People need to stop eating wild hog shit, poof, no more problems.

Lane, since you are qualified in your opinion, I'll take your word for it.

But I hope you don't mind if I retain a bit of skepticism.

When I took my dogs to the vet for their shots, they asked if the dogs had access to swamps or hog wallows in the woods. Answering yes, they then included inoculation for some diseases carried by pigs - lepto for one.

Once my big Buddy decided to go for a romp in the woods. He was gone for a while. When he came back he was winded and hot and tired. He likes to run - a lot. He wanted in the house right away. I'm glad I noticed because he had green slime all over him. It looked and smelled like hog shit mixed with swamp water.

I washed him three times.

Lepto inoculation has been recommended for dogs for over 50 years. Guaranteed there was NOTHING in your dogs vaccines unique to hogs.

Those vets should be ashamed for scamming you.

I think they were honest.

For one thing it didn't cost extra. They charge so much anyway.

As far as I know lepto is easily transmitted, and one of the best ways is in a hog wallow.

I have wondered why the pigs so often hereabouts stink. Could it be disease?

When I hunted hogs here it was over a corn feeder, so I picked a medium size pig - maybe 80 lbs. Sometimes I estimated wrong and got one 120 lbs. Mostly those young hogs, especially a young sow didn't stink.

I learned to do that after shooting many that were too stinky. I even butchered some stinky ones thinking it was just the hide. But no, they stink all the way through, and that stink can't be cooked out or with spices.

Once I shot a young boar, here in GA, maybe 100 lbs. He came in alone. Perhaps the others couldn't stand his stink. I dragged his nasty carcus away. Even the buzzards wouldn't eat him.

In contrast, I've never shot a hog in Texas that I considered real stinky. I've shot some really large boars out there and my buddy refuses to even drag it to camp. He refuses to butcher any boar, small or large. He thinks they stink but last year the first hog I got was a small boar, about 100 lbs or so. To me, he didn't stink. My buddy wanted to drag him away with the four wheeler, but I talked him into letting me butcher the pig. IMO, the meat is good - no stink. I made sausage.

BTW, he has a tripod hanging devise with pullies with a boat trailer winch on one leg for butchering deer and hogs at his camp. That's a nice setup. I have something similar but not quite so well designed.

As mentioned, previously there were contractors in Texas (and I assume other locales) that were paying fairly good prices for the captured pigs, that were subsequently butchered near San Antonio prior to shippment to Europe, etc.

Yes, the pork lobby saw fit to have that stopped.

To further aggravate the "use" situation,
several food banks and "Hunters for the Hungry " programs no longer accept "wild" pig over "disease" concerns.

Largely we are now burying them (away from any ranch water source) as we have difficulty giving them away.

Mice and rats ARE the principal vector of lepto to dogs — fact.

So, the vaccine is warranted.

You say "principal"?

Is that 51 percent? May I presume that swine may contribute some significant percent?

quote:

Originally posted by Magine Enigam:
So, the vaccine is warranted.

You say "principal"?

Is that 51 percent? May I presume that swine may contribute some significant percent?

Maybe as do deer, squirrels, raccoons, etc etc.

But rats…were the reason the vaccine was developed when wild hogs were not even thought of in most of the US.

I would think that a dog has high susceptibility from rodents because they put them in their mouths resulting in direct mucous membrane contact.

Would be easy enough to look at dogs used in boar hunting to see if they have a higher incidence than regular dogs.

https://www.avma.org/resources...0rarely%2C%20through

Leptospirosis

AVMA

Risk factors for leptospirosis
Dogs are most commonly affected. Leptospirosis in cats is rare and appears to be mild although very little is known about the disease in this species. Common risk factors for leptospirosis in dogs residing in the United States include exposure to or drinking from rivers, lakes or streams; roaming on rural properties (because of exposure to potentially infected wildlife, farm animals, or water sources); exposure to wild animal or farm animal species, even if in the backyard; and contact with rodents or other dogs.

