The Best Choice for a Box Trap Gate

By: Mark Tyson, M.S.

Box traps are commonly used in wild pig management because of their portability, utility and ease of deployment. Yet research conducted in Georgia found that box traps were much less effective than larger more permanent corral traps (Williams et al. 2011). While corral traps are more effective, box traps can be a great tool for urban homeowners attempting to remove a very small number of pigs damaging their property. Additionally recreational trappers often utilize box traps to acquire organic free-range pork for consumption.

Researchers in south Texas compared two primary box trap door types: a spring-driven side-swing door and a gravity-driven partitioned rooter style door (Figure 1).  During their study a total of 1,310 wild pigs were captured with sex ratios of 674 males to 636 females and age ratios of 576 adults to 726 juveniles (Long and Campbell 2012).

 

Figure 1. Spring-driven side-swing door (left) and gravity-driven partitioned rooter style door (right). (Image credit: D. Long and T. Campbell)

After analyzing the capture data, the researchers could not identify any difference in capture rates between gate types based on gender alone. However the data indicated that juvenile capture rates and total capture rates was higher in box traps equipped with the gravity-driven partitioned rooter style door (Long and Campbell 2012).

The greater success attributed to the rooter style door was accomplished through higher juvenile capture rates. It is thought that the partitioned sections of the rooter style door allowed juveniles easier access into the trap. Additionally the rooter style door was twice as wide as the side-swing door, this may have increased its effectiveness as well.

Regardless of your trapping intensity a gravity-driven partitioned rooter style door is the best choice for a box trap gate. It is important to remember that box traps represent a very specialized tool available for reducing wild pig populations. Other legal methods in Texas include corral traps, shooting, snaring and trained dogs. You can find more information on wild pigs and their management by visiting our website Coping with Feral Hogs. 

 

Literature Cited

Long, D. and T. Campbell.  2012.  Box traps for feral swine capture: a comparison of gate styles in Texas.  Wildlife Society Bulletin 36:741-746.

Williams, B. L., R. W. Holtfreter, S. S. Ditchkoff, and J. B. Grand.  2011.  Trap Style influences wild pig behavior and trapping success.  Journal of Wildlife Management 75:432-436.