Went hunting yesterday finally! Long story short, I missed the two hogs I preferred in the morning due to wanting to try to record the kill only to find out my camera was full somehow, by the time that was resolved my preferred hogs were gone. So I missed my chance. Went back that evening and got to watch about 24 or so piglets chow down on my corn from about 6:30-just before dark. RIGHT before it got dark (i didn't have a light because I was informed that I wouldn't need it. would've been VERY helpful had I had one though) one decent sized trophy boar popped out of the treeline. couldn't shoot him because I didn't have money for the trophy fee. and just my luck, TWO MORE trophy hogs popped out about 2 minutes later. STILL no average sized hog yet, just 3 big trophies and now 30 or so piglets. just about this time it was dang near country night dark, when FINALLY two decent sized sows came out to feed. it was now or never, and i chose now







entry shot


exit wound


this was my first time hunting period, and first time getting to shoot anything beside paper with my 50 Beowulf! needless to say I'm happy, excited, hooked and can't wait to go hunt again!

I've got it on ice right now, just skinned and gutted. not sure on weight. any advice, tips, help, anything about how to go about quartering it or letting it sit in the ice chest before i do anything with it would be GREATLY appreciated.

Awesome man! You had me worrying for you when it was basically dark and you still had not seen anything to shoot.

As soon as I finish my build let's go do it again!

a trophy fee? gee, I need to take some people hunting and charge them...nuisance animals with a trophy fee, who'd thunk it.I generally dont mess with them, but I would take the backstap, hams, tenderloin and keep all the meat constanltly iced down and bleed out, shouldnt be no trouble as hot as it is. just keep drain on ice chest open and iced down.

Yeah I agree the trophy fee is stupid lol. Apparently they had tags in the ears of the "trophy" boars and it was about $500 to pull the trigger on one of them.

I will never pay that to shoot a dang hog!

I have thought about building a 50 beo but I've got to many projects to finish now. Maybe after deer season is over.

Fonzo, there is tons of advice on here for butchering wild hog. Here's one from recently:
http://www.texashuntingforum.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/3319741/1

Nice shooting!

Good Job, nice pictures...

First hunts are great...

Nice shot placement, your hooked now!

Nice pics!

yup, definitely hooked. super happy that I can now wear my camo shirts and hats for reasons other than thinking they look cool. planning on getting a light for dusk/dawn hunting and get ready to go again sometime soon. I'm also gonna go practice skeet shooting a bunch because as Texas Heat knows, I suck at skeet shooting/dove hunting.

Good laws that's a devastating exit wound! Beowulf is my next planned build. The round is a monster. Congrats

good work

thanks everyone!

the beowulf is definitely a fun round to play with!

I second the "Nice Shooting" comment, and thanks for the write-up and photos! As far as cutting and cooking, everyone will have their own opinions. Here are a few of mine:

I usually just take the leg quarters and backstraps. Because I'm not a skilled butcher I often go back and trim a bit more meat around the neck area, and if the hog is more than about 100 Lbs I'll skin off some of the rib meat. There's just not that much meat on the ribs of a small hog, and the larger ones seem to be tough. Plus, I'm getting kind of lazy in my old age and I've given up on gutting the hogs just to get the ribs and loins.

Anyway, I save the quarters. I cut off the forelegs and trim the meat to make sausage or chile. I cook the shoulders and hindquarters on a grill or a smoker. Sometimes I'll debone the hindquarter and make roasts, which I cook in a variety of ways. Search around and you'll get plenty of other suggestions, and congratulations again!

Nice job! Welcome to the club!

Get some of that hog ready for this weekend, im gunna bring some dove over. Oh and resize your sig pic it is huge lmao.

Nice!!!! Pig Thumper!!!!! I usually keep them on ice 3-4 days put cut pieces of 3" pvc pipe in bottom of ice chests to keep meat out of the melted ice water, drain it daily and keep it iced down. Trophy fee!!! People just getting all they can $$$$$ capitalism at its finest! With high corn prices this winter farmers will be wanting the hogs gone bad, cuz now they can really cost them some $$$$$. Again capitalism at its finest

agreed, i think some people forget that these are pests that costs farmers and businesses millions and millions of dollars. but on a brighter note, I finally cut up my hog tonight and now have it out of my cooler and into my deep freezer. had to throw away about a whole slab of ribs though, here's why....



exit wound was much bigger than I thought. it's a weird angle, but the wound is actually from the tip of the fork to where the nail on my pinky is. guess i should've taken a neck shot and saved more meat huh, oh well!

here's a picture without the fork.



and what I have left in the cooler



I know i butchered some of the meat trying to get it cut out, but I don't think I did too bad for my very first time!

If you shoot it just right that .50cal will gut it for you! small hogs very very little meat on the ribs, backstrap, front and rear quarters only, neck cut what meat you can. Head shot! If it doesn't go thru it will knock it out for a week, by the time it wakes up it will be in the pit

thats a mean hole