Originally Posted by Jag_Warrior
I used to date this girl who didn't like the fact that I hunted. She would say things like the above. Sometimes it's hard for me not to laugh when people say things like this. But I have to wonder if people actually think about what they're saying before they say it sometimes.
When you say "meat specially produced to be eaten", do you mean manic depressive animals that commit suicide... or do you mean captive farm animals, shot so full of growth hormones and antibiotics that I'm amazed every human meat eater hasn't grown a third arm or developed cancer? Actual meat is not "produced". All of it comes from some two or four legged creature that either has his head bashed in, gets his throat cut or takes a bullet to the heart.
When Bessie is walking through the slaughter house and sees her old pal Marge take a knife to the neck, how is that any better than at least getting a running start, and in a boar's case, a "fighting" chance?
When I hunted, wild boars were my favorites too. Like the kid, I hunted with a pistol as well. So you pretty much had to get up close & personal to do the deed... sometimes crawling on your stomach to get within 15 or 20 yards. So if you screwed up or missed your shot, Mr. Russian Boar and his pals got their chance to eat you, instead of the other way around. Now, Mr. Javelina is a different sort of pig. He probably won't eat you... at least not all at once. He's more into chewing on you for a bit, and making you regret that you disturbed his nap... buried under the leaves that you stepped on. Barnyard hogs, on the other hand, have the guy, who they thought was their lifelong buddy, walk up to them and put a .22 hollowpoint into their brains. "Meat specially produced to be eaten", eh? :dozey:
As big as that thing is, who knows what the meat will taste like. But I read the story somewhere else, and the family seemed to have every intention of eating it. My rule was, if I wasn't going to dress it out, I wouldn't shoot it. But wild boars in this area (and where the kid killed his hog) feed on acorns. Anyone who likes ham and sausage, none is any better than a wild boar fattened on acorns.