First, pick a site for the trap and build it in stages over a couple weeks



Bait with corn to train them to come into the trap



Once they are comfortable going in, arm the trap door



Shoot hogs and bring to the cuttng table



We don't eat the really big boars



Get a few friends to help with the butchering




Fill the coolers with a salt and ice slurry



The buzzards get what's left




On to the Big Green Egg (with protection)




Dinner is served



Repair damage to trap and start over

quote:

We don't eat the really big boars

Smart.

Looks very tasty! When I hunted in Germany we hung the wild pigs up by the hind legs and skinned them. The hide was considered part of what the hunter got without paying. If you wanted some/all of the meat, you paid the forest service for it.

quote:

Originally posted by Elk Hunter:
Looks very tasty! When I hunted in Germany we hung the wild pigs up by the hind legs and skinned them. The hide was considered part of what the hunter got without paying. If you wanted some/all of the meat, you paid the forest service for it.

In winter we hang them and skin them. In the hot months we take the shoulders, hams, and backstrap but don't open the body cavity. The meat is really very good

Yep. If you need help in collecting them with an AR, I'm your man. You can have the meet. Plus I'll take out the big boars.

quote:

Originally posted by ds1962:
Yep. If you need help in collecting them with an AR, I'm your man. You can have the meet. Plus I'll take out the big boars.

Is .223/5.56 decent enough to put a hog down?

That looks delicious. Mmmmm, pig!

quote:

Originally posted by Edmond:

quote:

Originally posted by ds1962:
Yep. If you need help in collecting them with an AR, I'm your man. You can have the meet. Plus I'll take out the big boars.

Is .223/5.56 decent enough to put a hog down?

Plenty. Especially the heavier slugs.

quote:

Originally posted by OMCHamlin:

quote:

Originally posted by HayesGreener:

In winter we hang them and skin them. In the hot months we take the shoulders, hams, and backstrap but don't open the body cavity. The meat is really very good

I need to learn how to do that, I only know how to fully open them up, gut and then quarter them. That looks like a good idea. And tasty, too!

Poacher Cut

All that stuff you had left would also make great bait for some coyote shooting.

Hayes,

How are you triggering the door drop? It would have to be somewhat manual (remote) to do it when several hogs are in the pen.

quote:

Originally posted by BBMW:
Hayes,

How are you triggering the door drop? It would have to be somewhat manual (remote) to do it when several hogs are in the pen.

Pic number 2 shows the PVC pipe trigger. Snuffling hog dislodges it weight of gate drops it neatly into place.

That looks delicious.

I shot a bunch of them recently when visiting some friends on their farm.

We gave the huge ones to some local po' folks who were delighted to have them.

quote:

Originally posted by BBMW:
Hayes,

How are you triggering the door drop? It would have to be somewhat manual (remote) to do it when several hogs are in the pen.

Look at the second picture there is a piece of pvc pipe between two steel pegs attached to a cable that holds the door open through a couple pulleys. When the hogs go to the back of the pen and root under the pvc pipe to get the corn they push the pvc off one of the pegs and the door drops.

quote:

Originally posted by gearhounds:

quote:

Originally posted by Edmond:

quote:

Originally posted by ds1962:
Yep. If you need help in collecting them with an AR, I'm your man. You can have the meet. Plus I'll take out the big boars.

Is .223/5.56 decent enough to put a hog down?

Plenty. Especially the heavier slugs.

I usually hunt them with an AR. When they are in a trap I put them down with a P220-10.

After seeing this, part of me wishes we had wild hogs in these parts though I know it’s better that we don’t.

Still...I’d love me some wild pork.

quote:

Originally posted by HayesGreener:
In winter we hang them and skin them. In the hot months we take the shoulders, hams, and backstrap but don't open the body cavity.

Regardless of time of year, I usually don't bother fully dressing them, though I have before. Shoulders, hams, and backstraps are enough for me. Especially on the smaller ones. We usually end up with more than enough meat anyway.

I keep the loins whole, keep most of the shoulders for pulled pork, and turn the rest of the shoulders and the hams into sausage. A processor about an hour from me makes some amazing cheddar jalapeno pork sausage! Well worth the price, drive, and wait.

quote:

Originally posted by Edmond:
Is .223/5.56 decent enough to put a hog down?

It requires closer range and more precise shot placement than a larger caliber, but yes. Personally, I usually prefer some flavor of .30 caliber: 7.62x39 for closer range or .308/.30-06 for longer range.

I wouldn't take a shoulder/heart/lung shot at a moving hog at 150 yards with a .223, but a brain/spine shot on a stationary hog at 50 yards would be relatively easily done with a .223.

It's all about skill and shot placement. I know guys who have shot hogs with .22s. (I wouldn't, but it's doable.)

.223 would be more than enough in a situation like this, where they're contained and able to be dispatched at extremely close range at your leisure. I've shot a hog in the ear with a .45 ACP at 5ish yards before.

I’ve hunted boar in NC with my Dad and they ARE good eating, the best free-range pork you can get!

I used a 30-06, my Dad likes his .308 for those suckers.