Hog hunting??

G

gadwal@roadrunner.co

Inactive
I am an "Old Fart", but new to the forum. Too damm old to be hunting, but too stuborn to quit.. I have a couple of questions and need your advice and/or opinions,,,,

I'm going to SW Texas next month to do some hog hunting, and wondering how to/best method of getting those pork chops safely back to Kentucky...
Also wondering if my TC Encore 25/06 will anchor a proker.

If any of you have been there/done that, I would appreciate your advice.
 
How long will you be in TX? Butcher it up and freeze it while you're here. When you leave, put it on ice. Dry ice if you don't wanna replace the ice every once in a while. If you have time before it's frozen (or after you thaw it before you eat it), soak it in a cooler of water with a cup or so of vinegar for 2-3 days. Change the water and vinegar each day. If the meat gets blue, use less vinegar.

As for the 25-06... I've used a .223, so I'm sure it'll work. Just shoot em behind the ear.

http://www.texasboars.com/articles/recipes.html
 
Zoomie

Thanks for your info; I really appreciate it...Thye link you provided was great.

I don't think I'll be there long enough (3 days) to have it frozen, and not sure about the availability of dry ice. I've been wanting to try wild pork for years, and don't won't to get back home with spoiled meat.
 
So long as you gut it promptly and cool it down ASAP the meat will hold for at least 2 weeks in a fresh condition. I know that may sound like a long time but beef will keep a month or more. Pork is not as stable as beef for some reason but it will keep longer than you think so long as it is not thermally abused immediately after the kill.

As for the 25-06............ Plenty of gun with 117-120 bullets. One thing though: hogs are for eating so do as suggested and be very careful with your shots. Shoulder shots are to be avoided.

I don't have a link handy but do a search and you will find a hog anatomy. Note where the heart is ( Much lower than a deer. ). Keep that fast moving bullet in the ribs/lungs or in the neck/head so as not to mess up what you are shooting him for.

My brother in law does the vinigar thing. I've never seen the need. Still it could be that the hogs you will be hunting are feeding on different stuff or are older than what we usually encounter so it's a good insurance policy and not any real trouble.
 
Another question???

Ok fellers... I have another question; I know it will probably sound stupid to you "old hogers", but I have to ask....

Do you skin these things like you would a deer, or do it like my grand-dad did, by putting one into a vat of hot water; then scrape the hair off. I don't know what the [beeep] to do, once I get one on the ground, and I'll be driving too far; working too hard; paying too much for food, fuel & motels, to risk coming home with a bunch of spoiled meat.

What do I need to do before I ice it down for transport??
 
gad....,
A wild hog is most often skinned out due to need. But the skin on hair off method is best. As a hunter you are limited. Scalding can only be done with an intact hog, guts in place. I hav a buddy in new zealand who uses dogs but due to terrain he can't bring live hogs out of the "bush" like I do. He uses a torch like the one used to melt ice and do roofing...
Here is a link I did about it...
http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=335969
After each torch pass the burned hair is scraped off... when it is smooth in all directions it will turn out good...
Brent
 
g@rco, Are you going to be with a guide or with local folks that know the area? If with a guide for a small fee he will take care of your kill, if with some locals they should know someone to help you out. If your out there by yourself, good luck. orchidhunter
 
If you skin it you remove much room for error on the part of the chef... Wild hog is leaner so without the skin to retain moisture you MUST stop cooking when inner temp is 5 degrees from done. The outer heat will radiate in bringing up the temp in 5-10 minutes...
Also piercing the meat an inch to 2 inches deep and placing fat back bacon, piece of garlic, and a little chunk of pineapple or apple every 2-3 square inches will add flavor and retain juiciness. I can give better details when asked for them and will even phone to make sure we are on the same page... enjoy the hunt and expected pork...
Brent
 
this is new to me but a friend did this on an Arizona elk hunt. He went oncraigslist and bought a chest type freezer. He put that in his truck with a small generator along side. They butchered the animal and wrapped it and froze it at camp. When he would stop for the night or to eat he would start the generator and give the freezer a shot of cold. Everything got home in perfect shape. He spent 75 bucks on the used freezer and he had a small generator already. He said it work better than he could have expected. Had the freezer died. He was ready to just pack everything in ice.
 
If using the freezer method... place a ziploc of ice CUBES in with the frozen meat. If it thaws enuff to melt the cubes, than you know measures need to be taken....
Brent
 
Also wondering if my TC Encore 25/06 will anchor a proker.
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It will do a fine job on hogs. Be advised that hogs are not built the same as deer. Try to avoid shooting a wild hog through the upper shoulder: Shoot them low behind the shoulder or through the lower shoulder. Read this article.

http://www.dixieslugs.com/anatwpig.htm

By looking at the above diagram it will be obvious the vitals of the wild hog are well forward in the body cavity. You should also notice the location of the shoulder blade in reference to the head and neck. The ideal shot location is in the lower part of the shoulder blade area.
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Most of my hogs are shot from tree stands at ponds: If the is hog pointed toward the stand with its head down drinking, a shot just to the rear of the ears will anchor it every time. So will a shot between the shoulder blades. Good luck on your hog hunt.
 
For skinning the hogs, you will find it a quite different experience than a deer. I can normally tug the hide off the body of the deer while working around the legs. Hogs are quite a bit different in this regard and the fat is really compact, dense from just behind the front shoulders through the neck. I go through a couple blades in the process.
 
glove up for hoge

contact the texas parks and wildlife about hogs. i own a farm in east texas and we just had a seminar about hogs. they are carriers of a bacteria that can cause an infection if it enters the skin, so buy some disposeable surgical type gloves and you will be ok. as far as the 25/06 i have shot them with .222 to ak's and sks's. if you see ten shoot all of them we are overrun with them.
 
hmm, never used gloves to skin hogs.
Anyways, you will want to skin the hog first, before gutting.
There is a pretty good reason for this. Hogs really like their skin and want to stay attached to it , more so than deer do.
If you gut first, it makes skinnin a reall pain in the arse.
An Ice chest will do just fine for transport. I leave mine in a ice chest for a week no big deal. I know, you are supposed to put hogs in the freezer faster. Whatever. My kids, wife and I eat probably 1500 pounds of wild hog meat a year, for the last 5 years. We havent had any new twitches develop yet. A big ice chest will be your best bet. If possible, keep the meat dry, but dont freak if it sits in ice water. It will make for interesting sausage farts during the grinding process, but other than that, no harm done. I hope you have fun
down here in these parts. Hope you have a hunting license, and a hunter safety course. The parks and wildlife figured out that alot of money was being missed out on for just allowing people to hunt hogs for "free" . I get hasselled by the gamewarden, everytime he busts me spottlighting.:"Oh, its you guys again" He knows me by first name. He on occasions calls my cell and asks " ARE YOU SPOTLIGHting OVER ON MISS WHATSERFACES PLACE?"
Its ok here, as long as you are after pigs, coyotes, and give them a courtesy call. I just hate calling the damn gamewarden every night, and the sherriff.
 
We havent had any new twitches develop yet
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Hahahahaha

interesting sausage farts during the grinding process
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Blahahahahaaaa

I wish you folks wouldn't keep all that pork to yourselves. You should export half a million of em' up my way. I think hunting hogs would be a hoot.

I seen em in NW Oregon when I was a kid but none up here yet.
 
tell you what, get you a big trailer, and a few dozen traps. Come and get all you want. Youll be kicking yourself for bringing them up there. farmers and ranchers here hate them. I like them barbequed whole myself.
 
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