Wild Hog Meat

[finesse_r]

We've got wild hogs out here but in my opinion they aren't worth eating. They all taste real gamey. If you're planning to put one on the table the way to do it is to trap a young hog, feed it up on corn until it gets big enough then butcher it. Done that way, the meat tastes real good.

Serious hog hunters in this area use catch dogs. The dogs catch the hog alive, and the hunter ties it up and puts it in a cage to haul to a pen where the hog is fed on corn for a couple of weeks. That takes care of the wild taste.

My only dog is a female German Shepherd Dog, and I would never use her to hunt hogs with. She does love the hog bones with a little meat left on them of course.

There are ways to cure it and cook it so it tastes pretty good. It makes a good jerky as well. Not as good as deer of course, but pretty good eating.

 

[Muley Gil]

I was in Kosovo from 2002 to 2004. Out in the rural areas, they have hunting associations, armed with shotguns, that try and keep the wild hog population in check because they tear up the crops.

The local association invited the international police officers to partake of some wild hog. The meat was quite good. Oh and BTW, these hunters were all Muslim!

Another time, one of our local Kosovo police officers brought me some smoked wild hog. I asked him how come he ate this if Muslims weren't allowed to eat pork. He smiled and winked at me and said, "Because it is wild, sir. That makes it alright."

 

[M3Stuart]

Good information. Thanks.

There are hogs all over my land in near-East Texas but I've never hunted them because I wasn't set up to do it 'right' and had heard that they weren't very good eatin'. But now I know better!

 

[Cocked & Locked]

I find them to be rather tasty...backstrap, ribs, shoulders for BBG and sausage from the hams. The smaller the better.

But as my friend and forum member Nframe warned me years ago, take steps to avoid brucellosis.

Brucellosis in Feral/Wild Pigs : Public Service : Clemson University : South Carolina

 

[Roadtrash]

Like has been stated above it's all in the preparation. Although if you can catch one alive and pen it up and feed it scraps from the garden and stuff like that it will be great as well.

 

[redlevel]

A shoat is a castrated boar/ like a steer.

Actually, what you describe is a barrow, often shortened to "bar."

A shoat is a young weaned hog of either sex, up to maybe 50-75 pounds.

A gilt is a female hog that hasn't yet had a litter.

A sow is a female that has had a litter(s)

A boar, of course, is an intact mature male.

I am with the group that says it depends on what they have been eating. In South Georgia, feral hogs often feed largely on agricultural fields and products, particularly peanuts and corn. Those taste pretty good, even the intact males if you get them at 100 pounds or less. Some of the deep swamp hogs are so full of parasites that I just wouldn't eat them without catching, penning, worming, and feeding on corn for a month. I don't care what you say about proper care and preparation of the meat, a 300 pound sow, raised in a 105 degree summer in a deep swamp in South Georgia is practically inedible. Probably dangerous to eat without some serious heat for a long time. I had a student who helped her parents in a deer/hog processing facility. She and her uncle both got a serious infection from cleaning one of those old rank swamp hogs. Had to stay in the hospital for a week or so.

 

[35Rem]

A shoat is a small weaned pig
A bar is a castrated boar

 

[armenius]

I have a theory about the so called "Feral hog" problem or "pig bomb".These hogs are nothing but farm hogs who have been allowed to free roam.When I was growing up in the 1930's to 1960's the rural folks kept hogs,and many were allowed to free roam until the fall when crops were made,then they were allowed to glean the fenced corn and bean fields after being trapped.Then with the first cold weather in December or January "hog killin'" time was here.Every farm had fires burning and barrels of water steaming.Everything of the hog was used except the sqeal.Incidentally a persons hog was identified by ear cuts.
Now to the problem of the "Pig Bomb" and my theory.You can say you heard it here.I was considering it one day and then it occurred to me.There was no excess pig or deer problem until the 1960's! And what occurred about that time?THE GREAT SOCIETY and increased welfare and food stamps.I went to my computer and checked out the graphs of welfare recipients since 1960 and the feral pig population graph and they follow the identical curve.People have left the farms,and a few remaining would rather get pork chops at Winn Dixie than kill,scald,scrape and butcher then make ham and bacon.I ran my theory by a farm supply friend and he agreed that if food stamps were reduced we would no longer have a deer and hog problem,and probably turkey as well.Prior to the 1960's all were a large part of the diet of many persons.So, is wild hog good to eat?You better believe it,if you are willing to do some work.As a point of interest one supplier has traveled around collecting hogs descended from old breeds due to more fat and flavor.He free ranges them to forage for themselves then sells the meat to restaurants who say it is much superior to the current special "lean" hogs.

