Hi, it has been addressed here that wild Pigs are a continuing problem in the US especially in Texas. My question is are they good to eat ? and using South Dakota as an example can they be hunted as varmints. SD has a prairie dog problem and ranchers and the Rosebud Reservation have made money allowing hunters to use them as target practice. regards, Mike

The feral pig problem is large and increasing. See the links below.

My vet in Florida previously hunted them...but gave it up after a couple of his friends caught brucellosis from butchering infected hogs.

We see them alongside roads quite often, occasionally hit by cars.

We recently took a walk around a wild-land park, got to the other side of the lake, and found the ground rooted up over a large distance. Thinking now it might not have been pleasant if we had surprised them.

Larry

https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2...mp;gclsrc=aw.ds

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/...AiAAEgJCZvD_BwE

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13503189/wild-hogs-invasion-feral-swine-bomb.html

Uncle Mike,
Feral pigs are quite edible,in fact probably better meat than what you get in the store.

No steroids/chemicals basically prime protein.

They cause lots of damage.

A couple of years ago,a Texas hunt club went out for a week long feral hog hunt (about 100 hunters) and they harvested over 2,500 feral hogs.

They did not put a dent in the herd and not one scrap of meat was wasted.

So,if you have the oportunity,go out and do some hog harvesting.

Wayne

Hi, Larry mentions something not so appetizing, "brucellosis", regards, Mike

Don't forget trichinosis.

Not long ago, there was the story of a group who cooked and ate black bear meat while they were on a hunt. They all got sick from it. Cooking meat at high temperatures to kill parasites...we are still eating parasites! I guess at that point they are just more protein to be digested.

I hear occasionally of different types of parasites found in things like grouper fish here in Florida...not sure if restaurants cut them out or what the risks are if they are eaten after cooking. Pretty sure some of the fishermen on here have information about that.

Larry

In all my years of Hunting big game, I have never knowingly eaten bear meat. Mainly the reason is I have seen too much of what they eat. Many folks eat bear meat, sausage, steaks, and roasts, but I won't. I have shot 3 black bears that were nuisance bears, and 2 grizzlies that killed livestock, but never ate any of them. Just not my thing.

Pap

Pap,
That is interesting about bear meat. First time I ever heard about game meat not being good.

I am sure that properly prepared,game meat is better than what is purchased at the grocery stores but that is just my opinion.

Uncle Mioke,
I forgot to add,that feral pigs are also known as Razorbacks in some section of the country. And yes,their tusks are razor sharp and can inflict seriuous damage.

Usually fairly heavy calibers are used to harvest them. I am sure that some folks use the 223/5.56 stuff but I would advise against it.

Wayne

Hi, my main question was why these pest are not hunted as varmints and eradicated. I met the chef from the now closed "Cafe Bohemia" in Chicago. They were noted for game and "exotic game" dishes. He told me he had special dinners that he ran and had recently served bear. He told me that the participants thought they were being served prime rib. I have eaten things like squid, octopus and snails that some people would not touch with a barge pole. I think it's cultural as some of my older relatives would eat lambs inners and pig trotters. The only game I have eaten was Deer and Rabbit. Maybe feral pigs can be turned into dog food; just a thought, regards, Mike

I have hunted hogs all of my life. Great eating...no doubt! Here's a quick pic of a (much younger) Capt. Chris on a hog hunt near Immokolee, Florida on Pete Pulitzer's (Yep: "That" family) ranch. It was a bow hunt weekend. The Florida Fish & Game dept. did a study on Pete's ranch and told him if he didn't get rid of several hundred hogs, his deer population would suffer for lack of natural (& other)...(feeders)...food! We killed 94 that 1st weekend and I personally stuck 38 of them!
The population continues to explode in Florida and season is wide-ass-open...year round.
Best, Capt. Chris
PS: Jenning arrowstar, 70 lb. 40% let-off was my rig. Helical fletched turkey-feathered arrows, RH twist. on 2120 aluminum shafts with 5-blade broadheads. It did the job, though probably considered an antique by today's standards...CCS

Texas Landowners that have to clear out hogs now-and-again either hire a pro to bring in a team of dogs or they run capture pens to nab a whole hog family in one drop.

