Killed a boar on the hunt and wondering how to go about things? This article is all about how to field dress a wild boar, and will help you do all that you need. There is tremendous skill and patience involved in cleaning the boar, because a proper cleaning sets the foundation for superior quality meat, so that it gives you the delicious taste.
Boars have a short gestation cycle, so their population is huge and hunting them down is not a problem. However, being big, heavy creatures, cleaning them up can be quite tedious and difficult for someone who has never cleaned boars before. Often it is seen that once hunted down, boars are skinned and cleaned on the spot if they are too heavy to be transported. Cleaning a boar is not an easy task, it requires skill, patience and practice. Sit back and read on to find out how to go about cleaning a go about cleaning a boar after a successful hunt.
Items needed:
If you are planning field dressing a hog, make sure you have the following items:
1. Bucket
2. Whetstone
3. Cord
4. Knife
5. Butcher paper
6. Water
7. Bone saw
8. Scrub brush
9. Gambreal hooks
10. Hacksaw
Tips and ideas:
Remember to try and clean the boar away from sunlight and once you’re done cleaning the boar, leave its head and other internal organ out in the open where other creatures can feed on it, or else, bury it before you leave the spot. Just like with any other meat, don’t leave it outside at room temperature for long, as it could easily get spoiled.
The boar is generally hung upside down to make the cleaning process easier and convenient. Also, many people use a carbon steel knife for this purpose, instead of the usual stainless steel ones as the carbon knives are easier to sharpen. There are also special hangers available for this purpose, that firmly hold the boar through its legs. This way, the creature won’t fall down while you go about cleaning it and slicing through the tendons.
Now let’s get down with cleaning the boar.
Preparing the boar
Use an abrasive brush and lukewarm water to scrub the boar thoroughly to clean it. You do this because you should get rid of any debris or insect that might spoil the meat later on. Once done, rinse thoroughly.
Pierce the gambreal hooks in the hind knee joints of the boar. Insert the cord through these hooks and throw it over a strong branch of a tree. Then pull the boar in to the air, so that the anus is at the same level as your shoulders. The boar is hanging upside down in front of you.
Remember to place a bucket beneath the boar to catch the blood and other organs that will fall off once the creature has been skinned. Keep the whetstone close by, so that you can sharpen your knife at any point during the cleaning process.
Skinning
Now that you have thoroughly washed the boar, it’s time to skin it. The boar has a tough skin, so your knife has to be extremely sharp for this purpose. Move your knife in a vertical manner right from the anus of the boar up to the neck. Cut the outline of the boar’s neck and also each of his legs till roughly around six inches before hooves begin. Move the knife vertically inside from the boar’s legs and through his stomach.
Now start removing the skin in one piece. Start peeling it off from the anus and move downward, tugging along with the knife wherever necessary. Once you have skinned the boar, inspect the creature to ensure that no skin is left anywhere. In case it is, use your knife to peel it away.
Gutting
This is the next stage in the process of cleaning the boar. Start by cutting the skin around the anus but do not damage the genitals as they may spoil the meat. The anus must be cleanly and completely severed from the body.
Now move the knife from the anus all the way down to the rib cage and pull it open. Once done, the internal organs will begin to start falling off. Pull or tug at those that may have ligaments keeping them from falling down to get rid of them. These organs must have been collected in the bucket that you had placed beneath the boar when you hanged it upside down. Once the organs are there, remove the bucket.
Cutting it
Now start to cut the muscles around the head of the boar. The head is a big, chunky part of the boar and will take some effort. The head is where the muscles are thick so patiently work on this area. Once you have cut the muscles, use a hacksaw to completely cut the neck bone. Get rid of the head now.
Now stand behind the boar so that you are facing its back. Locate the center of the pelvis of the hog. It lies just behind the anus. Now, use the boning saw and move it slowly, but steadily from the center of the pelvis and move towards the spine. This will take strength, so patiently but forcefully go about this stage and you finally have the boar sliced cleanly into two halves.
Conclusion
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has given the following suggestions that must be remembered while one is cleaning a boar.
1. You must use clean and sharp knives for cleaning, skinning and butchering.
2. Remember to wear eye protection and rubber or latex gloves while performing the task.
3. Once done, burn or bury those parts of the carcasses that won’t be eaten along with the gloves that were used.
4. Once you’re done, wash your hands with soap and warm water for twenty seconds or more and then wipe your hand clean with a dry cloth.
5. Sterilize the knives and other equipment that you used to clean the boar.
Here is a good video on how to field dress a wild boar also. Click here for youtube video
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