 

[1morethan8]

I can remember my Grandfather going to the barn and bringing back a ham that had been hanging for over a year...
guess them days would be hard to find now?

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

A sow is a female that has had a litter(s)

So referring to ones wife as an old sow is techincally correct (albeit not wise).

 

[35Rem]

So referring to ones wife as an old sow is techincally correct (albeit not wise).

Depends on how close you are standing to her.

 

[kimporter]

here in ky the dept of fish and wildlife is advising people not to eat them as a lot of them do carry disease's,but we do have an open season on them and they are getting to be quite a problem down in the southern part of the state

 

[Cooter Brown]

Actually, what you describe is a barrow, often shortened to "bar."

A shoat is a young weaned hog of either sex, up to maybe 50-75 pounds.

A gilt is a female hog that hasn't yet had a litter.

A sow is a female that has had a litter(s)

A boar, of course, is an intact mature male.

I am with the group that says it depends on what they have been eating. In South Georgia, feral hogs often feed largely on agricultural fields and products, particularly peanuts and corn. Those taste pretty good, even the intact males if you get them at 100 pounds or less. Some of the deep swamp hogs are so full of parasites that I just wouldn't eat them without catching, penning, worming, and feeding on corn for a month. I don't care what you say about proper care and preparation of the meat, a 300 pound sow, raised in a 105 degree summer in a deep swamp in South Georgia is practically inedible. Probably dangerous to eat without some serious heat for a long time. I had a student who helped her parents in a deer/hog processing facility. She and her uncle both got a serious infection from cleaning one of those old rank swamp hogs. Had to stay in the hospital for a week or so.

I'd agree with this from my experience in this part of the country. I've had some that were great, killed in the mountains on WMAs--they probably lived on acorns and other natural forage and were in areas with clean water etc. I've tried to eat some that were killed in the southern areas--swampy WMAs like Red described, and was convinced after the first bite.

They're certainly a problem. I've read that a pig goes feral in a very short time, to the extent that they grow a rough coat within weeks. I've run into a few with my dogs while bird hunting, one time a huge sow with tiny piglets--that led to a bit of a tense standoff until I threw my hat at her and almost hit her with it. She smelled it and left.

There are woodcock covers and grouse covers as well that have huge areas torn up by pigs that look like somebody's been in there with a roto tiller.

 

[Cocked & Locked]

Boss Hog just hanging around the house...

 

[shouldazagged]

So referring to ones wife as an old sow is techincally correct (albeit not wise).

As you "sow", so shall you reap. And deserve it!

 

[Bartman3562]

We have been to south Texas for 14 years hog hunting. All sows are kept, boars under 150 also. If a big boar is killed, we keep meat separate. Once back home, we cut off a piece of the big boar and pop it in a hot skillet. If it stinks, we throw it all out. If not, add it in. Must admit though, we make hot links, sausage, and brats out of the meat. We have tried just the meat, and it is a little gamey. Put some peppers in there and flavor always gets better Tried a new one a couple years ago. Take your favorite brat recipe, add red and yellow peppers, then jalapenos to taste. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

 

[hangnoose]

ONLY FL EXP HERE

As with any animal what it eats may and usually does affect the taste. My exp's have been how it's handled and cooled is critical in any animal and a good cook can make moose turds taste good. Wild vs domestic, the wild aren't pumped full of antibiotics or steroids and won't typically have as much body fat and have a higher risk of disease and parasites. You may get one it's best to just leave in the field for coyote bait. If it smells bad don't eat it for wild or domestic. Younger aged animals tend to be more tender like veal for example. If I had a choice for a wild hog it would be a 100 lb virgin sow, but I've had all types and all have been good, if the cook does their part. I have a shoulder in the freezer now. I just cut the lower leg bone so it fits in the crock pot, a btl of bbq or mojo, whatever and in app 8 hrs will fall apart with a fork. The pig bomb is BS IMO. They are not wrong about carrying bacteria & crop damage, but animals have been going feral forever.

 

[millisec]

I'm going to try and take a meat pig this winter but I'm still a little paranoid about the rash of parasites and diseases like brucellosis. Fortunately I like my meat well done so hopefully no issues.

 

[MOONDAWG]

So referring to ones wife as an old sow is techincally correct (albeit not wise).

....is generally done only once.

 

[mc5aw]

"Looks like we us a sow 'stead of a boar ..."