This happened December 12, 2017
I always look out the back door before bedtime since I have 23 pecan trees. Usually I catch coons or coyotes eating the pecans but lately I had seen a pig 2 times in the last 2 weeks. Well Tonight about 22:15 hrs. I looked out the door and there she was about 50 yards from the back door towards my shop building enjoying some of my best burkett pecans to the North East of my back door..
I had my Bulldog ready and waiting with a full air charge and loaded with Nielsen Specialty Ammo 95 gr swaged hollow points. It is outfitted with a Barsaka FFP Scope and a NiteSite Viper. I grabbed it and returned to the back door and eased it open very slowly. I am glad pigs can’t see any better than me in the dark. I turned on the NS and took aim just under the ear and let the slug fly. POP a good head shot but the pig did not go down immediately but started spinning in circles (left hand spin) then it took off to the west still listing to the left. It crashed through some native desert plants just to the North West of my patio then another left turn and it was not 8 feet from me flopping around on my patio but unable to rise. I put one more shot in it severing it’s spine and ending it’s movements. I dragged it off the patio to the West where I will pick it up and dispose of it tomorrow for coyote bait. I estimate it weighed between 150 and 175 lbs. As you can see it made a bloody mess of my patio which took 20 minutes to wash down.
Too big and gamey already. They are best at 100 lbs or less for my taste. I suppose I could have slow cooked it in a pit to alleviate some of the gamey taste but it was a very cold night and I did not want to mess with skinning and cleaning it (I also know for a fact that it had consumed a dead coyote a week before so NO on this one). Wild hogs are everywhere around here in great numbers. It made wonderful coyote bait though. I discovered I have a large number of coyotes as well since it took less than 48 hours for them to strip the carcass down to a spine and few ribs with one leg still attached. I had to go out of town unfortunately so I only got to take one coyote while the carcass remained. Luckily the coyote I shot was a breeding female so at least one litter of pups will never occur.
These animals are a dangerous pest with razor sharp teeth and a bad attitude (they have injured and even caused the death of persons who were not prepared for a wild hog attack). They rip up crops, trees, fences, roads and cattle ponds as well as destroying native Bob White Quail nest / eggs. Soup kitchens are a thing of cities of which there are NONE in rural Texas. Even name brand establishments do not exist here (fast food or grocery stores). As a rancher I kill them without reservation. Their numbers are on the rise. I have seen as many as 60 in my front yard in wetter years. IF anyone nearby wanted one to eat they are welcomed to it BUT no one around here cares for gamey pork. At one time they were being trapped to go to Asian markets but the buyer shut down. They are routinely hunted from helicopter with hundreds being killed in a session but still they continue to increase in numbers. Having explained all this I will say I will and do eat ones that are around 100lbs or less which are very tasty slow roasted for 24 to 36 hours in a mesquite fired pit. 🙂 I prefer to trap them for eating though rather than shoot them.
Too big and gamey already. They are best at 100 lbs or less for my taste. I suppose I could have slow cooked it in a pit to alleviate some of the gamey taste but it was a very cold night and I did not want to mess with skinning and cleaning it (I also know for a fact that it had consumed a dead coyote a week before so NO on this one). Wild hogs are everywhere around here in great numbers. It made wonderful coyote bait though. I discovered I have a large number of coyotes as well since it took less than 48 hours for them to strip the carcass down to a spine and few ribs with one leg still attached. I had to go out of town unfortunately so I only got to take one coyote while the carcass remained. Luckily the coyote I shot was a breeding female so at least one litter of pups will never occur.
I'm guessing you havent tried iceing the meat for a few days? Helps with getting a lot of that blood out of the meat. Down in Tejas I was using a couple 180qt coolers for just that purpose. A buddy always had hogs either trapped and pinned or fresh dead so I frequently would trade him for some of my Tuna or other offshore catch when heading out of the area. True the younger the yummier but 150# or so is a lot of fine eating. Cut them in half right down the middle lay them in a chest half full of ice and fill over the top with ice. Kepp the drain plug open and just keep iceing as/if needed. Nice kill and YEP that is a hellofa mess. If you got any hounds they would have loved some fresh Hog meat too 🙂
Good tip about icing them down. I was wondering how to soak them like smaller game as we always did to soak the blood out to get the gamey flavor out. I will remember that. We have then in the southern part of Ohio, like a county or two south. Wanna do a pig pit bbq soon as possible.
