[RenoHuskerDu]

Howdy guys.
We took a wild pig yesterday and although he's pretty much a perfect animal in age, balls not dropped yet but about 70lbs, there were a lot of crawlies on him already. Texas has warmed up so much that Spring is sprung, as it were. We normally stop taking pigs when the weather is warm, due to fleas, ticks, etc. But then came the Kung Flu.

I have an idea for using a big propane burner to roast off a pig's hair and kill all the crawlies before cleaning it, and wanted to bounce it off others who routinely take wild meat for their freezer. We may be eating more wild meat for a long time.

Does anyone have a good hunting forum to recommend?

 

[RenoHuskerDu]

This forum seems quiet recently. I posted on two issues that got no responses.
You'd think that with social distancing there'd be more of us out here.

 

[muleskinner2]

Howdy guys.
We took a wild pig yesterday and although he's pretty much a perfect animal in age, balls not dropped yet but about 70lbs, there were a lot of crawlies on him already. Texas has warmed up so much that Spring is sprung, as it were. We normally stop taking pigs when the weather is warm, due to fleas, ticks, etc. But then came the Kung Flu.

I have an idea for using a big propane burner to roast off a pig's hair and kill all the crawlies before cleaning it, and wanted to bounce it off others who routinely take wild meat for their freezer. We may be eating more wild meat for a long time.

Does anyone have a good hunting forum to recommend?

We always scalded them with boiling water, and then scraped the hair off, pretty much gets rid of everything.

 

[Bearfootfarm]

Lots of folks just skin them too.
Many methods can accomplish the same goals.

 

[bobp]

Torch method works well to burn off the hair and kills those Swine lice you call crawlies.....

 

[muleskinner2]

Lots of folks just skin them too.
Many methods can accomplish the same goals.

Many folks think the skin is the best part of a hog. My grandmother would fry thin strips of the skin, makes my mouth water just thinking about it.

 

[Bearfootfarm]

Many folks think the skin is the best part of a hog. My grandmother would fry thin strips of the skin, makes my mouth water just thinking about it.

Yes, it's quite good, but many don't want to go through the process of scalding and scraping.

 

[muleskinner2]

Yes, it's quite good, but many don't want to go through the process of scalding and scraping.

They don't know what they are missing.

 

[Bearfootfarm]

They don't know what they are missing.

It's more a matter of convenience.
Sometimes it's best to get them skinned and in a cooler than to wait until you can scald them.

 

[muleskinner2]

We never waited to scald them. Always got the water boiling before we started sticking pigs. Heated the water in 55 gal drums, dipped it out with steel buckets. Note: Wear gloves, and don't spill the water on yourself.

Lay the hog on a wooden table. Pour boiling water over hog, scrape like crazy for four or five minutes. Turn hog over, repeat. Takes about ten minutes to do one hog.

 

[101pigs]

We never waited to scald them. Always got the water boiling before we started sticking pigs. Heated the water in 55 gal drums, dipped it out with steel buckets. Note: Wear gloves, and don't spill the water on yourself.

Lay the hog on a wooden table. Pour boiling water over hog, scrape like crazy for four or five minutes. Turn hog over, repeat. Takes about ten minutes to do one hog.

Heat water to bout 150f in the cool weather. Summer about 145f. Lay pig on low table no paint on top of table.

Howdy guys.
We took a wild pig yesterday and although he's pretty much a perfect animal in age, balls not dropped yet but about 70lbs, there were a lot of crawlies on him already. Texas has warmed up so much that Spring is sprung, as it were. We normally stop taking pigs when the weather is warm, due to fleas, ticks, etc. But then came the Kung Flu.

I have an idea for using a big propane burner to roast off a pig's hair and kill all the crawlies before cleaning it, and wanted to bounce it off others who routinely take wild meat for their freezer. We may be eating more wild meat for a long time.

Does anyone have a good hunting forum to recommend?

If you decide to remove the hair with hot water.
After bleeding the hog. Use pallet with a unpainted plywood over the top of the pallet. Put hog on pallet lay a Gunny Burlap Sack over the pig. Use heated water (145f-150f). Heat water in a 55 gallon barrel. Dip water out and pour water over hog with the sack over the Hog. If water is to hot it will set the Hair and you will end is shaving the Hair off or skinning it. Best to have two people removing the hair one starting at the back of the pig the other at the head. Removing the hair from the head quickly after pouring the water quickly before Hair cools down. ( Pouring the water over the pig (sack)slowly so the hot water has time to soak the Hair good. I butcher larger Hogs (400-600 Lbs.) This way works best for me. If a smaller Hog 150-300 lbs. it may be easier to dip the hog head first in the hot water in the barrel for 5 sec and remove lay on table and remove the hair.
You can buy a scraping tool to remove the hair at tractor supply or other or stores that sell pig feed etc. Skinning a Deer, or beef is easy. To skin the hog was a big job for me. May be easier to skin a small wild hog that is not so fat. I really have never taken a wild hog.