Wanton Waste vs Bad Taste

[ltdann]

I knew the guy casually, it was one of the Manny's that hunted deer pretty frequently at VAFB. Usually stayed at the fam camp back in the late 90's or early 00's. He walked east along the creekbed up in C-3, where you had the pin-cushion pig incident? Anyway, he apparently got a deer down, couldn't drag the the thing whole back to the road, so he split it, and carried the head half back. When he got to the truck the AF mp's were waiting for him, told him the area was suddenly closed for military ops, expected to last several days. He reported to the VAFB game warden and explained the problem. They wouldn't let him back in for the other half and cited him the next day. Manny claimed he ended up in LA before the Federal Magistrate?

That's the story he told and a few of his buddies backed him up on it. Probably the conservation LE's had a slightly different version. The point was, don't pull the trigger unless you know you can get the thing out.
I had the impression that Manny was pretty gun shy after that and verrry verrry careful.

 

[BigSurArcher]

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.

Don't forget to mention that you've killed a lot of big hogs........

 

[easymoney]

Bruce, I take only dry sows or boars between 75-220 lbs, anything with cahones over that will definitely have a "taste". Also how you process the downed game is very important, wear gloves, keep from touching the raw meat with any hair, glands or open guts. Most all the hogs I have taken tasted like store bought pork and make great sausage.
And if you shoot it be prepared to recover it all. That is also why I am very sure of what I am going to shoot first. The first wild pig hunt I went on(by myself), it was very hard to judge size or sex because of the standing barley and safflower. I just waited until I could be sure. I have been on guided hunts with other hunters, where the guide is shouting shoot, shoot and we were at least 300yards away and the pigs were running, so I let em pass. I did not ever go back to this guide either.

 

[Pro953]

How do you all pack your game out? Day hunters do most of you hunt with full size packs to hike your game out?

 

[Stonepointer]

Only have one experience with wild pig smelling bad. My cousin's husband shot it and butchered it, then put it in my grandmother's outdoor refrigerator. He tried to give this meat out, but no one would take it. It did smell bad, like it is right on the edge of turning.

But does this really mean it will taste bad?

My father sent some homemade aged and dried elk salami to me when I lived in San Luis Obispo many years ago. My brother and I rented an apartment there while he was going to college. I was very pleased with the sausage, but my brother would not touch it.

This salami tasted really good to me, but he hated it whenever I opened it. He said it smelled like '3 lawnbags full of used tampons' or something to that effect, and always got the mouthwash out for me to use any time I opened the baggy and foil it was protected in, and partook of it's stinky goodness.

Whenever I went hiking I usually brought this salami with me. I thought it tasted good, and the smell although strong and not exactly pleasant, was not as bad as he made it sound.

Once I got the sausage down to about a little less than a quarter of it's length and had it on one hiking trip in the mountains nearby we had too many coyotes and bobcats following along the ridges above us. He made me get rid of it that day by throwing up a ridgeside, and I am sure whichever critter got it, was quite pleased with it, because I know it still tasted good.

Things might smell bad, and that might be the first sign of unsafe food, but not always; If prepared right it could have the stench of hell, but still have a heaven-like flavor. I can think of a few cheeses that fit into this category.

 

[Orygun]

Don't hunt hogs but during bow season it's often warm to hot. Since an elk down is a guaranteed multi trip deal, I have, in the last 5 years, ALWAYS bought a few bags of icce and tossed them into a ice chest. Even in 100 degree weather in the back my canopy the ice lasts for the day. I can get lots of meat in there and cooled down enough so it doesn't spoil. It won't help the meat that you have to come back fro where the animal is, but it makes it easier tp deal with the meat after you get it back.

I agree, if'n you ain't gonna eat it don't shoot it. If you really need a pic with you and a huge hog you can always make your pig bigger in photoshop.

 

[myfriendis410]

And, if you need help getting it out; that's what friends are for, right? I don't hesitate to use the cell phone. But I'm prepared to put down my dinner and go help one of them if they need it. Fortunately my wife is in complete agreement with this ethic.

 

[theseacow]

bring it to a butcher and have them make spicy italian sausage. awesome. Doesnt matter at that point if it was a young sow or an old boar.

 

[catchdog]

i have ate sausage made from a big boar and it was nasty. it was put in with eggs and potatoes as a casaroll .and i couldnt put enough salsa on it to cover up the nasty taste or smell. and this boar was not the kind of hog 410 is talking about. now a guy shot a big boar in texas a few years ago that stunk so bad i didnt want to get any closer than 5 yards from it. and stayed up wind at that. the guy that shot it about lost lunch just getting a pic. this was the kind of hog 410 is talking about and i dont think my dog would eat it. if you guys can eat it, have at it . but i sure wont blame ya if you put it in the trash or us it for yote bait. i dont think you will catch any yotes with it, cant see a yote eating it. the guys in tx i hunt with wont eat any boar over 150 pounds.

