Walking over to get the hose (green) got a bit more interesting when I saw a 3 footish red hose in the yard.
Wait….I don’t have a 3 foot hose….
Oh. Rat snake! I like these guys around too, could use a few more. This one didn’t move until I poked it’s tail, then went about 6 feet away and decided to pretend to be a vicious snake!
After a few minutes it headed off to hopefully reduce the rat population and avoid getting stepped on. Bye buddy!
You aren’t going to eliminate them all nor stop them from coming onto your property without a dome dropped over the whole thing (not realistic). They climb trees, laugh at fences, and aren’t worth it for someone to trap for you (as you found out). Switch your goal to keeping them out of the coop/housing areas of your animals and you’ll have a lot more success. Step 1: Fortify coop. No chicken wire (it keeps chickens in and nothing else out). Hardware cloth or rabbit cage wire, best you can afford (the smaller the number/gauge, the thicker the wire btw). Wire around the coop either buried down 2 feet or flat and pinned on the ground 2 feet (secured to the bottom edge) to eliminate digging. Check your coop door, those little paws can bend door frames open enough to get in if flimsy. Let nothing smaller than a racoon sleep or live within arms’ reach of any wire bigger than 1/2×1/2, they reach in and grab pieces. And all animals in at dusk, no exceptions. If your job keeps you off property past dusk, no more free ranging-build an enclosed run. You could do automatic doors for chickens, but sooner or later someone will stay out and you might lose them. Step 2: Eliminate all other food sources…no more corn feeders, outside cat food, outside dog food, birdseed on the ground, etc. Step 3: Get yourself a sturdy trap, havahart makes good ones. Learn how to set it. Leave it outside in the weather for a week or two to get rid of the manufacturing smells. Set it-I bait mine with fresh eggs because that’s what they are going after. Place it near the areas you don’t want them coming. Dispose of captive. Wear gloves if handing any dead ones, they have things you don’t want. Do NOT handle live ones and watch the paws-they reach through and grab! Rest trap, rinse and repeat. Be fair and realistic…my rule is anything showing an interest in the animals is gone. Everything else can stay. Again, you will not eliminate them. But #1 is build secure coops and pens!
Well, the problem with the wild pig destroying my freshly planted corn and my neighbor’s yard is solved. No more piles of manure 5 feet from my pig enclosures carrying who knows what pathogens or worms with them…no more fencing being pushed down. He came too close too often and caused too much damage.
I spoke to a friend who knew someone experienced in such matters and they came out and took care of the problem, including leaving me 2 legs and a tenderloin
I have never cooked a wild pig. Heck, the last wild thing I cooked was a rabbit a couple of decades ago and that was over was over campfire! I’m pretty sure you could cook a tire over a campfire and make it taste good.
I decided to roast one of the legs in the oven. I hit up my friend the internet and got some advice (some of it,as expected, conflicting). I ended up resting the meat in the fridge 24 hours in a stainless stock pot. Then I made a salt water brine and soaked it another 3 days in the fridge.
Then I took a baking dish and lined it with enough foil to wrap the leg. I added a stick of butter (cut into pats). I then poked the meat all over with a knife, sprinkled garlic and pepper on top, and rubbed the slices and butter into the slits.
In the meantime I had the oven preheating to 400. I added some Cajun seasonings and put the leg in the oven uncovered for 30 minutes. This was to brown the top and crisp some fat.
After 30 minutes the top was brown so I pulled it out and wrapped it up tightly. I returned it back to the oven and turned the heat down to 250. I was told by several people to cook wild game to 190, so I figured 8 hours as it was about 8 pounds.
After 8 hours I pulled it out and wow! Sorry, no picture of it fresh from oven because I was too excited! There was a lot of juice, I drained that off into a small saucepan and added Wondra flour until it was gravy like, stirring the whole time.
As soon as the gravy was done , I grabbed some bread and made myself a bowl. It was delicious! To me it tasted a lot like slightly overdone roast beef. The gravy was good enough to eat on its own!
Ended up grilling/smoking smoking the second leg on a homemade smoker, wrapped and with butter. It was also very good, although I think the oven roasted was better…did I mention yummy gravy?
Next time, if there’s another leg offering, I’ll check it sooner as a small portion was dry…with the bone in I think it cooked faster than any directions or advice mentioned. 10/10 and would do again!
It looks like clumped together balls…at least when they decide to eat most of the oat seed you sowed as groundcover.
Hopefully the new section of fencing stops this issue!
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