by Matthew Fulton

Created on: August 24, 2010

Hog hunting is becoming a much more popular sport in the Southern United Stated. Hogs who have overrun farms and private land cause tremendous damage, and many times property owners will allow hunters to kill them for free, making it a very economical way to hunt. The question for the novice big game hunter would be how to clean and prepare one of these wild hogs. The process is quite simple, and can provide plenty of meat for family and friends.

After killing the hog it should be field dressed quickly, especially in the hot summer months when flies and bacteria are more plentiful. The first thing to do is to either get to a hook designed for field dressing game or a sturdy tree with overhanging branches such as a mesquite. Take the animal's hind legs and make two vertical slits just above the feet between the bone and achilles tendon. Using these slits you should then hang the animal up on the hooks or hang it from a tree branch using strong twine or wire coat hangers.

After you have the animal up you are now ready to skin it. Take a very sharp knife and make a cut all the way around the leg just past where the hog is hanging from. Now pull the skin away from the leg on the inner side of the legs and make a slit all the way up the leg, taking care not to cut the meat. Now begin slicing the tissue that holds the skin onto the hog's muscle tissue until the skin no longer covers the legs.

Now you must make a cut around the tail so you can remove the tail and reproductive organs on the hog (males). Slice it away and then continue cutting the skin off the animal's torso. Once you have a decent amount of skin on the hog's back you can slice a small slit in it, creating a hook that will let you pull the skin down faster as you cut the skin way from the connecting tissue.

Once you have the skin pulled down to the neck and front legs you will need to cut off the hog's front feet. You can use a sturdy pair of lopping shears for this task quite effectively. You can also simply twist the foot until you break the hog's ankle and can pull the skin over it. Now the only part of the skin that is still connected to your hog is the neck hide. Cut as far down as possible and then cut the tissue above the head. Now the head and hide will only be hanging from the spinal column. Either cut it between the vertebrae or twist until the spine breaks.

Dispose of the head and hide. You will now want to get a large bucket and place it under the hog carcass. You will now begin cutting

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