Piglets (don't look if the sight of blood bothers you)

Paul5388

Paul5388

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I see a lot of posts on various forums that would lead one to believe hog killing is best left to heavy magnum loads. I've also had people scoff when I say hogs don't kill real hard, i.e. they're pretty easy to kill.

I have posted images of dead hogs that met their demise through the judicious application of 00 buckshot and others that succumbed to the lowly .30-30 with a cast bullet. However, this is the latest of the fragility of the "armor plated hog".

My #1 grandson and my nephew went out on opening day last Saturday for a little dove hunting. Both carried the normal 2 3/4" #8 shot and #7 1/2 shot in 12 gauge. While they didn't see any dove, they did see a sow and a bunch of piglets.

This is the aftermath of their encounter with bird shot.

abi.jpg


When you see things like this, it lends credibility to the videos Gamo has online of hogs being killed with pellet guns! GAMO USA | Airgun hunting videos and advise from experienced hunters
 
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I've killed a lot of hogs myself Paul, and I think that you are right.

They aren't that hard to kill given decent shot placement, but they often take their sweet time doing it! I have seen several take 3 or more rounds of .44 right through the bread basket, and live long enough to tear up a dog or try to do it to the guy who shot them. They are heavily boned and muscled compared to deer (even the big ones we have up here), but a hole in the boiler room is fatal no matter what.
 
It should be obvious these were feral hogs, which is the most common variety around here. Many exist due to open range practices from times in the not too distant past. However, it has only been in the last few years that they have been found out of the river bottoms. Probably, someone thought importing hogs would enhance their abilities to lease their property for hunting purposes and never thought about hogs not respecting property lines. So, they're everywhere now. :(

Rooted hay meadows and pastures are very hard to work, since it's hard to stay in the tractor seat!

Russian strains may be very different, but I think most of the reputation for being hard to kill comes from people being unfamiliar with hog anatomy. It almost takes a hit through the shoulders and lower than normal to hit their heart, with normal shot placement for deer bordering on a gut shot. Even a gut shot is normally fatal, but it isn't a quick kill that's preferred by hunters. We really aren't trying to be sportsmen when it comes to hogs, so we don't care, as long as they cease to exist in the wild.
 
Well I hope you butchered them and put them in the freezer.

I have killed a BUNCH of pigs. They are my favorite game meat.

I have killed 2 boars over 300 pounds, weighed, several in the 250 to 285lb range, all weighed.

ALL of them have been great eating.

At my house we eat wild game meat 5 to 7 times a week.

"Wild Pig" is our favorite.
 
The damage they can do is really amazing to see.

It doesn't take them long to do it either. They eat anything and everything, including their own if they come upon one thatis dead already, or a gutpile. They are a lot of fun to hunt, and I am sorta glad that they are even spreading out here now, adding to our menue of big game, but I certainly understand why it is legal to shoot them here on a small game or deer lisence. It is almost all farm country here where they are at currently, and having grown up working for the farmer down the road, I know how tough that life is and don't wish anything bad for the farmers here. I just like having something other than deer here to hunt in the lower half. I'll admit though that all of my hog hunting has been in outside of Michigan. Mostly razorbacks which are nothing more that feral hog and watered down Russian stock mixed. So called pure Russian boars in this country are few and far between, but those old razorbacks are a fairly tough customer. Still, I agree with you. They can be killed quite easily with anything from the .30/30 on up if hit with a decent bullet the doesn't come apart, and goes through the vitals.

You are also right on about their heart/lung area being farther forwards than a deer's, and it's behind the heavy gristle plate, which is why bowhunters prefer the angling shot. I have seen several that were shot like a deer, and when finally down and skinned, the hunter was suprised to see he didn't even touch the heart or lungs. Usually they hit the liver, which is what killed it.
 
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I've never met a Kosher pig, so I don't eat 'em, not that I'm Jewish. Those two went to an older black couple we help when possible.
 
Paul you are missing out on dome great meat.

I put myself through College being a Butcher.

Wild pig meat is a lot tastier than store bought pork.

I have shot several hundred pigs over the years, I have never killed a bad tasting one...
 
Hey Paul,

that little one isn't Maxwell from the Geico commercial is it?

Either way, I doubt he was crying wee wee wee all the way home :D
 
I like Peter's vision best when it comes to hog!

