Which is better for the hunt & food

[Mossyhorns]

Ok this will be my first hog hunt.There are Russian and Europian hogs that are offered.My questions are which hog is better eaten.And which is bigger of the twr which type would you prefer to hunt?I am bow hunting one and my girlfriend is muzzel loader hunting one this fall.I want the meanest mother i can go after!!

 

[Bill in SD]

Hey Mossyhorns, I have only shot one pig, well I have shot a Javalina too.  Both with a bow.  My recommendation is that unless you are going on a guided hunt, where you can pick and choose, I would say shoot the first sucker that you have the chance to shoot.

Bill

 

[songdog]

Out here in CA our pigs are a mix of the wild stuff with ferral hogs that were released a few hundred years ago.  You can tell that some have more of one than the other based on the shape of the snout, color, etc.  I've never noticed a difference in the taste of them from the black and white striped ones to the very wild looking ones.

I have noticed a difference in taste based on how quickly you get the pig on ice.  Way more so than deer or elk.

Size also contributes but getting it on ice is #1 in my book if you want it to taste right.

(Edited by songdog at 6:32 pm on Mar. 6, 2002)

 

[shaginator]

They're all good to eat. The Russian variety are crankier.

 

[Speckmisser]

The Russians have the reputation for meanness and toughness.  The Europeans are bigger.  Bigger, though, doesn't always mean better meat.  A medium sized, well handled sow would be the best meat on the table (by concensus).  Big, wicked old boars have a reputation for tough and gamey tasting meat.  But that's mostly reputation.  Your mileage may vary.

 

[Hogskin]

Songdog hit it, big or small, they're all good eating if you handle them properly.  Gut it pronto, get it cooled and you're going to have some excellent eating.  I like a pig shot some time around June when they've been eating the barley and are all fattened up.  Have a blast.

Regards,
Paul

 

[SDHNTR]

When I first went hog hunting I had similar questions.  But lets be honest, when a 200 lb pig pops up infront of you, or after you stalk it for a half hour, Russian or European, its probably gonna hit the dirt.  Heck I still have a hard time being selective and I've killed many of them.  I just love the experience of hunting them, size, color, and type really does not matter to me.  Just get it cool quickly and you will have some good eats.  What makes the meat taste good or bad is what the pig has been eating.  Wild oats and barley eating pigs taste better than the acorn eaters.  The russian and european bloodlines are so far removed that the two are so very similar and most are cross breeds.  Just shoot the sucker, get it cold and you'll like it.  The rest is just details that probably isn't worth worrying about.