Wild Boar Field Dressing Classic Technique
Same as with any other big game, field dressing a wild pig involves removing internal organs and skinning the body and packing all edible meat to process it later.
The process itself is not complicated, however its necessary to have proper tools and proceed carefully in order to avoid internal organs puncture and potential contamination.
On this regard, it's mandatory count with a pair or rubber gloves, eye protection, a multipurpose knife and a skinning knife.
Personal protections is mandatory because there's a real risk of brucellosis when skinning animals, specially wild animals, thus contact with body fluids must be avoided at all cost.
On the other hand two knives are necessary because wild hogs skin is realy thick and strong, compromising not only the blade but also structural integrity of a
regular skinning knife and the last thing you wish it to have a faded blade at the moment of skinning.
Once your tools are ordered and animal body positioned on its back, properly washed, proceed to open it following the next steps:
1- Begin the cut on the pubic bone on the hog's back; move towards the front up to the mid line, just cut skin and the underlying fat.
2- Once you reach the midline from one side, proceed accordingly with the other, at the end you will have two cuts ending on the middle line.
3- From there move upwards through the belly until reaching sternum
4- Once the skin is open, proceed with a second, deeper cut in the midline, this one must open muscle layer but must be performed carefully to avoid internal organs puncture
5- Some hunters stop the cut at the sternum while some others move upwards to the neck, if you do so, it will be necessary to cut sternum to gain access to the chest cavity and remove hearth and lungs
6- When all viscerae are exposed, identify and cut the esophagus as high as possible (no matter if you are on the abdominal or thoracic cavity, esophagus must be cut at the highest achievable level)
7- Then you may tear from it in order to remove all internal organs in block
Once internal organs are out, hang the body from the front legs to drain blood and proceed with the skinning knife to remove all the skin, from the hoofs to the neck.
Now you are ready to pack the meat and go home to enjoy all that wonderful meat.
This is the fastest method to field dress a wild hog as well the one allowing to save most of edible meat, however you will have to avoid internal organs leakages and deal with carcass disposal after processing all flesh.
In case you don't wish to deal with heavy loads and carcass dispossal, there's always the option to proceed with the Gutless Method to Field Dress a Wild Hog.
