Feral pigs...

[albacore]

I know this isn't the lounge, but I'm hoping somebody has some information.

I know the feral hog problem is acute in some areas...thousands and thousands of them ripping up crops and pastureland.

Youtube has many videos of guys with rifles equipped with night sights killing hundreds of them. I understand the necessity to do something, but I'm wondering if there is any facility...or plans for a facility...to take live-captured hogs and feed them up on good food for a short time, a few (I'm sorry) antibiotics, and slaughter them for human food.

It seems like a waste to just shoot them and let them rot...or to drastically increase the coyote population.

I raised hogs in a limited fashion for years, so I know there would be difficulties to overcome, but.. if one hog weighs 200 lbs, and you shoot 100 in one night... that's a lot of meat going to waste.

[in2herbs]

1. The meat of a feral pig taste little like that of a farm raised pig. I think it's a good idea but

I'm not sure people will eat the meat of a feral pig. I don't know if there's any way to improve the taste by feeding them a strict diet in capture. IMO I think that most of the hunters who participate in such hunts do it for the thrill of killing and such a hunt would only feed on their thrill.

[alphafemale]

8. I think it is very good.

I have only had it a few times.

It is different, but in a good way, in my opinion.

Like a wild turkey compared to a Butterball.

[pansypoo53219]

27. just avoid swamp ferals. hell, pet food. why no pork cat food?

[Brother Buzz]

12. In California, feral pig meat is so tough* and 'gamey' it's generally made into sausage

and you can only eat so much sausage.

Factoid: Feral pigs make lousy neighbors



* edit

[Champp]

22. #Feraldo

[Brother Buzz]

23. The late great Phil Frank and Farley

[jmbar2]

2. I've wondered the same thing...

[hatrack]

3. Parasites can be a problem - especially trichinosis, and a bunch of other transmissible diseases

That said, proper cooking should handle most issues.

https://nri.tamu.edu/blog/2018/july/are-wild-pigs-safe-to-eat/

[GitRDun]

4. Find python cowboy on instagram

He hunts the feral pigs with clients. They are butchered for the meat right away.

He also traps them when no clients are involved.

He has a large pen on his farm where he feeds them until time to slaughter for meet.

The really interesting part is what he feeds them.

He hunts iguanas as they are also an invasive species in Florida, as well as pythons.

The python and iguana meat are used to feed the feral hogs so nothing goes to waste.

In my mind, a pretty cool way to get rid of invasive species while not just shooting these animals and letting them rot.

[Arkansas Granny]

5. Arkansas has a program for hunters to donate wild game for food programs.

https://arkansashunters.org/

BTW, I've cooked and eaten feral hog meat. It's quite tasty.

[mainer]

6. I know a guy in Texas who traps them

Feeds them for a while, then slaughters for meat he shares with his friends. I’ve eaten some of his sausages and they were great.

You can’t sell the meat though because of USDA restrictions and food safety issues.

Shooting them doesn’t work because you have to haul carcasses to a butchering facility, they can be hundreds of pounds, and again you cannot sell the meat.

[DetroitLegalBeagle]

7. I know in Texas some hunters already donate the kills to be used for food

Not sure how widespread it is or if there is any effort to expand it. I've read that feral pigs aren't the most appetizing meat and they need to be butchered carefully and prepared well as they can carry a lot of diseases. I don't think live capture is even an efficient way to deal with the issue, hunting hasn't even put a dent into their spread. A lot of states don't even restrict them to any specific hunting seasons as they are so invasive.

[LeftInTX]

21. Generally invasive species have no specific hunting season

Hogs are not native to the US

[Mosby]

9. They could use the meat for animal foods

It could be cooked and heat treated for safety and used for dog and cat food. The issue might be that pet owners who buy super premium foods might not like pork as a protein.

[luvs2sing]

10. I have a friend in..

very rural northeastern Oklahoma who has dealt with these hogs for many years. A few times a year, they hire a “hog sniper” to come in and do what has to be done. According to her, there are over twenty fairly nasty diseases these things carry, and their sniper takes blood for analysis from each one he kills to see what diseases they are carrying. She can’t stand the thought of eating one knowing this. Honestly neither can I.

It’s a situation that is very disturbing to her and her husband. They live on land that has been in the family for several generations and are good, liberal, conservation-minded folks. They never dreamed they would be dealing with feral hogs.

[11 Bravo]

11. I fully expected to read about Trump and his evil spawn when I clicked on this.

[Klaralven]

13. The meat of adult male pigs is nasty.

Male pigs intended for slaughter, rather than breeding, are castrated at a few weeks of age. This prevents their meat from becoming "gamey".

The best option would be to catch and slaughter the feral pigs before they are sexually mature, maybe around 60 pounds?

[gay texan]

18. 125/150 lbs is about the cutoff

You can still make sausage out of the bigger ones in limited cases

[NickB79]

25. "Boar taint". It's awful

My cheap ass dad had an old boar butchered one time on the farm. Oh god, it tasted like boar smells.

[LeftInTX]

14. Feral hogs won't pass USDA inspection

I don't know how successful trapping is.

We are losing the war on hogs.

[gay texan]

17. I trap them on my property

Believe me, that cage better be properly built. Those things are fucking violent

[Shellback Squid]

26. they're smart too

more than a dog

[Hope232]

15. Wild hogs rescue piglets in cage

Did anyone see this article? Wow, I had no idea they were this intelligent and empathetic. This is the first recorded organized rescue of piglets trapped in a cage by a family of wild pigs.

https://www.businessinsider.com/wild-boar-rescued-two-piglets-from-a-trap-2021-9

[gopiscrap]

28. welcome to DU

[gay texan]

16. In the state of Texas

Its illegal to do that.

Wild hog is actually really, really, really good, provided they are below 150 pounds.

They are a truly dangerous nuisance and they've been known to kill people out of the blue.

[ripcord]

19. I smoke feral hog

I take around 20 feral hogs a year in California, I give a most of the meat to family and friends, I would love to donate it but that isn't allowed.

[marble falls]

24. Roll 'em or use a pipe? How you keep 'em lit?

[SYFROYH]

20. Go, go, hogzilla!!