jakee25

I'm new to this forum, so hello from SC! I hope this is the right place to start this new thread.

Over the past year I've gotten into hunting, and I've been learning as much as I can about it. I haven't actually made my first kill, but the arrival of summer has led me to try hog hunting in particular. My issue has been that I live an hour away from where I plan to hunt. My issue isn't with the steps leading up to the shot, but rather, how to safely bring home the meat I plan to harvest from it.

Would I be better off gutting and quartering the hog in the field, then putting the meat on ice while I drive home? Or would I have time to bring the animal back to my truck and drive it all the way home before any processing is started? (Likely 1.5-2 hours after the initial shot)

Any advice would be super appreciated, thank you!

Oldtimr

Yes, if you are hunting in the heat of summer you should gut and quarter the hog and put it on ice where it was killed unless you have a place very close to process the animal and cool the meat.

jakee25

Once I've put the meat in game bags, packed it in coolers with ice, and brought it home, what do you recommend I do with the meat for storage? Should I immediately freeze it and let it sit for a few weeks?

MudderChuck

Where I normally hunt my Hogs, is far from any ice source. And every hunt isn't successful so packing ice for every hunt is likely to be wasted ice. If you have ready access, use it. IMO most of the heat you have to deal with in the first couple of hours is from the inside of the Hog and not the outside.

The vast majority of my hunts are at night, early evening or early morning. So the temperature is usually manageable. I gut them quick, prop open the body cavity (with a stick) so they cool quicker. I cover them in a wet sheet for transport, windows open or in the truck bed. The air rushing over the wet sheet helps cool them some.

Prior planning prevent pizz poor performance. I transport mine quick before it gets too hot out. I have access to a Refer big enough for a whole hog or Deer, I let it hang and drain for a day or more.. Trying to cut up game in the field isn't my thing, The few times I tried it the meat got dirty and it was a pain, it is a lot easier with the proper tools and working on a solid surface IMO. I use a door sized table top and a couple of saw horses for skinning and butchering. The table top (old solid wooden door) is saturated in Bee's wax. Cleanup is boiling water.

rogerstv

MudderChuck is correct. Unless you are unable to drag, cart, or otherwise transport the hog from the site where it lay to your vehicle, there is no need to quarter the hog at the area where it is harvested. Do a You Tube search for field dressing. If you feel the need, stop at nearest store and buy a couple bags of ice and place inside cavity before travelling home. At home, wash the cavity and remove excess fat, bloodied meat, etc. missed while in the field. Be careful to avoid cutting the tenderloins while field dressing and while trimming at home.

I recommend having a processor chosen or find a friend knowledgeable about butchering beforehand. I don't recommend you attempt butchering alone without prior experience.

falcon

Yes. Bleed and field dress the hog and head home.

It is important to field dress the hog ASAP. Do not burst the bladder and contaminate the meat. Be careful not to cut the intestines or stomach.

Much of my hog hunting is done in hot weather and I've got it down pretty good. When the temperature is 80 degrees one has about four hours to get the meat cooled before it begins to go bad. My truck has a large cooler with three or four frozen one gallon water jugs. Last week I killed a big sow with the temperature at 95 degrees F.

1. Hung the sow from my pickup game hanger.

2. Cut the animals throat and let it bleed out. This improves meat quality.

3. Skinned the hog.

4. Field dressed the hog.

5. Placed the carcass in the cooler.

Elapsed time from shot to cooler about one hour, 20 minutes. A big pair of limb loppers are great to cut off the legs and head. Skinning pliers also save time.

Good luck with your hog hunting experience.

MudderChuck

A little off subject, what Falcon wrote reminded me, have plenty of water handy. I most always have a Mil Spec heavy plastic five gallon water jug with me (in the truck). I installed a plastic spigot near the bottom.

Gut shooting a Hog or screwing up the gutting can make a mess. Best if you have the ability to wash most of the bad stuff off the meat quick. Prepare for the worst, hope for the best.

There was a time when I packed everything imaginable with me when hunting. I now keep it to a minimum, Water is one of the necessities (and toilet paper ).

falcon

Yep, got to have water: i carry four one gallon jugs. Many of my hogs are taken late in late evening after they have wallowed: Sometimes take muddy hogs by the car wash prior skinning/field dressing.