By: Dan Gaskins
Texas Landowners are a resourceful bunch, often coming up
with homemade solutions to their problems. Some can build anything they can
imagine and most are at least considered “handy”. So it comes as no surprise
that I get calls from people asking for advice on homemade feral hog traps.
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| This homemade trap gate is 8 ft wide, much wider than most commercial gate designs |
Building a trap yourself can make a lot of sense if you have
the ability and time. The cost will generally be lower than a commercially available
trap and you can include modifications to the traditional designs to make your
trap more effective. When building your trap, consider:
· Size- Wider is better. Whether you
are building a gate for a corral trap or a box trap, the wider you can make the
opening, the more comfortable the pigs will be entering your trap. In box
traps, the larger you can make the trap, the more pigs you have the potential
to capture. Figure out how you plan to transport the trap, then build it as big
as you can.
· Strength- Keep in mind the raw power
these animals possess. Once trapped, they will slam into the walls and gate of
your trap. Use strong materials in good condition, free of rust and rot. The
gate in particular will be under the most pressure. If using wood, use pressure
treated lumber and/or a coat of paint to help your trap stand up to the
elements. Wood can be used to build gates for corral traps, but is not
recommended for box traps.
· Function- How will the trap be
triggered? Keep this in mind as you plan your design rather than it being an
afterthought. Check out the video beow that looks at non-target species and
trigger modifications.
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| Each of these gates cost about $114 to make |
One of the major drawbacks to box traps is they do not allow
non-target species, such as deer, to escape. If trapped, these animals can
injure themselves or even die, particularly as you approach to check the trap.
To prevent this, put a hole in the center of the roof of the trap to allow deer
to jump out. This requires the trap to be taller than the standard 4 feet, but
has been implemented successfully. If this is not an option, tie a rope to the
door in such a fashion that you can open the trap from as much distance as
possible and, preferably, downwind.
Another common modification to box trap designs is an open
bottom, or no floor. This serves two purposes. One, the pigs will more readily
enter the trap as it has a more natural feeling. Two, if you are dispatching
the animals in the trap, it is much easier to flip the trap over than to crawl
in and drag them out. Learn more about box trap modifications by watching the following video.
While there are plenty of commercially available hog traps
out there, some of which implement many of the things mentioned above, you may
want to consider building it yourself. Building something yourself can be very
satisfying to some people, and it can save you money. Another plus is, should
the trap require repair, you are more familiar with the components and function
of the trap. It does, however, take more time. Check out these plans for a guillotine style gate that you can build for yourself. The video below will show you how to build a slightly different version of guillotine style gate.
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:
Josh Helcel, North Central Texas, 254-248-0562, josh.helcel@ag.tamu.edu
Mark
Tyson, Southeast Texas, 979-845-4698, mark.tyson@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