Wanton Waste vs Bad Taste

[Deleted member 33033]

Okay, so ya shoot a monster boar pretty much certain it'll taste like it's been eaten already. The law says you must pack out the meat. But if it's not edible, whaddaya do with it...legally? This question can actually apply to any critter.

 

[DirtyDave]

First off, Dont shoot a big azz boar if you think it will taste like caca
All meat is edible
Anything but waste it. Donate it. Give it away to people that know how to cook or make sausage. Feed it to your dogs. Post it up on here - FREE BOAR MEAT! COME AND GET IT! Guarantee you will get rid of it quickly

 

[bigboarstopper]

Sausage... Any nasty, rank, stinky boar can be made into great tasting sausage. The hogs I will leave to rot in the field are ones with deformities, excessive abseses, rattle snake bitten, excessive parisite ridden, previously broken bones and emaciated hogs. I have no problem leaving these hogs in the field without regret. Some of these examples may seem excessive but im refering to hogs that have these symptoms or issues that are extreme.

On rare occasions a hog will be killed and numerous trips back and forth are necessary to get the hog back to the truck. In some circumstances there isnt enough time to get the entire hog back to the truck before it all spoils. Ive taken as much as I could carry and left what I couldnt. Example: 260lb hog is killed at 9:30am, its 76 degrees. It takes 3 hours to get back to the truck with just half of the hog. By then it will be in the mid to upper 90's. The trip back to get the other half will take 2 hours and 3 hours to get back to the truck. That last half isnt going to get into the cooler before it turns sour.

Theres no point in going back. The meat will probabally be sour by the time you get to it and your taking the chance of the meat in your first trip going bad back at the truck while you try to save the second half.

 

[myfriendis410]

Dude: if you've never smelled a "bad" hog, you are in for a real treat. There is NO WAY that I would be able to put that under my nose unless I had shoved gasoline-soaked cotton balls up my nose. It's a unique combination of dirty gym socks and pig caca that doesn't go away. A friend shot a nice boar last August and after we peeled the hide off and got him rinsed he still had that funky stink goin' on. Into the cooler for four days and when we opened the door the smell just about knocked you down! THAT hog went into the trash. I've been told that a really rank old boar will stop a dog from eating. You can make sausage 'til the vacas reach the hacienda and it makes no difference; it's just not edible. I had thought that handling or leaving it out to turn would be the factor, but that one hog made a believer of me. And I've been around a LOT of dead hogs. (Maybe not the best thing to put on a resume, but there it is)

The law really has nothing to say about the meat once it comes in from the field. We went 'round and 'round on this with a couple of knuckleheads that left deer in the cooler 'til they were green; we wanted to get 'em for something but F & G couldn't find a regulation to bounce them. Just cutting a head off in the field is illegal, but once the animal is in, the meat's yours to do with as you please.

 

[bigboarstopper]

I know that greasy musky smell. It is pungent. There is a little trick that will cut it down. Apple cider vinnegar. Mix in some apple cider vinnegar into your sausage before you case it. It has multiple uses. It breaks down the meat making it more tender. It acts like a natural disinfectant when you wash down a skinned out hog with it and it helps cut out the rank boar smell dramatically when you cook with it.

 

[dthome]

Bigboar:
I disagree with your example of leaving half an animal in the field because you're too far from the truck. Part of hunting is ensuring you can get your animal back home. If you can't get it back, you shouldn't be shooting it. Not cool to leave half the animal in the field. Not cool at all.

 

[Common Sense]

There's a farm labor camp a couple of miles from my house. If you drive out there with protein in the bed of your truck, it will make several illegals very happy. (And as long as you don't accept the greenbacks they try to give you, I reckon it is legal.)

 

[Common Sense]

Bigboar:
I disagree with your example of leaving half an animal in the field because you're too far from the truck. Part of hunting is ensuring you can get your animal back home. If you can't get it back, you shouldn't be shooting it. Not cool to leave half the animal in the field. Not cool at all.

I think your ethics are great, and feel it would be very wrong for you to do what bigboar has done. However, I see nothing wrong with bigboar doing it, as long as he's okay with his choices.

 

[bigboarstopper]

Like I said, its a rare occurance. Hog size and depth of canyon size can be deceving. Sometimes you dont know how difficult a task is until you are in the process of doing it. Besides, Id be lying if I said its never happened. After 20 years of hunting hogs its bound to happen. Im sure its happened to plenty of people.

Would I get it all back to the truck if I could? Absolutely. Am I willing to let some meat (lesser cuts) go bad or lose the whole hog to heat in some gallant effort to bring the whole thing home? Yes, im willing to lose some ankle steaks and neck meat so that I dont come home with a precooked hog thats completely inedible. .

 

[Deleted member 33033]

Let me try this again. I am told the area I intend to hunt has "edible and inedible" pigs. The monster Russian Boars that weight up to 550lbs are considered inedible. Great for trophy skull but dogs won't even touch that bacon. Thus the second tag for a smaller, edible pig. What I gather from this thread is this...once I remove the "meat" from the field...there is no law stating what i must do with thereafter. Is that correct (here in Kalifornistan)? In order to take a "meat pig" the rancher says I gotta get rid of a big boar too. Apparently they are doing a lot of damage.

 

[bigboarstopper]

to answer your question. I have never killed in the 20 years ive been hunting, a hog that was not completely edible because it was too "stinky". Mabye it dosent bother me as much as others. I guess im used to it or I have found methods to cover or eliminate the undesireable scent thats found in larger hogs meat when I make sausage or cook it.

