Differences in wild hog vs domestic pig meat???

[sunny]

My wife & I are considering a hog hunt.  We are both well accomplished big game rifle hunters, however, our days of trophy pursuits are behind us now but we really enjoy good table-fare.  We have been informed that hogs in the 60 - 80 lb. range make the best table-fare.  Kindly confirm?

How much actual meat should we expect per wild hog/boar of this size and kindly explain how close this wild boar/hog meat is to domesticated pork?  

Would the hind-quarters have to be smoked and again, how close would this wild meat ham be to a domestic pork ham?  

Do wild hogs have the same kind of pork fat as a domestic pig?

Kindly explain the differences in the wild vs domestic meat including the bacon?
 
Thank you.

[oso45-70]

Sonny

You will find the wild hog has a lot less fat, And how much fat he has depends on what his main stay feed is. If he is unlucky enough to have some real lean days and nights he will not have much fat. As far as the taste, In my opinion the wild hog is by far the best eating of all. Hope you do well in your Pig hunt............Joe..........

[sunny]

Thank you Joe...  Might you be able to shed any light on my other noted questions???

Sunny

[briarpatch]

Wild hog is my favorite game meat.  'The 60 to 80 lb hog is just about perfect for eating.
As a guess I would think about 20 lb of meat excluding hide, head, feet, bone and guts Someone  here may be able to give a better answer to that.
I find the wild hog better tasting  than its domestic counterpart. The reason I think would  be due to its forage of wild roots, nuts and other plants.
The fat is the same just not as much of it.
Unless you are planning on keeping the small hams for a long time there is no need to smoke them I just put them in the freezer untill I am ready to roast or bake them. Usually we will cook the  whole hog over charcoal or in the ground.
I never messed with the middlin or bacon just not much there but if you wanted to slice it out it may be worth it and would sure make a good pot of beans.
I think you and your wife will enjoy the chase and the meal.    have fun   briarpatch

[sunny]

Thanx Briarpatch, really appreciate your info...  Do you really think there is a 65 - 75% waste on hogs whereby 20 lbs of meat from a 60 to 80 lb hog?

[PEPAW]

I prefer a larger sow (the bigger the better).   Otherwise, you don't get as much meat for all your good shooting and hard work.  
I also prefer a head shot for the same reasons.    Not so tricky with a scoped rifle at close range.    Much more handy than a shoulder shot when it comes to dressing out such fine table fare .
I don't care for boar meat and would not suggest a sow with piglets.  Sows can't help but be lean when nursing several little ones.    Most of us would not shoot a sow with tiny babies, but once I shot one at very close range and didn't see the pigs until it was too late.   She did not retreat when surprised and I shot fast.
A wild hog is a narrower, leaner animal than a tame hog.   If you are lucky, they will be fat, but most are just leaner due to the miles they cover.   A deer will seldom leave its little core area.   A wild hog will and does travel miles for food and water.  
I love the pork loins cooked whole and have most of the rest cut into tenderized ham steaks.   Any remainder is ground pork.  
Have fun and enjoy the meat.  

pepaw

[sunny]

PEPAW -

Thank you for your reply...  OK, definately big sows without little ones.  Might you know approximately how much meat & waste there is on a good size sow?  Also, will the sow meat taste like domestic pork?  We are currently in contact with the Nail Ranch & another location in Texas,  which supplements their hog diets with corn, perhaps to add more fat to the meat.  We still have elk in the freezer, but when that's gone we are also in the process of looking into buffalo hunts.  Have you ever tasted buffalo meat?  If so, what info can you provide?  Thanks again...