Otherwise, Feral Hog hunting (via rifle/helicopter/whatever) has become a business in Texas.

By-and-large, those business owners aren't interested in seeing the opportunity go away.

Long ago, thinking I would be hunting European boars, I booked a hunt in Tennessee.

Although a youngster did shoot such a pig the day we arrived, the ones we saw and shot all looked like farmyard penned hogs.

They were rancid...the wife refused to cook the meat after trying it for the first time.

The best part of that trip was visiting Sergeant York's grave, whose son was buried alongside him, having been killed in the line of duty with the Tennessee highway patrol. That made the trip worthwhile.

Larry

Larry, that was a nice bit of trivia regarding SGT York.
Thanks!

Larry,
If I am not mistaken,Sgt. York's son was also a WW 2 Veteran.

Him being buried alongside his father reminds me that the two sons of Theodore Roosevelt are buried side by side at Normandy. One was kolled during WW 1,the other a Veteran of the Utah beach landing died of a heart attack the next month.

Also,the daughter of Thedore Roosevelt,married Alexander Sturm (Sturm/Ruger) and she provided the $50,000 start up money for that company.

Wayne

PS- sorry about the thread drift

Bad-Tastin'!
I have hunted many types of game in my life and in many different areas and countries. "ONE" thing, of most importance, with regards to good tasting meat versus bad is this: The condition and conditions of the hunt and the "kill".
I'm not a big dog-hunting fan...except for pointers, setters and retrievers for bird hunts. Here's why...Adrenaline! A whitetail that has been killed after being chased with dogs is (almost always) "stiff" when it is immediately retrieved. Adrenaline has been pumped through it's body...hence the stiffness.
A whitetail that has been "still-hunted" is limp-n-limber when retrieved. Much better tasting also. The same goes for hogs. Now: If a bad shot, resulting in a run-off, will often have mixed results.
I have, most assuredly, have had game run off that I had shot..."BUT"...(There's that word again)...I usually aim for the base of deck, higher portion of the shoulder to "drop" game where it stands. Game running off with a kill-shot from an arrow will not show great stiffness. This is because of the lack of alarming "boom" as when shot with a firearm.
In all of these scenarios one thing is common: Lack of rapid adrenaline flow leaves tasty meat.
Stay Sharp, Capt. Chris

Wayne--

A bit "off topic"...but in passing...

I recently discarded the latest American Rifleman...with a long article on the history of Ruger firearms...including the source of the $50,000 initial investment that got Bill Ruger underway.

Look it up if you can. Very interesting story.

Larry

Capt. Chris--

Some good points about gaminess.

With wild hogs, note that they are not castrated (ouch). But domestic boars are. Wonder if that also makes a difference.

I have posted on other threads about the gaminess of elk I have shot...with instant kills and no running and recovery effort. Of course, they were in rut...which "might" affect flavor what with elevated hormones throughout their system???

Also, contrast the flavor of Ohio deer that were corn-fed and acorn-fed to Pennsylvania deer that ate a lot of hemlock.

I think we also agree that prompt field dressing and cooling make a difference.

Larry

Catch pens in Florida are commonplace and I have a Stanaback Special that has castrated more than a few boar hogs. "Yes" Flavor increases...no doubt & the "rut" adversely affects deer also.
Capt. Chris

"...I have a Stanaback Special that has castrated more than a few boar hogs."

I will be careful around you....

Larry

You're safe so's long as you ain't wallorin' in a catch pen!
CCS

Capt Chris and Larry,
I agree with you on the hunt and the care of the harvest.

