So I have a different question to ask. I don't have a utv and hunt on my own property . What would y'all recommend pick up the 200-300+lb hogs with if all you had was yourself and your truck you're trying to load him up in?

You can pick up one of the hitch type game hoist from most outdoor stores or you can build one pretty easy

https://www.amazon.com/Products-Truck-Hitch-Game-Hoist/dp/B0BQLKKHQ1

Just an example

Portable hitch/receiver winch.

Get or weld up a gin pole. Your back will thank you. The one GusWayne suggested is nice, and you can turn it 90 degrees to help swing 'em onto the tailgate.

I bought something similar after a couple nights loading large hogs manually. The hoists are a bit awkward to store and transport, but work really well. I also used mine to load a really heavy stump, so there are occasional other uses.

I just bought that one, although I must have caught it at the right time, because it was $106.

I drag them to their final resting place.

Pulled pork, every time

I was wrestling them into the basket on the back of this Polaris until not too long ago.



That particular hog was shot on a rainy night and the ground was a bit too soggy to retrieve it, so I waited until it dried out a bit the next day. As you can see the buzzards had already begun letting his guts leak out. I didn't want to wrestle him into the basket because I'm getting to the age that overexertion can have unpleasant long lasting effects, plus I didn't want his guts all over me...or maybe more properly, the contents of his guts.

We routinely dump hog carcasses in a dedicated area and I have decided dragging them to that spot is a much easier task than trying to persuade them to get in the basket. I took a nylon towing strap down there last time I went...it was obvious after dragging one hog to the boneyard that it wasn't going to last. I have a brand new steel cable I am going to sheath in garden hose, and give that a try. Maybe it'll last a year or three.

I have one of those receiver hitch hoists I bought from a fellow from out toward White Settlement who was building them 10 or 12 years ago (can't remember who the guy was, but he put them together right). It's a stout SOB and would do anything I would ever need it to do, but I do not take my pickup out on the ranch I hunt these days...we just use the Polaris. I'm thinking of taking it down there and leaving it, but I'd sell it if anyone's interested.

Off topic questions for those big uns.
Do you guys eat those hogs over 200lbs?
If yes, how do you cook those?

I do. They mostly end up as ground meat or sausage. Once they've gone through the grinder they aren't nearly as tough! I use the ground meat in things like lasagna, chili, shepherd's pie, meat loaf, etc. Basically meals that have a fair amount of seasoning. It's difficult to tell the difference between the feral pork and ground beef in these dishes. We trim off virtually all of the fat for the ground meat but leave it in for sausage. I typically make breakfast sausage (bulk) or bratwurst (I use AC Legg seasoning #104). I used to have a processor who would take the meat and grind/season/stuff into pretty good link sausage, but they raised their prices too much a few years ago.

^^^^

It's a rare occasion where I'll butcher one. Gotta be just the right hog, though.

https://thehogbook.com/


Everything you'd need to know for pigs of all sizes.

that can be a chore by yourself. I hooked a rachet strap the bed of my truck and cranked the head up to the tailgate, then on my 3rd or 4th try swung the body over. Whew... I've been cutting the backstraps out then dragging them off.

most times. If Im eating them they are small enough for me to pick up

I built a piggy puller out of a 6 ft. chain and 2 inch rings. Just like a choke chain for a dog but bigger. The chain tightens down on the leg and the bumper and I drag em away. I'll post a pic later.

Game hoists are great. You can also mount an electronic hoist in bed of truck and winch up. Or you can clean them and let the buzzards take care of the rest or drag off - only takes 5 mins with the method below and no lifting necessary:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-BmX-3Qqa4

Sounds like a log drag/choker. I used a cable version for a while..

I use a chain with a heavy snap link. I make one cut through the soft part of the hock, push the link through, snap it closed and drag them off. If I want to get them in the bed of my truck or Ranger for some reason I use a game hoist.

Them's some woolly boogers.

One way is to always have one winch up tripod feeder on the property. Drag them to it and use it to load up the critter

Electric winch in the bed, and a roller on the bumper. No limit on what you can load. This was an 1800# eland!!!

Back in the woods.
Cut down back. Take backstraps front & hind quarter.
Roll over, & repeat, put meat in back pack.
Best for hiking out big ones. Didn't gut em.

@ your place, throw cooler in truck bed.
Cut up hog. Throw meat in cooler.

I call my cousin to bring the tractor with the bucket over.