Wild hog is tough, inedible meat; some say it can make you sick if not prepared in a certain way. I’m not convinced that is the whole truth, and maybe it’s a rumor to keep people from enjoying it.
You can eat wild hog, and it’s considered a delicacy in many cultures. Wild hog meat is safe to eat but must be prepared carefully. The best meat will be from young hogs weighing less than 200lb. The meat is as flavorful as beef and leaner and darker than commercial pork.
A full-grown wild hog can weigh up to 250lb, and from the live weight, you can expect to get a minimum of 115 to 120lb of meat for eating. That’s a good amount of highly nutritious meat per animal and less expensive than commercial counterparts.
Can You Eat Wild Boar?
You can eat wild boar; if possible, you should include it in your diet regularly. Wild boar has a unique flavor that combines beef and pork, nutty and darker in color. It does not have the gamey taste you would imagine.
Wild boar is a delicacy found on menus in top restaurants in European countries like Spain. In the USA, states like Louisiana and Texas have perfected the incorporation of wild boar into recipes.
Favorite dishes made with wild boar are –
- Wild boar Jambalaya
- Louisiana-style wild boar sausage
- Peach-basted wild hog tenderloin
- Texas-style wild boar picadillo
- Smoked & pulled wild boar tacos
- Texas wild boar French rack
Wild boar meat should be prepared carefully, especially when cutting around male sexual organs. The older and larger males have a lot of testosterone which is all contained in the sexual organs, so they should be removed collectively.
Just like commercial pork, wild boar or hog can carry parasites. One parasite of particular concern is called Trichinella.
Consumption of raw or undercooked wild boar or hog can cause a person to become infested with this parasite. Unlike beef, wild hog must be cooked well.
The Benefits Of Eating Wild Boar Meat
Much like other types of venison, wild boar is packed with protein and nutrients. Here is a list of benefits you will get from eating wild boar meat –
Excellent source of monounsaturated fat
Low sodium content
Inexpensive – especially if you hunt wild boar for your household
Zinc
Niacin
Vitamin B6
High in iron
Selenium
Where To Shoot A Hog?
When it’s hog season, and you’re out in the woods or field, it is impossible to predict how your charge will respond once you are seen or heard.
Wild hogs or boars can smell food sources from 7 miles away and can smell you before seeing them.
Where to shoot a hog will depend on your location to the hog’s but the best areas to shoot will be-
Straight headshot from the front or
At the base of the hog’s ear if you’re facing it from the side.
The worst thing to do is wound an already volatile and aggressive animal, so a fast reaction is critical.
A hog is a long and compact animal, with most of its vital organs low to the ground. Hogs have several layers of fat and thick skin.
As a hog gets older and bigger, its shoulder shield gets thick and hard. You want to avoid shooting through the shoulder shield unless you want to waste a bullet and mess up the meat.
Best Thermal Scope For Hog Hunting
The best thermal scope for hunting hogs is the Trijicon Teo Reap-Ir Mini Therma. It stands out above other scopes that afford you edge detection.
Edge detection is mainly used in the military, and the Trijicon thermal scope is the only commercial scope available with this technology.
There is always a debate around scope and if it should be thermal or night vision. The best time to shoot hogs is at night because they are nocturnal feeders, and it makes more sense to use a thermal scope.
The Trijicon Teo Reap-Ir can be used for day or night hunting, giving you an edge with long-distance movement detection. The only time the thermal scope will have decreased functionality is during freezing weather.
Best Dogs For Hog Hunting
The Dogo Argentino is widely considered the best catch dog for hog hunting. That may be a biased statement, but as a Dogo Argentino owner, I know from personal experience how good they are at hog hunting.
You want a fearless, fast, and deadly dog when you hunt on foot. You are always in danger of being attacked by a hog, and you want a dog that can stop a boar in its tracks and not let go until you can get there. The Dogo Is all that and more.
Why Is The Dogo Argentino The Best Dog For Hog Hunting?
Large, powerful, and agile catch dog/sight hunter
A combination of 10 dog breeds selectively chosen
Immense 500 psi biteforce
High pain threshold
High stamina levels
Works well with other dogs – please do socialization early
High intelligence level
A good combination of obedient and stubborn
Loyal and protective in the home environment
The selective breeding over the decades ensures their lips pull back and open on the sides so they can breathe during long holds.
The pulled-back lips during a bite give them an advantage over other dogs that bite until they suffocate. The Argentinians call it “arremangado,” or rolled up sleeves. That is a very fitting description.
Like in America, wild boars are an aggressive, fast-breeding pest in Argentina. They destroy crops, kill livestock, and unfortunately, people fall victim to these beasts regularly.
The Dogo Argentino can take on a hog by itself. Still, to protect these valuable dogs, it is better to run them in pairs or larger packs and to suit them up with Kevlar vests and collars to protect against boar tusks.
