Feral Hogs

[iffy]

What do the feral hogs taste like, are they any good?  Around 30 years ago a millionaire built a place on Roberts Island about 20 min from here and had wild boer there to have friends come and hunt not sure how it worked out.

I don't know.Only had a little sample once. I have heard varying reports from inedible to just like domestic. All seemed to agree that a full grown one might require some slow cooking to soften it up a little. I would think for food you would want to avoid the boars and shoot sows.

[Tom]

Granddad said to make sure that they were asleep before you pulled the trigger.  :D

We've eaten a lot of wild hog.  The pigs are best, the old boars, not so good.   They are edible if you are hungry, but they sure are a lot gamier than a domestic.

By the way, Earl Feral is starting to miss his hogs and I hear he is getting mad.

[fishpharmer]

By the way, Earl Feral is starting to miss his hogs and I hear he is getting mad.

Ole Earl traveled nearbout all over the country with his old leaky hog truck.

[Mooseherder]

I saw around 10 Little Piglets on the side of I-95 Southbound this afternoon in Port St. Lucie.
Looked like trash on the side of the road at 78 miles an hour.  They got under or thru the fence and were eating something in the grass.
When I realized what it was I was past them.  Turned around at the next exit to double back for a  picture but they were gone by the time I got back to the spot.  I should of pulled over and backed up instead. :

[Tom]

A client of our family business was killed last year on Midway road, a road that intersects Port St. Lucie, when she hit a hog with her truck.  Her pre-teen daughter was lucky and only seriously injured.

[fishpharmer]

Sorry to hear that Tom, that's awful. 

I just spoke with a friend that is a wildlife biologist, he attended  a "Wild Pig Conference" in Pensacola, FL earlier this week.  Really.....here is the link.
http://www.wildpigconference.com/

My friend was talking with a guy that makes a living exterminating "wild pigs" in Texas.  The Texas guy said he killed 20,000 last year.  TR probably knows him. ;)

[Mooseherder]

Tom,  I was on Midway Road twice today east of the 95.
My work has been in Fort Pierce the last 3 days.  I like to use Midway road over Route 70.
I've seen Dead Hogs on the way to Okeechobee and also on the way to Vero before but never Lil piglets.  There was an assortment of colors in da litter.

[SwampDonkey]

I just traveled about 230 miles on the I95 today and all I seen was about 100 crows, 1 osprey, a dead grouse, and a hawk in a field. ;D

[Ron Scott]

Hog Trappers Sought.

A training session for feral hog trappers will be held at the Bengel Wildlife Center, headquarters of the Michigan Wildlife Conservancy, at 6380 Drumheller Road, Bath, Michigan on May 12 from 6 to 9:30 P.M. MFA has contributed funds for construction
of one trap for this program; it would seem appropriate to contribute a trapper as well. If you're interested, please contact the Michigan Wildlife Conservancy at 517-647-7677 or wildlife@miwildlife.org for more information.

DNRE listserv

[zopi]

Granddad said to make sure that they were asleep before you pulled the trigger.  :D

We've eaten a lot of wild hog.  The pigs are best, the old boars, not so good.   They are edible if you are hungry, but they sure are a lot gamier than a domestic.

By the way, Earl Feral is starting to miss his hogs and I hear he is getting mad.

Guys down in TX will trap the sow and piglets, kill the sow and corn feed the piglets for a month or so then kill them...improves the meat alot..still an acquired taste though...

I'm glad we don't have to deal with the buggers...

[johncinquo]

Well so far I have thought the MI hogs was "hogwash".  I have been hearing about them all over, yet no one has spotted any or proven, to me anyway, they are here or that bad.  I have gone to many of the listed reported sighting areas, and found nothing.  The state maintains a list that keeps track of all the reported sightings.   The only ones I could find to hunt, are on private guided lands, and they want a ransom to go. 
I got a call yesterday that there is a bunch near Gladwin.  Not knowing where that is, I pulled up a map, and whadda ya know, its right near Harrison. Hey I think I know a guy there!  So how bout it Jeff, seen any up your way, not on the grill?  I'll be taking a run up there next week some time to look around and ask questions.  Supposedly they went through a farmers field and destroyed the corn bad.  When my eyes see it, I'll believe it. 
I'll be pulling out the Black guns for this, and I picked up some night vision equipment in case I get the chance at that.  All legal, and looks to be fun as heck! 

[SwampDonkey]

We had them run loose here one summer, but was the neighbor's hogs from Maine. They fed on our fields all summer. The farmer didn't seem to be worried over them much so I guess it didn't matter that a couple ended up in the freezer. :D

[ely]

john, i promise when you see them with your own eyes, if you want a closer estimate on the number just muliply by ten what you see. that may get you close.
your black guns will be fun and thats about it. you will not and can not kill them all, let alone eat them all. there is not enough hours in the day to kill pigs. they are a problem that has to be dealt with on a daily basis.

when hunted hard they get smarter. and then move out.

[Faron]

A young neighbor shot this young gilt on my brother's farm.  Either we have feral pigs moving into the area, or this is a hog that has escaped and has been living in the wild for a while.  The gilt is about 150 lbs.  It is noticeably shorter in body length than modern domestic hogs, and with shorter legs.  The bristles on it's back are very prominent, as well. It has an intact tail, and has the remains of unclipped needle teeth.  I don't think in appearance it looks much like an animal someone might have bought with the intention of feeding out,  as it doesn't much resemble a meat type hog.  Those of you who are familiar with feral hogs, what is your opinion of this animal?  Wild hogs in small numbers are known to live 25 miles or so south of here in strip mine land, but were not thought to be in the area where this one was shot.

[Ron Scott]

This one was recently killed SE of Chelsea, MI in southeastern Lower Michigan.

[pigman]

Faron, could the hog in your picture be a Vietnamese pot Belly that got too big for a pet?

[Faron]

Could be, Pigman.  Although it has a longer snout than what I see in the pot bellied pigs.  Also I don't see the fat folds or pot belly.  I am not familiar enough with the pot bellied pigs to know what one living off the land for a while might look like.

[Faron]

I heard the report from the wildlife biologist yesterday.  He labeled it a feral hog.  He said it is possible this pig had been born in the wild, as he saw nothing to contradict that.  It is also possible that this is an escaped domestic pig.  In any event, he agrees it has lived in the woods most or all its life.  We are hoping it is a first generation pig, and that there are no more out there.  We will be looking for signs when we harvest that area in a week or so.

[WDH]

They are scourges. 

[Texas Ranger]

That is not a first generation feral pig, that be a wild hog.  That head has lost all definition of a domestic breed.

[Faron]

Ranger, Ouch!  I am afraid you are right, and hoping you are wrong.  We don't need them.

[Mooseherder]

This was on the way home tonight this good ol' boy had 5 Hogs in a trailer pen.
He had to have lured them in with some feed.
Apparently hog hauling has become lucrative because those new trucks don't come cheap. ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1H_9Wu1amkU

[WDH]

I see bacon and pork chops  ;D.

[Mooseherder]

And the retail of Oscar Mayer Bacon went up dramatically last week.
It went up .70 cents a pound.
I bet their price comes down for next week because their sales stink. :D
Pigman missed the height of the Pig market. ;D

[pigman]

That is not a high price. I have sold live hogs for 60¢ a lb , but I  have also sold hogs for 4¢ a lb.