Pig Skinning and Butchering, plus California and Oregon Public Land Hunting, Clubs, Ranches

2022 Pig  Skinning and Butchering, plus California and Oregon Public Land Hunting, Clubs, and Ranches. 

Here you get access to our giant free hunting and fishing Map site, with how to fish and where to fish or hunt these Public lands. Get access to Hunting Clubs and Private ranches for fishing and hunting. Always free with no strings attached to help preserve our Outdoor Heritage. Click on a County for California or Oregon Hunting or fishing on Public Lands, Hunting Clubs and Private Hunting Ranches.

If you hadn't gotten a pig yet please see our other maps and information by looking at the highlighted and archived blogs to the right for maps and detailed information on how to locate pigs

First, if you need to get a Boar in order to gut one, you may want to see our huge selection of
hunting maps (and fishing maps) ...see "highlighted blogs" to the right or click HERE:

Part I

This half of our discussion is how to field dress your Pig.  Part II shows how to skin in butcher


First place pig on his back.

Make  an incision at the sternum - carefully open the lower  cavity .

to to prevent cutting the intestines or stomach place your fingers under the tissue as you cut downward towards the anus.

If you're pig is a male you'll have to locate the your urethra .Make an incision down both sides, llift it back and find  urethra. You will want to tie it off  to prevent urine from contaminating the meat.

Continue to cut down to the anus until you hit the pelvis. watch out here that you don't cut open the bladder that's it located just north of the pelvis

 Okay now locate the last  parts of the intestine and the anus. Grasp the colon area then cut around the anus. Make sure you use some twine to  around this to block any contamination....

Okay return your attention to the chest area .

Make an incision on both sides of the diaphragm.

Reach up through heart and lungs to the neck and cut through the windpipe and esophagus.

Grabbing the windpipe, pull pull everything towards you.

 Carefully pull the guts and work free with your their hands with assistance from your blade if necessary.

Now you're ready to skin your pig.

Part II begins after you you scroll down to see this, in the meantime, please see our web pages for hunting ranches and when done, or fill out our contact form to receive free new maps and fishing and hunting reports.

Click on a county for OREGON or CALIFORNIA Hunting Clubs & Private Ranches:

  CLICK HERE FOR INFO

  

Part II

Use a large butcher knife to cut off the head with  an assist by your saw.

Pretty much in the middle between the knee and the pigs foot, use a hacksaw to remove this part of the leg. Repeat on all legs

Pig skin is unlike other game- their skin is strongly connected to tissue.  Sometimes you have to use a pair of pliers to get a better grip. Start from the head and trim to leave as much fat as possible. Like the picture shows, complete the skinning  on each of the sides.  Then flip the pig to skin its back.

Now your job is to cut the pig in half

You can use the rear legs tendons to make a  hanging loop with some rope, use a knife to make a hole and grab a rope to hang each of the the pig's halves

Squirt out the halves with some pressurized colder water

How to "Gut" or Field Dress a Pig, plus California Public Land Pig Hunting, Clubs, and Ranches

How to "Gut" or Field Dress a Pig, plus California Public Land Pig Hunting, Pig Hunting Clubs, and Fishing and Hunting Ranches 

 See our "archived  posts" to the right or our highlighted post for pig hunting maps

 Here you get access to our giant free hunting and fishing Map site, with how to fish and where to fish or hunt these Public lands. Get access to Hunting Clubs and Private ranches for fishing and hunting. Always free with no strings attached to help preserve our Outdoor Heritage. Click on a County for California or Oregon Hunting or fishing on Public Lands, Hunting Clubs and Private Hunting Ranches

 Gutting your Pig

 First, if you need to get a Boar in order to gut one, you may want to see our huge selection of
hunting maps (and fishing maps) ...see "highlighted blogs" to the right or click on map:

 

Check List :

 Put these in a back pack or in your truck :

• A knife and optionally a gut hook device for making that first incision. 
• Latex or rubber Gloves
• Towels cloth or otherwise
• A roll of gauze and some Bandages
• A six length of rope so that can be tied around a stick to drag the pig out
• A bottle of hand soap or a bar soap
• A gallon so of water, more if you want to clean out the insides of the pig 
• A hatchet to split pelvis if pig is large and you need to halve it 
• some twine

 How to Field dress the Carcass

Well, first, congratulations. Maybe you used our pig hunting maps or one of our hunting ranches to find your pig. You're probably wondering what to do next.

The idea is for the quick drawing of a pig's innards in the field, after which you will transport it elsewhere for skinning and butchering. We will discuss that aspect in our next blog. Once completed, and your pig is drawn, use a rope around the rear legs to drag it away.

