# Wild hogs.... disease free or no?



## The Rodney (Jul 5, 2011)

I want to try and kill a hog for the family freezer this year but I read too much about the paracites and other things they carry.  Besides cooking it WELL DONE one article mentioned freezing the meat to zero degrees for 28 days.  What precautions do you guys take when shooting a hog for meat.  The stuff I read has me questioning hog hunting for meat.  Thoughts?


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## deadend (Jul 5, 2011)

Cut it up, cook it, and eat it.  Rinse and repeat. I treat it no different than any other meat.


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## sgtstinky (Jul 5, 2011)

I haven't eaten a lot of them but I treat the meat no differently than any other meat.

Texas does have an outbreak in their hogs:

http://www.infectioncontroltoday.co...rs-warn-of-tularemia-in-texas-feral-hogs.aspx


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## Forest Grump (Jul 5, 2011)

The parasites are not much concern if the meat is cooked properly; the main risk you face is contracting Brucellosis while cleaning & skinning the hog. Wearing gloves & washing frequently will help, but not if you cut yourself.


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## Jester896 (Jul 5, 2011)

Nobody vaccinates the wild hog population like the domestic ones are.  TX is not the only place with an outbreak.  If you use precautions as mentioned above with gloves and proper washing you should be fine.  HIV is only a Level II bio-hazard and Brucella is a Level III....wear condoms


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## bfriendly (Jul 5, 2011)

Jester896 said:


> Nobody vaccinates the wild hog population like the domestic ones are.  TX is not the only place with an outbreak.  If you use precautions as mentioned above with gloves and proper washing you should be fine.  HIV is only a Level II bio-hazard and Brucella is a Level III....wear condoms



X2 on the latex!

When you kill a pig, you should be able to look at it and see if it looks healthy(Winter, summer, dont matter til you get to skinnin).

Also, if it is really RANK smellin, go kill another one

I have been fortunate enough that all of the ones I have killed looked like they were in a feeding pen for a few weeks at least.................

I have seen hogs that I would never lay my knife on, less try to eat it


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## Forest Grump (Jul 5, 2011)

bfriendly said:


> X2 on the latex!
> 
> When you kill a pig, you should be able to look at it and see if it looks healthy(Winter, summer, dont matter til you get to skinnin).
> 
> ...



Afraid you can't tell by lookin', or smellin', if they are infected; only by blood test. 
But by all means, if you have killed one, whether it smells or not, please go kill another one! 
(continue until swine or ammo is exhausted)


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## The Rodney (Jul 5, 2011)

Thanks.  That eases my mind a bit. So anyone wanna take me on a hig hunt? Live in Newton/Covington and really want to make my own sausage for my family. I am blessed with five hungry kids!


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## CAL (Jul 5, 2011)

My dog hunting hog man cleaned a hog with a cut place on his hand.before it was over with he had to have antibiotics to clear up the infection.But I have had the same thing happen when dressing a deer when I had a cut.


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## bfriendly (Jul 5, 2011)

CAL said:


> My dog hunting hog man cleaned a hog with a cut place on his hand.before it was over with he had to have antibiotics to clear up the infection.But I have had the same thing happen when dressing a deer when I had a cut.



Unfortunately Cal, I haven't cleaned as many as you and your bud...........my chances ain't that great


You can bet I will be happy to kill an extra one just for you brother


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## hogman1 (Jul 5, 2011)

I eat it a lot, never had any problems that I can recall. Other than the occassional piece of lead I find in the meat, thats about it.


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## blackbear (Jul 5, 2011)

RU4REAL!!If a hog,deer,bear has worms and you eat itcan you get worms too?LOL...naw go ahead and eat it..LOL..u go first..LOL..I double dog dare u..LOL..


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## CAL (Jul 5, 2011)

bfriendly said:


> Unfortunately Cal, I haven't cleaned as many as you and your bud...........my chances ain't that great
> 
> 
> You can bet I will be happy to kill an extra one just for you brother



I think the latex gloves is the answer dressing anything.Especially if one has a cut on their hand.


Thanks on the kill but no thanks.The hogs are about to drive us crazy.Been told by an old time friend"they smarter than the trapper'!


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## thedirtyshame40 (Jul 6, 2011)

*Hog caution*

A word of caution……….  A ‘Google’ search of swine carried disease could
answer your question as to; "if the meat is safe to eat ?"  I personally would not
touch it…..These hogs are not treated for anything and are susceptible to a vast
array of infectious diseases not present in the domestic herds….
As if that‘s not enough,,,,, when you try to cook it, the meat will smell and taste so
 bad you would not want to give it to the dogs……..
 ‘Pigsite.com’  list 140 different disorders……. 
If you wish to go and rid someone of unwanted animals is fine but if you are going
to harvest food,,,, you may want to think about it…..


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## NCHillbilly (Jul 6, 2011)




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## Jester896 (Jul 6, 2011)

No... if a hog has sores on it or other obvious signs...leave it.  Pork needs close attention to taste well.  Proper bleeding of the meat at the kill is important as well as outside temp so it don't spoil.  If you bleed it good then put it on ice for a few days until the water gets clearer it will taste much better.  Some people even put vinegar or other things in the water from the melting ice.  Since it doesn't get vaccinated like the domestic herd special handling and cooking needs to be followed.  If your fear of eating it far outweighs the good taste then don't do it.  If you have a good sausage recipe you are going to like it if it has the proper mix of fat and meat and the fat that comes on your pig may not be the best to use.  You more than likely will find it a little dry if you cook it wrong...just like deer... but the flavor will be excellent


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## Redbug (Jul 6, 2011)

If the hog has brucellosis, freezing the meat will not kill the brucellosis bacterium. I would use latex gloves to clean the hog. And it's a good idea to wear latex gloves when you are  handling the meat/sausage after thawing and getting it ready for the grill/stove. The gloves are cheap. Cooking will kill the bacterium...long as it's 165 or so degrees...well cooked. You don't want to eat any rare looking meat.


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## fishndinty (Jul 6, 2011)

Redbug said:


> If the hog has brucellosis, freezing the meat will not kill the brucellosis bacterium. I would use latex gloves to clean the hog. And it's a good idea to wear latex gloves when you are  handling the meat/sausage after thawing and getting it ready for the grill/stove. The gloves are cheap. Cooking will kill the bacterium...long as it's 165 or so degrees...well cooked. You don't want to eat any rare looking meat.



160 will be plenty.   If you let it cook to that internal temp it will finish cooking on its own. 

I always bleed my quarters out in icewater with a bit of vinegar for a few days.  The vinegar also tenderizes the meat as well.

I have never eaten wild hog that was not better than any store bought pork I have tried. 

Wear gloves and wash well after cleaning them and you should have no problems, bacteria, worms, or none of the above.


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## Redbug (Jul 6, 2011)

I agree with you Fishndinty...wild hog IS better. Less fat, no hormones added for fast growth, free range, and fed on "real wild foods". I think you could say it is all Natural!


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## deadend (Jul 6, 2011)

thedirtyshame40 said:


> A word of caution……….  A ‘Google’ search of swine carried disease could
> answer your question as to; "if the meat is safe to eat ?"  I personally would not
> touch it…..These hogs are not treated for anything and are susceptible to a vast
> array of infectious diseases not present in the domestic herds….
> ...


Shaking my head in amazement.......


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## Nicodemus (Jul 6, 2011)

A wild gilt fattened up on acorns, is some fine eatin`.


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## larrypeters83 (Jul 6, 2011)

thedirtyshame40 said:


> A word of caution……….  A ‘Google’ search of swine carried disease could
> answer your question as to; "if the meat is safe to eat ?"  I personally would not
> touch it…..These hogs are not treated for anything and are susceptible to a vast
> array of infectious diseases not present in the domestic herds….
> ...


if thats true, then i guess i should have been dead long ago........  my experience is that wild pig is the best pork you can get.


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## NCHillbilly (Jul 7, 2011)

city folk stand out, don't they.


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## Apex Predator (Jul 7, 2011)

thedirtyshame40 said:


> A word of caution……….  A ‘Google’ search of swine carried disease could
> answer your question as to; "if the meat is safe to eat ?"  I personally would not
> touch it…..These hogs are not treated for anything and are susceptible to a vast
> array of infectious diseases not present in the domestic herds….
> ...



Huh?


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## deadend (Jul 7, 2011)

Cain't fix stupid.  No way, no how.


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## Jester896 (Jul 7, 2011)

OK can't stand it...tried the High Road...just fell off too fast
Probably doesn't eat dove, quail, deer, snakes, fish, or any of the other good stuff with that opinion...gets all of his where the salmonella grows  bet he has heard how bad fried foods can be... but still eats french fries


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## larrypeters83 (Jul 7, 2011)

NCHillbilly said:


> city folk stand out, don't they.



yes they do.


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## fishndinty (Jul 12, 2011)

Jester896 said:


> OK can't stand it...tried the High Road...just fell off too fast
> Probably doesn't eat dove, quail, deer, snakes, fish, or any of the other good stuff with that opinion...gets all of his where the salmonella grows  bet he has heard how bad fried foods can be... but still eats french fries



That's kinda how I see it.  If I do my meat prep myself, I KNOW it is done right.  

Wear gloves and cook the meat sufficiently and don't worry about it.  The worst you will get is a stomachache from indulging in too much fine country dining.


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## bfriendly (Jul 12, 2011)

thedirtyshame40 said:


> A word of caution……….  A ‘Google’ search of swine carried disease could
> answer your question as to; "if the meat is safe to eat ?"  I personally would not
> touch it…..These hogs are not treated for anything and are susceptible to a vast
> array of infectious diseases not present in the domestic herds….
> ...



Welcome to the forum...............While I too like to GOOGLE search alot of stuff, much of the stuff found on GOOGLE is written by Tree hugging, PETA members, who think that Animals should have the same rights as Humans.

As you can see here, there are Many of US, that would rather eat a WILD Pig than ANY other meat.......Farm raised porkers get alot more than just food in their diet.

Have you ever Hunted, killed(or Harvested to be PC for ya), then Eaten a wild Hog?


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## Nicodemus (Jul 12, 2011)

thedirtyshame40 said:


> A word of caution……….  A ‘Google’ search of swine carried disease could
> answer your question as to; "if the meat is safe to eat ?"  I personally would not
> touch it…..These hogs are not treated for anything and are susceptible to a vast
> array of infectious diseases not present in the domestic herds….
> ...





Come on back and join us. These old boys are good folks, and while they will cut up and poke some fun at you, their hearts are in the right place. Give em a chance, and they`ll take you right in. Listen to em and you just might learn something. 

That`s an invite, btw.


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## Jester896 (Jul 12, 2011)

Nicodemus said:


> Come on back and join us. These old boys are good folks, and while they will cut up and poke some fun at you, their hearts are in the right place. Give em a chance, and they`ll take you right in. Listen to em and you just might learn something.
> 
> That`s an invite, btw.




wild pork is the "true" other white meat


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## Redbug (Jul 12, 2011)

And don't forget to eat more iguana...the other green meat...


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## fishndinty (Jul 13, 2011)

Redbug said:


> And don't forget to eat more iguana...the other green meat...



It ain't green meat.  There are places in the world that eat it...


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## Nicodemus (Jul 13, 2011)

Ya`ll help me out here. Reckon you can cook a piece of store bought meat long enough, to cook the hormones and chemicals out of it?


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## Redbug (Jul 14, 2011)

You probably can...but it would be like eating a shoe. Better off going "Natural"...

In the meantime...all of our kids are going thru puberty at about age 7 because of the added hormones in their diet...it just ain't normal...


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## Jester896 (Jul 14, 2011)

Nicodemus said:


> Ya`ll help me out here. Reckon you can cook a piece of store bought meat long enough, to cook the hormones and chemicals out of it?



probably wouldn't be fit to eat by then...that may be part of the childhood obesity issues we have today


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## NCHillbilly (Jul 14, 2011)

Well, I'm coming down to south Jorgee hog hunting this weekend-now I know that it'll be a lot less work than usual since I've learned that I  need to just throw all the meat away. No skinnin', butchering, or having to worry about coolers and ice and stuff. And it's a relief to know that I won't have to eat all that nasty-tasting, stinking, disease ridden meat over the next few months.


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## T.P. (Jul 14, 2011)

NCHillbilly said:


> city folk stand out, don't they.



Don't they though...


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## Jester896 (Jul 14, 2011)

NCHillbilly said:


> Well, I'm coming down to south Jorgee hog hunting this weekend-now I know that it'll be a lot less work than usual since I've learned that I  need to just throw all the meat away. No skinnin', butchering, or having to worry about coolers and ice and stuff. And it's a relief to know that I won't have to eat all that nasty-tasting, stinking, disease ridden meat over the next few months.



a'int life good now


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## hog head (Jul 14, 2011)

i bet its safer than store bought hog no additives just eat it u got 2 die from somtin


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## thedirtyshame40 (Jul 14, 2011)

*wild hog*



bfriendly said:


> Welcome to the forum...............While I too like to GOOGLE search alot of stuff, much of the stuff found on GOOGLE is written by Tree hugging, PETA members, who think that Animals should have the same rights as Humans.
> 
> As you can see here, there are Many of US, that would rather eat a WILD Pig than ANY other meat.......Farm raised porkers get alot more than just food in their diet.
> 
> Have you ever Hunted, killed(or Harvested to be PC for ya), then Eaten a wild Hog?



I grew up on a farm in South Georgia and we trapped, shot and any thing else to run them off.... We butchered about ten domestic hogs each year for our home use.... I have
cleaned tripe, washed chitterlings and rendered lard...I helped make 'hog-head cheese' and tended the fire in the smoke house....... My Dad was asked by a hunter on our farm how to dress a wild hog he had shot.... Dad told him to go to the other side of the field from where he had shot the hog and dig a six foot hole and cover for seven days... After seven days dig the hog up... The man said 'Mr. C , he will be rotten by then."
Dad told him it would taste just as well as it would if he dressed it now,,, and you won't be tired from the hunting....
If you can eat a true feral hog then you have a better stomach than most ‘real’ hog hunters…….


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## thedirtyshame40 (Jul 14, 2011)

Nicodemus said:


> Come on back and join us. These old boys are good folks, and while they will cut up and poke some fun at you, their hearts are in the right place. Give em a chance, and they`ll take you right in. Listen to em and you just might learn something.
> 
> That`s an invite, btw.



These boys don't bother me....... The more they write the more I realize how little they know....... I guess if you don't know better eating wild hog is OK.......


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## thedirtyshame40 (Jul 14, 2011)

NCHillbilly said:


> city folk stand out, don't they.



You call Fargo, Ga city folk....??????


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## thedirtyshame40 (Jul 14, 2011)

deadend said:


> Shaking my head in amazement.......



You confuse bewilderment with amazement..........


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## thedirtyshame40 (Jul 14, 2011)

Apex Predator said:


> Huh?



That's what I thought.......... Huh..


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## thedirtyshame40 (Jul 14, 2011)

deadend said:


> Cain't fix stupid.  No way, no how.



That is what I was thinking...........


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## NCHillbilly (Jul 14, 2011)

Dude, just sayin'-I've ate a LOT of wild hog meat. It all tasted really good-none of this nasty taste you mention. It's as good as domestic hog. And I've never died from disease so far that I know of. I doubt if I'm alone in this either. I'm wondering if you've actually ever tried eating a wild hog, or did you just take daddy's word for it that it's no good? Because all of it I've ever ate has been right good in my opinion. But what do I know? I'm obviously not one of those "real" hog hunters. As you said, all of us that eat wild hogs and like them are obviously mentally deficient.


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## bigreddwon (Jul 14, 2011)

I love eating wild hog, just about any way I've had it. 

My wife contracted Brucellosis from some of the meat I brought home.  Its my opinion that a much larger portion of the population has Brucellosis that folks think. Its NOT a fun sickness to catch, trust me. 

I wear gloves at all times handling them, so does my wife now in the kitchen. Not something to be taken lightly.


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## fishndinty (Jul 14, 2011)

bigreddwon said:


> I love eating wild hog, just about any way I've had it.
> 
> My wife contracted Brucellosis from some of the meat I brought home.  Its my opinion that a much larger portion of the population has Brucellosis that folks think. Its NOT a fun sickness to catch, trust me.
> 
> I wear gloves at all times handling them, so does my wife now in the kitchen. Not something to be taken lightly.



Wow, that IS troubling.  Glad your wife is ok.


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## fishndinty (Jul 14, 2011)

thedirtyshame40 said:


> I grew up on a farm in South Georgia and we trapped, shot and any thing else to run them off.... We butchered about ten domestic hogs each year for our home use.... I have
> cleaned tripe, washed chitterlings and rendered lard...I helped make 'hog-head cheese' and tended the fire in the smoke house....... My Dad was asked by a hunter on our farm how to dress a wild hog he had shot.... Dad told him to go to the other side of the field from where he had shot the hog and dig a six foot hole and cover for seven days... After seven days dig the hog up... The man said 'Mr. C , he will be rotten by then."
> Dad told him it would taste just as well as it would if he dressed it now,,, and you won't be tired from the hunting....
> If you can eat a true feral hog then you have a better stomach than most ‘real’ hog hunters…….



Man, I gotta go to the garage and get my chest waders.....it's piling up thick in here.

ANY raw meat can contain harmful bacteria.  Be careful and wear gloves.

I don't know what was growing on your property, but every wild hog I have ever eaten was, without question, the finest wild game I have EVER eaten.

Do you like deer, squirrel, duck, goose, or pheasant?


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