I've hunted for almost 25 years. I can shoot, field dress, quarter, grind, make sausage and deer jerkey and I can smoke meats.... but I have NEVER shot or eat'n a wild hog.

So here are the questions:

!) When I shot or trap a hog, do the little one taste better (or is that just not true?

2) Once I field dress, do I quarter or can I just split the hog and cook whole (Like I see domestic hogs cooked in the southeast?

3) I've heard its best to let a hog bleed out while soaking in ice. if that is true, how in the heck do I buy a big enough cooler for a whole hog (Might be why people shoot piglets)

4) I just built an cinderblock pit (and I have a smoker and charecoal pit with rotisserie). Once the meat is ready to slow cook, do I inject, put on apple juice? etc. Does a wild pig have enough moisture?

Thanks so much for all the help. I just need to have some confidence in the whole process before I shoot my first pig.

Any size is good .Yes you want to soak in ice and let the blood rinse out.Three days in ice draining water and you can keep whole or quarter which ever way you want to cook it.Marinade after soaking in cooler and season.I like injecting and put my rub on good and while cooking mix my sauce and pour on while its cooking also pour some beer over it a few times.umm

Thanks Billy

Can you pour in Marinade in the cooler while its bleeding out?

I dont put mine in ice. If in the trap, I drop them with a 22 shot to the head, then quickly cut their juglar so they will bleed out while the hearts still pumping. I have eaten big and little and they all taste very good. Male or female, if you do it right, they both taste great. I tried smoking one whole a few weeks ago for the first time but will not do it again. Its just easier for me to cook everything evenly if its quartered up. A wild pig has plenty of moisture. I simply apply my dry rub and put it on the smoker. On the bigger pigs there is a lot of good meat on the head, mainly in the cheek area.

the little ones are a little more tender but the big ones are very much edible too. the rear quarter(hams) are a little tougher on a bigger hog and make good sausage.

i quarter mine after bleeding. bleeding is important as stated.

i have milk soaked the meat in the frig overnight if i thought the meat was going to be gamy.

i roll and smoke the little ones and use a spray bottle with sop in it to keep it moist. the little ones don't seem to have as much fat to keep them moist.

I've only done 2. Both trapped. Gut/ skin right away. I put mine in a cooler full of ice water, drain at night and refill with ice water. I read you can put a little vinegar in with the ice water to take care of any gaminess. After 3 days I either put it on the smoker (whole, for 6-7 hours) or package and freeze for later. Meat falls off the bone after smoking. Look up a recipe for some chipotle BBQ sauce, it rocks!

That looks dam good trophycalls