Texas Sized Hog Trap - Round 4 started Jan 2022 - TexasBowhunter.com Community Discussion Forums

Dusty Britches · 01-13-2022, 11:58 AM

Well, round 4 is starting off with a big boar hog. We've seen him on camera for a couple of weeks and while not as big as the last 4 we've shot, he's still respectable.

We added a 30 gallon feeder, close to the drop gate but the legs are 10' long, way too high. When the feeder gets close to empty, I'll be putting shorter legs on it.

The same trigger still works and I keep telling myself that eventually I'm going to put a wrapped steel cable up instead ... some day. That poly rope below, don't use that. It will stretch when wet and UV rays turn it to powder.

For those of you who may have missed the first 3 years, here's the threads:
Round 1 - 2019 We only trapped about 15 or 20, I think. I don't recall counting them all. The first set we trapped was the last time my dad and I hunted or shot together. 3 months later he was dx with brain cancer and passed soon after that. I might have to rename the trap to Daddy Trap or something. It was the only time I've seen my dad as excited as a 4 year old on Christmas morning.

Round 2 - 2020 We trapped 165 pigs in 2020 and made such a huge impact that my neighbors started giving me corn - but not enough to cover all of that cost.

Round 3 - 2021 was a bust - not much hogs last year. I think we trapped 20. But that's all that came on property.

Key points on why this has been working:
1. We used high tensile hog fencing. Why? Because a hog can run into at full speed and the fence will not break. It will throw the pig back. We added utility fencing (roll cut in half) to keep the babies from getting out. We also added cattle panels to round out the corners. The hogs will pile into a corner, making it very difficult to shoot them. Rounded inside corners keeps them moving.
2. The fences are so far apart, the hogs do not realize they are trapped and if they do, they do not stress about it. The plot is 1.5 acres, 100 yards long and about 60-80 wide.
3. The gate is 10' wide. Hogs figure out the narrow gates. 8 foot is desirable, but 10 lets me drive my tractor in there.
4. The trigger is 75 feet in. The majority if not all of the sounder will be in the trap by the time the bigger pigs push the tire. It is a standard pick up truck tire. Little pigs can't push it but their feeding frenzy bring the bigger pigs in.
5. There is plenty of cover for the pigs to take refuge in. Out of the sun.
6. Corn. Lots of corn. I typically dump a 50 pound sack and it will last 3-5 days depending upon how many deer show up.

Yes, we could put in a loading ramp to load out live pigs but the station is 45 miles away and just not worth the time and effort unless I think we are going to trap another 160 + pigs. My goal is to kill them all. My rule is no pigs leave the trap alive. Of course, that may change if I can't find someone to take them. Right now an old preacher takes them, cleans them and gives the meat to all in need. Rumor has it that he's selling it cheap, but I really don't care.

One design change I would like to make is to put in a gap for the ATV to drive through. Maybe this spring I'll have enough help to make that happen.

kmack · 01-13-2022, 12:30 PM

Looking forward to thebody count this year! Get 'em!

dope hunter · 01-13-2022, 12:31 PM

Good luck!

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

Preacher Man · 01-13-2022, 12:32 PM

Excellent! I look forward to reading this thread every year. Good luck

Dusty Britches · 01-13-2022, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Preacher Man

Excellent! I look forward to reading this thread every year. Good luck

I'm praying God brings us enough pigs to feed the community.

bugleboy · 01-13-2022, 12:57 PM

Good luck this year, and the next, and the next, and…….

Drycreek3189 · 01-13-2022, 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dusty Britches

I'm praying God brings us enough pigs to feed the community.

I’m praying that all mine will hitch hike to wherever you are………then we’ll both be happy !

kruppa24 · 01-13-2022, 01:40 PM

in love these

Dusty Britches · 01-13-2022, 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drycreek3189

I’m praying that all mine will hitch hike to wherever you are………then we’ll both be happy !

Yes, we will be!!

JES · 01-13-2022, 03:39 PM

Great thread, in for 2022 pigs in 2022!!!

Dusty Britches · 01-13-2022, 07:57 PM

Here he is. He's bigger than I thought- he's very thick. On camera I had him at 140-150 and when I shot I had him at 150. When I walked up on him I knew he was over 160. He weighed 166.

On the board!

Smart · 01-13-2022, 07:59 PM

Off to a good start! In to follow!

Johnny Dangerr · 01-13-2022, 08:00 PM

Very cool. March on you...

SaltwaterSlick · 01-13-2022, 08:06 PM

Glad to see this thread get started‼️
Lot of fun following along. Good luck!

hoythunter02 · 01-13-2022, 08:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drycreek3189

I’m praying that all mine will hitch hike to wherever you are………then we’ll both be happy !