Larry,
On occasion I used to have breakfast with Bill Ruger on his yacht the My Yen in Southport harbor.

Wayne

Wayne--

Bet you have a nice Ruger collection?!?

Larry

Larry,
KInd of..................maybe.

Getting back to the original thread,I hear that some of the feral hogs (also called razorbacks or tuskers) can get up to 400 lbs.

That has got to be a lot of bacon for sure.

I doubt if folks use 223/5.56 for them but go to something more substantial,at least 30-30.

Wayne

On the McDaniels ranch, where I used to hunt...just north of Big Cyprus, they found a dead bore hog in the trap. They loaded him, via a farm tractor, onto a trailer and weighed him at the county dump's truck scales...875 pounds! They never quit growin' from what I have been told. There are reports of bores weighing over half a ton...This is just the largest I have personal knowledge of. I used a 257 Roberts, when not bow-hunting on those bad-boys! Good medicine!
Stay Sharp, Capt. Chris

The report of "over half a ton" may be referring to Hogzilla. Hogzilla was shot and killed by Chris Griffin June 17, 2004 in Alapaha, Georgia on Ken Holyoak's fish farm and hunting reserve. It was alleged to be 12 feet long and to weigh over 1,000 pounds. (It was widely considered a hoax or urban legend.) The remains were exhumed in 2005 and studied by forensic scientists for an episode of Explorer (for the National Geographic Channel). In March 2005, they confirmed that Hogzilla actually weighed 800 pounds and was between 6.9 feet and 8.6 feet long. DNA testing was performed, revealing that Hogzilla was a hybrid of wild boar and domestic pig. Hogzilla's tusks measured nearly 28 inches.

WOW!!! No doubt about that!!! Those are some huge hogs for sure!!!

Forget about the 257 Roberts,30-30 for those beasts!! Time to break out the 460 Weatherby!!

I wonder if the meat on those huge beasts is edible or maybe quite rancid??

Of course,proper care of the meat after the harvest is needed but I wonder if it is good.

28 inch tusks?? That will slice and dice you quite nicely.

Wayne

AS mentioned above feral hogs are great eating, especiall the 60-100lb size.
However with ALL game animal cleaning it is highly advisable to wear heavy duty nitrile gloves to reduce any change of contracting undesireable germs, parasites etc.

Bob,
That is good advise for sure and also to clean the knives and such to prevent the transfer of "stuff"

Proper care of game after the harvest is essential.

Wayne

Also I doubt a live animal has rancid meat.
It's usually a case of NOT quickly cleaning and cooling the meat after the kill. The bigger the animal the bigger the challenge, espically when the mercury is a bove 80 which is most of the time in Florida.

I love bow hunting but when I want some some pork a 12ga slug drops them on the spot.

Bob,
Slug shooting weapons have come a long ways over the years.

If memory serves me correctly,it was in the late 50s that Ithaca made their Model 37 with a "roto-forged barrel" designed for slugs.


Then,over time,slug designs have greatly improved and I think it was Hastings that designed the slug barrel rifled for slugs.

Years ago,wash tub sized groups were the norm,now some pretty darn nice groups are being shot.

If you are into big pain,try shooting a Brenneke 3 inch magnum slug. Trick is you give it to the bear to shoot it!!!

Touch one of those off and you will know that the bull pooped in the buckwheat for sure!!!

Wayne

It is awesome how the technology has improved with the old scatter gun for sure. Actually, I guess, across the board relating to ammo.
Very impressive groups are now possible.
Top Dog, no sir! I do not want any of those slugs!

Comment about accuracy of slugs...

I once bought a Winchester Model 1400 and put a scope on it to shoot slugs because that was all that was allowed to hunt deer at that time and place.

The lockup of the barrel to the receiver was sound, and did not vary due to recoil etc.

The scope was mounted on the receiver.

The barrel was quite long...probably best for waterfowl.

From a bench, and shooting standard Remington slugs, this gun would put them in a 5- or 6-inch group at 100 yards.

The longest shot I took was paced off at 140 paces after the deer was down.

But for that shot I held the crosshairs even with the back in line with the heart for the forth shot, and the slug landed in the heart.

Why the fourth shot?

I was sitting near the top of a ridge and the deer was running along a tree line at the opposite side of the bowl I was watching. The first and second shots hit the ground behind him. He paused to try and see where the noise was coming from.

When he stopped, I saw the third shot go low and hit the ground just below his chest.

So, the adjustment in elevation put meat on the table.

Larry

Follow-up about slugs...

The Winchester 1400 barrel-to-receiver mating apparently prevented the barrel moving between shots, so the scope mounted on the receiver worked and maintained "zero" shot-to-shot.

I later bought a Reminton 870 and again I mounted the scope on the receiver.

Big no-no.

That would not maintain zero...no matter what.

However, using the open sights mounted on the slug barrel for this gun worked fine.

Although I had made good use of the scoped Winchester making some long shots in the area I hunted, with successful long shots, I moved over to using just the open sights on the shorter slug barrel and the Remington.

Larry

Even though the shotgun barrel to the receiver hook up seems solid,there is always some sort of movement/shift shot to shot.

Ghost ring set ups on the rear of the barrel seem to work quite well.

Wayne

Wayne--

I don't remember the way the barrel and receiver mated up on the 1400.

When I get a chance, I will look at it, and also double check whether the rifling on the slug might have put some torque on the barrel and maybe helped to tighten the connection.

Larry

Larry,
It will be interesting to see how the barrel/receiver on that shotgun is set up/

Wayne

Wild hogs a nuisance in California!

I did not know that.

I have not read this article yet, but wonder if they really do kill a lot of people?

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13775089/wild-beast-california-school-damage-chaos.html

Larry

its prob a crime to kill wild pigs in CA
the CA govt will want to rescue the pigs and try to get them adopted

Spot on Kelly!

Kelly,
So I guess you are in line to adopt one of those feral hogs??

I mean,that is just what Texas needs,is some more feral hogs....right???

I had heard that last year,a hunt club in Texas had a week long feral hog hunt. They harvested 2,500 hogs,not one scrap of meat was wasted,and they did not even put a dent in the herd.

As you know,feral hogs are causing serious damage all over.

Wayne

other states prob handle the ferals better than CA will......gun mags are too small in CA......and you cant order and ship any type of high performance air induction/filter system for cars and trucks to CA

Kelly,
I agree with you on that!!!

Seems that CA always has been a bit bass akwards.

Wayne

I just read an article where they say warthogs are running wild in Texas now. I think the Southwest corner. Has anyone heard of this?

Alan,
I may be wrong on this but are wart hogs a"close cousin" to the feral pigs???

I do know that the feral pigs are causing huge amounts of damage in the southwest.

Wayne

I know that some African game animals have been brought in for paying customers to shoot...call it hunt if you like.

Did not know wart hogs were brought in. Like in Florida, bringing in non-native species has consequences for the habitat and for native species.

As an aside...Pablo Escabar had hippopotamuses brought into Colombia...and they are becoming a problem.

Larry

In 2020, a population of warthogs, descendants of escaped individuals from game ranches, were running free in southern Texas.

It seems that every year there are more invasive species than native species.

Just look at the Burmese Python problem in south Florida for one example.

Then,of course,the Snakehead Fish problem.

Wayne

Wayne--

And all the invasive species problems originate with problem people.

Larry

Larry hit upon it I believe!

Shoot & Larry,

Yep,no doubt about it,some people are the problem.

I never met a dumb animal...............but as for humans...........

Wayne

Organized hunts in Texas, and $15 bounty.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13719343/wild-hog-invasion-hunters-bounty-texas.html

Larry

Larry,
That is interesting for sure.

Terrible amount of damage done but the feral hogs and other invasive species.

Wayne