Wayne County Hosts 15th Annual Hog Jam

Twelve-year-old Halle Harrison, of Jesup, shot a 281-lb. wild hog Friday night (not the hog pictured here with Halle, this is another one she weighed-in on Sunday). Halle’s Friday night hog earned her prize money in multiple categories during the 15th annual Wayne County Hog Jam. She won first place for the biggest hog by a youth and also for a female hunter, and she had the biggest hog weighed-in on Friday night.

‘Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered’ certainly describes the atmosphere in Wayne County at the 15^th annual Hog Jam held on the weekend of Feb. 21.

The Wayne County Board of Tourism hosts the annual event, known as the ‘Hog Jam,’ that invites hunters from all over to compete for prizes and to help control the feral hog population. This year 42 hunters, 18 Wounded Warriors, and 13 youth participated and harvested 8,967 pounds of hogs—that’s a lot of pork!

Wounded Warrior hunters come together to participate in the annual Hog Jam event.

The event originated as an enjoyable way to control feral hog populations notorious for damaging crops and land near and dear to the community of Wayne County. The Hog Jam has grown to be much more than a competition for those involved. As Wounded Warrior Steve Desch said, “It’s bigger than hunting for us.” Many of the Wounded Warriors said they show up for the camaraderie, and the hogs are just a plus. As Mark Gatto said, “The hunt is fun, but it is about seeing your brothers that you haven’t seen all year.”

Bruce Schaffer pulled the trigger on a big boar and ended up with a two-for-one shot.

The hogs are processed by Sloan’s Wild Game Processing, and the meat is donated to those in need around the Wayne County area. In addition, 27 hearts collected from wild pigs were donated to the Medical College of Georgia for research and study. Jerry and Daniel Sloan, a father and son duo from Wayne County, have volunteered at this event for several years now and have processed as many as 374 hogs in a weekend. This year, their busiest night was Friday night, processing 58 hogs in one night. Jerry mentioned his initial involvement with the event came to be because of the Wounded Warriors.

“It is just something we wanted to do for these guys,” said Jerry.

Daniel Sloan, with Sloan’s Wild Game Processing, skins and quarters a hog brought in on Sunday morning.

There are several different categories that hunters compete in for cash prizes. Each night there is a winner for the following categories: biggest hog killed, one for the gun class and one for the bow class; overall weight for three hogs; hogs killed on WMAs; women hunters; and youth hunters. There was even a ‘smallest hog’ category this year.

The Biggest Hog Winner on Friday night was Halle Harrison, of Jesup. Her father was a proud Dad, but made sure to keep her humble. “She is a sharpshooter, but not worth a hoot for dragging a hog out,” he said.

The weekend was full of hogs, laughs and prizes. The only thing more exciting than all the pork backstraps on the grill and hams in the crockpot is the anticipation for Hog Jam 2026!

The results of the Hog Jam are as follows:

Friday Night

$100 biggest hog winner, in the gun class, was 281 pounds by Halle Harrison, of Jesup.

$100 biggest hog winner, in the bow class, was 142 pounds by Rex Johnson, of Ludowici.

Saturday Night

$100 biggest hog winner, in the gun class, was 294 pounds by Wounded Warrior Gerrod “Sleeping Bear” Bynum, of Fremont, N.C.

$100 biggest hog winner, in the bow class, was 125 pounds by Rex Johnson, of Ludowici.

Overall Weight

First place $1,000, in the gun class, was 3 hogs at a total weight of 619 pounds by Wounded Warrior Gerrod “Sleeping Bear” Bynum, of Fremont, N.C.

First place $1,000, in the bow class, was 3 hogs at a total weight of 391 pounds by Rex Johnson, of Ludowici.

Second place $500, in the gun class, was 3 hogs at a total weight of 598 pounds by Mathew Granny, of Bonaire.

Third place $250, in the gun class, was 3 hogs at a total weight of 524 pounds by Richard Johnson, of Ludowici.

Biggest Hog

First place $100, in the youth category, was 281 pounds by Halle Harrison, of Jesup.

First place $250, in the women’s category, was 281 pounds by Halle Harrison, of Jesup.

For more information on the Hog Jam and the upcoming Wayne County Catfish Tournament and Big Buck Contest, visit waynetourism.com.