Sunny

[Wynn]

I agree that a larger, non lactating (only 2 or 3 weeks after dropping a litter) sow of any size is fine eating, especially if you are going to butcher it to individual portion size. I have access to processing equipment and get about 30 to 35% return by weight, especially if the hog is fat. I usually process them to ham steaks and chops and grind the rest to sausage. Sometimes saw the ribs up, roast them some and cook them in with rice. Small ones are best bar-b-qued whole. Not much for bacon even on a fattened wild hog. The flavor of wild pork varies by diet. Using corn to bait or fatten them will generally make the meat milder and some I have trapped and raised for several months could not be differentiated from domestics in flavor. Others that have been strictly on a natural diet, may be fat from acorns & red root but stronger tasting. (still good eating) Others have been so lean that they ended dry and tough. I usually grind these up with 25% beef/pork fat for sausage & chile. ANY boar over 125lbs is going to be strong in flavor and true mad at the world, deep woods with a attitude tophies will likely be unfit to eat. Drop one and you will know why. These are strictly for the wall.(boil the meat for the dogs-OUTSIDE & away from the house) "Some" large, wild hogs in our area have been trapped when young, castrated and released. These are the ultimate in good eating.

[sunny]

Wynn -

Thank you for the detailed information...  My wife gives it the thumbs up for one of our late winter or early spring hunts account we like to hunt in the cooler weather.  Naturally she wants to know if there are any casinos in Texas???  That's my gal - you gotta love her...  She is thinking about taking her Browning BAR MKII in 300 WSM w/Boss, which was & remains an out-of-the-box shooter of .5 to .75 groups.  I am considering taking 2 of my original 300 win mags, Browning BAR w/Boss & the custom built rifle my gal recently got me for our 30th wedding anniversay.  We figure the quick follow-up shots with our BAR's would be beneficial.  Do you think our 180 gr. Partition elk loads would do for the head shots (behind the ear) or should I consider one of our heavier trophy bonded bear claw loads???  Pursuant to the waste & actual obtainable amount of pork, we will be hunting for 4 to 5 hogs each...  Sounds like fun & good eats except for the boars!!!

Sunny

[Wynn]

Any of the firearms you listed are excellent hog stoppers. I use 180 gr partitions almost exclusively in my 06. Never lost one to a lack of bullet performance. Suggest you study the anatomy of a hog briefly before your hunt. The heart/lung area is lower and further forward than on elk or deer. Head shots in or slightly behind the ear are always a instant kill. The base of the neck about 2/3 down is good also. Good luck, safe hunting, good eating and most of all; have fun.

By the way; I have had Buffalo steak one time and it was delicious. Tender and as good as any beef. However it was from a ranch raised animal, commercially slaughtered and chef prepared. Cannot comment on a hunt harvested animal.

[howie1968]

after shooting hogs with every caliber imaginale from 22 to 375 H&H using premium bullets to corelokts  i have my favorite choices  i love a 45-70 my second favorite is a marlin 30-30 ive killed them at all types of ranges head shots/neck shots immediate drops  i wintnessed my daughter drop a 120 lb hog in his traqcks with a 30-30  i killed a boar around 400 and dropped him in his tracks from a shoulder shot from the fine 30-30. ive shiot them, with 270 30-06 i loved a reminton 308 semi auto for hogs that was a hog getting gun for me  i recently started using a 50 cal muzzleloader on them 2 shots 2 hogs dead in there tracks with shoulder shots.  your gun will work fine on the hogs shot placement is essential and bullet peformance if you are worried about bullet perfomance do go with the partions fail safes and trophy bonded and so forth  personally ive killed well over 100 hogs and  found a simple corelokt always worked for me

[PEPAW]

Sorry, no casinos in TX.    And you are going to be a long way from the county line in Albany.    
I bet you have an awesome hunt.   I have always wanted to deer and hog hunt the Nail, but never found the time or funds.    
In my opinion, any reasonable "deer rifle" will work for Texas hogs.   Just make sure the first shot is good and not back.   I will be interested in seeing what they say about taking eating hogs.    Most hunters lean towards big "trophy boars".     At home,  I shoot them all and then sort them out.    :grin:

pepaw

[sunny]

Wynn & Howie -

Thank you both for the excellent information contained in your replies.

