Hi Michael,
I've been eating G-hogs for a long time, find them very tasty. I agree with you,, they do take to a crock pot very well but I've also found the younger ones to be suitable for other forms of preparation.
As for that one hog I shot with a shotgun,,,, it was in fact just about 15 yards. Since then I've never shot at another one with a scattergun.
Jeff