# Need Hog Trap Design



## buttplate (Feb 17, 2016)

I know there are many of you who have spent many hours of trial and error designing your traps. I would like to avoid the pitfalls of building what seems like a good design but has flaws that are obvious to a seasoned trapper. What are the best designs? What designs catch the most hogs? What are the most common mistakes beginners make?

If anyone has a time tested and proven design and would be kind enough to share it with me it would be greatly appreciated. 

my84evo@aol.com


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## Killer Kyle (Feb 17, 2016)

Wexford style trap. Also known as the "figure six" style. Incredibly simple, very effective, has no flooring to spook hogs from walking in it, quiet, can easily be brushed, effective in catching entire sounders of hogs father than must one or a few. The style is ingenious with not a single working mechanism or door. The principle applied works like a fish trap. Hogs can squeeze their way in, but can't get out. Look it up!


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## Killer Kyle (Feb 17, 2016)

http://www.google.com/search?site=w...h&q=figure+six+hog+trap&imgrc=9F2PDB7cA7NnPM:


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## Doboy (Feb 20, 2016)

buttplate said:


> I know there are many of you who have spent many hours of trial and error designing your traps. I would like to avoid the pitfalls of building what seems like a good design but has flaws that are obvious to a seasoned trapper. What are the best designs? What designs catch the most hogs? What are the most common mistakes beginners make?
> 
> If anyone has a time tested and proven design and would be kind enough to share it with me it would be greatly appreciated.
> 
> my84evo@aol.com




I have lots to learn, so I've been going here;
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=figure+six+style+hog+trap

This series is full of great tech stuff;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqLvcNjhAlU

Enjoy


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## 95g atl (Feb 22, 2016)

In My HUMBLE Opinion, common mistakes are:
1. not building the trap TOUGH enough - big hogs are beasts!
2. flaws in the door and/or trigger design.

I'm guilty of BOTH.  Trapped a hog in a corral type of trap and it busted out.  From the looks of the bent up cattle panels, the hog was pretty large and wanted OUT.  The hog bent up this THICK cattle panel like it was chicken wire (the cattle panels are something I tested myself with steel boots and couldn't dent it myself kicking the heck out of it).  Finally, not being successful in escape beating up the sides of the corral trap, the hog attacked the front door and busted out.  Learned from that mistake and built a Guillotine type of door for the corral trap.  Problem solved.  

As for the traps you buy at Tractor Supply (or similar) http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/voorhies-outdoor-products-llc-hog-trap
They are built strong but in my opinion, however, there are some flaws.
1.  The panel floor.  Most hogs do not like stepping on the wire floor because it isn't natural.  So most folks will cover with pine straw or dirt.  That's a hassle.
2.  The trap is only 3 feet high.  Try crawling in there to get a shot hog, then battle the three doors trying to get out-good luck.  Also the three doors are a pain to try and set the trigger on.

Here's what I did to improve the above referred design:

1.  I made a trap that does NOT have a steel mesh/panel floor.  Now some of y'all may say, the hog can root out....perhaps, but unlikely.  But I bet a large hog can root and lift the 250 lb trap up.  So I attach anchors at each corner to prevent this. If the hog roots and digs a large enough hold to get out, then so be it. I haven't seen it done yet, but i'm sure someone can prove otherwise......
2.  I made the trap FOUR feet tall.  Now it is easy to WALK (bent over) in the trap, vs, crawl.  The next plan is to make a HINGED back gate to open and close with nuts/bolts.  

The easy alternative to this method (since there is NO mesh or wire floor) is to simply LIFT off the trap, collect the hog, and move the trap somewhere close by.  

There are TONS of variables.  You can have the perfect trap, however, if you bait it wrong, don't get the hogs use to it, etc., you may not be as successful.  I've seen the Jager vids on U-Tube.  Their designs are awesome.  HOWEVER, may not be affordable to everyone.

There's a moderate amount of "luck" in traps...as well as doing it right.  If you have enough land and budget, I would build a corral trap, box trap (like tractor supply) and the Wexford type.

See which one works best for your property.
good luck


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## j_seph (Feb 22, 2016)

Killer Kyle said:


> Wexford style trap. Also known as the "figure six" style. Incredibly simple, very effective, has no flooring to spook hogs from walking in it, quiet, can easily be brushed, effective in catching entire sounders of hogs father than must one or a few. The style is ingenious with not a single working mechanism or door. The principle applied works like a fish trap. Hogs can squeeze their way in, but can't get out. Look it up!


Make sure you drive the post in deep if using T-Post, I'd get the longest you can get. We built one of these and the hogs would feed up to the door but never go in. Ended up springing the hog panel open to get them to go in. Once they started going in I rigged up a trip line in the center to release the gate panel shut. Well it worked but I had 2 hogs over 300 pounds in the mix. They managed to pull up on the panels, in turn pulling the post up that we thought was well deep enough. even pulled the flat plate off of 2 post they were lifting so hard. Next option since they kept going under the panel to feed was to setup with a spotlight and shoot em at night. They are a strong creature.


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## 95g atl (Feb 22, 2016)

j_seph said:


> They are a strong creature.



INDEED.  I myself underestimated their power.  
The small ones would be trapped, but the bigger ones are resourceful and muscle their way to find any weakness in the trap.


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## Killer Kyle (Feb 23, 2016)

j_seph said:


> Make sure you drive the post in deep if using T-Post, I'd get the longest you can get. We built one of these and the hogs would feed up to the door but never go in. Ended up springing the hog panel open to get them to go in. Once they started going in I rigged up a trip line in the center to release the gate panel shut. Well it worked but I had 2 hogs over 300 pounds in the mix. They managed to pull up on the panels, in turn pulling the post up that we thought was well deep enough. even pulled the flat plate off of 2 post they were lifting so hard. Next option since they kept going under the panel to feed was to setup with a spotlight and shoot em at night. They are a strong creature.



True. I haven't trapped one over 200 lbs. What I did was wored the inner panel open to a t-post inside the trap. I built the trap around a small tree in the middle and hung an electronic feeder on the tree. I let the hogs go in for up to two weeks until the whole family is comfortable. Piglets and shoates first, medium hogs next, and big hogs last. When they're all going in every night (verified by checking trail cams daily or every other day), we then set the trap. The hogs know corn is in there when the trap is finally set, and they are willing to push through the chute and get in there.
This is my personal experience, and not every hog is the same. I can see how a 300 lber may be able to root it up. Another thing we did was use some trees that were 8-10" in diameter as actual posts. They are permanently anchored and help keep the trap stationary.


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## 95g atl (Feb 23, 2016)

Killer Kyle said:


> Another thing we did was use some trees that were 8-10" in diameter as actual posts. They are permanently anchored and help keep the trap stationary.



x2
i've done that as well.


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