Last night and out of nowhere it suddenly struck me:
Why not buy wild boar meat from a market or a meat processor! Clean, fully wrapped, ready to prepare at prices that are lower than what you would have to pay per pound if you went out to harvest your own boar.

Look at it this way: First you spend a lot of time arranging for a guided wild pig hunt. Then you pay anywhere from at least $ 500.00 to 1,000.00 or more per boar harvested, plus a 'gratuity' to the guide for field dressing, a fee for cool storage, a processing fee to a butcher, packing material and more for electricity to keep your freezer or refrigerator going. And if you happen to get a large wild pigs, your guide will happily charge you a trophy fee based on the tusk length and sometimes weight.

Moreover, you need fuel to get to your destination, pay for lodging and food. Is that all? No, before you can bag your game you have to brave high temperature or freezing cold, run up and down steep hills, cope with insects and crawly things that can bite and harm you, not to speak of poisonous plant life that can make you miserable for days on end. And there is never a guarantee that you will bag your wild pig!

If you are lucky you get your wild pig. Fortunately, it is a good wild pig, not too small and not too big and a sow but not a boar. Because getting one of those, especially when he is a big trophy boar, gives you a lot of almost worthless meat. Large old wild boar have that infamous gamy taste that makes eating their meat undesirable. Even processing the meat into Cajun sausages can not fully cover up the unpleasant taste.

Let us assume you harvested a 130 pound young sow. Good meat, good eating. By the time it is field dressed and processed you have, say, about 100 pounds of usable meat left. You placed your shot very carefully to the head to avoid excessive meat spoilage. Most of you, I presume, would play it safe and aim at the vitals. If you miss and have to shoot a second time or hit a major bone, you damage a lot of otherwise prime meat.

You paid 600 dollars for the guided hunt, another $ 100.00 for helpers, cold storage, etc, and least $ 100.00 to the butcher for meat processing. Add to it at least $ 100.00 for fuel (forget about wear and tear on your car), some food and drink.

That little sow of yours now cost you 900 dollars, give or take a few depending on your choices. And we have not added anything for your time or business lost while your were traipsing around in the wilderness. Average price per pound:
$ 9.00. And this is most likely on the low side. Especially when you do not get a boar the first time out.

Instead of all this trouble and expense, why not sit at home watching some game from the comfort of your easy chair, then proceed to your computer and to YouTube for some wild pig hunting videos. There are plenty of them to watch. Find an exciting one and as the boar drops shout 'bang, bang'. (By the way, did you know that there are some video games that let you shoot real live boar? I do not know how it works, only that the animal rights people want to outlaw them. Our governor is poised to sign a bill to that effect).

No more dirty and unpleasant hard work of field dressing and skinning your wild pig. Drive to the nearest specialty market and buy yourself some fresh boar meat at a reasonable price. Take it home, cook it and enjoy some great tasting wild pig tenderloin for just over $ 10.00 a pound or a wild boar boneless shoulder roast for about the same price. You can also get the boneless shoulder at $ 6.50 per pound depending on where you buy. While you serve a mouthwatering BBQ rack of wild pig ribs to your friends you describe in great detail your boar hunting adventure on YouTube and how you bravely faced the raging boar.

Google for wild boar meat and you will find numerous Internet sellers of wild pig meat. Of course, ordering from one of them carries shipping costs. Therefore, the actual price per pound is higher.

Fortunately, there are plenty of local companies in large urban areas that offer wild boar meat.

For example, in the Los Angeles area you can get your wild pig meat from at least three large meat processors/retailers.

Harvey Guss's Meat Co
949 S Ogden Dr
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 937-4622

Marconda's Meat
6333 West Third St
Los Angeles, California 90036
323 938 5131 also at the Farmers Market, Stall 512, in Los Angeles.

Harmony Farms
2824 Foothill Blvd,
La Crescenta, CA 91214
(818) 248-3068

These are the three heavy weights. There are numerous other outfits that sell wild pig meat or at least can order it for you. Here are a few more:

99 Ranch Market
Van Nuys Store
6450 N. Sepulveda Blvd. Van Nuys,CA 91411
818-988-7899

Alexander's Prime Meats
(Howie's Ranch Market)
6580 N. San Gabriel Blvd
San Gabriel
(626) 286-8871

Huntington Meats & Sausage
(Los Angeles Farmers Market)
6333 W. 3rd St.
Los Angeles
(323) 938-5383.

Do not overlook smaller markets in predominantly Vietnamese areas (like “Little Saigon” in Los Angeles). They carry wild pig and other exotic meats. (Maybe some of it even comes from the Big Horn Ranch?)

You can find high-end wild pig meat in several places on the net, notably at

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/565417
http://www.exoticmeatsandmore.com/wildboar.aspx
http://www.marxfoods.com/wild-boar.

Though their prices are only slightly higher than those of local stores, they only ship in larger quantities, which together with shipping costs, adds considerably to the overall price per pound.

http://brentwoodtradinggroup.com/wibomeandwib.html is the exception. At least for the Los Angeles market.

Finally, here is another quite interesting twist to the story about wild pig meat markets. A small family owned meat processing place operates in Littlerock, CA. They specialize in sausages made from exotic meats. Many hunters take their game there to have it processed into sausages. The place is well known for its quality and savory unusual, if not exotic, sausages. Unfortunately, last I heard was that the place is for sale. It might not even be there any longer.

Valley Hungarian Sausage and Meat Co.
8809 Pearblossom Hwy. Littlerock, CA 93543
(661) 944-3351 10 a.m.- 5 p.m., 7 days a week
Their website is still up at http://www.valleyhungarian.nv.switchboard.com/

Isn't it amazing how much business a few wild pigs running around and digging up people's yards are creating in their wake? Just think of all the profitable wild pig farms needed to supply the meat. Because that is most likely where the boar meat comes from. Not from ruthless murderers of poor Miss Piggy. Well, maybe with the exception of boar 'harvested' in Texas as part of the wild hog eradication programs in effect there.

Savor delicious, healthy boar meat for less, enjoy bragging rights of a successful 'hunter' and save your energy to defend against accusations of cheating.

PJJ