I got a hog- sort of.

[Texas by God]

I was making a sandwich yesterday and looked out the kitchen window and spotted a sounder about 80 yards out side the back yard fence. I grabbed the.358 and my wife grabbed her .250. We snuck up to the pipe fence using a tall juniper as cover. The wind was in our favor. Wife shot first and missed; to my suprise they milled about but didn't leave. I couldn't pick out a single so I let fly into the group. We heard the boolit hit meat, but they all ran into the thorn/briar thicket. We heard squealing for a bit indicating a wounded one so an hr later I went looking. I didn't go into the thick stuff so I didn't find it. However this guy was cussing me from a log so he ended up in the bean pot. I missed his head obviously.

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[popper]

Only 3.99999 billion to go. We'd better get busy. Met a young guy a few years back, said he used dogs and chased them into the briars with a knife. Not me. Mesquite thorns are nasty.

[TXGunNut]

Glad to see you used enough gun for that tree rat. They can be nasty when wounded.

I don't get too upset when a wounded hog runs into the nasty bits. I just shoot another.

[sawinredneck]

I’ve been told you aren’t even supposed to eat them anymore, any truth to that?

[Texas by God]

Even in top physical shape- I'm not- I ain't going in there for a pig. Been in there many times and it's just gotten worse. It's not my land so I can't dress it up. Two feral donkeys live in there and they have tunnel trails. The buzzards & bugs will eat it.

[oldblinddog]

I’ve been told you aren’t even supposed to eat them anymore, any truth to that?

The pigs or the squirrel? There's no reason not to eat either. However, it's not a good idea to eat squirrel brains (which a lot of people do. I got in trouble with my grandmother for headshooting them. She told me, "You use that shotgun!") because there are diseases similar to mad cow that you can contract by consuming the brain.

A pig is as good as whatever it's been eating and they will eat anything. Some of the best chops I've ever had came from a huge boar that weighed 268 after he was gutted. The old caveat to cook them well done due to trichinosis still applies to any free range pig (or bear, for that matter).

[w5pv]

Both are good eating,I won't eat a boar hog but look out for guilts and young sows or a male that has been castrated.We use to catch them Sept early Oct and feed them out on corn and wheat bran.

[sawinredneck]

I dunno, I was told there’s a virus or bacteria growing in the pigs now and it wasn’t advised to eat them. I never researched it to see if there was any truth to it or not so I figured I’d ask.

Edit: did a quick google and found a page from the CDC there is a virus going around in them, but if field dressed and cooked properly all is good.
https://www.cdc.gov/brucellosis/pdf/...hoghunters.pdf

[Texas by God]

They make good tamales so we still eat them. But most we just drag off. I'll try again tomorrow because it's raining today.

[oldblinddog]

Both are good eating,I won't eat a boar hog but look out for guilts and young sows or a male that has been castrated.We use to catch them Sept early Oct and feed them out on corn and wheat bran.

A "gilt" is a young sow.

[TXGunNut]

I take the same precautions with feral hogs that I do with domestic hogs. Neither are safe if improperly handled or cooked.

[oldblinddog]

Actually domestic is free of pathogens now. However, improper handling will contaminate any food.

[Texas by God]

Is a barrow a young boar?

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[oldblinddog]

Is a barrow a young boar?

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It is a male pig that has been castrated. In East Texas this is shortened to "barr".

[Texas by God]

I've raised cattle all my life and all I know about pigs is they taste good. Thanks OBD!

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[EMC45]

Nice 358!

[Rattlesnake Charlie]

Results from a little google search:

Gilt
A gilt is a young female pig. In common use, gilt is used to refer to a pig that has not yet been bred, whether only a few months old or approaching a year. Technically, however, the term gilt is defined as a female pig that is less than six months old. A gilt is intact, or capable of breeding and producing young, and her reproductive organs are not surgically or chemically altered.

Barrow
A barrow is a male pig that has been castrated or rendered incapable of reproducing before he reaches sexual maturity. Castration usually takes place while the pig is very young, at about two or three weeks of age. If a male pig is allowed to become sexually mature and then is castrated, he is called a stag. A barrow is less aggressive than a boar, or intact male pig, and can be kept with other barrows and gilts. He also easier is for humans to handle, and his meat retains a pleasing flavor and aroma, unlike boars, who produce a foul odor that permeates the meat even after butchering.

Purpose
Gilts are kept primarily for reproduction. They are fed, handled and selected with the idea that they will produce the next generation of pigs. Although they can become sexually mature sooner, a gilt usually is bred for the first time between six and nine months old. After breeding or having a litter, she is called a sow. Gilts not selected for breeding usually are used for meat. Barrows are kept primarily for meat production. They gain weight quickly and can be slaughtered as young as four to six months old for pork, or as late as 8 to 10 months old for bacon.

Considerations
Whether a gilt or barrow is a better choice depends on the animal's purpose. For meat, such as pork, when the pig is slaughtered at a young age, it makes little difference which to use, although barrows tend to gain weight quickly. If you think you may want to breed and raise your own pigs, however, keep in mind that a barrow can never reproduce, while a gilt can be bred. Gilts and barrows are both suitable as pets; however, a gilt in heat may try to break out and get to a nearby boar, while barrows don't tend to have such compulsions.

[Dale53]

"Glad to see you used enough gun for that tree rat. They can be nasty when wounded. "

Actually, they sometimes CAN be a problem. When I was a young adult, I was hunting with my Dad and a co-worker. We were in Eastern Ohio. We were squirrel hunting for grays. The land owner would only let us hunt if we used shotguns (it was flat woodlands). I was hunting off by myself. I shot a gray squirrel. I picked him up and he wasn't dead. He bit me in the right hand right between the thumb and forefinger (all the way through). I grabbed him around the body and flat wore him out against a tree. When I was finished, his head was flat and he had withdrawn his teeth. For a long time after that, I wouldn't pick up a squirrel until I fired a shot through the head at close range.

Now you know why I prefer centerfire rifles or revolvers for small game...

As they say, "Been there and done that" - a MEMORABLE occasion!

Dale53

[poppy42]

I dunno, I was told there’s a virus or bacteria growing in the pigs now and it wasn’t advised to eat them. I never researched it to see if there was any truth to it or not so I figured I’d ask.

Edit: did a quick google and found a page from the CDC there is a virus going around in them, but if field dressed and cooked properly all is good.
https://www.cdc.gov/brucellosis/pdf/...hoghunters.pdf

brucellosis been around almost as long as hogs or maybe longer. All pork I eat gets cooked well done

[Mohawk Daddy]

I've never encountered the term "sounder" before. I realize we're talking pigs, but can someone elaborate?