 

[BigSurArcher]

Just look at how many ranchers drive around with a Ruger Mini-14 and get as much lead into as many pigs as they can before continuing on their way. Happens ALL THE TIME. I don't think having to leave a little bit in the field after busting your balls to get the majority out and cooled down is that big of a deal.

 

[ltdann]

You must recover the hog. Once its reduced to possession, at the game processor or home, you can do what you want. I'm still looking in the code to find the exact reference, but leaving game in the field without a "reasonable attempt" to recover it, is called wastage.

I actually talked to a guy that shot a deer quite a-ways back in the hills. He carried half out and for reasons beyond his control, couldn't recover the the other half. He was cited, fined and suspended for a year.

 

[ltdann]

Here it is



§ 4304. Waste of flesh of game mammal or game bird prohibited


No person shall at any time capture or destroy any deer and detach or remove from the carcass only the head, hide, antlers, or horns; nor shall any person at any time leave through carelessness or neglect any game mammal or game bird which is in his possession, or any portion of the flesh thereof usually eaten by humans, to go needlessly to waste. The provisions of this section shall not apply to game mammals taken under the authority of Sections 4152 and 4183 of this code.

 

[myfriendis410]

Bigboar:
I disagree with your example of leaving half an animal in the field because you're too far from the truck. Part of hunting is ensuring you can get your animal back home. If you can't get it back, you shouldn't be shooting it. Not cool to leave half the animal in the field. Not cool at all.

If I'm not mistaken, Bigboar has hunted with dogs in the past. Once you're "on" a big hog, it's gonna get killed; even if you are three ridges over from your truck. That makes it pretty tough to plan for an easy recovery. I wouldn't bag on him until you've been in his shoes.

To satisfy the law, it would be advisable to at least recover all of the carcass. The only thing I can suggest is to be prepared to ice down the good stuff while recovering the secondary cuts. That way you DO save some meat.

I've heard of the vinegar treatment, and I've gotta tell you; that pig just stank, man! I think Josh's hog would have smelled like funky boar and vinegar. You also might be less finicky than I am but this dude was not going past your lips :skeered:without you ralphing, either.

 

[#1Predator]

Here it is



§ 4304. Waste of flesh of game mammal or game bird prohibited


No person shall at any time capture or destroy any deer and detach or remove from the carcass only the head, hide, antlers, or horns; nor shall any person at any time leave through carelessness or neglect any game mammal or game bird which is in his possession, or any portion of the flesh thereof usually eaten by humans, to go needlessly to waste. The provisions of this section shall not apply to game mammals taken under the authority of Sections 4152 and 4183 of this code.

Yup, the animal ("any portion of the flesh thereof usually eaten by humans") must be recovered. Here again, the law puts the responsibility of a hunter's actions (in this case, the killing and recovering of the animal) squarely on the shoulders of the hunter. Regardless of weather conditions, distance, lack of proper equipment, etc. - the hunter is ultimately responsible and subject to prosecution. This section includes the handling, storage and preparation of the meat after I get it home. The wording prevents me from letting meat "go needlessly to waste" and applies to all game mammals & birds or "any portions" in my possession "at any time", including those "portions" in my freezer. Hunters assume a lot of responsibility, both legally and ethically, when we choose to kill an animal. And it is a choice - "to shoot or not to shoot...that is the question" (sorry Shakespeare).

 

[ltdann]

The guy I mentioned that got cited? He was hunting on VAFB. While he was recovering the first half, they closed his hunting area for military operations and wouldn't allow him to recover the second half. Regardless, he was cited and had to see the judge in LA. The judge pretty much told him, no excuses, shouldn't have pulled the trigger if you couldn't get it all back. Pay the baliff $500 and surrender your license.

He was EXTREMELY careful after that.

 

[boarhunter67]

I've killed a lot of big hogs. Some were huge, but I have yet to see a completely wild hog get over 500lbs. like you mentioned. I've seen a lot of hogs come in my taxidermy shop that the hunters claimed were 400-500lbs., but I would put them at 300-350 at the most. That being said, with all the hogs I've killed (and I've killed a lot of big ones) I have yet to kill one that wasn't edible. If they're cooked right, they're edible.

 

[#1Predator]

I've killed a lot of big hogs. Some were huge, but I have yet to see a completely wild hog get over 500lbs. like you mentioned. I've seen a lot of hogs come in my taxidermy shop that the hunters claimed were 400-500lbs., but I would put them at 300-350 at the most. That being said, with all the hogs I've killed (and I've killed a lot of big ones) I have yet to kill one that wasn't edible. If they're cooked right, they're edible.

Amen, brother.

 

[myfriendis410]

A skunk boiled in alkali water is edible. Your point would be what, again?

I am a careful, ethical hunter. I'm careful about the meat. I feed my family with our harvest. I'm not wasteful. I also don't eat the lips and the ears, etc. If it's at all suspect, it's getting posted in the garbage can.

The DFG regs don't cover meat already recovered from the field. Wanton waste is the act of not recovering all the usable meat from the carcass in the field. Once it's home, it's yours to do with as you please. As I said before, we tried to cite some guys for allowing deer carcasses to rot in the cooler and the state Fish and Game office said: "there's no violation".

That's extremely unfortunate about your buddy getting cited for leaving half a carcass in the field. Was it a state guy on VAFB that wrote him up? Or was it one of the Conservation LE guys on VAFB, or was it off-base?