Bwahahaha, me too

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

GarGuy · 01-13-2022, 08:13 PM

Great job! I also use a tire for a trigger as it eliminates coobs and deer. Ibe tip, drive a pipe inside the tire opposite the trigger so hogs can root it around in a circle. When you set the trap, any rooting of the tire trios it.

Dusty Britches · 01-14-2022, 07:23 AM

Actually, Steve, I put 2 rods next to the tire between the pull rope to force them to push the tire away from the pin and pull it out. A pipe in the middle doesn't seem to matter, but maybe it does?

Quackerbox · 01-14-2022, 07:33 AM

The cool thing about DIY traps is almost everyones is different. Especially the triggers. Most of the time I see a DIY trigger mechanism and I say "****, why didnt I think of that"

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drycreek3189

I’m praying that all mine will hitch hike to wherever you are………then we’ll both be happy !

be sure to send yours to my place for some travelin buddies

Dusty Britches · 01-14-2022, 07:36 AM

Send them all on a bus tour! I'm open for business!

unfortunately, I don't have anything on camera since Wednesday...

GarGuy · 01-14-2022, 07:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dusty Britches

Actually, Steve, I put 2 rods next to the tire between the pull rope to force them to push the tire away from the pin and pull it out. A pipe in the middle doesn't seem to matter, but maybe it does?

I didn't see the pipes in the pics. No,vou don't want it in the middle. You want it opposite the trigger but inside the tire. Sounds like you are doing basically the. same.

I also have a little 2.99 tractor supply pulley on the t post ahead of the pin so it always pulls straight on the pin regardless of which way he pushes the tire.

wdtorque · 01-14-2022, 08:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GarGuy

I didn't see the pipes in the pics. No,vou don't want it in the middle. You want it opposite the trigger but inside the tire. Sounds like you are doing basically the. same.

I also have a little 2.99 tractor supply pulley on the t post ahead of the pin so it always pulls straight on the pin regardless of which way he pushes the tire.

Love seeing all the different type of traps and triggers. Please post pic of yours. Great threads!

Texas Grown · 01-14-2022, 08:38 AM

Gettem all girl!

The fish are biting, and there's hogs to be kill-t. Gotta go!

txbowman12 · 01-14-2022, 08:55 AM

If you want something a little more manageable than steel cable, you could buy some amsteel. Same rope that is used in winches. Will solve the flex issue while still being much stronger and easy to tie off

Palmetto · 01-14-2022, 08:56 AM

Dangit Dusty. Now you got my wheels turning.
Have most all materials needed. Gotta find some time.

Dusty Britches · 01-14-2022, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Palmetto

Dangit Dusty. Now you got my wheels turning.
Have most all materials needed. Gotta find some time.

The size needs to be big enough to allow the pigs to roam. This big boar was grazing in the middle of the pen when I drove up. I cut off the tractor because he started running. When he couldn't see me I stood beside a tall post and waited. He calmed down and actually came back to the middle then trotted to the end of the pen. He looked around nervously but not totally freaked out. I could almost see him thinking, "where did that person go?" One shot with the 243 and down he went. I normally use a 223 but I knew this was a good sized hog.

And GarGuy - please post a picture. I'm having trouble visualizing this.

Dusty Britches · 01-19-2022, 01:50 PM

How about a little excitement? It's been 5 days since I've seen or heard any pigs. I was beginning to think they are scared. I wonder why? Then I see this.

Piggies go in....

3rdCoastHunter · 01-19-2022, 01:53 PM

I love this thread

Dusty Britches · 01-19-2022, 01:54 PM

They made it to the tire trigger but the deer had already eaten all of the corn, so there was nothing to root out.

And then piggies leave...

So yesterday I went back and refreshed the trigger, raised the gate about 4 more inches, too. Last night I heard a bunch of squeals and with the excitement of a 5 year old the night before Christmas, I refreshed my cameras every 10 minutes, just knowing I was going to catch them!

But alas, the pigs and the deer decided not to return to the trap last night. Maybe with this cold front, they will.

kruppa24 · 01-19-2022, 02:03 PM

Fingers crossed

Preacher Man · 01-19-2022, 02:40 PM

Have you kept count of the total number of pigs you’ve caught in this trap?

Dusty Britches · 01-19-2022, 03:43 PM

Trapped in this trap?
2019 - 6
2020 - 138
2021 - 16 (we sprayed roundup and killed everything, driving pigs out)
2022 - so far - 1. Depending on how they move, we could catch a little or a lot.

