Hunter claims wild boar and roe deer yield 80kg of meat

Subsistence hunting: 80kg of meat, according to a hunter

A roe deer and a young wild boar. Two big game trophies that, according to the breakdown by the person who shot them, yield around 80 kilograms of lean, completely boneless meat: about 50 from the boar and between 30 and 35 from the roe deer. The author called it a "combo" and presented it as an excellent start to the season. The response came in two opposite directions — congratulations, recipes, and fridge calculations on one hand; accusations of killing for sport on the other — and left open a question that guns cannot resolve: why is a packaged steak less scandalous than an animal shot in the wild?

The procedure is standard. Animals harvested in the field and processed by the hunter himself, according to his account. The list of animals he says he has hunted or processed includes wild boars, roe deer, stags, lambs, kids, home-raised pigs, wild and farm rabbits, partridges, and quails. No intermediaries, no labels. This is where half the controversy comes from.

How many days does a family eat with a wild boar and a roe deer?

Eighty days. That is the number resulting from the calculation by the person who shot the animals: 80 net kilograms, one kilogram of meat per day, and a typical family of four members — a couple and two children — with their protein covered. The scenario he proposes is deliberately extreme, a hypothetical social collapse situation where the fridge depends on what one can harvest and process. As an arithmetic exercise, the result is hard to dispute.

And there is another element that usually doesn't enter the equation: game meat is not eaten the same day. Without prior testing, it can transmit parasitic infections, and the taste of adult animals or uncastrated males is unpleasant, something that also happens with old lamb and uncastrated pig. Subsistence hunting requires prior testing and time. It is not just about aiming.

Subsistence hunting versus intensive farming

Here lies the core of the issue. The most repeated defense compares the fate of a wild animal with that of a pig confined in two square meters, fattened on feed and slaughtered before its first birthday. From this perspective, hunting would be the lesser evil: an animal that lives freely until a shot brings it down, compared to another that never knew anything but a shed.

The counterargument has two versions. The first is that of the thread's original poster: those who consume no animal products have the authority to reject hunting. The second, more uncomfortable, is that of the consumer who criticizes the shot while filling their cart with trays of industrial origin. This contradiction is what causes the most friction among those who defend the activity.

What rifle and caliber are used in a driven hunt?

The choice of weapon depends on the terrain. For driven hunts, where shots are rarely taken beyond 200 meters, this hunter prefers slow, heavy projectiles, short barrels, and non-magnified sights. The combination he defends as most comfortable is a lever-action Marlin 1895 Trapper in .45-70 Government with a 40mm red dot sight (Truglo). For stalking and waiting for wild boar or roe deer, however, he considers the [.308] an excellent option. Shotguns with slugs are ruled out.

The technical detail intersects with the ethical one at a very specific point: shot placement. Frontal, on the roe deer; lateral, on the young boar, according to the original poster's approach. And the doubt of whether a shot at 150 meters at a running animal is skill or luck. The answer from the person who did it is blunt: a moving creature is not a target, and the woods are not a shooting range.

Wild boars in dumpsters: when wildlife enters town

The flank where hunting is best defended is not ethics, but management. According to one participant, in areas like Collserola, wild boars come down to urban centers to look for food in dumpsters, and a female with a litter behind her can charge anyone crossing her path. In this context, population control stops being a hobby and becomes a service.

With roe deer, the opposite occurs, according to this same hunter. They avoid human contact and seem fewer than they are. Without natural predators — wolves are scarce — they have multiplied uncontrollably. The species seen most often is not necessarily the most abundant.

And the data that is surprising: while debates rage about wild boars, wild rabbits are struggling. In areas where releases are done, with shelters, feeders, and vaccines, the species still fails to establish itself even with closed hunting seasons. There are animals in excess and animals fading away, and the shotgun explains neither.