skinny hog

[walkingeagle]

I need some advise. I just shot my first hog and when I took it to the butcher he said he would not take it, that it looked sick. he thought from the size of the carcus it should weigh around 130 to 140 lbs when weighed it was 65 lbs.but he also said he could make sausage ouy of it. after I shot it I noticed the hip bones stuck out when I gutted it there was no strange smell in fact it smelled less then any deer I have cleaned. when I skinned it there was NO fat. I talked to the ranch manager he said the hogs were starving do to the acorn crop comming 4 weeks early, too many hogs not enough food. there have been 32 hog taken and noone has said any thing about sick hogs. so my question is how do you tell if a hog is sick or just starved?

 

[Zbearclaw]

With most critters the meat tells all, if it smells and looks ok, chances are pert good it is ok, sounds like I need to investigate the starving hogs, I would hate for the anti's to find out there are actually critters out there without enough to eat, where is that ranch again?

Also I have never heard of a starved pig, they eat each other long before they just don't have anything to eat, they could live off bird poop if need be.

 

[walkingeagle]

the ranch is above lake sonoma. the meat smells fine its kind of soft compard to deer remins me of liver

 

[Zbearclaw]

I am no expert, but I would say if it looks fine, smells fine, probably is fine, heck if you cook it as you should, well done, you could eat a dinosaur fossil and be fine.

Got any pics of the pig in question, esp the meat, someone with more smarts than I might be able to tell for sure.

 

[FRISCOHNTR]

I hunt above Lake Sonoma as well and the acorn crop did come real early this year, however a pig showing his ribs and being skinny lends me to believe it may have been sick. Heck it could be a lot of things; I killed one 3 yrs ago like that and after gutting noticed a large obstruction in the intestines (didn't have the stomache to cut it open and find out what it was). The meat was fine to eat but the hog was slooowly starving it seemed. I ate that hog (sausage) and it was fine. Congratulations on a successful hunt..

 

[larrysogla]

If it were me, I would not eat an animal that was sick looking. It could be diseased(tuberculosis, swine fever etc.) and many animal diseases arer transferable to humans. For me it is not worth taking the risk. I could just enjoy the hunt for what it is worth and give the carcass to the lower food chain(i.e. coyotes and other scavengers). Just my 2c of course. Whatever your decision is, cook that meat well done. 'Nuff said.

 

[BirdDawg]

give it to wavsfr......he'll eat anything........shouldn't you be at work?

 

[billrob]

Can Pigs get CWD? It may be a sign that its in California.
Just a thought

 

[Live2hunt]

I've shot many skinny pigs. Usually the skinny one is the tallest one when it mingled in a group. To me the tallest one in the group is the biggest one. So without hestiation I always shoot the biggest hog in a group. Also skinny pigs are usually the sow that are nursing piglets. Seemed to me like everything the sow eat became milk and all the piglets drank up all her nutrients. All of the skinny pigs I've shot have backstraps the size of a long king size Three Mustketeer candy bar. Ate all of them and so far nothing wrong yet. Just compare that to human. Usually the skinny people are more healthier than the couch potatoes. The only time when the meat smells bad is after it passed through my digestive system (some badly overdue meat)....

So I'd say fire up the grill.




L2H

 

[Rancho Loco]

Sounds like a thin hog.

Unless there's a fence around the place, the pigs will move to find food before they starve.

If you're getting sausage, just have the butcher add 20% domestic fat to keep it from being too dry.

PS - I suggest taking it to another butcher.

 

[walkingeagle]

Thanks to all of you for the addvise. I have already cut it up cooked the three musketeers and ground up some sausage I cooked everything well done and I am the only one to eat it as of yet. I guess that makes me the... "ginny pig" LOL. if I dont get sick then I will share. thanks again you guys are great. Oh I dont know how to post pics yet. the only ones I have I took with my cell phone.