Dusty Britches · 01-19-2022, 09:52 PM

Look at this!

Texas sized raccoon!

The wind is really howling tonight.

wdtorque · 01-19-2022, 10:10 PM

Fingers crossed

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Dusty Britches · 01-21-2022, 09:41 AM

In my sexy voice: Hey, hey, big boy! We are open for business, come stay awhile!

The cameras are at about 30" high. This big one just showed up last night. There's still a sounder of 8 running around, but they haven't come back to the pen ... yet. We will try to remedy that tonight.

(btw - the times are correct - I have 2 cameras set up side by side because I was trouble shooting and checking on one. I'll be moving one camera tonight. )

fish4food · 01-21-2022, 11:45 AM

Dang that’s a big ol pig!

Keep up the good work!!!

smokeless · 01-21-2022, 12:11 PM

Your gonna have to raise the gate higher !!

GarGuy · 01-21-2022, 12:43 PM

That fat sucker may have been cut

kruppa24 · 01-21-2022, 12:48 PM

getem!

Dusty Britches · 01-21-2022, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GarGuy

That fat sucker may have been cut

Now that I look a little harder at it, I'm not entirely convinced that is a boar hog. Could be a sow. We had one hanging around that we referred to as the shetland pony.

This is her from 2020.

Dusty Britches · 01-22-2022, 09:23 PM

Oooh! New customers!

Did they trigger it??

To be continued .......

Fishndude · 01-22-2022, 09:46 PM

Push that tire.

Dusty Britches · 01-23-2022, 07:28 AM

Nope but the deer are sure enjoying the set up.

Dusty Britches · 03-21-2022, 05:14 PM

It is with some trepidation that I'm updating this thread. We have not seen any hogs in 6 weeks. I've seen them on my neighbors' places but no where near my trap. Perhaps with the numbers we took out they are staying off property, which is fine but I sure like trapping them.

Plus my preacher neighbor has been asking for more hog meat - and raccoons.

Well we finally had a boar hog show up on camera. But, would he go in? Hmm. (note the time)

Yes, I think he will... but will he push the tire to drop the gate?

Well, how about that? It took him a while. It must have been that entire bag of corn i put out between the gate and the trigger.

While I did not weigh him, I'm fairly confident he was about 140-160. I'm getting pretty good at weight judging, especially in that range. I think he was an older hog, too, because he had ulcers on his gums from his cutters. Sorry, I didn't think to grab a picture of it.

Dropped him with one shot to the head with a 243. I love that Browning A Bolt.

Dusty Britches · 03-21-2022, 05:21 PM

So this morning I checked the camera, not really expecting anything except deer.

Nope. Look at this bad boy! Come on in, Big Boy, Momma has something special for you!

Dusty Britches · 03-21-2022, 05:22 PM

But alas, not today. You come back soon, Sweetie. I'd love to have you for the night .... and day.

01-13-2022, 11:58 AM	#1
Dusty Britches Pope & Young Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Cameron & College Station	Texas Sized Hog Trap - Round 4 started Jan 2022 Well, round 4 is starting off with a big boar hog. We've seen him on camera for a couple of weeks and while not as big as the last 4 we've shot, he's still respectable. We added a 30 gallon feeder, close to the drop gate but the legs are 10' long, way too high. When the feeder gets close to empty, I'll be putting shorter legs on it. The same trigger still works and I keep telling myself that eventually I'm going to put a wrapped steel cable up instead ... some day. That poly rope below, don't use that. It will stretch when wet and UV rays turn it to powder. For those of you who may have missed the first 3 years, here's the threads: Round 1 - 2019 We only trapped about 15 or 20, I think. I don't recall counting them all. The first set we trapped was the last time my dad and I hunted or shot together. 3 months later he was dx with brain cancer and passed soon after that. I might have to rename the trap to Daddy Trap or something. It was the only time I've seen my dad as excited as a 4 year old on Christmas morning. Round 2 - 2020 We trapped 165 pigs in 2020 and made such a huge impact that my neighbors started giving me corn - but not enough to cover all of that cost. Round 3 - 2021 was a bust - not much hogs last year. I think we trapped 20. But that's all that came on property. Key points on why this has been working: 1. We used high tensile hog fencing. Why? Because a hog can run into at full speed and the fence will not break. It will throw the pig back. We added utility fencing (roll cut in half) to keep the babies from getting out. We also added cattle panels to round out the corners. The hogs will pile into a corner, making it very difficult to shoot them. Rounded inside corners keeps them moving. 2. The fences are so far apart, the hogs do not realize they are trapped and if they do, they do not stress about it. The plot is 1.5 acres, 100 yards long and about 60-80 wide. 3. The gate is 10' wide. Hogs figure out the narrow gates. 8 foot is desirable, but 10 lets me drive my tractor in there. 4. The trigger is 75 feet in. The majority if not all of the sounder will be in the trap by the time the bigger pigs push the tire. It is a standard pick up truck tire. Little pigs can't push it but their feeding frenzy bring the bigger pigs in. 5. There is plenty of cover for the pigs to take refuge in. Out of the sun. 6. Corn. Lots of corn. I typically dump a 50 pound sack and it will last 3-5 days depending upon how many deer show up. Yes, we could put in a loading ramp to load out live pigs but the station is 45 miles away and just not worth the time and effort unless I think we are going to trap another 160 + pigs. My goal is to kill them all. My rule is no pigs leave the trap alive. Of course, that may change if I can't find someone to take them. Right now an old preacher takes them, cleans them and gives the meat to all in need. Rumor has it that he's selling it cheap, but I really don't care. One design change I would like to make is to put in a gap for the ATV to drive through. Maybe this spring I'll have enough help to make that happen. Last edited by Dusty Britches; 01-13-2022 at 12:01 PM.

01-13-2022, 07:57 PM	#11
Dusty Britches Pope & Young Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Cameron & College Station	Here he is. He's bigger than I thought- he's very thick. On camera I had him at 140-150 and when I shot I had him at 150. When I walked up on him I knew he was over 160. He weighed 166. On the board! Attached Images

01-19-2022, 09:52 PM	#32
Dusty Britches Pope & Young Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Cameron & College Station	Look at this! Texas sized raccoon! The wind is really howling tonight. Attached Images

01-22-2022, 09:23 PM	#40
Dusty Britches Pope & Young Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Cameron & College Station	Oooh! New customers! Did they trigger it?? To be continued ....... Attached Images

01-23-2022, 07:28 AM	#42
Dusty Britches Pope & Young Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Cameron & College Station	Nope but the deer are sure enjoying the set up. Attached Images

01-13-2022, 12:30 PM	#2
kmack Eight Point Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: San Antonio Hunt In: Comfort, TX	Looking forward to thebody count this year! Get 'em!

01-13-2022, 12:31 PM	#3
dope hunter Ten Point Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Sherman, TX Hunt In: Throckmorton	Good luck! Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

01-13-2022, 12:32 PM	#4
Preacher Man Ten Point Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Pearland Hunt In: Jasper Co.	Excellent! I look forward to reading this thread every year. Good luck

01-13-2022, 12:57 PM	#6
bugleboy Eight Point Join Date: Aug 2009 Hunt In: Young county	Good luck this year, and the next, and the next, and…….

01-13-2022, 01:40 PM	#8
kruppa24 Pope & Young Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: gholson, tx Hunt In: currently looking	in love these

01-13-2022, 03:39 PM	#10
JES Ten Point Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Richmond Hunt In: Stonewall and Ft. Bend County	Great thread, in for 2022 pigs in 2022!!!

01-13-2022, 07:59 PM	#12
Smart Pope & Young Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Denton, TX Hunt In: Tom Green County	Off to a good start! In to follow!

01-13-2022, 08:00 PM	#13
Johnny Dangerr Pope & Young Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Houston Hunt In: FJB	Very cool. March on you...

01-13-2022, 08:06 PM	#14
SaltwaterSlick Pope & Young Join Date: Oct 2006	Glad to see this thread get started‼️ Lot of fun following along. Good luck!

01-13-2022, 08:13 PM	#16
GarGuy Pope & Young Join Date: Oct 2011	Great job! I also use a tire for a trigger as it eliminates coobs and deer. Ibe tip, drive a pipe inside the tire opposite the trigger so hogs can root it around in a circle. When you set the trap, any rooting of the tire trios it.

01-14-2022, 07:23 AM	#17
Dusty Britches Pope & Young Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Cameron & College Station	Actually, Steve, I put 2 rods next to the tire between the pull rope to force them to push the tire away from the pin and pull it out. A pipe in the middle doesn't seem to matter, but maybe it does?

01-14-2022, 07:36 AM	#19
Dusty Britches Pope & Young Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Cameron & College Station	Send them all on a bus tour! I'm open for business! unfortunately, I don't have anything on camera since Wednesday...

01-14-2022, 08:38 AM	#22
Texas Grown Pope & Young Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Burleson, Texas Hunt In: Kick CoViD's tail!	Gettem all girl! The fish are biting, and there's hogs to be kill-t. Gotta go!