Paul5388 said:
I've never met a Kosher pig, so I don't eat 'em, not that I'm Jewish. Those two went to an older black couple we help when possible.
Click to expand...

Paul,

None of the pigs I have killed have been shot through the heart. The one in this picture lost an eye and everything directly behind it. The first one was a bit difficult to aim well at seeing it was running full bore (not boar) to my left @ about 40 yards and the shot was taken offhand.

Either way, both 44Mag shots put the piggy down right there. The one running was shot with an Elmer Keith bullet from my rifle and the other one with an XTP.

Honestly, they were both real tasty even though my Mom's maiden name was Solomon and her Grandma came from Kiev Russia to escape the persecution of the Jews there, pig has always tasted pretty good to me!

;)
 
Not going to argue, bro!

Paul5388 said:
Well Skip, not to start an argument, but I also don't eat buzzards or people. There's a reason people get Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (human form of mad cow disease) and cannibalism is one of the main routes.

Then there's also this problem stemming from pork.
http://media2.foxnews.com/112008/worm_tumor_700.wmv
Click to expand...

I just pulled in from a trip and saw this response, Paul.

I'll have to watch the video later and see part of your reasoning.

Does this mean though that it's OK for southern black people to eat it but not white ones? Trying to help someone with something you find detestable doesn't seem right either, does it?:rolleyes:

I know, it's the south and things are different down there. Gotta go, bro. Unpacking to do and all!
 
NE450No2 said:
Paul you are missing out on dome great meat.

I put myself through College being a Butcher.

Wild pig meat is a lot tastier than store bought pork.

I have shot several hundred pigs over the years, I have never killed a bad tasting one...
Click to expand...

How do you clean the meat? Draw it in salt and ice water in a cooler? Marinade in buttermilk? How do you do it?
 
Skip,

The local blacks eat chitterlings (chittlin's), which is just cleaned hog guts. Their taste doesn't correlate well with mine, so I just gave them what they seem to prefer. They, of course, were under no obligation to accept those piglets. ;)

Under cooked meat and/or unclean hands seem to be the infestation route. One of the problems with any meat that isn't cooked well is the remaining blood that is the first faction to spoil and tends to carry more than it's share of diseases and parasites. Sorta like that bazillion eggs that were recalled from Iowa, where thorough cooking alleviated many of the problems.
 
Paul5388 said:
Skip,

The local blacks eat chitterlings (chittlin's), which is just cleaned hog guts. Their taste doesn't correlate well with mine, so I just gave them what they seem to prefer. They, of course, were under no obligation to accept those piglets. ;)

Under cooked meat and/or unclean hands seem to be the infestation route. One of the problems with any meat that isn't cooked well is the remaining blood that is the first faction to spoil and tends to carry more than it's share of diseases and parasites. Sorta like that bazillion eggs that were recalled from Iowa, where thorough cooking alleviated many of the problems.
Click to expand...

Yea, and we had them at least once a month in Iwakuni on base! In the mess hall!

Man did those things stink! I ate out that night. Now, when it was pork chop night, LOOK OUT BABY! I was all over that!

Oh, how do you fix it? When they were cleaned by our guide and I, they were stuck right in a cooler. I mean, it's just meat, period. No special incantations are needed.

When it was butchered, we had some made into sausage. A little hotter than the mild but not hotter than the hot stuff you buy in the market. Makes awesome gravy!

At any rate, if it is cool enough, hang it like you would a deer and let it get good and cold before you try to butcher it. Cuts easier that way.

The butcher can make it into all the normal cuts of pig.

As for preferred taste, never could get used to cow brains either.

Since we cook all of our pig meat until it is well done, there ain't gonna be no problem anyhow.

FWIW
 
Hog killing around here was always done in the coldest part of the year and the whole operation was done in one day, except for rendering. Spoilage was one of the main concerns, especially with hog meat. It just seems to spoil quicker than other farm raised meat products.

Long ago, I would eat a pork chop or two, but not the fat! It's all fat meat, from the tail to the snout, so I prefer to eat turkey bacon and forget about the rest. ;) I tend to get plenty of fats from whole milk and real butter, so I don't even need pork to increase my fat intake.
 
How far away were they when you blasted em? I've killed hogs with a .22 LR so I can believe bird shot doing the trick. One of the biggest bucks ever killed locally was killed by a kid with some kind of youth .410 and birdshot, it jumped out right on top of em and he shot it in the neck and dropped it deader than Thanksgiving turkey.
 
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