First Pig with the new Texan Carbine .457 CF

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scallen2112

scallen2112

Member
Jan 20, 2019
212
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Georgia, United States
In Georgia, it is legal to hunt feral hogs on public land any time another season is open, with whatever weapon is legal for that season. Since squirrel is the longest regular season, and any air rifle is legal for squirrel, I opted to hog hunt with an air rifle so as to extend my public land hunting opportunities as long as possible. My choice for stalking them in the close in brush we often have in the swamps here, was the Texan Carbine .457 CF.

Yesterday I was finally able to play the wind and get close to a sounder. They did sense me and start trotting off, but this young one went the wrong way and was moving parallel to me, and quartered slightly away, at about 35 yards. I led her right on the shoulder and low, and put a Mr Hollowpoint 300 grain slug through both lungs. She made it about another 25 yards is all.

I harvested the hams, shoulders, and back straps, and all are going in the smoker today. There are some things I do not particularly like about this Texan (the ergonomics for one) but over all I am thinking it is going to be a fine gun.

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I've been wanting to ask: how are feral hogs for eating? This weekend I slow-cooked a store-bought pork shoulder for 9 hours on my smoker/grill, finished it with a vinegar and pepper based sauce, and wondered whether there was anything better in the universe? How do you rate feral hogs? Does size matter? Congrats on the kill in any case.
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As with most wild game, it's important to remember that there is very little fat content in the meat. This can lead to it being dry, tough, or both if cooked too quickly and moisture not taken into consideration. Like your store-bought shoulder, low and slow is the rule of the day. Also, when I smoke mine, I always fill the water pan in the smoker and reduce the vent size to help keep moisture in the smoking compartment, and I often wrap the back straps with bacon. Another good way is to use it for stews and such in the crock pot. Again, low and slow. After that, it's just pork with a slightly bolder flavor.

I really can't say if size matters. I've killed several with a crossbow, but they have always been sows and between 45-50 lbs (this one) and about 120-130 (my largest so far). So I can't comment on how an older, larger sow or a big boar would taste. I haven't noticed a whole lot of difference between the animals I've killed so far.
 
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