To start removing the entrails, work a smaller knife around the anus (and the vaginal opening) of the hog, about an inch or two deep. Make the circle about two inches wider than the anus itself so you don't pierce the colon. Grab ahold and pull up gently, then use a rubber band or a zip-tie to pinch it off. This closes everything up, so you'll be able to pull it out the other side, when you open up the chest. Some butchers wait to remove these organs until after removing the offal and the intestines, but it's good to take precautions, because these are the bacteria-laden parts of the animal that can contaminate the meat. Remove the testicles of intact boars, if you haven't already. Wrap a rubber band around them to gather the testicles and sever them. It's better to do this as soon as possible after killing the animal. To remove the penis, pull it away from the animal, and work your knife underneath it, slicing along the muscle that works back toward the tail. Pull it lose and discard. Pinch the skin near the base of the sternum, where the ribs end and the abdomen begins, and pull toward you as far as possible. Insert your knife and gently work your way down the center line of the pig's belly, in between the two rows of nipples. Be extremely careful not to puncture the stomach lining and the intestines. Keep working your knife until you get all the way up between the animal's legs. At some point in this process, gravity will likely work in your favor and the entrails will start falling out without you having to do much. As soon as you start opening the belly up, it's a good idea to have a big bucket or tray ready to catch the organs. They'll be heavy, and it's important that you handle them delicately. Everything in the digestive tract should fall out relatively easily with a bit of coaxing, including the lower intestine that you tied off earlier. Use you knife to trim away any stubborn connective tissue. The kidneys and the pancreas are perfectly edible and popular items to reserve. Some serious do-it-yourselfers will save the intestines to process into sausage casings, though this is a time-intensive and difficult process. Adipose tissue is a layer of fat found near the pig's kidneys, and is popular to reserve for rendering into lard. You don't need to remove it now, but be gentle with the cavity as you work the organs out and into the bucket. It can be harvested by "fisting out" the tissue, essentially by pulling it free with your hands. After the entrails are removed, you need to open up the chest to remove the rest of the organs. You can use your knife to separate the front of the rib cage, working your way in between the layer of cartilage that connects the breastbone. You shouldn't have to use the saw to do this. After separating the ribs, remove the rest of the organs. The heart and liver and commonly reserved and eaten. Some people will start by reinserting the knife into the "stick" puncture made earlier and cut toward the tail, while others find it easier to start nearer the stomach and work toward the head. Do whatever seems most comfortable for you in your work space. You should chill any organs you hope to save as soon as possible. Rinse them thoroughly in cool water and chill them, wrapped loosely in butcher paper, in the refrigerator. They need to be kept between 33 and 40 degrees F. Behind the ears, work your knife in a circular direction around the throat to separate the head, using the jawline as a guide. As you separate the meat and expose the neck bone, you might need to get in there with a cleaver to break through the vertebrae with firm chop. If you want to remove the head and leave the jowls intact, cut toward the corner of the mouth, under the ears, separating the meat. The jowls are great for making jowl bacon, while others prefer to clean and keep the head intact for use in making head cheese. You can also remove the feet at the "wrist" knuckle, just up from the top each hoof. Use a hacksaw or a sawzall to slice through the joint and remove the feet. Little hairs can be especially tenacious when you're processing out a hog. They'll stick to fat and be hard to find. Before you let the meat rest for a day to process it, it's important to give it another good rinsing with cool, clean water, letting it hang and dry thoroughly before moving it into the cold. To dry out the meat some, the hog will need to be aged for about a day in cold temperature, between 30 and 40 degrees F. A walk-in fridge is the easiest way to do this, or processing your hot during a very cold season, in which you'll be able to do it in a shed or garage. Making the cuts necessary to break down the pork is almost impossible with warm, or even room-temperature meat. The whole process of making the necessary butchers' cuts are a lot easier with cold meat. You can also do an "ice brine," by filling a vat large enough to hold the hog with ice, with a few handfuls of table salt to keep the temperature down. Pack the meat onto the ice to cool it down. If you just don't have the space and can't let the meat sit, you need to break it down into a manageable size and get it cooled down. If space is at a premium, some people will use the sawmill or a manual hacksaw to cut through the backbones, as well as the pelvic bone, separating the hog into two halves. This will be the next step, regardless, so it's a good idea to do it whenever it's the most convenient for storage.

Summary: Cut around the anus and pull it upward. Cut from the sternum to the groin. Reach into the cavity near the groin and pull downward. Separate the ribs in the front by splitting the breastbone. Remove the head. Clean the cavity thoroughly with water. Chill the carcass for at least 24 hours before breaking it down.

In most states, it is legal to drill your own well. However, in some states, you must have a permit to drill over 200 feet, so you may need to get the permit or have the well professionally drilled. Check your local codes by calling local officials or searching online. Septic tanks, muddy areas, sewers or animal pens can all potentially contaminate wells. Waste matter leeches through the soil, all the way down to the water reservoir: anyone who drinks water from a well drilled near these areas could get sick. Drill at least 50 feet away from any of these areas. If you live in a populated area, you will want to check with your local utility companies before you drill. Many electricity, gas and telephone companies run conduits underground, so any drilling could interfere with or strike their lines. Call your utility providers to find the location of any cabling running under your property. Different factors on your property will give you information about how much water to expect to get from underwater reservoirs. Soil type, topography, information about your water table and vegetation can give clues about where to dig. Areas with heavy sand and gravel deposits often yield water. The larger the pieces of gravel or sand, the more water is most likely beneath the surface. These areas will be harder to drill, however, because of large boulders that may exist in the path of your drill. Vegetation can tell you the location of water. In arid climates, locations with greater number of plants growing indicate water below the surface. Look for groups of trees or shrubs to locate a good place to drill. Topography can help you make your choice. Areas of lower elevation, such as the bottoms of valleys or hills often yield more water. You may also have success drilling near rivers or other bodies of water like ponds or streams. It may also be helpful to call your county survey office or other planning organization and ask for groundwater maps. Many county offices can provide you with information about the location of water tables and places where others have successfully dug wells.
Summary: Check your local laws. Don't put the well near sources of contamination. Confirm your well location with utility companies. Choose a site that will yield the most water.