Per your notice Wynn, I looked up the hog anatomy & I am really glad you brought this issue to my attention!!!  I also appreciate your input concerning buffalo meat, which we are also looking into seeing as our elk venison freezer is less than 25% full from earlier this year.  It's amazing how much faster the freezers go down now that we have gotten away from trophy hunting (with all that sausage & ground meat) & turned into quality meat hunters.  

Howie, I also appreciate your caliber input & I totally agree with your caliber assessments.  The rifles I previously noted are just our favorites, which is based upon our preferred enjoyment & challenges of long range shooting & big game hunting.  Like yourself, we also pride ourselves on our preferred 1-shot, dead in their tracks kills or an occasional quick follow-up shot, if needed.  In our experiences, there has been nothing worse than having to assist others in a hunting party track their poorly shot wild game animals.

Sunny

[sunny]

PEPAW -

I've been in contact with Craig Winters at the Nail Ranch, who is very accommodating, & has advised that they have more than enough hogs and other game animals to go around.  At least with respect to their hog hunts, anything from small sows to trophy boars is fair game...  Based our conversations & correspondences with Craig, it seems like my wife & I will be very satisfied with our hunts at the Nail Ranch...  With respect to the trophys, we're out of wall space & the taxidermy savings now keep us hunting 3 of the 4 seasons...  

Sunny

[Lloyd Smale]

If you get a chance to hunt buffalo and want to shoot a trophy at least take along enough money to shoot one cow too. Cow buffalo meat is about the best meat youll ever eat.

[sunny]

Lloyd -

Our trophy hunting days are well behind us now - besides we ran out of wall space.  However, on a positive note, the savings from our taxidermy expenses now keeps us hunting 3 of the 4 seasons.  Additionally, we don't have to grind up the old shoe leathers into sausage like we used to.  Now we enjoy tender & truly tasty meat from our kills.  My wife & I have never tasted bison meat, however, she is looking into recipes & I am contacting outfitters in the Dakotas.  The information I am receiving is right on par with your information, whereby the cows have more fat & are thereby much better table fare...  The remaining question is - do we want younger or older cows???

Sunny

[rockbilly]

The Nail ranch is a fine place.  My place is just a few miles from the Nail ranch.  It is an old ranch, and has good management that produces excellent game.

Now, for the difference in taste of wild or domestic pigs.  Domestic pigs are held in small pens and grain fed to produce fat that some say makes the meat tender.  It also has a great deal to do with the taste of the meat.  Feral pigs browse on many different things, acorns, roots and even dead animals.  I have had some wild hog that was great, but most has a game taste to some degree.  How strong the taste is depends a lot on the individual pig (boar, feeding sow, etc) and what they have been feeding on.  Another thing, hunting Texas is great, but remember, it is usually HOT, any game killed must be dressed and cooled as quickly as possible.  And when shooting wild game you always have the possibility of shooting a sick animal,

Course with enough chili powder and mesquite smoke you can make an old boot taste good.      

[hudsonscreek]

Last feb. was my first hog hunt. my son & i each got  a hog one boar & a sow in the 160 to 175 lb range both were shot with 257 roberts with 117gr sierra bullets. both were head shots & instant kills. we lost about 55% by weight. the meat was mixed at the butcher, it is very good eating but some is tough & some is tender it is all good. I feel that the next time we will have it cut to chops, loin and large roast, then grind the rest to breakfast & italian sausage. now about buffalo I feel it is the best meat of them all. i live in colo. and we have a large choice of places to shoot buff.we ask a lot of questions of the ranches, like are they feeding or is it range fed. some of the ranches  hold them in a corral and want you to shoot them there or they have a small pasture that they go out and drop feed for them and want you to shoot while they feed. there a lot of places that offer a hunt on free range. it still is an easy hunt. your shot seldom has to be over 100 yds. any deer or elk rifle that you can get a one inch group with will do. i use a T.C. in 357 herret with 180 gr. hornady soft points. and aim one inch behind the ear. they have all been one shot kills. the best eating comes from 2 year old cows. you will have to pay from $500 to $650 for a 2 year old. I hope this helps you out. :grin: