# First Hog Trap... First Epic Fail



## jondavis0904 (May 24, 2012)

well I built my first hog trap out of cattle panels and 6ft T-posts. Went out the first day after having it up and saw where a hog came all the way up to the door but didn't go in. Went back out today and saw the inside of the trap rooted up and the door busted open. I figured out a design flaw, fixed it, and hopefully it will work a little better... any input or suggestions on design is welcome.. please no flaming or bashing..

Completed Build






Has the door pushed open





The Aftermath


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## weekender (May 24, 2012)

good luck catching that one in a trap, that was a good hog too, just fix it wait on another


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## jondavis0904 (May 24, 2012)

the others i have on my trail cams are no where close to being that size. I haven't gotten any pictures of this one until this incident.  I added a couple more t-posts to reinforce that side door so it's not as easy to bend back. hopefully it might think it can do it again and go back in. the first set of pictures I have of it was at 5:30 am.. it didn't find it's way out until about noon.. I was kicking myself in the butt because my father asked me if I wanted to go check the trap at about 11am, but I said I would just wait until after my chiropractor appointment which was at 12:30


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## hogman1 (May 25, 2012)

good lord thats a nice hog........Just remember, the wright brothers didnt exactly fly on thier first try.....keep workin at it!


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## j_seph (May 25, 2012)

Had the same thing happen to me. Just don't get in a hurry like I did. I built a heavy drop gate after that happened and made my trap twice as big. That was after shooting one near trap. That was all it took for them to vacate the vicinity of the trap and keep em gone for a month. They have started coming back now but not consistent. I had to build a portable trap to go to them. Had 2 stick their head in last week so now the waiting game begins again.


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## Forest Grump (May 31, 2012)

Most of the "e" traps I have seen pics of seem to come in at a more acute angle & have more overlap, so that: first, they don't push directly on the "door" panel, but keep circling around the pen, & second: if he does push on the door he's pushing against the outer side wall, so it can't go anywhere. Too, they usually have a T-post or 2 on the "outside side" of the door panel, so that it will flex in, but not out. I have never used that style. I will tell you, the hogs I catch in mine get pretty fired up, especially when you start winnowing down a dozen piled up in there, & they hit that wire hard enough to seriously bend it. I'd reinforce it too. Also, I have one that is laid out similarly, with just panels & t-posts, with a saloon door; & little pigs keep going in it, tripping it, then getting out through those big holes in the wire. I've been hoping they'd grow too big & get caught, but I think I'm gonna have to get more panels & double them, offset, to close the gaps on the bottom half at least. My $ 0.02.

http://feralhogs.tamu.edu/files/2010/05/CorralTraps.pdf


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## jondavis0904 (May 31, 2012)

Thanks for the input. I made a few adjustments and here are a few pictures i got of my trail cam. I had plenty of pictures and video when I went and checked the trap and my cam after the bad weather moved out from the area.














These were the 3 left in the trap when I went and checked it after all the tropical depression weather moved out. there were about 5 piglets laying around outside the trap that ran off when I went in and found these 3


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## Darkhorse (Jun 1, 2012)

One photo  shows 6 hogs in the trap but there were only 3 when you checked it? Looks like you have a few adjustments to make yet.
I'm not really a fan of those type traps. I tend to overbuild mine with swing gates and they don't get out.
You really got the hogs coming in, that's for sure.


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## jondavis0904 (Jun 2, 2012)

In some of the video clips I have you can see the smaller hogs going between the larger hog's legs to get out when they come in the trap


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## duckworth53 (Jun 2, 2012)

Great post !  Thanks for your hard work!


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## STRYCNINE (Jun 4, 2012)

Thanks for sharing!


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## jondavis0904 (Jun 4, 2012)

well it's been about a week since i've shot the 3.. and haven't seen anything.. hopefully i've scared them off for a little while. trying my hardest to keep them things off my lease so i can draw in the deer.


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## Chase4556 (Jun 5, 2012)

We added bungee cords to the gate after having the same problem you do. As they push the gate back, the bungees are enough to keep the door closed. Worked for us. The tension on the cords with the door in its normal position does not mess with them pushing it open to get in, only as they try and go out.


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## jondavis0904 (Jun 6, 2012)

thanks for the tip Chase. I'll definitely try that out.


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## Chase4556 (Jun 6, 2012)

Yep, hook them about midway through the curve of your "door". 80% of the time, it works everytime.


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## smitty (Jun 10, 2012)

*Trap*

I found that killing in trap will run pigs off , I try to leave it open and baited so they use it again then reset it after they get used to it being baited .a feeder helps limit corn and keep them coming to trap till you reset  good luck


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## Okie Hog (Jun 11, 2012)

> well it's been about a week since i've shot the 3.. and haven't seen anything



Just hang in there, you will get them.  Hog trapping was a very long learning curve for me.  Our portable traps have the gate hinged the top.  We learned to stake the trap down, otherwise the hogs upset the trap and walk right out.


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## Derek Edge (Jun 12, 2012)

Tie them up and then slaughter them elsewhere.  Killing them in the pen will definitely keep them away for a few days, but they will return, eventually.


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## Forest Grump (Jun 13, 2012)

Okie Hog said:


> Just hang in there, you will get them.  Hog trapping was a very long learning curve for me.  Our portable traps have the gate hinged the top.  We learned to stake the trap down, otherwise the hogs upset the trap and walk right out.



Definitely; stake it good. I had a 350ish boar dismantle one of mine like a bear got in it. Caught him a couple days later, after it got some more t posts to hold it down. That nose is like a front end loader.



Derek Edge said:


> Tie them up and then slaughter them elsewhere.  Killing them in the pen will definitely keep them away for a few days, but they will return, eventually.



I actually tend to have more success right after I catch some, take a shovel & toss the dirt out where the blood pooled (use small cal. weapons...less mess), level the dirt back from where they root it up, repair & rebait, you'll catch more right quick, 'cause it's got all that feces & fresh hog smells in it, smells just like a wallow, real homey...


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## jondavis0904 (Jul 6, 2012)

it's been a little while, but here's the newest edition to my freezer.. the little trap can hold in a big one too


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## Gadestroyer74 (Jul 7, 2012)

Sweet donkeys good work !


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## Okie Hog (Jul 7, 2012)

Congrats on trapping the big porker.


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## jondavis0904 (Jul 8, 2012)

thanks. got 3 more in the past two days. looking like i'm going to have to renovate my trap due to the ol mad piggies ramming the cattle panels.


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