wild hogs

[wgr]

saw were some guys were traping wild hogs, is this new if so what do they do with them? would love to get a few my self but cant afford to much cash

[John Wayne]

Some trap to eradicate and dispose of but others pen them up and feed and de-worm them.
The 2 pictured in my header pic were quite good! You shoulda seen those hams ;^)

[challenger_i]

Trapping feral pigs is a real thing. Many folks around these parts have traps out. There are two operations in the area that buy the trapped critters (you deliver them, of course) but for the most part folks put a bullet in them and take them to the far side of the property for the buzzards to have them. They are very much the destructive nuisance. You should try running a tractor over where they have been rooting! And they will completely destroy a sorghum crop, right darn now!

If it is your intension to pen them up, you had best build a VERY sturdy pen, and cover the perimeter with sheet tin so as they cannot see out. If they can see out, they will do their worst to GET out.

[challenger_i]

Hey, JW! I have been curious as to what the bacon looked like on a feral. Any intel?

[Winger Ed.]

Here, folks will build the traps like real big box (cube) made out of chain link fence mesh.
10-15 feet on a side is common. Chain link mesh on the top AND bottom is normal too.
It'll often have 2 spring loaded doors that work sort of like a air lock.
A hog can go in, it closes, but it has to go through a 2nd one into the main cage/trap space.
That keeps ones already in it from getting out when a new one opens the door.

They'll be shot inside the trap and processed to eat, or drug out and left for scavengers.
Being cannibals-- One dead hog left in the trap is real good bait.

If the trap isn't tended often enough, the ones in it will eat one of their own.

Taste wise, they're like a regular hog, just more lean, a bit more firm (but not tough), and with more flavor.
They stink so bad, and are so filthy, before you process one,
you need to wash it off with a pressure washer- but not with soap in it.

Land owners often get people to pay to hunt them.
However; if they're doing a lot of damage, they'll usually let you hunt them for free.
If you want to hunt over bait, dig a hole and but a big package of pre-sweetened Cherry or grape
kool-aid a few inches under the dirt. And scatter some around.
It will draw and hold them there.

[HWooldridge]

We can trap and/or shoot them on open range. They are considered vermin by most farmers.

I set out a trap a couple weeks ago and baited it with sour mash and cherry jello. They have been rooting the neighbor’s field so should find my treats pretty soon.

The meat seems to be affected by what they eat but most taste just fine. It’s important to keep the feces and urine off the carcass when the animal is dressed. A friend of mine who probably killed more hogs than anyone I know, used to tie off the entire bladder and urinary track inside two plastic bags (in case one broke) while he was gutting them. We also split the hide down the back and down the belly so it’s easier to peel off.

[Giblett]

I don't gut them just stretch them out on their belly get back straps and what i can of hind quarters. They make great carnitas and that fried back strap is mighty fine eatin.

[KCcactus]

I have a circle trap on my place. I only use it when my freezer is empty. Caught 14 in it one time and don't want to clean that many again. Set the trigger closer to the door last time and only caught 3. I prefer to get them 1 or 2 at a time hunting from a blind.

[MUSTANG]

Some "Hog Hunts" in Florida are trapped Hogs from State or Rural properties; transported to "Fenced" hunting preserves of 3 to hundreds of acres for "Fee Hunts".

[Hogtamer]

You better be really careful about transporting a LIVE wild hog anywhere. DNRs are getting deadly serious about this. In high agricultural states now you cannot transport a live hog from a trap on your land to a holding pen on your land without a permit. Get caught moving a wild hog can cost your vehicles, guns, etc. There used to be some good old boys who caught them in the Savannah River swamp where I hunted, pull the whetters and feed ‘em a while, then off to some fenced operation in Tennessee who guaranteed “dangerous wild boar” hunts. Lord knows I loved to hunt ‘em for lot of years but you don’t want them in your neighborhood.

[stubshaft]

When I used to do eradication hunts, I trapped/snared and shot many a feral hog. At one of the colleges that I serviced I had a semi-permanent cage trap that I baited with sour mash and rotten guavas.

[challenger_i]

I have had great luck with watermelons. Bust them in my favorite spot and come back later. Sometimes, the hogs run up to the spot when I drive up to bust more melons...

[KCcactus]

Circle Trap.pdf

I had a request for info on my trap. It's made out of four 16 ft fence panels. I put t posts 3-4 ft apart along a 16 ft diameter circle that has a tail. The panels overlap to make it stronger. Where the v by the tail is the door. I fasten the top of the door to the top of the other panel. A chain with a turnbuckle with hooks on both ends is the trigger. The chain hooks about 12 inches up on the door and is used to hold the bottom of the door open. The other end of the chain goes on a small tent stake wired to a panel on the opposite side. I put a cheap gate latch where the door meets the side panel. That keeps them from forcing their way out. Put bait under the chain and they will pull it off the stake and the door springs shut. PDF shows the outline. I couldn't find a pic of the door.

[challenger_i]

Thanks!

[Texas by God]

They have stayed away from our place due to the drought the past year.
I hope that the recent rains don’t bring them back!
I’ve ate a few, but it’s not worth it to me. They are varmints and I treat them as such.
As a teenager, my bigger older brother and I saw one in the spotlight(we were predator hunting).
I was fixing to pop that hog with my 22-250 when my misguided brother said “Stop! That pig probably belongs to someone!”
While we argued the hog left.
That was in the mid 1970s. I could have reduced the future hog population by 100 at least if I’d pulled the trigger!
I quit listening to that brother soon thereafter.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[racepres]

Considered Vermin here... Shoot on sight...If ya don't feel like foolin with it...leave it Lay..now ya gots a bait pile!

[contender1]

wgr,, trapping hogs is a bit labor intensive. And it does require good materials,, or as noted above,, they will get out. They've been known to climb over some fencing,, root out under others, and just plain tear up some traps.

And as you can see above,, considered a nuisance in many, many places. For Damage Control Agents,, the goal is to remove as many as possible from a property due to the extensive damage they cause. "Just a few" does nothing for real control due to the reproduction rate they have.
Generally speaking,, younger pigs are the better eating ones. And yes,, they are delicious, IF,, IF,, properly handled from the time of the kill to processing. Pressure washing the carcass is an excellent way to assist in this. Gloves,, and extra care in gutting, skinning & butchering is also a must.

[kerplode]

Some "Hog Hunts" in Florida are trapped Hogs from State or Rural properties; transported to "Fenced" hunting preserves of 3 to hundreds of acres for "Fee Hunts".

Lol! Sounds about right.

I've also noticed that the folks who complain the loudest about how destructive the hogs are are often the ones making the most money hosting "hunts". I think that, despite the noise, nobody really wants the hog "problem" solved because there is too much money to be made from it.

[HWooldridge]

I think there are a lot of farmers who would be perfectly happy to see all wild hogs eradicated. I knew one farmer who lost 2-3 acres of cabbages every night to hogs. They would take one big bite out of the head and leave the rest of the plant, so it was completely ruined for human consumption. He ultimately lost over half his crop that year.

My son works on a farm that has one ruined pasture of about 50 acres. The pigs have wallowed out so many holes that it can't be plowed with a tractor. They also kill every type of baby animal, deer, turkey eggs, quail - they will eat anything they can get in their mouth.

This huge growth spurt has primarily happened in my lifetime - we never saw feral hogs when I was a kid - now they are everywhere and continuing to multiply. That's basically a 65-year cycle of eruption.

[HodakaGA]

One of my favorite youtube channels is David Ellis (Yawt Yawt). He uses a drop trap and cameras linked to his phone. Gets a notice and can drop the trap with his phone.

Here's his latest video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eykVzIE1Hc