I am planning on building a permanent pig trap using 16 foot cattle panels and was wondering if anyone has any advice to share on size,shape and best door design that will allow pigs to enter but not leave. what have you had success with. thank you for any ideas and help with this project.

It's gotten to the point that there are just too many hogs here, so I too need to do something. Shooting them is not nearly enough. It's a shame to waste all that pork, but so many can't be good for other wildlife, like deer (fawns) and turkeys (eggs) and rabbits (babies), and quail, etc.

There are some good videos on you tube about this. Those designs I have viewed are considered mobile. They can be relocated, which may be important.

Some things to consider are what are you going to do with the hogs when caught? Are the panels going to be able to keep piglets in? And some grown hogs are jumpers, especially a big boar. Are you going to kill the hogs right there in the trap? If not, then you will need a transport trailer, and a built in hatch (if not the trap door) to back up to, in order to get the hogs out of the trap alive.

It's tricky business getting hogs out of a trap alive and into a trailer, but there are slick techniques, some of which are shown on the you tube videos. One video I saw showed the corral trap made where some panels (extras I think) could swing allowing the space the hogs had to run be significantly reduced, and they viewed the hatch opening to the trailer as an escape route. After the first one ran into the trailer, all the others followed.

I've read/heard that the trap door entrance is the most expensive part of the trap. I presume it's the release latch that makes it complicated. I hope someone posts info on that. I think I would be happy with a remote control push button thingy that can be activated from a stand nearby, say 80 to 100 yds, visually judging when to push the button.

One thing I think I understand that I wouldn't want in a corral type trap is a trigger to close the door activated by the hogs (or a deer). I think I would want to trigger door closure remotely, even if it was a long cord to the stand. The purpose is to wait till whole sounders and even reluctant hogs have entered.

I've read/heard that if a bunch of trapped hogs are killed in the trap, then it will be a long time before that trap is effective again at that location. But that may be okay if 20 to 40 are caught at one time.

Perhaps two smaller corral traps is a good idea, and alternate their use. Bait up one until it catches hogs, then bait up the other one and give the first one a break.

Now you have me thinking about it. I'm pretty sure that the welding/machine shop that I've done business with locally could make a sliding gravity fall trap door for a reasonable price. Make it simple, and with a mechanical latch. Tie a cord to the release latch and run it all the way to the stand. I don't see why that wouldn't work.

I use trail cameras to inform me when the hogs are coming in. So, when the camera shows they are coming in on a regular basis, that's when to go to the stand so as to avoid wasting a lot of time waiting unproductively. That's what I do when I plan on shooting one, so if it works for that I don't see why it wouldn't work for trapping too.

I envision springing the trap during the daylight. But if that doesn't work out, one thing I discovered that provides illumination is the solar powered yard lights. Not the motion activated ones, but those that come on at night and stay on as long as the battery lasts or daylight, whichever is first. Two or three around the corral trap, say 100 lumens each ought to be enough and the hogs get use to it.

I can imagine trapping a bunch of hogs in the early evening after dark, then having to either deal with them then or wait till next day. Obviously, the next day would be better -- if they don't all escape overnight.

This first video is a one that I haven't seen before. I like it because it shows how to build a corral trap inexpensively and keep it simple. As you may guess, I tend to make things more complicated than they ought to be.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMBVPX5TlEI

How to Build a Guillotine-Style Trap Door for Wild Pigs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJSJ6yoIABA

Hog trap doors:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6gYl5pnU3w

Selecting Panels for Wild Pig Traps

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_t103K7lVU8


Hogdini The Jumper

Note the trailer at 6:30 in the video, and how it lowers flat on the ground.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GF0MDS5CMYY

Another instructional video:

Tips on Building and Operating Corral Traps for Feral Hogs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vE3gjBrNbQw

This video shows the sweeping panel to reduce the space in the trap for loading the hogs out into a trailer. The demonstration starts about 4:45 in the video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypBTrByUfIc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca1chsfI7dk

thank you for the youtube links. for a drop gate the best trigger system ive seen is the pig stick and deer will not always trip it which is good .I don't like deer hurting themselves trying to get out of the trap.im feeding one bag of corn per night to keep them coming. going to buy panels and posts tomorrow. at least 15 coming and would like to reduce their numbers so as to hopefully harvest some sweet corn later in the summer. last summer was a total loss.

looks like those pigs will need to be pressure washed before cleaning.thats what we do when its muddy.

Thank you for starting such an interesting topic. Keep us posted.

I currently have two round pen traps with the panels and t-post construction. Here's my experience--

1. Get the panels with the small openings--keeps the piglets and small shoats from squeezing out

2. Use at least 6 panels and overlap one "square" with a post at each junction and two more between junctions. When you add a 4' gate that makes a 100' round pen.

