By: Mark Tyson, M.S.
When
selecting a method to reduce feral hog populations, land managers should look
for the greatest return on their investment. Recent research suggests that the
capture rate for corral traps exceeds those of box traps by four times (Williams
et al. 2011) Tweet: Recent research suggests that the capture rate for corral traps exceeds those of box traps by four times. Therefore, corral traps should be the tool of choice for land
managers. The corral trapping process can be likened to a marathon as opposed
to a sprint. It contains multiple stages that must be strategically implemented
over a period of time to be successful. These include: 1. pre-baiting, 2. evaluating the size of the
sounder, 3. introducing the trap and 4. setting the trap to catch. By completing
each stage, land managers can expect to be highly effective in removing feral hogs from the landscape.
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| Corral traps offer great results for the time invested. |
The first and most critical
step in the trapping process is the pre-baiting and conditioning stage. One of
the most common baits used is shelled corn, but a variety of baits can be used.
Land managers should resist the temptation to place bait in areas of current feral hog damage. Instead, place the bait site where it will intercept the hogs
as they are on their way to a feeding location.
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| Shelled corn is a great bait to start out with. |
To locate the best site for
pre-baiting it is important to track the hogs back to their daytime cover based
on tracks and sign. If this is not
possible, the use of a trail camera with a time-lapse photography feature could
prove very useful in locating this area. Once the site has been selected, a
game camera should be installed to monitor the pre-baiting process.
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| Trail cameras with a time lapse option can prove very useful. |
It is
important that the hogs are presented with a consistent baiting regime each day
during the early morning or late evening hours. This can be easily accomplished
using a spincast wildlife feeder equipped with a timer. Upon locating the bait,
the hogs will pattern themselves to feeding each day within a period of a few
weeks or less.
Evaluating the size of the
sounder is very important since it will help in the decision of how large the
trap should be. The photographs provided by the trail camera will supply information
on the number and size of the hogs responding to the bait site.
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| Knowing how many hogs you are dealing with will help you decide how to proceed with the trapping process. |
Once the
sounder size has been assessed a decision can be made on the size of the trap.
A sounder of ten hogs or less can be successfully captured in a corral
consisting of six sixteen-foot panels while a sounder of fifteen or more would
require between eight to twelve sixteen-foot panels. It is better to use too
many panels than not enough since the goal is to maximize the distance between
the trap’s door and trigger mechanism.
The corral structure should be
constructed using sixteen-foot panels with 4” by 4” mesh squares. When
connecting panels it is important to overlap them by two squares and ensure all
panels sit flush with the ground. T-posts should be placed around the trap at
four foot intervals and the panels should be secured at a minimum of five
points along each t-post. It is important to use doubled over bailing wire and
to ensure that all wire is twisted from the outside to avoid being damaged by hogs in the trap. Initially, an area of ten feet or more should be left open
where the trap door will be installed. As the hogs get comfortable with entering
the trap to access the bait, the trap door can be slowly introduced with the
door tied open. Getting the hogs to enter the fully functional trap may take
some time but it is worth the wait. The trail camera photos will indicate when
the pigs are conditioned to the fully functional trap. You can watch our video below for a step by step guide to building a corral trap.
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| The result of your patience and hard work! |
Setting the trap to catch is where
the race is won. A variety of trap door types exist, the article The Best Choice for a Corral Trap Gate provides insight on trap door selection. Land managers have two general options for triggering the trap
door: a manual trigger or a remote trigger. Manual triggers must be used in
conjunction with a strategic baiting strategy, while remote triggers require
human input to trigger the trap. If a manual trigger is selected, care should
be taken to ensure the design selected will work with the amount and size of
the hogs that are entering the trap. The trigger should be firm enough to
resist being tripped by young pigs but light enough to be triggered by larger
adults. Start baiting just outside the trap door by placing small piles of corn
throughout the trap working back toward the trigger, which should be heavily
baited. The goal is to have the last pig enter the trap before the first pig
makes it to the trigger. If a remote trigger is selected, the wireless camera
included with the system will enable the user to know when all of the hogs have
entered the trap. Land managers should attempt to check the trap in a timely
manner; the longer the hogs remain inside the more time they have to try and
escape. Visit our website Coping with Feral Hogs for more information on feral hogs and
their control.
Literature Cited
Williams, B. L., Holtfreter, R.W., Ditchkoff, S.S., and J.B. Grand. 2011. Trap style influences wild pig behavior and trapping success. Journal of Wildlife Management 75:432-436.