REAL GUNS
Active Member
I have never eaten a 400 lb boar but the sows are very edible.
Any good to eat ?
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Wedgy
Well-Known Member
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- Feb 9, 2013
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JE, do you guys get Lyme disease in your area ? (I was going to say your parts but it sounds funny) (Lyme borreliosis, tick spread )The known diseases they can have are, Psevdorablies, Swine Brucellosis, Tuberculosis, Bubonic Plague, Tularemia, hog Coleria, and Anthrax.. Not sure how many of these can be transmitted to humans though.
The common parasites that we see (Mostly during hot weather are, Kidney worms, Stomach worms, Round worms, Whip worms, liver Flukes, and Trichinosis.
J E CUSTOM
We are seeing a big increase I think because it is undiagnosed and nobody takes precautions to mitigate ticks, but they infest deer and pigs out here.
What diseases do you guys have over there that affect wild pigs because that's what I would be asking?
We have here in Australia, mainly in the northern half of the country but it is spreading south & I also believe you have it over there in the USA as well?
USDA APHIS | What is Swine Brucellosis
www.aphis.usda.gov
This is tranferable to humans & these are some of the affects in can have on you-
Brucellosis-Brucellosis - Symptoms & causes - Mayo Clinic
Brucellosis is an infectious bacterial disease often spread via direct contact with infected animals or contaminated animal products.www.mayoclinic.org
I just wanted to point that out but obviously you would track where if any infections would be state by state with your applicable authority.
Not sure how your wild pig population feed but here in Australia a lot of the pigs here due to weather/ land conditions/amount of available natural diet like bulbs/roots etc, when there is no regular feed they start becoming carnivores & will eat anything they can find including kangaroo, goat, fox, sheep, cattle carcasses.
It may not be to different an many other countries?
So with all this in mind if I take a pig it will be very young, still probably while it is still suckling or not long after.
I just do not want to take the chance of parasites, swine brucellosis or even the taste of the meat being affected by eating rotten flesh.
Each to their own of course & its really dependant on local environment of course.
The ones we worry most about are Brucellosis and Pseudorabies. Have known a few friends who has gotten Brucellosis and its bad stuff. Pseudorabies is hell on the dogs most die within hours of contracting it. Other's might make it to the next day.
J E Custom
Well-Known Member
Believe it or not, sense the fire ants have moved in, the Tic population has dropped to almost zero.
This is also one of the benefits of taking the eating hogs during the winter. almost no ticks. and the big ones we just manage them and drag them off without to much contact. (A rope around the snout and tied to the back of a 4 wheeler).
And cases of lime disease are rare.
J E CUSTOM
There is no difference except that some preserve raised hogs get a steady diet of corn maybe. If you go to a high fenced operation in TX, they are trapped in the wild and released in the fenced area. It all depends on the laws of the state where the preserve is. Back in college, I had a friend whose father in law had a hunting preserve on the cumberland plateau in TN who was trying to get into raising a european strain of wild boar for releasing on preserves since shipping them in from out of state was illegal and their weren't enough in the wild at the time in TN to trap them. It didn't stop him from buying pigs that were trapped in FL, trucked to TN and released on his property. This was common among all the hunting preserves in TN. That was over 30 years ago. He has since sold the preserve to a big name outfitter that charges $850 for a day of hunting where you get to kill 1 hog. I don't know where they get their hogs from now. The ones they have on their property are all the classic european boar. They couldn't charge that kind of money for your typical feral hog that you find in Ga and Tx. I assume they raise them and then release them or buy them from someone who raises them in TN which means they are somewhat domesticated. Used to be you couldn't hardly kill a hog without dogs when hunting them in the wild in east TN. I think they just use dogs on preserves to get the pigs running so it doesn't seem like shooting them in a barrel. My friend's father in law would joke that they would run the hunters around the woods for a few hours and then take them to kill a pig.
The only issue with edibility of wild hogs as far as I am concerned is with mature boars and stress factor at death. Size is not an issue with me, albeit the larger ones can be somewhat tougher (as with most game animals). I've eaten many hogs taken in all seasons, and from many different habitats (with different food sources) with no issues except maybe degree of fat deposit. A wild hog will look and taste different from domestic pork. The meat is typically darker (when cooked) and has a different, less bland, taste. Again, I am offended by the taste/smell of cooked mature boar meat, commonly referred to as "boar taint", but some folks are not. I also do not like the flavor associated with hogs killed when in significant stress (sows and even young pigs). Everything else is good as long as the meat is properly cared for. Caution should also be exercised when handling due to the various diseases mentioned. I should also mention that I routinely kill hogs without consumption in order to help control the population here in Texas since they are such a pest and numbers are out of control in areas.
loneranger
New Member
The scent gland runs from the nuts thru the rear hams to the rear of the hog hocks. it is a white tendon that is a flat stringy cord sightly off center in each rear ham to the hocks. I LEARNED this from a guide in Latta,S.C. We have eaten boar hogs over 275lbs . ALWAYS,ALWAYS check the liver on any wild animal included hogs. If the liver is not free of white cankers or discoloration,do not consume !! Happy hunting !!
It has been my experience that generally speaking larger hogs are not as good but that is true with most any game animal you will know right away when you walk up and smell it whether it's edible or not
Buck1970
Well-Known Member
Well all of this and boredom, has me wanting to kill
Some hogs.
Some hogs.
I took this one with the bow probably 25 years ago at 20 yards He was in a cooler on ice very quickly and aged in the cooler for three days before the butcher was ready to process him he was delicious
I look at the liver on darn near everything I take.
Thanks for that info on the gland. I will study up on that.
When and if I were ever to take a large boar, only thing I want is the skull and maybe the tail, bugs and critters can have the rest.
I wish I lived close to you all who throw your hogs away. I would snatch those up in a heartbeat provided they weren't rotted before I could get to them.
Buck1970
Well-Known Member
If you lived near here, you would probably be as tired of them as the rest of us. They literally ruin pastures, crop lands, and in some areas yards. I shoot em all the time and leave lay. And if I call any buddy who has asked for one to see if he wants me to bring
Him one, I get the, "sure , if you'll go ahead and skin it for me!"
If I could, I'd let you have at em.