3. Put a feeder inside the trap and stake the legs down. Feeder in the pic does not have the legs staked, but since remedied.

4. Gate style---I don't like the guillotine or saloon door style, I use the top-hinged drop gate, either 2- or 3-sections.

Here's a couple of pics of my newest one. We built it in February and this week killed #55

I keep the door propped open until they are coming regularly and then set it as they may be bold enough to push their way in and then can't get out. This is OK if you check the trap daily, but if you don't, after a week in the S. Texas summer those suicidal pigs will be dead and the buzzard crap will have painted the trap white.

Build in a way to draw a trailer, with no gapping, next to the door. Buyers want everything over ten pounds for foreign market processing. Helped with a church property-related removal of 35+ at once. The trailer had internal slotted doors for keeping what gets forward from going back out. However, please realize you'll likely educate your pigs and a permanent arrangement won't do the job long term.

Never tried this myself but it can be moved as need.

http://boarbuster.com/

Good links, some good info and ideas
here.

Thanks for sharing,

George

quote:

Buyers want everything over ten pounds for foreign market processing.

Laws vary, state to state.

As far as I know it's not legal to transport or sell feral hogs here. But it's done anyway - not on a large scale and not openly.

I'm told by someone who ought to know that the big boars especially have a market. There are places where they have "hunters" who pay to shoot the released boars inside a fenced in area. I don't know how big the area is, but I'm sure it gives the advantage to the shooter.

As for me and the pigs I catch, if any, I'll give away what I can.

dustoffer, what is the problem with the saloon door gates and are pigs able and do they push in the drop style gate you use after it has been tripped by a previous hog?

We run 9 corral traps all the time. The designs offered above are good suggestions. We bought doors that are divided into 3 segments, but after we had several escape, we wired them together. I don't think there are any advantages to segmented gates.

If you only have one trap and it is located near the house or along your usual route, it probably wouldn't be important, but we use wireless Bushnell cameras on each trap. Same kind that hunters use to send pics to your computer. Don't remember what the cameras cost, but the wireless service costs about $10 per camera per month. You can load an app on your phone and it will send pics within a few minutes of the event. Saves lots of time and wear and tear on your truck checking traps. I get up in the morning and can tell within a few minutes of looking at the app how to plan my day. Also, anybody can download the app and if they have your password, they can monitor your traps remotely if you are out of town for the weekend. The cameras will also give you a new appreciation for just how much corn is consumed by raccoons, squirrels, birds, deer, and other critters by looking at the number of photos.

We also use traps that can be disassembled and moved to new locations depending on hog activity. By using cattle panel wire welded to portable corral segments, we can break down and move and reassemble the traps whenever a new sounder moves in from neighboring areas. Some traps continue to catch pigs year after year in the same location, but the best results seem to come in areas with hogs that haven't seen a trap before. Unfortunately, you do educate the ones that see others get trapped, and they refuse to enter.

Acer:

How about sharing some pictures of
your operation and traps?

Thanks,

George

is there a reason the root gates are better than the saloon door trap gates?

I’m running a mix of drop door and top hinged angled gates. The latter do have the advantage that the hungry and naive will push their own way in after the trap has already been sprung.

Drop doors rely on careful placement of the trip line in relation both to height - you want piglets to walk underneath so only the sow or older more wary pigs to set it off - and feed placement- so you fit all the sounder in the trap first.

Where the drop door has a big advantage to my mind is I’ve found it easier to make and transport drop doors and frame with 4 foot by 5 foot openings, the biggest swinging gate and frame I’ve made that is easily transportable is perhaps 3 by 4. The bigger the opening the easier to coax pigs into the trap IMHO

got it built. 3 pigs and sucklings feeding and sleeping in it. going to feed in trap and set it early next week. I don't know how to post pictures. its 35 feet diameter. had about 13 in one picture. there is one very big boar in the bunch. where I live we don't have the large numbers of pigs a lot of you do.

thank you to every one for the input.

GBE, after building the saloon gate I don't think ill make another. I wonder if a gate properly built out of oak or gum. 2x3 lumber maybe would work with no problems? screwed together. I don't know how much of a beating they would put on the door.

There is a good drop door frame design made from timber detailed here https://www.uaex.edu/publications/pdf/MP537.pdf
From memory there key criteria was using the largest piece of plywood readily available and easily lifted by one person. I try and build doors to fit inside the canopy covered tray of my work Ute so I can easily discretely relocate as required.
My top hinged swing gates don’t swing all the way to vertical in order for others to push in, hence wings on the sides of the opening and more bulk to transport. Lengths of pre cut timber and sheets of ply is an attractive prospect.

thank you GBE

Phil--can't give any specifics on the drop vs saloon vs top hinged gates. My first trap was top hinged and I have just never tried the others. I suppose if I tried the saloon type I wouldn't be unhappy as they can push in same as top hinged. Drop gates -- no can do.