Pig meat spoils rapidly, more so than other game due to their high metabolism. So in hot weather you must act fast.

The first rule of business: do not cut yourself, number one, but next, neither the pig's  bladder or the intestines while making your incisions!

• Contact with wild hogs can cause Brucellosis in people and dogs.
• Dogs can also pass on the disease to people. 
• Symptoms are chills, night sweats, fever, headaches, back pain, swollen joints, loss of appetite and weight loss.
• Infected dogs fed raw pig meat or intestines could pass the disease on to people. 
• If cooked to a temperature of 170°, Swine brucellosis is not transmitted

. When handling pig meat

        •Avoid unprotected exposure with the pigs blood, organs, etc.
        •Use latex or rubber surgical type gloves you can buy at the hardware store

        •Do not do any drinking smoking or eating when field dressing

        •Wear enough clothing to protect any exposed skin and make sure you don't have any open                  wounds that are not covered

        • When done, don't forget to adequately sanitize  any of your butchering equipment and clothing

Ok, you are going to have to remove the innards. Find an uphill slope if possible and put the pigs head on the uphill side.

•You want put the hog on its back .
from the breast bone to the tail, carefully cut through the skin and but be very careful not to cut the stomach or intestines.
 • Roll the hog on its side and pull out the stomach and intestines.
• Remove the diaphragm (large skin looking tissue below the lungs), then cut through the tube like esophagus and windpipe, and pull out the heart and lungs
•If the stomach or intestines were shot or punctured, wash out the body cavity with water as soon as possible.
•Get the carcass to a cooler area as soon as possible and get ready to put the meat in a cooler

 First, place pig on his back.

Make  an incision at the sternum - carefully open the lower  cavity .

to to prevent cutting the intestines or stomach place your fingers under the tissue as you cut downward towards the anus.

If you're pig is a male you'll have to locate the your urethra .Make an incision down both sides, llift it back and find  urethra. You will want to tie it off  to prevent urine from contaminating the meat.

Continue to cut down to the anus until you hit the pelvis. watch out here that you don't cut open the bladder that's it located just north of the pelvis

 Okay now locate the last  parts of the intestine and the anus. Grasp the colon area then cut around the anus. Make sure you use some twine to  around this to block any contamination....

Okay return your attention to the chest area .

Make an incision on both sides of the diaphragm.

Reach up through heart and lungs to the neck and cut through the windpipe and esophagus.

Grabbing the windpipe, pull pull everything towards you.

 Carefully pull the guts and work free with your their hands with assistance from your blade if necessary.

Now you're ready to skin and butcher your pig. Please see the archived or highlighted blogs on the right see how to do this, but meanwhile, please see our web pages for hunting ranches , or fill out our contact form automatically receive new maps and information.
If you go to one of our sites you can have a ranch manager, or member of a hunting club contact you, or get more information on using public lands with our huge free map site. See below for more information:

Click on a county for OREGON or CALIFORNIA Hunting Clubs & Private Ranches:

 www.ranchhuntandfish.com

 Hey!  Here are links to our home pages to Free Hunting and fishing Maps site and to our County by County Public Lands, Hunting Clubs, and Private Ranch fishing and hunting info.:

www.freehuntfishmaps.com

ALAMEDA	ALPINE	AMADOR	BUTTE	CALVERAS
COLUSA	CONTRA COSTA	EL DORADO	DEL NORTE	FRESNO
GLENN	HUMBOLDT	IMPERIAL	INYO	KERN
LASSEN	LAKE	LOS ANGELES	MARIN	MENDOCINO
MONTEREY	MERCED	NAPA	PLACER	RIVERSIDE
SACRAMENTO	SANTA CLARA	SANTA BARBARA	SAN BERNADINO	SANTA CRUZ
SAN DIEGO	SAN FRANCISCO	SAN JOAQUIN	SAN LUIS OBISPO	SHASTA
SISKIYOU	SOLANO	SONOMA	TEHAMA	TRINITY
YOLO	YUBA	HUNTING AND FISHING MAPS	HUNTING CLUBS &RANCHES  SITE	CONTACT US

Click on a county for OREGON Hunting Clubs & Private Ranches:

COOS HUNTING FISH	GILLIAM HUNTING FISH	GRANT HUNTING FISH	HARNEY HUNTING FISH	HOOD HUNTING FISHING
KLAMATH HUNTING FISH	MORROW HUNTING FISH	SHERMAN HUNTING FISH	ST.HELENS HUNTING FISH	WHEELER HUNTING FISH
HUNTING FISH	HUNTING FISH	HUNTING CLUBS & RANCHES SITE	HUNTING & FISHING MAPS	CONTACT US

www.freehuntfishmaps.com

County by County look at California and Oregon Hunting and Fishing Public Lands and Private Ranches and Clubs

www.ranchhuntandfish.com

www.ranchhuntandfish.com

Info on How for track, locate, call, find and hunt Pigs in California, plus Boar on Public Land Hunting, Clubs, and Ranches