The top 7 best hog hunting dogs or catch dogs in North America are –
Coonhound
Black Mouth Cur
Blue Lacey
Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog
Dogo Argentino
American Pitbull Terrier
Rhodesian Ridgeback
Can You Hunt Hogs With A Knife?
The traditional way of hunting hogs or boars is on horseback with a pack of dogs and a knife. Not any knife will do, though. You need a long fixed-blade knife or, as we call it, a ‘pig-sticker.’
Hunting hogs with a knife is fast-paced, dangerous, and exhilarating. It is typically done with a mixed pack of dogs. There will be some flushing dogs and a few bigger catch dogs to hold the hog.
Once the hog is located and flushed out, the chase is on. It should be noted that your main catch dogs should wear transmitter collars if they run out of sight.
Once you locate the dogs, you must focus on the hog. Your catch dogs should hold the hog down; by the time you get there, it should be tired enough to grab.
If you have a team of hunters with you, one will assist by grabbing it by the hind leg to get it off balance. The blade of the knife should enter the hog behind the front leg, so push it in all the way and cut downward with a single motion.
The hog will start to bleed out fast, and you can let go of the hind leg. The dogs will likely hold on until you tell them to let go.
Best Knives For Hog Hunting
ESEE – Junglass with a 10.38″ blade
BUCK – 119 Special with a 6″ blade
TOPS – Wild Pig Hunter with an 8″ blade
COLD STEEL – OSS with an 8.25″ blade
MOSSY OAK – Bowie knife with a 14″ blade – great for large hogs
I cannot stress the importance of a strong, sharp blade enough when encountering hogs or boars. You want to dispatch the hog humanely and as fast as possible. Always keep your knife sharp and clean.
Best Green Motion Light For Hog Hunting
The best green motion light for hog hunting is the Streamlight TLR-1. It’s incredibly durable and lightweight. The Streamlight is manufactured from aircraft-grade aluminum, so you are guaranteed quality.
Why should you use the Streamlight TLR-1 green motion light?
- It can be used in the rain – it is waterproof up to 1 meter and 30 minutes at a time.
- Unbreakable and scratch-proof lens
- Uses lithium batteries for almost 2 hours of continuous use
- 150 Lumens beam
- A beam reach of 383 yards.
- It can be used with night vision accessories without blinding the user
- The green light will not spook wild hogs
Best Hog Hunting Light
The Predator Cannon Hunting Light is the best red light for hunting hogs. Although hogs are nocturnal and can see white, yellow, orange, and some green lights, they cannot see red beams.
This red LED has a long wavelength which, due to dichromate vision, the hogs cannot pick up, so it doesn’t bother them while they forage.
Pigs cannot see a red light at night. The red color is difficult for them to distinguish from other colors due to its long wavelength. Red makes the best color hog hunting light.
The Predator Cannon Hunting Light features –
Allows hog identification with a scope of over 500 yards
Can connect to a 12V DC battery
100-yard beam
3 sizes – 14-inch, 24-inch, and 52-inch
120 Watt to 490 Watt lights
Bow Hunting Wild Hogs
Hog hunting with a bow is exciting and terrifying at the same time. Unlike using a gun where you can be stationed far away from unsuspecting hogs or using dogs that can act as a barrier, you’re on your own with the bow and arrows.
To successfully bow hunt for wild hogs, you need a few special items and a truckload of stealth. Here is a list of essential hog-hunting gear you need –
Compound bow with at least 50 to 60lb draw weight
Titanium arrows like Sevr broadheads
Dark camo clothing
A lightweight bow stand to get you higher up in a tree – at least 30ft up
A fix blade knife
Some chum to attract hogs
The stealth of a puma
With bow hunting, a hog would be struck up close, around 20ft, if they are unaware of your presence, but you can successfully strike a hog at a distance of 40ft.
The two best places to shoot a hog with an arrow are behind the front leg to ensure you hit vital organs.
Hog Hunting Gear
Hog hunting calls for some exciting gear. Depending on how and when you hunt wild hogs, your equipment may change depending on temperatures and the environment.
To pull off a successful hog hunt, you will need the following gear as a minimum –
- Weapon of choice – rifle, knife, or compound bow
- Dogs – flush and catch dogs
- Good quality polarised sunglasses
- Boots
- Insulated jackets
- Insulated gloves for winter
- Rain gear
- Red or green lights for night hunting
- Tree rise
- Gloves with a grip when hunting with a bow or knife
- Dark-colored camo clothes
- Insect repellent
- Leather chaps or over pants when knife hunting
- Backpack with sealed snacks and sufficient water
- Fluorescent hunter-orange or pink jackets where the state law requires
- Licenses and permits, where required
- First aid kit
- 2-way radio for communication.