After the shot...

[aidenbomb]

Will be going on my first pig hunt in Oct. and would like some advice on how you guys skin, clean, package, etc. your pig after he's down. Any special tricks?

I will be camping the following day after the hunt and will also be driving 4 hours home.

any advice is appreciated...thanks

 

[myfriendis410]

There was another similar thread started some time back. Do a search on the Hog Hunting forum and you'll see the postings. Good information there.

My only advice is get the hog to a place where it can hang for four or five days with cold air across it; it will greatly improve the quality of the butchered meat.

If you are camping, bring a BIG cooler and once the hide is off, get it in there with ice around it to cool. You'll be fine transporting it in this way.

If you have never skinned a hog, get someone to show the ropes to you; it will be worth it to do so. There are a ton of small tricks that only someone who has done a bunch of them will be able to lay on you.

Get a gambrel.

Ditto a sharpener. Hog hide is tough on knives.

 

[m hunter]

do not let the urin get on the meat , carve out the sacks and be really careful thats the main thing because it really stinks, might have problem skining if its to thick, try to keep pig from spinning with knee. once guted keep inside open for air to cool off meat or ice chest

 

[Speckmisser]

Let's start at the beginning... Aiden, have you ever skinned and/or prepped a big game animal? If so, a hog is no different. The hide is thicker, so you'll need a sharp knife, and a good steel to keep it sharp.

Avoid cutting across the hair... any time you can safely cut from the inside out, do it. It'll save you a lot of sharpening.

Once you get his clothes off, the rest is sort of self-explanatory if you're just quartering. Hint, instead of trying to split the backbone, cut along the ribs on one side, and leave the entire backbone on the other. Or even better,filet the meat (backstraps and tenderloins) off the backbone, remove the shoulders and hind quarters, and leave the spine for the coyotes to eat.

If all of this is new to you, do a search for some good field-dressing and skinning videos, and memorize the technique. It's not that hard, and yes, it is SUPPOSED to be messy... if you're getting a little bloody, don't worry about it. That's normal.

Good luck!

 

[MJB]

I perfer the gutless way myself. A lot less blood and guts on you and your gear.

And it saves time when you get back to the kitchen.

 

[aidenbomb]

thanks guys!

 

[EvBouret]

Drag to a nice area with shade and hopefully trees to hang the pig from. Gut pig. Hang from back legs and skin pig. Remove backstraps, front legs and back hams (leave bones in front legs) and lay out to cool a bit (wave the flies away the entire time with a branch or something). Put in pillow cases and get back to the cooler in the car. Put in cooler, bring to kitchen and trim up and debone. Put in big 3gal rubbermaid with plenty rock salt and let drain for 2-3 days. Pour out the drained fluids maybe twice a day. Then package up in freezer paper and stick in the freezer.

Works fer me

 

[Uncle Ji]

Unless I need a whole pig with skin on for a Lu'au I usually skin and debone it right in field. I have a friend who worked at a bank give me several heavy duty canvass money bags which work well to hold the pieces of pig meat. These I lash to my pack frame, and I have a cooler full of ice to pack the meat in for drive home. If you don't need the ribs you can remove the hams front & rear and back strap without gutting, much less messy. At home I cut into meal size portions and vacuum pack labeling and dating each bag. Freezer aging has worked well for me keeping frozen at least one week before thawing to cook.

 

[aidenbomb]

Appreciate the advice guys.

When I put the hog in the ice chest(covered w ice) do I need to have it in a plastic bag to keep it from direct contact with water or will pillow cases be good enough?
thanks

 

[Huntr Pat]

Becareful of putting pork in a plastic bag before it cools. Plastic has a tendency to keep heat in and seriously spoil your meat fast. A good game bag will work quite well just rinse well before permenant storing or vacumm packing. I use freezer paper if I can't get a good deal on Vacuum bags.

 

[Uncle Ji]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (aidenbomb @ Sep 1 2008, 10:54 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Appreciate the advice guys.

When I put the hog in the ice chest(covered w ice) do I need to have it in a plastic bag to keep it from direct contact with water or will pillow cases be good enough?
thanks[/b]

I drop it in a heavy duty trash bag first game bag and all before covering with ice, waterlogged meat does not look too appetizing.

 

[EvBouret]

Freeze water bottles instead of using ice cubes. Then when the ice melts its in a bottle and not all over your pork. And you can drink the water after too.

 

[Cold1nhand]

Have you ever skinned other animals?

 

[aidenbomb]

yeah ive done plenty of deer.

thanks again guys

 

[Dan mc]

I know it's too late to do you any good now, but DFG offered an Advanced Hunter Education "Pig Hunting Clinic" at Hunter Liggett last April. Part of the clinic included a field dressing and game care demonstration.

They showed off a gizmo a farmer buddy made that slid in the trailer hitch receiver of his truck and had a pulley and hanger to hang the hog for skinning.

They also gave a bunch of suggestions and tips on game care.

• Make a game bag by sewing an old bedsheet into a bag to keep the flies off
  Be careful when dressing, to minimize exposing the meat to water
  Wear latex gloves to reduce the introduction of bacteria from your hands and to aid in cleanup
  Use a tarp to keep the hog off of the dirt

A DFG biologist talked about ongoing research and some of the things their research has revealed. I expect that they will offer another one next year.

They had a pretty nice BBQ at lunch time too.

 

[sancho]

latex gloves my friend.

i keep a pile of my shadetree mechanic (blue) nitriles in my pack. it helps me maintain grip. i just learned a better method from a rancher. he can skin a big pig in minutes. (maybe 3-4). he hangs the animal from hooks, a gambrel. he uses a small tendon low near the hoof. i wuss out and use the larger easy to find achilles tendon. i still cant find the one he uses. then he gets the hide started around the rear end. he then puts down the knife, and grabs the hide. he uses all of his weight and pulls the stuff off! the key is to get the animal high enough so you can hang like a monkey. mine i couldnt, so he cut handholds, and then pulled the hide up to make a pocket. he put his knee into the pocket and "climbed aboard". the hide came off like a jacket. then remove head with hide.

he guts second. i gut first. oh, he also completely abuses his knife. he cuts thru the rib cage by putting his body weight on the blade and literally hacks thru the sternum. he uses a worn out butcher knife.

my game plan is to always let my biggest ice chest limit the size of the pig. tonight i am good for a 70 -90 lb'r.

 

[EvBouret]

I could fit a whole 200lb pig deboned in my small cooler no problem...I dont take every last scrap though

 

[Cold1nhand]

You will find that it isn't that different from skinning a deer, knife just dull a little faster. The armor plate can be fun at times, but you should be able to handle it. Gloves are a good idea.