  How to Locate and Hunt Pigs in California plus Public Land Hunting, Hunting Clubs, and Ranches 

  We have the maps on our other sites on where to hunt pigs- please click links below or archived blogs to the right to see California pig hunting INFO AND MAPS

                     Big Pig Map  | How to Hunt | Best Guns  | 5 SoCal Maps |  How to Gut, etc.

This post is information about pig behavior and how to locate and hunt them.

Get access to Hunting Clubs and Private ranches for fishing and hunting. Always free with no strings attached to help preserve our Outdoor Heritage. Click on a County for California or Oregon Hunting or fishing on Public Lands, Hunting Clubs and Private Hunting Ranches

Hog Behavior and Habits

Intelligence is what makes pigs a great sporting challenge. Many studies have indicated Boar are more

intelligent than canines, just behind dolphins and various primates.

 Despite much hunting directed at them they can adapt and thrive. In many areas they have learned to hunker down and are only out just after sundown and at night.

 Hogs are mobile and active. When out and about, hogs are almost always moving or cavorting amongst themselves. You.have to be ready to take a shot quickly unless they are engaged in rooting or some other feeding.

Boar have extremely poor vision which does help your stalk. But if you are upwind, they can literally

smell you from miles away. It is their greatest asset and they have very good hearing to boot.

You literally can't stalk them unless you come from the right direction, wind-wise.

 

Pigs are prolific breeders,  in fact they are not restricted to being in season like other mammals. A sow is fertile within a half-year after birth, and can have up  to 3 litters per year!

If you see a solitary pig it is almost certainly a Boar looking for new available sows. Boars fight frequently for mating dominance as a result. You need to keep your ears open for the squealing and

sounds of these confrontations.

On this subject Boars have natural thick shoulder and back cartilage that is augmented by scarring tissue.Your weaponry and butchering equipment need to be able to handle this. A small ax and pliers comes in handy.

Their large teeth and aggressive nature is something to keep in mind when dealing with these animals. When wounded they can attack you without hesitation.

Sows remain together with other sows and piglets nearly all the time. They are dutiful mothers and breeders. They are rarely as large as males but do have tusks, just not as large as the boars. Try not to shoot a brooding female with piglets to keep the hunting stock numerous.

How to Locate Wild Pigs

Hogs are very sensitive to temperature. Like canines, pigs lack the ability to lose heat by sweating. They have a very high metabolism, too, so in hot weather look for water and cover, that's where you will find the pigs.

You should find wallow holes -indentations in muddy areas- where the pigs seek to cool off and also get a mud coating on their skin. You can imagine how lovely they appear.

In real hot weather, they really hunker down in the thickest stuff  they can find so the early mornings or late evening is prime time for hunting. Hunting during the fall and spring is probably the best time, especially when the acorns drop in the fall.

Tracking Pigs

Once you think you have found good habitat,  now look for  pig tracks or hoof prints. They are almost circular, blunt and are indentated in the front. They differentiate from deer track's  pointed ends.

Tracking the hoof print is the best way to find pigs. If you wait until after a rain to hunt your job will get easier. Once you find lots of pig activity, make concentric circles, while quietly creeping along, making them narrower each time.

Pigs are far vision challenged but their ears and scent powers are better than deer, so it is still a challenge. If they are distracted by feeding or socializing, you can get with 50 yards without being noticed as long as the wind cooperates.

Look for  the aforementioned wallowing holes and also they like to rub on trees to relieve an itch, often leaving traces of fur.

If you ever have looked around the base of an oak tree in the spring, you will see evidence of how they use their snouts to dig.

Trail identification: Most critters make angle trails going up hill, but our piggish friends most often go straight up a steep hill.

Their spoor or droppings are clumpy and use a stick to dissect the dropping, and perhaps you can ascertain what -and where - they have been eating.

 

 

Other Ways to Hunt Pigs

Hunt using a stand or blind

Utilizing a blind to hunt pigs is a viable choice, but not necessarily the best one on account of the pig's highly mobile nature. Hunting from a blind is good choice, however, if you know the area well.

•Locate a spot around food or water source,

•Remember wind direction as a critical factor

•Purchase a pig call that mimics a immature pig

 

How to use a Pig Call 

1. Select the Right Call: There are various pig calls available on the market, ranging from electronic calls to mouth calls. Choose a call that mimics the sound of piglets or distressed pigs, as these can attract curious or protective adult pigs.

