By: Mark Tyson, M.S.
Photo Credits:
Dr. Billy Higginbotham, Jared Timmons & LeRoy Moczygemba
So what is the
best gate design to install onto a corral trap? If you asked me I would suggest
that you use a guillotine style drop gate. Dr. Billy Higginbotham has created a
file that contains directions on building one of these gates along with a materials
list. The file can be found online at http://overton.tamu.edu/files/2013/02/GUILLITONE-STYLE-WILD-PIG-TRAP-GATES-Banta-Model.pdf .
Guillotine Style Drop Gate
Why do I feel this way? That's a good question! I'd like to take a
moment to discuss a commonly used trap gate design called a continuous catch
gate. There are several gate styles that facilitate continuous catch, and the
rooter gate is one of them, it has a hinged inward opening door panel that
allows feral hogs to push the door up to enter the trap after the gate has been
triggered. A metal plate on the bottom of trap door's frame prevents feral hogs
from pushing the door panel out. Another design of continuous catch gate is the
side swing gate. This type of gate consists of a side mounted door with an
attached spring that provides resistance while allowing feral hogs to push the
gate inward. As with the rooter gate, the side swing gate is designed not to
push outward.
Rooter Gate Modified With A Trip Wire
A Side Swing Gate On A Box Trap
A Cautious Feral Hog Approaches A Continuous Catch Gate
A good visual representation of feral hog’s uneasiness around
continuous catch gates can be found on a video produced by Jager Pro which is a
commercial feral hog trapping company. The video can be viewed online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfXIXxtE3Fg .
Another thing to point out is that continuous catch gates can also allow feral
hogs that are in the trap to escape as another hog tries to enter the
trap.
Now that you
have a better idea as to why continuous catch gates often do not result in the
additional capture of feral hogs, let's discuss the advantages of the guillotine
style drop gate.
1. This type of gate is much less
expensive than commercially produced gates. You can expect to pay around
$150.00 for the materials used to construct the guillotine gate compared to
$300.00 or more for commercially produced gates. Although you have to invest
your own time in building the guillotine gate, you will gain a better
understanding of how it operates, which may be useful if you experience problems with it in the field.
2. There is no need to worry about hogs escaping through the gate once it has been triggered.
3. This gate can also be shared
between traps or local groups of landowners which further reduces the cost of
the gate. While the gate is installed on one trap, the other traps can be
conditioning or maintaining feral hogs at the site by continued baiting.
4. The design of the guillotine
style gate can be modified to an 8 foot wide gate. Recent observations suggest
that feral hogs may prefer wider gate openings on traps. These wider openings
make the trap gate appear to be less of a confined space.
Modified Eight Foot Wide Guillotine Gate With Feral Hogs
Wondering if corral trap gate width matters? Make sure to read the article Does Corral Trap Gate Size Matter?. I hope that you have a better understanding of
why I believe that the guillotine gate is the best gate to use with a corral
trap. Please feel free to contact me with your observations on corral trap
gates. It is always good to hear from others and discuss their experiences. If you
are interested in building a corral trap to accompany your guillotine gate watch the video below
Visit our website Coping with Feral Hogs for more information on feral hog management.
The hyper-linked resource document below will provide you with quick access to many of our online feral hog resources including publications, fact sheets and videos.
Visit our website Coping with Feral Hogs for more information on feral hog management.
The hyper-linked resource document below will provide you with quick access to many of our online feral hog resources including publications, fact sheets and videos.
For free educational
programming or technical assistance with feral hogs please contact us:
Mark Tyson,
South and Southeast Texas, 979-845-4698, mark.tyson@ag.tamu.edu
Josh Helcel,
Central and North Central Texas, 254-248-0532, josh.helcel@ag.tamu.edu
Our services
are provided free of charge through a Clean Water Act 319(h) non-point source grant from the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency