Posted on 04/09/2013 1:31:33 PM PDT by Kartographer
Feral pigs are becoming a wild problem in the United States.
The wild hogs can now be found in three-fourths of U.S. states and their populations are growing in many areas and are estimated to cause $1.5 billion in damages each year, the Associated Press reports. There are currently more than 5 million wild hogs in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
By all accounts, the animals are quite intelligent. They also sport razor-sharp tusks and can be aggressive toward people and pets.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
“They shoot so many. Do they eat them?”
Unfortunately, Havolina meat is usually pretty crappy
Someone posted a link awhile back about a Restaurant that specialized in Big Boars (the kind I leave on the ground) and they swear that done correctly are better than suckling pig...
Do you know their secret for preparation?
Heck you should educate us on the whole process... love to see it on Youtube... I’m a rube and go the easy route and just save the little ones for eating
TT
(I’m also lazy... the little ones are easier to pack out)
“I hear theyre not good eatin.
I’ve got a good friend that goes to a very large Texas range several times a year to participate in large, organized wild hog hunts, and he comes back each time with several large ice chests packed to the brim with choice cuts that he swears are great eatin’!
They have been pretty much hunted out here in the boot heel. Hubby and a friend used to catch as many males as they could as babies, cut them, earmark and turn them loose. Catch them again later and finish feed them for about 60 days- best eating ever. Lots of stories about the experiences of catching them as well.
There are some left here, but the only ranch with a stable population charges people to come hunt them. Funny on the TV show the landowners are paying to get them gone.
Well a good percentage of my neighbors probably wouldn’t work that hard unless they could pay someone to do it with their EBT cards.
No there is a group of 20-30 hogs which live in the preserve area across the street. Part of my prepping plan :)
Many people see them as big rats so there is a cultural stigma against eating them in some areas. “They are for the laborers” kind of attitude.
They carry diseases in some areas and aren’t safe to eat.
Mostly they are just fine, provided you handle them correctly. Some people use dogs to chase them and herd towards the road where they shoot from the back of a pickup. The adrenaline is running in those and ruins the meat, IMO.
/johnny
When I process one, I have a bucket of soapy water and a bucket of clear water and wash and rinse a LOT during processing.
I have asked my brother to keep the size of the ones he brings me under 120 lbs. That's about all I want to handle at this point.
We use the squealers for bait in coyote traps, and leave the big ones for the buzzards.
/johnny
There are not so many here in the SE quarter but I understand they are expanding their range. A couple years ago we were coming down into Silver City from Arizona and they were quite a hazard on the road. In places we were dodging maybe a dozen per mile.
Yeah they are growing in numbers everywhere, but there should be legislation, to leave them alone.
They are just trying to have a better life and feed their families.
Calling them feral, is just like racism, we need to educate people, and demand sensitivity training, we all just need to understand them.
You got it! And is it any wonder that they eat like..... well pigs, because look at the damage we do to their self-esteem!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.