Well, since I turned in the last bag of tails for bounty money, I decided to re-start. Went for a sit last night with the thermal and saw nada though I did hear pig sounds near the feeder after it spun. Winds were swirling and I'm betting they caught a hwiff and left. Just before I hung it up, I thought I heard the trap doors slam---but when the rancher checked this morning, corn was all gone but trap was still set. We decided the trip rope was too low so raised it to about 6-8" above ground. Tomorrow morning will tell--

But, I digress. My other spot which has also been productive paid off last night. Drove up to the pen trap--and gate was down but no pigs. Looked over at my cage trap and saw black---drove closer and saw 2 in the trap and then noticed a little one behind the trap approaching. I stopped, shut down the truck, got the .22 out of the case and loaded a round, and got ready---was initially gonna shoot it thru the wire, but it decided to stick its head around the corner before turning and walking away. Slipped off the safety, got a good sight picture and sight alignment and squeezed it off and down he went. Then popped the other two in the trap.

Turned out to be Mom, Pop, and piglet--

Good go! Way too hot around here. Pigs are hitting the feeder after midnight. I am just not that mad at em!

Well, I had 10 in the trap when I drove up but during the commotion as I was knocking them down, three of the little striped ones got thru the wire and escaped. The other 7 paid the price though--this makes 60 on this place this year.

Went out for another sit with the thermal tonight, and when I drove up to the parking spot there were 3 hogs across the fence to the north---they bolted so I got my stuff together and got in the seat about 8:10. Feeder spun at 9:00 and I got ready, but nothing, then in about 10 minutes a doe starts blowing to my right--downwind. She kept it up for about 10 minutes. Still nothing at the feeder, not even a 'coon. About 9:445 I hear snuffling to my right--again downwind. Put the thermal monocular up and there were several hogs about 40 yds out--3 I think. Possibly the same ones I saw when I drove up. They had gotten a whiff but hadn't panicked. Slipped on the ear muffs, turned on the thermal and shouldered the AR---picked them up just as they started to run. Found one in the open, swung on him, and when the dot passed his nose, touched it off. He stumbled and ran into some taller weeds. Gave him a minute or two, and walked to the spot where I thought he was when I shot, turned and looked down the fence in the direction he was headed with the thermal and there he was. Sure is easier than blood trailing in the grass and weeds in the dark. Made a right nice shot if I do say so myself--

You're on a roll again, or still huh?

Getting lots of 'em before they're old
enough to grow much. These are about the
size of 'seedlings'.

Any full grown left?

George

George--I get a few on camera that are full grown but they are trap-wise and generally fully nocturnal. But, for them, it is just a matter of time before I catch up with them.

My total numbers for this year are growing, and the two big bunches above make 60 for this local place, and I am At 115 at my other place, so 175 not 165 total for the year. Looking to hit 200.

As far as the little ones squeezing out of the trap, I think I have come up with a solution. I found some chain-link fencing that I am gonna put inside the trap and wire it to the panels---let 'em try and squeeze thru those holes! Was thinking of replacing the panels with the panels with 4" x 4" mesh, but the chain link is free other than the cost of driving about 50 miles round trip and the sweat equity to install it.

IF they don't climb out that should
cure the problem.

Hell of a count for one year. IMO.

George

Vicarious living here. I don't want the pests here. But I am cheering you on. I hope the footballs are foiled by the chain link. Is there such a thing as a hog tight fence? Not sure? Be Well Packy

Checked traps today and had a medium sow with two shoats in the pen. As I was standing checking them out, noticed 3 more shoats outside the fence and they started away. I nailed one with the .22. Dropped one shoat in the trap pen and before I could shoot the other shoat it squeezed thru the wire. I turned and grabbed the 12-ga and when it ran thru an opening in the mesquite I hammered it. It was right in the middle of the dust cloud from the charge but didn't drop. Got another shot about 15 yds farther to the west and shot again---no drop again but really staggered. I was shooting 12-ga 3" mag #4 buckshot, 41 .24" pellets per load. Popped the sow in the trap with the .22 and called it done. Two in the trap dead, one shot with the 22 and one with the 12-ga outside the trap. This makes 64 at this place this year since February.

Went for another sit with the thermal last night an nada other than the usual gang across the fence. Got tired of sitting and went for a walk thru the pasture but didn't see anything. Then I heard pig talk from the vicinity of the trap so I walked over to take a peek--it was full. So, up early this morning--had 16 in the trap but 4 piglets escaped, including one that ran thru two blasts with 3" mag #4 buckshot. Note to self: Go buy a box of duck/geese loads and save buckshot for skillet shots under feeder. At any rate, these 10 plus one in the landowner's ATV and one in my pickup made for a tally of 12, bringing the count for the year to 187

By this time next week you'll have that
200 goal met.

Couple questions: How long you been doing this
Any idea how many you've killed all together?

Wish it was possible to get a load of them when freshly killed.

Expect you buy ammo by the case. Tails should
pay for it. Hell of a deal to be able to make
money doing what you enjoy.

George

George--I killed my first hog about 10-11 yrs ago on a S. Tx lease. That's when/where I got the handle "pig-murderin' fool" from the rancher's squeeze since I was always shooting hogs during the off-season, and even occasionally during the deer season. Kept several families fed too.

