends on if you want to eat it or have a trophy pig. The bigger the pig the less likely you will want to eat it. An old boar will be tough as shoe leather and stink to high heaven. Get one (or a few) in the hundred pound range and they are great eating. Save the tusks too. Pigs don't "slash", they bite. The teeth (tusks) slide across each other and THAT is what cuts you up, and yes they can kill a man.

 

[Patocazador]

A 70# sow sent me to the emergency room years ago. They said I'd have to produce the head or take a bunch of rabies shots PLUS the 28 stitches I got.
She had a litter of pigs that I got too near. She grabbed on like a bulldog and shook her head side to side.

 

[Cocked & Locked]

ouch

 

[natman]

Natman, I bet you're a real hoot at the bar on ladies' night....

On Ladies' night at our bar the only virgins are pigs. Not enough tequila in Mexico for some of them.

 

[brotherbadger]

Depends on if you want to eat it or have a trophy pig. The bigger the pig the less likely you will want to eat it. An old boar will be tough as shoe leather and stink to high heaven.

This cannot be stressed enough, IMO. I have hunted pigs a few times, but never got a large one until this year. This boar was around 320lbs, and died less than 200 yards off. By the time we reached it (1 min or so?) It smelled like it was dead for a month. Made for awesome pictures, but not great times loading it into the truck.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

I hunt hogs all the time in Texas and I have never heard of a hog responding to a rabbit call.

I have found on the two occasions I have gone predator hunting with a wounded rabbit call that all sorts of animals may show up. I was surprised by the deer that showed up to apparently watch the activity. We also had a pig show up.

This cannot be stressed enough, IMO.

If you are making sausage, then this isn't a real issue, toughness. I have friends that eat all sizes, even the very large ones. The only real complaints I hear is if the hogs stink severely at the time they are killed.

 

[adelbridge]

I have gone predator hunting with a wounded rabbit call that all sorts of animals may show up. I was surprised by the deer that showed up to apparently watch the activity

you know I had this happen once. I thought maybe it was coincidence or maybe she thought it was a fawn in distress?

 

[brotherbadger]

If you are making sausage, then this isn't a real issue, toughness. I have friends that eat all sizes, even the very large ones. The only real complaints I hear is if the hogs stink severely at the time they are killed.

Very true. Sausage cures all toughness. As long as you don't mind the smell(which is pretty bad) killing a large boar can give you tons of meat.

 

[erikk8829]

Wild FL hogs are full of worms and diseases. Make sure if you want to butcher one that you wear rubber cloves to prevent infection. It is also a good idea to freeze the meat for a minimum of 2 weeks prior to eating to kill any bad things that may be in the meat. Frankly I gave up dealing with them years ago and now only shoot them when they are tearing up my ground .
I used to just trap them,pen them up and give them triple dose of wormer (you would be amazed at the amount of worms that they carried) then put them on a corn diet for a couple of weeks prior to butcher
More than likely your hunt will consist of shooting over baited pigs so whatever you choose to use will be ok.Just put one into the ear and it will drop

 

[Cocked & Locked]

Just put one into the ear and it will drop

^ That ^

 

[41 Mag]

The biggest issue you will have, other than putting on on the ground, is getting the meat in the ice chest as quick as possible. The quicker the better for taste when done cooking.

Don't sweat the big pig tough tales, dose the hams down good with a dry rub and inject if you like, then put them on the pit whole for 45 minutes to an hour flipping every 10-15 minutes, pull them off wrap in heavy duty foil put in a decent roaster pan and shove them in the oven for 3-5 hours at 325-250. When you pull the foil you can usually grab the end of the bone joint and shake the meat right off. Depending on the size of the shoulders, we either do them the same as the hams or we trim them and use it for grinding. Back straps, tenderloin, and ribs, well just like you would anything else. When ou are dressing it out you will see a strip of meat from the last rib that extends back to the ham, it is simply thin sinue type meat and we usually just cut straight up the last rib to the loin, and then back to the ham and toss it. There will be around a half inch or so of meat on the ribs depending on how big a hog you get. I usually get the back strap off first, then use a small pair of linb loppers and cut right along the backbone to remove the ribs. Makes a nice easy job, nd the loppers are also good for a quick leg trimming as well.

Skinning is easier hanging but if you can't hang them I have found the tailgate or the back rack of a 4 wheeler, works great as an operating table. I work the hide back from the knee joint on the legs, up to the middle of the belly. s I get one side cut loose and pulled back I roll it over and use the free side to keep the meat clean, while cutting the other side loose. Once I have the hide free, I then do the gutting which allows me to have the hog laying legs up. A bungi cord works great to hold the legs to the cable or tailgate support. When I get everything cut loose up to the adams apple, I pull it out and off the side of the truck with minimal mess. Usually whatever drips or fall out is caught by the hide and pulled off when I finish quartering up the hog.

Look at the link below my sig you can see I have done one or two.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

Wild FL hogs are full of worms and diseases. Make sure if you want to butcher one that you wear rubber cloves to prevent infection. It is also a good idea to freeze the meat for a minimum of 2 weeks prior to eating to kill any bad things that may be in the meat.

There is a tremendous amount of overlap between what is carried by hogs and what is carried by deer and other game animals. Hogs are not unique to being carriers of various zoonotic critters (bacteria, virus, parasites, etc.). However, freezing is not a good method of killing off the zoonotic critters. While some may succumb to freezing, just because meat has been in the freezer for two weeks does not mean it should not be treated like fresh meat from the field. CDC guidelines are more specific and longer than just two weeks of being frozen, but 20 days at 5F degrees for pieces no more than 6" thick and even that may not get the freeze-resistant varieties.
http://www.oie.int/doc/ged/D9157.PDF
http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/trichinellosis/prevent.html

 

[bison]

One tip for skinning big boars is to use a box cutter to make several lengthwise cuts thru the shield. Makes it far easier as the shield won't bend much. I hang 'em by the back legs then start skinning down normally. As soon as I hit the shield I'll make one long cut down the spine to separate the shield into two halves. If it's a really thick shield I'll make another cut or two as well.

Best field dressing video I've seen is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wT9itEYJNmI