The short version

30 minutes

Start gutting within 30 minutes of the kill. Bleed the hog within 3 minutes.

Organs on

Heart, lungs, liver and skin stay on the carcass. Stomach and intestines come out.

6 hours

The carcass is at the plant within 6 hours of the kill, cavity open or packed with ice.

Why the organs stay on

The heart, lungs and liver tell an inspector more about an animal's health than the muscle does. Lesions, abscesses, parasites and signs of disease show up there first. If they are removed in the field, we have no way to check the carcass — so a hog that arrives without them is refused. The same principle is used for wild game in Europe and Australia, where the "pluck" must travel with the carcass to the inspection point.

Hunter in gloves making the opening cut on a hanging wild boar carcass — Make the opening cut carefully so the blade does not puncture the stomach or intestines. Photo: Wild Boar Meat Company

Gutted wild boar hanging from a trailer rack, stomach and intestines removed, organs left on — Stomach and intestines out; heart, lungs and liver still attached. Photo: Wild Boar Meat Company

Field-dressed wild boar carcass with heart, lungs and liver left in place for inspection — The chest cavity with the organs left in place for inspection. Photo: Wild Boar Meat Company

Harvesting

Do not harvest hogs in areas where poisons, toxicant baits or other harmful substances are known to be used.
Kill cleanly and humanely, with the least possible suffering and disturbance. No buckshot. Avoid gut shots.
Bleed the carcass within three minutes of the kill.
Keep carcasses separate from one another to prevent contamination.
Boars and sows are both accepted. There is currently no minimum weight (subject to change).

Field dressing

Begin gutting and field dressing within 30 minutes of the kill.
Leave the skin, heart, liver and lungs on the carcass.
Clean your knife before and after dressing each hog.
Free the anus and urinary tract so they do not contaminate the carcass.
No spills. Any discharge from the esophagus, stomach, intestines, rectum, gall bladder, urinary bladder, udder or uterus onto the meat means the carcass is condemned.
Wear gloves. Feral hogs can carry brucellosis and other diseases that pass to people through blood and body fluids.

Storage and transport

Protect carcasses from rain and dust.
Never transport carcasses with chemicals, fuel or other contaminants.
Keep carcasses separate from other animals, including your dogs.
Keep the body cavity open, or pack it with ice, during transport.
Carry carcasses so dirt and blood cannot pool around them.
Deliver to the plant within 6 hours of the kill.

Hygiene

Have enough clean water, sanitizer, paper towels and liquid soap with you to wash your hands and tools between hogs. Good personal hygiene keeps the carcass wholesome — and keeps you healthy.

Inspection and payment

Every carcass is checked at the plant. Carcasses that pass are weighed and paid by the pound. Carcasses that fail are refused, and the reason is recorded against your license. Three strikes cancel the license. We may refuse carcasses when our supply needs are met. About the license.