re: Wasting Hogs

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. PEOPLE IN THE MOST NEED ARE SADLY THE MOST LAZY.

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aint this the truth

Our gut shot hogs run to the river every time. Makes it easy for the buzzards .

celltech1981 dude that is disgusting! I would have vomited for hours.

Don't know how they handled the stench based off the visuals they describe



I found it interesting that they studied the decay without the effects of scavengers and predators for a portion of the study. I also find it interesting they piled the carcasses up. they supposedly were trying to replicate the effects of a naturally but randomly occurring mass single species death. I find it a bit illogical to believe the animals would be playing a massive game of king of the hill during this natural mass death scenario. I also find it strange the researchers were in awe by only 15-20 buzzards being present. On the properties where we kill hogs regularly there are resident flocks of 50 plus vultures. When we set out multiple carcasses they are frequently visited by 100+ vultures at a time.


I know to increase the speed of breakdown, we do a few things with the pig carcasses we have.

Due to the toughness of hog hide the buzzards have difficulty breaking down hogs that don't have an open wound. The ones we harvested meat from always get broken down first. The whole hogs without open wounds (road kill or head shot) will frequently be untouched by predators and buzzards until they swell up and pop which is several days depending on weather. So we always make sure there is a minimum 6-10 inch full thickness cut in the hide near the back or abdomen.

Coyotes and bobcat prefer to be by cover and don't visit kills in the middle of a field as quickly as they do kills near or inside of woods and brush. However, buzzards are not the most agile on take off and landing and prefer to scavenge in the open instead of under tree canopy. The difference in consumption time can be several days. Unfortunately, the rib bones are sharp enough and thin enough to pop a tractor tire so most ranchers prefer we put carcasses away from where the tractors go. So we always try to put the carcasses on the edge of a field but NOT under any tree canopy. We also never place the carcasses in water as it only allows the scavengers access to the portion of the hogs above the water line. It also reduces the number of birds per hog because they have to both sit on and eat from the same animal. Run off from the hogs can introduce high concentrations of e-coli, and other pathogens in the water also.

The buzzards are not strong enough to move a pig more than about 30 lbs so stacking them means only so many birds can have access at one time and they have to eat their way down from the top. However, spreading them out means 100s of birds can eat at once. We usually spread them out by 1-2 feet.

In my experience this leads to quick and rapid consumption by predators and scavengers of even large numbers 10-30 (750-2250 lbs)of fresh hog carcasses. We very rarely find many flies or maggots on the carcasses. They almost never stink because the meat never really has the time to rot. Usually the only thing left is some skin and hair, occasionally a femur, some ribs, and the skulls. The impact on the surrounding ground and plants seems to be a net positive. There is some initial trampling by all the activity but the damage only lasts a week or so. The regrowth is always lush and dark green a result I am sure of all the blood (iron) and nitrogen (bird feces and decay) that leak into the soil. We usually will find a fire ant pile on location also within a few days but nothing crazy. In a few cases that area will get rooted up by hogs again in a month or so presumably due to grubs/bugs in the soil or the rapid fresh fertilized growth.

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I am a firm believer in clean kills. Any "hunters" who intentionally subjects an animal to a slow, agonizing, death are douches who give the anti-hunting crowd more ammunition.

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Amen to that

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I am a firm believer in clean kills. Any "hunters" who intentionally subjects an animal to a slow, agonizing, death are douches who give the anti-hunting crowd more ammunition.

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Here is the difference - "hunting" hogs, as I see it, should be part of a landowner's arsenal to exterminate them. Although many folks sport hunt hogs it's not sport hunting as you would hunt a game animal in my experience. Most folks that own/manage land know the difference. No different that using sticky traps for mice, rats, etc. No different that trapping/snaring beavers, shooting them at night, etc.

They're a nuisance animal and are treated as such by me, and should be viewed as a nuisance animal by sport hunters such as yourself. Sport hunters thinking like you help to perpetuate the feral swine problem.