Dogs can become infected and develop leptospirosis if their mucous membranes (or skin with any wound, such as a cut or scrape) come into contact with infected urine, urine-contaminated soil, water, food or bedding; through a bite from an infected animal; by eating infected tissues or carcasses; and rarely, through breeding. It can also be passed through the placenta from the mother dog to the puppies.

quote:

Originally posted by Huvius:
I would think that a dog has high susceptibility from rodents because they put them in their mouths resulting in direct mucous membrane contact.

Would be easy enough to look at dogs used in boar hunting to see if they have a higher incidence than regular dogs.

They don’t because standard vaccines have contained lepto for scores. Lepto is quite rare in dogs because the vaccines work well and have been implemented into commonplace for a longtime.

DHLP-P. The “L” stands for lepto.

quote:

Originally posted by ledvm:
There is a market for wild hog meat. Your thought process is correct and could be achieved Scott. It actually did start at one time. JTEX’s point was that the commercial pork lobby killed it and he is correct. Now, money to fight the pork lobby will have to be raised to reinstitute it.

https://www.google.com/search?...ceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

$70/lb for US produced "Wild Boar Prosciutto"

I'd say there's a market!

Just wait until they spread up into the central California coast like the Carmel Valley.
All those Oak trees would make for happy and delicious wild boars!

As to the stink, could a carcass be hoisted, shaved and thoroughly washed before gutting? Would that take care of the stink?

I tried washing a shot hog once, with a power washer, hand held. It didn't make hot water. That would be better.

But it didn't make any difference in the stink.

As I said, I thought the stink was on the outside only. But I found out, It is a good bet that if a hog stinks outside, the meat will stink too.

As male pigs reach puberty, they start producing andosterone, a male sex hormone, and skatole, a digestive by-product formed in the intestines. The production of andosterone and skatole is responsible for boar taint, an unpleasant odour and taste found in meat from some (not all) entire male pigs.

I see.
Well I'll be!
One CAN learn something new on the ARPF!!

Kill them all. Eat females.

A properly raised farm hog is so much better for the table than those wild ones. I think it's all about just wanting things to shoot and make money than eliminate them.

I have caught, castrated, fed, and butchered a good number of feral hogs — can’t tell any difference in them.

Its all about the age and diet 60 days prebutchering.

quote:

Originally posted by ledvm:
I have caught, castrated, fed, and butchered a good number of feral hogs — can’t tell any difference in them.

Its all about the age and diet 60 days prebutchering.

You've turned them into a farm hog there.

Most people pay big money to go to some ranch and shoot wild hogs. I have never understood that as the meat isn't all that good.

quote:

Originally posted by Aspen Hill Adventures:

quote:

Originally posted by ledvm:
I have caught, castrated, fed, and butchered a good number of feral hogs — can’t tell any difference in them.

Its all about the age and diet 60 days prebutchering.

You've turned them into a farm hog there.

Most people pay big money to go to some ranch and shoot wild hogs. I have never understood that as the meat isn't all that good.

Agreed ^^^

But in some areas…if you pick the animals…they are quite good.

They are fun to hunt.

And, I like them better than deer. Just my personal palate.

quote:

Originally posted by ledvm:

quote:

Originally posted by Aspen Hill Adventures:

quote:

Originally posted by ledvm:
I have caught, castrated, fed, and butchered a good number of feral hogs — can’t tell any difference in them.

Its all about the age and diet 60 days prebutchering.

You've turned them into a farm hog there.

Most people pay big money to go to some ranch and shoot wild hogs. I have never understood that as the meat isn't all that good.

Agreed ^^^

But in some areas…if you pick the animals…they are quite good.

They are fun to hunt.

And, I like them better than deer. Just my personal palate.

I've had guys give me some to try and I no longer accept it. It wasn't very good.

It's a cash cow for a lot of ranchers though. I know I wouldn't want them tearing up my property.