I started trapping and hunting at these places about 9-10 yrs ago and put in my last circle trap this winter, which has accounted for the majority of the 187 since then. The landowner picked the spot--it's next to a small tank that they love to wallow in. Red mud, and it is all over the trees on the ranch so you can see they've been in it.

How many total? I have no idea--but I'm sure it is more than 500--

Back in the spring I caught a group of little brown striped watermelons rooting up just sprouted corn in one my of fields right at sunrise. These did the trick....

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1017367255

I need to take the time to work with some chokes for patterning purposes, but have yet to do so.

marshmandan---thanks for the tip. I noticed Midway is out of stock so I'll check some of the other sites.

And another three-some this morning--two of them went to live in friend's freezer.

https://www.midwayusa.com/prod...002086175?pid=219267

Another option from hornady, but I have not used these, but they are less expensive.

I like the fact that both of those loads are lead.

2 boxes enroute---thought I found them at the local Academy but the box of Hornady 12-ga I thought was BB shot is OO buck, so found 'em elsewhere.

Checked traps today and had a little solo boar, making 191 for the year to date.

This early yet you'll break 200 real
easy.

George

Solo small sow this morning.

192

Things have slowed down quite a bit but had 3 overnight in the traps.

Makes it 195 for the year.

tally keeps adding up.

George

And here's the latest--5 75-pounders in the trap today. Total now 200.

wow, and this year, right?

How many tails are in the bag now?

Won't be long til you need to make a trip
just to cash them in again.

Don't quit now, you've got a hell of a start.

George

I killed the first one this year in Feb so this is an 8-month total. And on the tails, I just got a $220 check and have 20+ in the freezer now. Bounty ends the end of the month so I will be turning in the last batch next week. Unfortunately, about 130 of the kills came from the county next door and are not eligible.

And--a 6-pack last night.

And you never cheat, right?

Hell of a total for 8 months.

Keep it going.
George

Right—no cheating. And when I turned in my latest bag of 21 tails I found out that the county budget funded the program for next year too.

That's great, I'm proud of you.
Fact is: some of those same hogs
were in the bounty county at one time
or another. At least the older one's

George

George--I don't doubt that one bit as the ranch is only about 1.5 miles across the county line--but my integrity is worth more than a $5 pig tail.

A man's gotta live with the stunts

he pulls. IF you'd turn in the wrong
tails, sooner or later they'd catch up.

Then you'd be SOL. You collect enough
as it is to make the ammo bill.

George

My landowner buddy got a pair in the river bottom this week--208 now.

New fiscal year for the county, new hog bounty program, and #1 for the new year. About a 100-lb boar but he must have been a bit agitated. You can see how far he scooted the trap before he took his dirt nap.

Just got a report from the east rancher---11 in the trap yesterday.

Count for the year is now 220

quote:

Originally posted by dustoffer:
Just got a report from the east rancher---11 in the trap yesterday.

Count for the year is now 220

That's a lots of pigs.

Things have slowed down markedly around here---this one is #2 in the last 3 weeks--very unusual, but I'm going out for a sit with the thermal tonight so maybe some more to come. This is #221

Would you mind showing us a picture of your trap?

We set out traps occasionally. We have caught slightly less than 80 this year. We have cut 27 boars and let them go. The balance (sows and gilts) we have given away. Some are in pens being fattened up. Others have been turned loose on other properties.

Larry--will be glad to---and here's another one from tonight's sit with the thermal--#222



Here is my circular pen trap---I have two of these, one each on two different places.



This is one of 3 cage traps I have--and there are 12 in the trap.

Thanks.

I have something similar to your circular trap.

I have several portable rectangular box traps. I move them often. They are easy to work with. We have been successful, very successful with them. I think that we aren’t leaving them in one place long enough for the porkers to figure it out.

I have looked at these remote control traps. They seem like a hell of a lot of work.

Remote control traps are too much trouble IMO and way too expensive---though I would like a camera that sends me pictures so I wouldn't have to drive out to check traps.

My box/cage traps stay in generally the same locations and when I'm trapping I bait heavily. I am fortunate to have a friend who owns an ag supply house and when he gets a pallet of wet corn/feed that he can't sell, he gives it to me so bait isn't a major problem. I also put a feeder on top of my cage traps on a box so the corn isn't thrown but just drops into the trap.

I agree with you. Lots of work and lots of expense. Not for me.

My traps like yours are not easily movable. I bought some small tube spin feeders that hold about 20 pounds of corn. Where possible, I hang them over the trap. I put burlap around it so the corn doesn't go flying too far. Works great.

I have a pile of those cameras that e mail me the pictures. They are fantastic. I am 150 miles from my place. I can tell exactly what is going on.

The rectangular box traps have worked really well for me. We bait them a couple of days and then set them. We have caught the hell out of the swine. We did get one that beat the trap to death. He was a great hog. A real adventure to cut.

We have cut a bunch of boars and turned them loose. My guess is that 9 out of 10 are still hanging around. It is amazing how fast they grow after they are cut. I do have to wonder what will happen when it rains. Changes in water levels almost always results in changes in the hog activity around here. Sometimes good, sometimes bad.

Well done on your hog catching. That is a lot of swine!