2. Understand Pig Behavior: Pigs are naturally curious animals and may investigate unfamiliar sounds in their territory. They are also protective of their young and may respond aggressively to distress calls from piglets.

3. Choose the Right Location: Set up your calling position in an area with known pig activity, such as near water sources, feeding areas, or well-used trails. Look for signs of recent pig activity, such as tracks, droppings, or wallow holes.

4. Concealment: Ensure that you are well concealed and downwind from the direction you expect the pigs to approach. Pigs have an excellent sense of smell, so it's crucial to minimize your scent and avoid being detected.

5. Use Decoys: Consider using pig decoys along with your calls to make the setup more realistic. Decoys can attract pigs' attention and draw them closer to your position.

6. Be Patient and Quiet: Once you've set up your calling position, be patient and avoid making unnecessary noise. Pigs may take some time to respond to the calls, so stay alert and ready for action.

Take your Best Shot

Shoot straight. You need to shoot pretty low on the shoulder, or put another way, shoot high on the leg, but just behind and slightly above where the leg hits the animal's body.  You want to target the heart, or the brain, just below and a little forward of its ear.

Pigs can run a long time with little blood trail if hit by a lung shot, so use extra caution. They are also dangerous when wounded and will often attack.

If you can't find the shot animal, it is your duty to locate it, it is unethical to not do so. Once you’ve shot the wild pig, there’s a good chance that it won’t go down immediately. They are not heavy bleeders usually, but look for blood on brush or high grass as well as the ground. Foaming blood is a lung shot, brownish is a liver shot, deep red is a cardio area shot.

But always exercise caution, they can be on you in a split second. Even a downed pig is not to be approached recklessly.

See our blog "How to Field Dress a Pig" and "Hunting Areas in California" in  "Archived Posts" to the right.

Our other post have maps where to find pigs:

TO SEE HIGHEST PIG KILL MAP CLICK THIS SENTENCE... ACCESS TO OUR HUGE MAP SITE TOO!!!

Simple Link>

Finally, fill out our contact form to receive new hunting and fishing maps, reports and info.

Happy Hunting!

Click on a county for OREGON or CALIFORNIA Hunting Clubs & Private Ranches:

 www.ranchhuntandfish.com

ALAMEDA	ALPINE	AMADOR	BUTTE	CALVERAS
COLUSA	CONTRA COSTA	EL DORADO	DEL NORTE	FRESNO
GLENN	HUMBOLDT	IMPERIAL	INYO	KERN
LASSEN	LAKE	LOS ANGELES	MARIN	MENDOCINO
MONTEREY	MERCED	NAPA	PLACER	RIVERSIDE
SACRAMENTO	SANTA CLARA	SANTA BARBARA	SAN BERNADINO	SANTA CRUZ
SAN DIEGO	SAN FRANCISCO	SAN JOAQUIN	SAN LUIS OBISPO	SHASTA
SISKIYOU	SOLANO	SONOMA	TEHAMA	TRINITY
YOLO	YUBA	HUNTING AND FISHING MAPS	HUNTING CLUBS &RANCHES  SITE	CONTACT US

Click on a county for OREGON Hunting Clubs & Private Ranches:

COOS HUNTING FISH	GILLIAM HUNTING FISH	GRANT HUNTING FISH	HARNEY HUNTING FISH	HOOD HUNTING FISHING
KLAMATH HUNTING FISH	MORROW HUNTING FISH	SHERMAN HUNTING FISH	ST.HELENS HUNTING FISH	WHEELER HUNTING FISH
HUNTING FISH	HUNTING FISH	HUNTING CLUBS & RANCHES SITE	HUNTING & FISHING MAPS	CONTACT US

County by County look at California and Oregon Hunting and Fishing Public Lands and Private Ranches and Clubs

www.ranchhuntandfish.com

www.ranchhuntandfish.com

This post provides comprehensive information on locating and hunting pigs in California, covering both public lands and private hunting clubs and hunting ranches. It highlights pig behavior, emphasizing their intelligence, mobility, and breeding habits, making them a challenging target. The post offers insights into pig behavior, including their sensitivity to temperature, preference for water and cover, and feeding patterns. Tracking pigs through hoof prints, wallow holes, and other signs is discussed, along with various hunting techniques such as using stands or blinds and utilizing pig calls. Additionally, the post offers guidance on shot placement and emphasizes the importance of ethical hunting practices. Access to hunting maps and resources is provided, empowering hunters for a successful pig hunting experience in California's diverse landscapes.