01-14-2022, 08:55 AM	#23
txbowman12 Four Point Join Date: Aug 2019 Hunt In: Fayette County	If you want something a little more manageable than steel cable, you could buy some amsteel. Same rope that is used in winches. Will solve the flex issue while still being much stronger and easy to tie off

01-14-2022, 08:56 AM	#24
Palmetto Ten Point Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Brazoria County	Dangit Dusty. Now you got my wheels turning. Have most all materials needed. Gotta find some time.

01-19-2022, 01:50 PM	#26
Dusty Britches Pope & Young Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Cameron & College Station	How about a little excitement? It's been 5 days since I've seen or heard any pigs. I was beginning to think they are scared. I wonder why? Then I see this. Piggies go in....

01-19-2022, 01:53 PM	#27
3rdCoastHunter Eight Point Join Date: Jun 2021	I love this thread

01-19-2022, 01:54 PM	#28
Dusty Britches Pope & Young Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Cameron & College Station	They made it to the tire trigger but the deer had already eaten all of the corn, so there was nothing to root out. And then piggies leave... So yesterday I went back and refreshed the trigger, raised the gate about 4 more inches, too. Last night I heard a bunch of squeals and with the excitement of a 5 year old the night before Christmas, I refreshed my cameras every 10 minutes, just knowing I was going to catch them! But alas, the pigs and the deer decided not to return to the trap last night. Maybe with this cold front, they will.

01-19-2022, 02:03 PM	#29
kruppa24 Pope & Young Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: gholson, tx Hunt In: currently looking	Fingers crossed

01-19-2022, 02:40 PM	#30
Preacher Man Ten Point Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Pearland Hunt In: Jasper Co.	Have you kept count of the total number of pigs you’ve caught in this trap?

01-19-2022, 03:43 PM	#31
Dusty Britches Pope & Young Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Cameron & College Station	Trapped in this trap? 2019 - 6 2020 - 138 2021 - 16 (we sprayed roundup and killed everything, driving pigs out) 2022 - so far - 1. Depending on how they move, we could catch a little or a lot.

01-19-2022, 10:10 PM	#33
wdtorque Ten Point Join Date: Nov 2013	Fingers crossed Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

01-21-2022, 09:41 AM	#34
Dusty Britches Pope & Young Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Cameron & College Station	In my sexy voice: *Hey, hey, big boy! We are open for business, come stay awhile!* The cameras are at about 30" high. This big one just showed up last night. There's still a sounder of 8 running around, but they haven't come back to the pen ... yet. We will try to remedy that tonight. (btw - the times are correct - I have 2 cameras set up side by side because I was trouble shooting and checking on one. I'll be moving one camera tonight. )

01-21-2022, 11:45 AM	#35
fish4food Ten Point Join Date: Mar 2017 Location: Calhoun County	Dang that’s a big ol pig! Keep up the good work!!!

01-21-2022, 12:11 PM	#36
smokeless Ten Point Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Minerva Hunt In: Across the fence	Your gonna have to raise the gate higher !!

01-21-2022, 12:43 PM	#37
GarGuy Pope & Young Join Date: Oct 2011	That fat sucker may have been cut

01-21-2022, 12:48 PM	#38
kruppa24 Pope & Young Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: gholson, tx Hunt In: currently looking	getem!

01-22-2022, 09:46 PM	#41
Fishndude Pope & Young Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Arlington, Texas Hunt In: Mason, Ellis and Dimmit counties	Push that tire.

03-21-2022, 05:14 PM	#43
Dusty Britches Pope & Young Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Cameron & College Station	It is with some trepidation that I'm updating this thread. We have not seen any hogs in 6 weeks. I've seen them on my neighbors' places but no where near my trap. Perhaps with the numbers we took out they are staying off property, which is fine but I sure like trapping them. Plus my preacher neighbor has been asking for more hog meat - and raccoons. Well we finally had a boar hog show up on camera. But, would he go in? Hmm. (note the time) Yes, I think he will... but will he push the tire to drop the gate? Well, how about that? It took him a while. It must have been that entire bag of corn i put out between the gate and the trigger. While I did not weigh him, I'm fairly confident he was about 140-160. I'm getting pretty good at weight judging, especially in that range. I think he was an older hog, too, because he had ulcers on his gums from his cutters. Sorry, I didn't think to grab a picture of it. Dropped him with one shot to the head with a 243. I love that Browning A Bolt.

03-21-2022, 05:21 PM	#44
Dusty Britches Pope & Young Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Cameron & College Station	So this morning I checked the camera, not really expecting anything except deer. Nope. Look at this bad boy! Come on in, Big Boy, Momma has something special for you!