This may be a dumb question

[mattbowen]

Ok, this may be a dumb question but I have never hunted hogs before and I was told something today that I just don't believe. While I was at work a couple of us started talking about hunting hog and one of the guys said that there was no sense in hunting something you can't eat. When I questioned him about why you couldn't eat a wild hog and he said the because they eat anything and everything and that poisons the meat, in order to be able to eat a wild hog you need to trap them and feed them grain for about two weeks to cleanse them out. Now this to me just doesn't make sense to me, I have seen some hog pens before and I would think that if any of them had to be cleansed it would have been one of them. Is this old coot full of it or not.

I haven't hunted any hog as yet but I plan to and hopefully soon and would sure like to bar-b-q him.

Thank you in advance

Matt

 

[Oliveralan]

The meat definitely isn't poisonous. The bigger hogs tend to have a real nasty, musky smell to em, and i wouldn't recommending eating them, they tend to taste similar to how they smell... however this doesn't make them poisonous, generally, unless they eat some real nasty stuff in your area such has really high doses of heavy metals or such... but i haven't personally heard of something like this. They can carry diseases so make sure to cook them good.
Generally speaking, the smaller hogs, that don't stink (or not as bad if you have a sensitive nose), are good eating, just like stated above, make sure to cook them good!

 

[dieseldoc]

My family has eaten wild bore pigs for years and we are all still here.

Importand items is to make sure you care for the meat and get the hide off SAP and cool it down.

When cooking make sure you get temp internal to 165 and you will be OK.

Charliegun)

 

[J E Custom]

The meat definitely isn't poisonous. The bigger hogs tend to have a real nasty, musky smell to em, and i wouldn't recommending eating them, they tend to taste similar to how they smell... however this doesn't make them poisonous, generally, unless they eat some real nasty stuff in your area such has really high doses of heavy metals or such... but i haven't personally heard of something like this. They can carry diseases so make sure to cook them good.
Generally speaking, the smaller hogs, that don't stink (or not as bad if you have a sensitive nose), are good eating, just like stated above, make sure to cook them good!

+1

The reason most hunters in the south don't eat the larger hogs is because of the heat. During the summer months the larger hogs have lots of parasites under the skin and some in the intestines.

The smaller hogs dont seem to have this problem as much and the ones that do can be seen
during skinning.

Back when they were not as plentiful they were trapped and the large ones were castrated and
fed corn and Lye water up to 8 weeks to mellow the meat and kill the parasites.

Now there are so many we need to kill everyone that we see and sort out the ones that we want
to eat and let the other ones lay.

Large Hogs will eat anything even carrion hence the smell and the bad taste.

I was brought up eating everything I killed and still follow this logic. (But not on Hogs).

J E CUSTOM

 

[mattbowen]

dieseldoc, Oliveralan;

Thank you both for the reply, like I said that I have never been hog hunting but am planing to go, I may wait until winter when it gets a lot cooler but I am going to go. I thought the old geezer wasn't in his right mind. When I do get to hunt them and start to cook I will definitely take your advice.

Thanks again

Matt

 

[dieseldoc]

+1

The reason most hunters in the south don't eat the larger hogs is because of the heat. During the summer months the larger hogs have lots of parasites under the skin and some in the intestines.

The smaller hogs dont seem to have this problem as much and the ones that do can be seen
during skinning.

Back when they were not as plentiful they were trapped and the large ones were castrated and
fed corn and Lye water up to 8 weeks to mellow the meat and kill the parasites.



Now there are so many we need to kill everyone that we see and sort out the ones that we want
to eat and let the other ones lay.

Large Hogs will eat anything even carrion hence the smell and the bad taste.

I was brought up eating everything I killed and still follow this logic. (But not on Hogs).

J E CUSTOM

My son and I always hunted hogs in winter and spring and one trip when stalking a bunch of pigs, got within 50 yards and set up. When smoke cleared we had two on the ground. Mine was a 120 pound dry female and his was the 350 pound big bore. When we went over to his pig the smell was something else. After processing meat at home we found the big boy was so bad even the dogs won't eat the meat.
So I agree with JECustom, don't shoot the big boys for food.

Charliegun)

 

[mattbowen]

J E Custom, dieseldoc;

I will take your advice, I will shoot the big boys just to get rid of them but this most likely won't happen until it gets a lot cooler.

Thanks again

Matt

 

[WyoElk2Hunt]

Most of the time I make sausage out of the pigs and would only save the back straps for cooking, cleaning and preperation is the key to all game meats.

 

[mattbowen]

WyoElk2Hunt;

I have to agree with the cleaning and preparation.

Matt

 

[TheRoaminRaider]

Dieseldoc has the right advice, cook it to 165, not the 140 as per the gov't pork recommendation!!!

First, I gotta say that I hog hunt often and always eat the meat. It's delicious. But, in the interest of having well informed masses, I gotta play devil's advocate for a minute.

Alot of older people (I'm assuming since you called him an old coot), especially in the south, remember a time when eating hog (and alot of other omnivorous/carnivorous game) was a good way to get Tricosinosis. It's an infection of roundworms in the intestines associated with undercooked game and even the pork you get at the grocery store. Over the last 50 years or so increased FDA regulations and better producer/consumer awareness have nearly wiped it out. There are only a few (<5) reported cases a year these days in the U.S, although it is re-emerging in China and other countries where they feed livestock raw meat as feed.

Not trying to scare anyone away from game meat, but I don't want anyone getting hurt either. Just use common sense with what you cook (like nothing hunted near a landfill) and how you cook it (nothing "rare") and you will be perfectly fine.

 

[The Wolverine]

It ain't killed us yet.

 

[mattbowen]

Thanks again for the replies.

Wolverine; Nice looking Bar-B-Q and a fine looking rifle.

I am going to wait until the weather gets cooler.

Thanks again

Matt

 

[meatyrem]

Just go to texas and hunt the wild hogs down there. They are excellent, esp over an open fire. You'll be convinced in a hurry!!!


P.S and i'll asure you that you will live long enough to come back and tell all of us here how it went and how much you want to go back for seconds!!!

 

[jeff 300]

I have eaten hog my whole life the only thing is the boars are not the ones you want get a small sow clean and cook it right and you will love it. I run hog hunts down here in south Texas and the boars usually get left where they fall are we have a little fun with them. In the hot months the fleas are so bad i won't touch one.