Pig hunting-good way to fill the freezer?

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My wife and I have been burning through our 2 deer worth of venison and I am looking for a way to get the freezer filled. I know pigs are a big problem across much of the south and some hunts can be had for pretty cheap.

Is wild pig meat worth paying and traveling for?

Are there areas that offer the best bang for the buck?
 

JWP58

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Yield per hog is way less than you'd expect, and yes they are tasty. Even big boars no matter what people say.
 

hflier

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They are a lot leaner so don't expect the same taste and cooking methods as domestic hog.
 

Mischief209

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I find the wild pig taste a bit nuttier. If i had a choice id eat wild over domesic. Most of the pigs ive killed in CA were oak eaters so that might have contributed to the nuttier flavor. Last pig was 230ibs boar that ate just as good as a 125ib sow.
 

Bill V

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I'll be heading to Texas next month to try and put a couple hogs in my freezer. I've done this once before and the meat was tasty. It made great brats and breakfast sausage also. I'm not sure if it's cheaper than just buying some pork, but what fun is that. ;)
 

robtattoo

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I drive to Florida & Georgia regularly for a public land freezer filling. I'm lucky, being married to a vegetarian, but I don't buy any meat, ever. I like to have 3 deer in the freezer & another 4 average hogs (60lb is my most common weight to date) does me for the year, supplemented with a few fish. I've killed pigs from 20, 190lb & they all taste good, despite what you might hear.

Most hogs only yield around 40% if you're really thorough, but it's really good eating. As had been mentioned it's much leaner than domestic, but much tastier
 
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I would say that a 40% yield would be a high number.....more like 25%...

There is so much tendon and gristle in a wild pig you really need to cut a lot of stuff out.

Dont forget to remove the glands...
 

Moose2367

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They are a lot leaner so don't expect the same taste and cooking methods as domestic hog.

Not always, depends on the type of country and feed available.

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texag10

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Take proper care of the meat and it's good eating. When my wife first ate wild hog backstrap she thought I'd bought a tenderloin from Whole Foods. We usually make schnitzel from the backstrap and chorizo for the rest now, but the next one I kill will have the shoulders turned into sausage and the rear hams will be smoked.
 

Frito

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I try to do some pig hunting every year and I keep a lot of it in my freezer. We cook a lot of it in the crock pot with BBQ sauce and I like to grind it into sausage. Seems like every batch that I kill tastes a little different. I've had some that are so good I cut the backstraps into steaks and cook them on the pit and I've also had some that don't even make good sausage. I usually hunt during the early spring where they've had a chance to fatten up a little, the temperature is tolerable and the parasites aren't in full swing yet. I've seen some nasty things cleaning wild hogs.
 

Frito

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Not always, depends on the type of country and feed available.

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That looks like the armor over the shoulder....but that looks like the ball joint of a hind hip in the middle. If that's a hip, that is a fat hog!
 

Moose2367

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That, and the other 2 smaller ones in the back of the bike, are all sows, they don't get the fighting pads like boars do. It was all fat, very good condition. All shot here at home, about 4klms from where i am sitting now.
 
OP
F
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I would be coming from PA. I know there are pigs all over the place across the south. Being that this is a "grocery store run" I want to make sure I get to a place with plenty of pigs.

If I drive, I figure I can keep it pretty cheap and haul everything cold. Cost is certainly not to be over looked.

Anyone having any recommendations for in depth reading for special precautions when dealing with wild pig meat?
 

Nomad

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Pigs are generally getting fat this time of year in the Texas Hill Country. Due to lots of recent timely rains and mild weather, they're fatter than I've seen in a while. My brother and I trapped a 191# boar this past weekend. He was sloppy... and rank. Buzzards gotta eat, same as worms.
 

Nomad

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Is wild pig meat worth paying and traveling for?

To speak more to your question, stalking pigs with archery gear is a lot of fun and the meat is great.

Back when they weren't as common as they are now in my hunting spots, we used to clean damn near every one of them. We're much more discriminating now... esp when it's hot. 50-70 lb shoats are the ideal size, imo. I've bbq'd 25 lbers whole and they're delicious... just not as much "bang for your buck".

This trashy sow has had multiple litters... not the best option.
ZegULvk.jpg


Oh baby... this is what I'm talmbout
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florida
Yes sir it's worth it. I hunt hogs year round here in Florida on my lease. To me it's therapeutic Since I'm so far from the mountains.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Felix40

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If you want to save money there are plenty on public land but its more work. Imo its more fun than sitting over a feeder. Plus your only cost would be gas and a license.

And yeah you are looking at 20-25% yield on decent pigs. They are mostly, hide, tendons, and bone.
 
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Glendon Mullins

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I would be coming from PA. I know there are pigs all over the place across the south. Being that this is a "grocery store run" I want to make sure I get to a place with plenty of pigs.

If I drive, I figure I can keep it pretty cheap and haul everything cold. Cost is certainly not to be over looked.

Anyone having any recommendations for in depth reading for special precautions when dealing with wild pig meat?

I am from virginia and have been going to georgia for like 6 or 7 years now, if you want some recommendations PM me and I will tell you a great spot on public land with plenty of pigs, it's hard hunting, alot of walking through swamps and thick stuff, but killing 2 or 3 is a real possibility in a few days
 
Joined
Feb 10, 2017
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North Carolina
My wife and I have been burning through our 2 deer worth of venison and I am looking for a way to get the freezer filled. I know pigs are a big problem across much of the south and some hunts can be had for pretty cheap.

Is wild pig meat worth paying and traveling for?

Are there areas that offer the best bang for the buck?

we are in nc and hunt pigs sc and its great to have sausage and ribs fresh

in our experience its one game meat you cant tell any difference
 

tracker12

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We travel to Georgia every year for a pig hunt. This year three of us killed 11 in 6 days.
 

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