This is a pig that my buddy shot a couple of weeks ago. Yup, in 2 weeks the carcass was reduced to nothing more than a pile of bleached bones. Between the buzzards, pigs, coyotes and beetles, there isn't even a hair of the hide left in that time. This pig was estimated at 100lbs on the hoof, so an adolescent pig. The shield is above the shoulder, and was more than 1/2" thick. This is one of the reasons why you want a sturdy fixed blade broadhead for these suckers. Also shows how much of the vital area that it can cover. Waiting for the quartering away shot is the best bet with an arrow. All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence; then success is sure - Mark Twain
Well was the 100 dollar bill needed or is that all you carry Ive never hunted pigs before but i always hear about the shield being problematic for people.
The bill is for size reference. It got spent later that morning at the feed store (they are cash only). Besides, it makes me look like a big player using that. :D All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence; then success is sure - Mark Twain
That's not "The Shield". The shield is a large gristle/cartilage that the large boars have covering their vitals. It's purpose is to protect them in battles with other pigs. Tuff to put a BH through too. What you have there is the shoulder blade.
Jm and the others are correct. That's a scapula or shoulder blade. The shield is thickening of the hide. Near non-existent in young boars but becomes thicker as they age. It's solid gristle and a major pain to deal with if you're going to do a shoulder mount of a hog. (much, much shaving needed) Here's a pic I ripped off the web that shows a very thick shield.
That is indeed the scapula. It is the bone portion of the shield. All of that gristle, anchors off from it. When you look at the vital area of a pig sideways, this will cover most of the truly vital organs. On this boar, it is well over 1/2" thick, and he was not a big bruiser. Here's some good pictures and explanation of what I'm trying to show here: www.texasboars.com/anatomy.html You can see where the gristle begins to anchor to the shoulder blade. The bone will continue to grow and thicken, as will the gristle part as the boar matures and fights to ascend to the alpha position in his chosen area. It also shows just how much of the heart and lungs are covered up. You will also see how low, and how far forward the heart really is (basically in between the forelegs, at the bottom of the chest, basically against the breastbone) You'll also note just how near the paunch is to the heart, it's a narrow margin of error. Compare the location of the scapula in the pictures in the link to where it is situated in a deer You'll note that while still present, it is up and out of the way of the vitals when compared to the feral pig. It is also much thinner on our deer down here (some of your big bodied northern and midwestern deer I'm sure are a lot more robust) The picture above is showing an exceptional fat layer, the gristle portion is attached to the muscle on the outside of that bone. Their fat is very dense, and is an energy absorbing wonder for arrows. It will also seal up an otherwise good wound channel some times. Sows can and will have a really thick fat layer as well. I've pulled bullets and broad heads stopped by the bone portion in pigs I've killed. I've talked to folks that have pulled multiple broad heads and bullet fragments out of some that they have skinned. My buddy's cousin, skinned out a boar with a broad head in it's skull, just between the eyes and ears, it had been in there long enough for the bone to have started growing around it. I wish I still had gotten pictures of it when he showed me. I've been hunting pigs down here since about 1995, and every year I kill 15-20, some years have been as high as 50. I've killed them with rifle, shotgun, pistol, bow and knife (never bothered trying a spear, and to be honest, I don't care to kill anymore with a knife) My intention for this thread, was to show just what is in the way when you draw down on one. Hunting them is a growing sport, and we're seeing more and more folks traveling in from out of state just to pursue them. There's a lot of questions, and a lot of misinformation surrounding them. Since September 2011, it's even legal to commercially hunt them out of a helicopter here (with the landowner permission), that's become really popular; known as the "Pork Chopper Bill".
I didnt shoot it. It was shot after dark, and not found until the next afternoon. Temps were in the 80's and that left the meat as questionable at best. It is one of 3 that were shot that night out from under that feeder. I'm pretty sure that there was no chance of an early start to go track down what is essentially a giant pest, especially after some extra celebratory beers. Usually the ones I shoot, I'll pull the backs traps, and put the carcass out in the pasture as coyote bait. The little ones I keep and quarter out. A quarter on a little pig fits perfect on the smoker. I'll get a few big ones processed during the year, mostly as sausage and fill everyone's freezer with it.
Hey gummi, im a little confused. A scapula is a piece of bone, but the shield is cartiledge. Are you saying by "the bone portion of the shield" that there is a bone behind the shield? Also holy **** that is a **** ton of fat. That isn't even where bacon comes from is it?
Chop - There is a good bit of gristle that folks refer to as the shield. In my mind, it is multiple layers; with the fat as the outer bit, the heavy gristle portion, and the scapula on the innermost part. Look again at the pictures in the Texasboars link I put up. Look at them closely, and read the narrative surrounding them. Hopefully it'll make some sense when you look at it again. Bacon comes from the belly region of a pig.
