When to Top-Dress wild Hog?

[NightStalker]

Question for the green screen: What criteria do you use to decide when to top-dress rather than gut and field-dress a hog. Is it hog size, or arrow entry, or some other criteria?
For simplicity lets keep this to only bow kills.

(by top-dress, I mean the practice of not gutting the dead hog, but only skinning and taking the back-straps and all four quarters)

[sports]

For us it depeneds on what we want to do with the pig. If it is under 80lbs ir so we gut it and split it down the middle to throw on the pit. Much bigger and we quarter it up to grind into sausage.

[DRT]

I normally skin and quarter anything over 80lbs or so. Gutless method.

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[SmTx]

Yup. Only ones ever gutted are the ones small enough to throw on the pit whole

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[Gummi Bear]

I shoot enough pigs, I don’t want anything other than the back straps

“Buzzards gotta eat too”



I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...

Henry David Thoreau

[Mike D]

I shoot enough pigs, I don’t want anything other than the back straps

“Buzzards gotta eat too”



I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...

Henry David Thoreau

Man I just can’t leave the hindquarters behind. Have s bunch of 3-4# roasts made for pulled pork and crock pot roasts.


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[BTLowry]

Gut shot definitely gets quartered without field dressing

Otherwise it depends how I am feeling

[tkuehn5410]

Usually I spine and fold back each side and get as much meat as I can without spending much time. We have lots of hogs, so I don't care if I lose 10 pounds of meat because I don't want to gut, skin and debone.

[The Insurance Guy]

Why gut unless you Are taking ribs?

[Kevin]

I never gut hogs anymore. Only time I do is if I want ribs on a really big sow.

[kd350]

I “top dress” every pig I shoot. I don’t even gut deer either. Backstrap, tenders, quarters, and neck meat on deer; no need to gut them

[bullets13]

I “top dress” every pig I shoot. I don’t even gut deer either. Backstrap, tenders, quarters, and neck meat on deer; no need to gut them

This^

[Coon]

I “top dress” every pig I shoot. I don’t even gut deer either. Backstrap, tenders, quarters, and neck meat on deer; no need to gut them

You guys must be able to drive right up to the animals you shoot. Shoot a deer 2 miles back in the national forest where you have to carry or drag it out and you'll learn to gut.

[Bill]

You guys must be able to drive right up to the animals you shoot. Shoot a deer 2 miles back in the national forest where you have to carry or drag it out and you'll learn to gut.

Can you leave the guts, hide and bones behind there? Then all you need to carry out is the meat in old pillow cases or meat sacks sold for the purpose.

I did my last pig from the top and got most of the rumps and shoulder meat off the animal.




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[Merc]

You guys must be able to drive right up to the animals you shoot. Shoot a deer 2 miles back in the national forest where you have to carry or drag it out and you'll learn to gut.

If I had to drag one that far, I'd quarter it "top down" (gutless) right where it fell and pack out just the meat. No sense in packing out the hide and extra bone weight if not needed.

To the OP, like everyone else, I "top down" (gutless) everything for the quarters, straps and tenders unless I can pick it up and throw it in the back of the truck, then it gets gutted and cooked whole.