 

[phatdog]

However, I see nothing wrong with bigboar doing it, as long as he's okay with his choices.

So if i make a choice to shoot a piggie in each one of its legs before it dies thats okay??? As long as IM okay with it?? Thats bullshit.

 

[myfriendis410]

So if i make a choice to shoot a piggie in each one of its legs before it dies thats okay??? As long as IM okay with it?? Thats bullshit.

You know, you can take anything to a ridiculous extreme; which is what you just did. Nobody mentioned doing that.

Which reminds me of a hilarious definition: the "Barney Fife". That's where you shoot an animal through both hams and down it goes. You run up to it, see that it's still alive and plug it right through both shoulders. That's a "Barney Fife"!

Catchdog has experienced what I'm talking about. There is no way you want to be anywhere but upwind and going away from the smell I'm talking about. When Josh was gutting out his stinky boar, he had to stop and go drool on a bush upwind while his gorge went back down. He told me that if it had been his first hog he'd have hurled for sure. I stayed upwind and made puking noises to help him with his task at hand. What are friends for?:rotflmao:

 

[goindeep]

A lot of lame ass excuses here for not being able to pack out a boar that you shot. It's too big, It's too far,It's too steep, It smelled funny, I think it's spoiled. MAN UP!!! If you cant pack it out don't shot it.

 

[Stonepointer]

I too worry when considering how to get a kill out of harsh terrain.

I do not have a game cart, but most often when I have gone out on a hunt for something big, I have had a hunting buddy with me. We usually considered the options of tying the kill by it's legs to a stave or drag it back to our vehicle.

When by myself I have not gone after any big game, but now since my hunting partner got married, he has less time for outdoor pursuits and I have to consider how to get larger game out of the field.

I do not have an ATV with a trailer, so my options are limited. Now they are even more limited, because I will now have to do more solo hunting, which I have usually only done for small game and upland.

My options so far, is to quarter, drag, shoulder (not easy for me anymore), get a game sled (I am suspect as to how good these things might work), or in a fashion like the stave, build a travois, and haul that.

Now more than before, I will have to say to myself "That animal is too big!" Then wait for something more managable before even considering taking a shot.

 

[catchdog]

410 you are a good friend, i think i would have yacked on your feet. that smell and some puking noise would have been about all i could take. you could wash your boots later buddy.
i guess you could get it out of the woods dig a big hole in the garden and plant corn over it. sure hope the smell dont get in the corn. i dont think the crows would even eat it if it did. LOL
we dont have a law like that here in ohio. but the only part of a deer i leave in the woods is the guts. yotes got to eat too. i hunt farm land here so i dont have to drag anything to far. so im sure this flat lander has no real clue of the work you guys have after a kill. i have drug some out of a deep vally in se ohio, but there just hills to you guys.

 

[myfriendis410]

A lot of lame ass excuses here for not being able to pack out a boar that you shot. It's too big, It's too far,It's too steep, It smelled funny, I think it's spoiled. MAN UP!!! If you cant pack it out don't shot it.

You seem awfully quick to pass judgment on people you know nothing about. That's kinda sad, really. Things happen that are outside your control. (As evidenced by the deer shot on VAFB). I'm glad you pack every morsel out. As it happens I do too. I'm just not so quick to bag on other people.

 

[goindeep]

Like the judge said "no excuses".

 

[HOGHUNTER714]

I haven't been in a situation yet, where I couldnt pack out everything (or make a quick return trip). I think if you pull that trigger, you should put 110% effort into bring everything out and back to the truck (minus the gut pile of course).

 

[Deleted member 33033]

A couple of points:

1. packing is no prob, I can call in an ATV to remove pigs on this ranch.
2. If I want a meat pig, I MUST remove a big boar as well (the prop owner requires this)...thus my question. Even the property owner has said the big boars are awful.
3. Is there a way to salvage an awful boar? Habanero sausage?

 

[Common Sense]

You seem awfully quick to pass judgment on people you know nothing about. That's kinda sad, really. Things happen that are outside your control. (As evidenced by the deer shot on VAFB). I'm glad you pack every morsel out. As it happens I do too. I'm just not so quick to bag on other people.

Great post.

Unless you can walk on water, it might be a good idea to cut the other guy some slack. Lots of folks seems to think that their opinion is fact. I prefer strawberry icecream over chocolate, but that is my opinion. If you think chocolate is best; that surely doesn't make you evil (though it does make you wrong in MY OPINION).

I tried frying some meat from an old boar once; got so sick I couldn't even try to eat it. The house stank for days. Because of this, I would never knowingly shoot an old boar --- but if I mistakenly harvested one, I sure wouldn't eat it. It would be stupid (in my opinion) to eat an old boar. But I won't hold it against anyone who does eat an old boar; its their business. If I could stand to gut it out, I would drop off an old boar at the farm labor camp and folks would use it.

 

[goindeep]

Your comparing flavors of ice cream vs. packing meat out or leaving it to rot?:rotflmao: