# Cleaning a hog Part #1-Skinning



## Public Land Prowler (Jul 13, 2008)

I thought I would show how I clean my hogs since some people have been curious as how to clean one.For the most part it is real similar to a deer.I know everyone cleans their animals different.This is the way I do it and it works for me.Hopefully this will get you started,and you can tweak it however you would like.

Remember when cutting hide on hogs or deer don't cut through the hide towards the meat.This will get hair everywhere.Put the blade between the hide and meat.With the blade facing you make your cuts with the grain of the hair,not against it.That means your cutting direction should be from the head towards rear.Because the hair faces from head towards rear.Trust me it helps keep the meat cleaner.

For the main cuts on the hide I put green lines at the locations I am talking about.The red line on the belly pic is the difference between how you would cut a boar and a sow.







While the hog is on the ground make a slit in each rear leg so you can stick the gambrel in.Insert Gambrel and hoist him up.Next cut all the way around the front legs on the hoof side about 2" below the joints.






Next on a sow go from the inside of one rear leg to the other like this.






On a boar make your cut like this.






Then continue down towards the neck.When you are between the front shoulders make a cut down each front leg to the circle cut you made below the leg joint...

(Pic to be added)see main diagram

Cut the reproductive organ like this and fold it over the back.






Continue cutting and find the joint for the tail.Cut through it and this is what it should look like.






Once you get all the hide on the rear of the animal free you start cutting it down towards the shoulders.About half way down on a boar you may have a hard time with the shield.If you are not mounting the boar you can come around to the back and cut all the way down his back to his neck.This will help alot.






When you get all the hide off of him you can take a hatchet or saw and remove the head at the neck.

Next part I will show how I quarter them up.


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## kornbread (Jul 13, 2008)

good info thats how we do ours .this should help out alot of people


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## frankwright (Jul 13, 2008)

Very good. Thanks!


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## GobbleAndGrunt78 (Jul 13, 2008)

Cool idea man, the inserted lines should help people


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## Handgunner (Jul 13, 2008)

Thanks for taking the time to do this.  Great info!


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## Bruz (Jul 13, 2008)

PLP,

Thanks for posting this and for your PM's. Hopefully I can put this to good use soon.

I vote to STICKY this entire series.

Robert


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## propwins (Jul 13, 2008)

Can this be done without gambrel and hoist?
Can you do it on the ground? Any special words of advice?


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## Robk (Jul 13, 2008)

good pics PLP.  Where's that skinning rack at?  

Rob


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## K80 (Jul 13, 2008)

Handgunner why don't you make these theads a sticky?

Good info PLP!


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## Stonewall83 (Jul 13, 2008)

thanks PLP 
you need to make this a sticky for sure


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## jdgator (Jul 13, 2008)

Thanks for the great write-up!


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## Public Land Prowler (Jul 13, 2008)

propwins said:


> Can this be done without gambrel and hoist?
> Can you do it on the ground? Any special words of advice?



Sure!I do it almost the same on the ground or tailgate.The trick to doing it on the ground is to make the same basic cuts as when they are hung up,but at the center of the body make a cut towards the backstraps.Green lines are where cuts are to be made.The purple lines represent cuts made on the stomach side of the hog.(x-ray vision if you will)






Make cuts as shown in the pic above.Cut all hide away from the hams first,then cut all hide away from the shoulders.

Cut the hide all the way to the spine after you have removed the hams and shoulders.Now you can cut one backstrap out.Flip the hog over on it's own hide,and repeat.

Tip:You can use a rope to tie the leg off to a tree or somewhere on the tailgate if you don't have a helper.


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## GobbleAndGrunt78 (Jul 13, 2008)

The tailgate technique is how I do most of my hogs and even sometimes deer. A friend of a friend showed me on my first hog and he said "Open 'em like a suitcase..." and it kind of stuck in my head 'cause it works, especially on smaller hogs.


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## Public Land Prowler (Jul 13, 2008)

GobbleAndGrunt78 said:


> and it kind of stuck in my head 'cause it works, especially on smaller hogs.


 Those big shields make it tough to work on one whether he is hanging up or not.


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## ejs1980 (Jul 13, 2008)

After looking at your schedule on another thread I don't see how you had time to create an online course for hog cleaning. Good thread. I especially like the tailgate method shown above. About the best way to do one alone especially on a smaller hog.


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## Public Land Prowler (Jul 13, 2008)

ejs1980 said:


> After looking at your schedule on another thread I don't see how you had time to create an online course for hog cleaning. Good thread. I especially like the tailgate method shown above. About the best way to do one alone especially on a smaller hog.



I have another tip for that.You can wipe the blade of your knife on the ribs and it will help clean it off.

LOL...Stayed home today..Gas is killin me,and my 48qt cooler is full of hog and ice from the 3 I got friday and saturday...

That last technique is real good for way out in the woods.All you have to do is pack him out.I..like some others on here will take a backpack with gloves,a small bottle of water,knife,and some plastic bags.Just pack 'em out and you don't have to drag.


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## Hawkeye82 (Jul 13, 2008)

Nice! Thanks for sharing


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## 56willysnut (Jul 14, 2008)

So that's where my old brown titan parka went. Not really but those sure are nice and warm.


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## pnome (Jul 14, 2008)

Thanks for the info PLP.   I'll use it.


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## Robk (Jul 14, 2008)

pnome said:


> Thanks for the info PLP.   I'll use it.



now we just gotta get you onto a hog first.....


R


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## frost174 (Jul 19, 2008)

*Thanks for sharing.*

I will try your on the ground method next time I am lucky enough to get one. What kind of bags do you carry an old pillow case or just garbage bags? Once again thanks for the info.

Allen


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## Public Land Prowler (Jul 19, 2008)

frost174 said:


> I will try your on the ground method next time I am lucky enough to get one. What kind of bags do you carry an old pillow case or just garbage bags? Once again thanks for the info.
> 
> Allen



We just have a camo backpack,and use some heavy duty trash bags just to get you back to the truck to put it in the cooler.The pillow case idea may not be bad at all either.Good idea man.


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## goob (Jul 20, 2008)

Public Land Prowler said:


> We just have a camo backpack,and use some heavy duty trash bags just to get you back to the truck to put it in the cooler.The pillow case idea may not be bad at all either.Good idea man.




Put them in a trash bag first and then into a large piller case and no worry about ripping! Great idea!


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## powerwagon (Jul 20, 2008)

you can also just zip um down the back bone and get the hams and loins easy


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## SELFBOW (Jul 21, 2008)

ejs1980 said:


> After looking at your schedule on another thread I don't see how you had time to create an online course for hog cleaning. Good thread. I especially like the tailgate method shown above. About the best way to do one alone especially on a smaller hog.



and he wonders why all the drama
he creates it himself.
he is self serving
his own worst enemy .


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## SELFBOW (Jul 21, 2008)

Public Land Prowler said:


> We just have a camo backpack,and use some heavy duty trash bags just to get you back to the truck to put it in the cooler.The pillow case idea may not be bad at all either.Good idea man.



Is this the bag you use?


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## Public Land Prowler (Jul 21, 2008)

That one didn't quite fit....


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## powerwagon (Jul 21, 2008)

he forgot the easy way he does it ,he just pawns um off on other people to take home and clean


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## GobbleAndGrunt78 (Jul 24, 2008)

powerwagon said:


> he forgot the easy way he does it ,he just pawns um off on other people to take home and clean



OMG!!! LOL!!! I think I gave you one too....


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## fishbum2000 (Aug 2, 2008)

small game season pending, thought id bump this to the top


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## Public Land Prowler (Aug 3, 2008)

powerwagon said:


> he forgot the easy way he does it ,he just pawns um off on other people to take home and clean


Now Dan you know you and the other soldiers enjoyed those hogs...


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## Shine Runner (Sep 16, 2008)

Good info here, thanks PLP!  Bump....sticky???


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## Flatrock Coma (Sep 28, 2008)

This guy  in the video link below can flat out skin one.  I met him on a hunt last year and he told me of this video. We watched him skin 5 hogs, all over 250# in the time 2 other guys working together skinned 2. He also made some of the best sausage I have ever eaten.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOjmdVbAxFA

 We had a taxidermist friend along with us caping our heads. it took him an hour to cape out one of our heads. The guy in this video caped the other 6 out while our taxidermist caped the one .LOL!  He was VERY embarassed ! LOL


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