Big "Bar" hog this morning!

Yellowhammer

Yellowhammer

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Or "barrow" some may call them.

We have a lot of hogs on the lease, but this is the first hog I have killed that had been castrated, had his tail docked and ears notched. I have no idea who or when it was done, but he should be some good eating.

I was hunting a friends stand this morning warming myself by the heater when this big sucker showed up just after daylight.

A shot between the eyes from the 25-06 had him down in his tracks. I knew as soon as he stepped out he was big, but I fully expected a pair the size of my hat when I got down to look at him a couple of hours later.

I heard others cutting up after I the shot, and saw one cross another shooting lane about 15 minutes later, but had no shot. A while later I had a couple of does and nubbin slipping around and not long after a spike came out. He spotted the bar but didn't know what it was. His curiosity had him wanting to get closer, but he was wary. He finally decided he didn't like it at all and moved on off.

I had to hook a tow strap to him and drag him over to a high spot where I could back my truck up and get him closer to the tail gate. If it had not been for my Glen's deer handle, I never would have gotten pulled up into the back of the truck. He bottomed out my 200 pound scale so I had to go to the feed store where they had a digital floor scale that would go up to 2000 pounds.

I will let the guessing begin before I reveal the live weight. I skinned him out and took the hams and back to the meat market to be sliced on their saw. The rest is going to be pan sausage, and a rack of ribs in on the pit as I write this.

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Nice one, the fact that he's been cut should produce some excellent meat, although he could have weighed another 20 pounds with his nutz intact!
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I say 327 pounds....350 with some nutz!
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Around here, a hog with a ear mark is still considered someone's property. Just like a brand. Just a heads up. Pretty common around here 40 years ago, people use to catch and mark wild hogs all the time. Bobbing the tail on bars was common. Wild hogs were rounded up and sold at market, or used for ham, bacon and lard. Neighbors were called, when one of their marked hogs were caught, and they would come get them. Old ways, honor system. I do miss the homemade cracklins, but not the scalding and scraping. I still have the huge cast iron pots. Lots of memories as a small kid. It is hog killing weather!

I'll guess 278 lbs. live wt.
 
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We have lots of hogs around here, and you know I have killed a fair share of them. This was the first cut hog I have killed. No one is allowed to run dogs on our lease, and no one is trapping. How far did he travel? I have no idea. Our lease is 5000 acres.

I didn't know he was a bar until I walked up to him, but it wouldn't have mattered it if did.

No registered marks for hogs that I am aware of.

Made 62 pounds of pan sausage this evening.

This hog affirms my contention that most people who claim to have killed a 300+ pound hog didn't actually weight them. This one was an even 270 pounds.
 
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