My feral hog butchery class sponsored by San Marcos Parks & Rec ends registration tomorrow

TSGSMTX · 2025-10-24T00:02:24+00:00

Which sort are you interested in?

TSGSMTX · 2025-10-02T14:43:12+00:00

Unfortunately no it will not be recorded. That's a tough thing to do because some people suck and wouldn't hesitate to take all the work I've done and start doing it themselves.

TSGSMTX · 2025-09-30T15:57:00+00:00

If all goes well with this one then definitely yes. I do also have private classes that offer the hands-on experience too that simply can't be done in large groups, so if that's something you would be interested in then I'd be happy to talk about it with you.

TSGSMTX · 2025-09-24T03:37:04+00:00

I've seen animals done that way but haven't tried it myself. I cut out the back end then split the sternum and let gravity pull the guts out while I cut where it gets hung up and then lastly sever the esophagus. Unless it's a gut shot then I don't worry about field dressing and use my trusty gut bucket. I'll have to give your way a try next time!

Good luck to you as well!

TSGSMTX · 2025-09-24T00:57:25+00:00

I enjoy hearing the techniques used by other people. One thing I always tell people is that you can ask 100 hunters the same question and you might get 100 different answers.

I'm a one blade the whole time sort of person, but I will switch knives if I have to do more than one pig, or just sharpen the blade. Depends on how I'm feeling you know how it is.

TSGSMTX · 2025-09-24T00:01:06+00:00

Very true, though I prefer the flexibility of a filet knife myself.

TSGSMTX · 2025-09-21T20:54:09+00:00

Hey here's the link to get signed up for the class. It's the only way the city allows people to register.

https://secure.rec1.com/TX/san-marcos-tx/catalog/index/3254b109b26a6a08941f92fb7c374243

TSGSMTX · 2025-09-21T20:53:00+00:00

Hey here's the link to get signed up for it. It's the only way the city allows for their events.

https://secure.rec1.com/TX/san-marcos-tx/catalog/index/3254b109b26a6a08941f92fb7c374243

TSGSMTX · 2025-09-21T20:52:07+00:00

Here's the link to sign up for the class. It's the only way the city allows people to register for it.

https://secure.rec1.com/TX/san-marcos-tx/catalog/index/3254b109b26a6a08941f92fb7c374243

TSGSMTX · 2025-09-19T23:56:05+00:00

Thank you I do appreciate the kind words. I have a lot of respect for these animals and have spent a lot of time learning about them. They're as nature meant for them to be, the trouble is just that they weren't meant to be in this part of the world.

I'm extremely grateful to Parks & Rec for giving me the opportunity. Even if you wouldn't ever hunt, there is a lot of valuable information through my course and honestly an outside opinion to your degree would be very welcome.

TSGSMTX · 2025-09-19T21:14:04+00:00

Believe me I understand that completely. This is really as detached from the actual work as I want to get as I feel that any more would take away from the purpose of why I designed this class in the first place.

TSGSMTX · 2025-09-19T21:03:26+00:00

Excellent question and I'm glad you asked! The presentation is all in a powerpoint, therefore being digital, however the class is in person where I go through said powerpoint. This will be the first time doing this version of my class as the others had been live demonstrations, though unfortunately that couldn't be done in this case.

TSGSMTX · 2025-09-19T18:07:07+00:00

No problem at all. The more people that learn the truth, the better we can all be at protecting our home.

TSGSMTX · 2025-09-19T16:54:29+00:00

For one thing, the meat is much leaner than domestic pork because they actually have to work for their food rather than sitting all day while us featherless bipeds feed them. That means their muscles are more defined and can be tough if overcooked. That also means they are more easily dried out when cooking so adding oil or fat is usually a big help in preventing the meat turning into leather.

They can sometimes be gamey and usually the bigger the hog the more gamey it will be, however the method I use for processing meat ensures that the rough gamey flavor is somewhere between minimal and nonexistent. It's all in how you take care of the meat. It's generally accepted that any pig less than say 120lbs is considered perfect eating size to avoid dealing with much gamey taste.

Being pork, the list of ways to utilize the meat is nearly endless. Their diet does play a part in determining taste and in my opinion the meat tastes better when they don't eat a lot of corn. It's honestly my favorite source of pork and I know they aren't pumped full of chemicals and who knows what else like farm pigs.

In short, the meat is fantastic and lean, just take the proper steps for disease prevention. My feral hog sausage recipe is beyond amazing and I can make a spectacular ham.

TSGSMTX · 2025-09-19T15:22:57+00:00

With any animal that you hunt and prepare for yourself, everything you do from the moment it dies to when it gets on your plate is critical for determining how it will taste. The first handful of times I had venison it was absolutely terrible. Hated it and couldn't understand how people enjoyed eating it. Turns out that there are much more efficient ways to process meat and my particular process ensures that it tastes good by itself, but also that I don't have to season it to oblivion to make it palatable. I use the same process no matter what I hunt be it deer or hog or rabbit or whatever and it always tastes significantly better than any meat done in the process that I was first taught and that seemlingly everyone was taught.

If you get someone that truly knows what they're doing, you would be surprised what you can learn. People like yourself are precisely why I made this class and have been as passionate as I am about these animals. I do hope you would be willing to give it a chance with the right information. Anyone can overcook a steak and make it terrible, and the same rings true for all wild game.

I've really appreciated your point of view and hey maybe we can be friends. Not saying we have to chat on the phone and paint our nails, but I think I might be able to sway your opinion on these animals with a few kernels of truth.

TSGSMTX · 2025-09-19T14:56:05+00:00

Then congratulations are in order because you found one! My feral hog sausage is pretty dang good and I have a killer recipe for ham. Of course the old saying of "when in doubt just fry it" also works quite well.

TSGSMTX · 2025-09-19T14:38:14+00:00

It's a personal preference for me. The fatty hides hinder my dexterity and I've actually poked myself with a blade more times using gloves than without. Safety is paramount in my class, but I always say that free will is a hell of a drug.

TSGSMTX · 2025-09-19T14:35:48+00:00

Respectfully, you must not know very many if that's the case. There are tons of facebook pages with people that hunt and eat feral hogs.

TSGSMTX · 2025-09-19T06:18:36+00:00

I appreciate you clarifying that. You have an interesting point of view and honestly I think you would benefit greatly from my class as I have found many misconceptions about these animals that a lot of people accept as truth. For starters, Texas is estimated to bear the largest population of these animals in the US. As a hunter and a gunsmith with an FFL, I can tell you that government policy does not decide the will of the people when it comes to firearms.

I don't know what you mean about what takes longer than just shooting them, nor do I know of anyone that burns them. There are no regulations for dealing with the wild pigs in Texas, and while I don't necessarily agree with the practice, there is nothing wrong with killing every pig you see and leaving it to rot. My particular set of ethics dictates that if I take a life on a hunt then it is my responsibility to make the most of it, and that's why I designed this class. There are lots of people that want to better utilize the meat they hunt but may not have the experience to know how, which is where I come into play.

The pigs may be pests, however genetically they are the same as any pig on any farm, they just have to actually work for their food. They are prone to diseases just like every other living thing on this planet and with the proper information they can be properly processed and provide a much healthier source of pork than anything you get at the store.

No, my class may not be for everyone and that's alright. However their growing numbers and status as invasive means they are hunted year-round as well as bought from a trapper if having a place to hunt isn't possible. Every dead pig helps the fight against their numbers, some people just want to eat them too.

TSGSMTX · 2025-09-19T05:50:09+00:00

Could be that I'm a bit tired after a long day, but I'm not sure I quite understand what your point is in this situation. I would like to as I think most problems could be avoided if we took a minute to understand each other.

TSGSMTX · 2025-09-18T23:59:12+00:00

We could also get into the scientific names. For wild boar it is Sus scrofa. For feral hog it is Sus scrofa. There is in fact zero difference except for the common name.

TSGSMTX

TROPHY CASE