Bait choices for traps

There are lots of options here. I find that plain deer corn works well. I believe that the sound of hogs crunching the corn up brings in more hogs. Unfortunately, everything likes dry corn. Soured corn also works well and is consumed by deer, hogs, and coons. The deer don't seem as drawn to it though. To sour a bunch I use a cheap black plastic trash can, put 3-4 bags of corn in it and cover it with water so there is 3-4" of water on top of the corn and close the can. Then I let it sit for 7-10 days in the sun. The corn sour will last weeks as long as you make sure to top off the water so it barely covers the corn continuously or it will mold. Diesel soaked corn has the advantage of not being attractive to deer and coons. I have not used it though. Some people like to use other mixtures with their corn including soured milk but I have not seen it work better and it stinks like hell.

With corn prices being what they are, I have started using sweet feed. The hogs and deer LOVE it. It has two disadvantages though. It is hard to see from a distance because it is dirt brown and it dissolves in rain.

I do use some very sweet fruit baits or attractants with good success. Fruit punch, raspberry jello powder, grape jello powder, and other flavors are common. I have the most success mixing cheap pineapple soda with sugar free raspberry jello packets and then pouring that out over the corn and all over the trap door. I even try to slosh some up on tree limbs to get the smell in the air better. I usually on use the fruit flavors when I just got done catching them on plain or soured corn in the same trap.

I have used slop and table scraps before but have had very mixed results.

So after getting the pigs in the trap, what now?

When approaching your trap try to determine from a distance if there are hogs in it. The hogs will root in the dirt and be hard to see so don't look for them look to see if the door is closed. I use marker tape on the lad string and or doors for this purpose. On the swing doors I simply put tape on the corner of the door and on the frame if I can see two separate areas of tape the door is open. If the door is closed, you need to look and see if there are small hogs around the trap. binos help. If there are, try to shoot as many as possible prior to approaching. Then look for the large hogs in the trap and shoot them if possible in the head. Scared and injured hogs will tear a trap apart. Surprisingly, they don’t usually go too crazy until you approach the trap. Even with shooting from a distance, as long as they are head shots that drop the target the other pigs kind of run around for a bit then settle again. Once you need to approach the trap be ready to shoot quickly and to need body shots on some. Even with the small gap cattle panel, smaller piglets and shoats will try to squeeze out. They are kind of like mice. If they can get their head through the rest of the body will fit through too.

For side of the head shots in the trap a 22LR is plenty. The problem is once they see you as a physical threat they will face you head on and try to ram the trap walls to get to you. Forehead shots with a 22LR are not recommended. For those head on shots and for close range body shots on big groups of pigs 12 gauge 2 3/4" bird shot or can't be beat. Ballistic tip or HP handgun or .223 is another option. FMJ rounds are not useful here and present a danger to the shooter. Remember there is a lot of metal for bullets to bounce off of. If running the traps with a buddy or two make sure you all watch your shooting angle and avoid muzzle flashing each other. In most cases high powered rounds will cut through the panel wire and damage the trap so be aware of that also.

Once all of the pigs are down, enter the trap cautiously. I have had shot hogs apparently stunned or knocked out suddenly come to life when you grab them.

If you want to run the trap again immediately I suggest shoveling out as much blood as possible and process out the hogs elsewhere. If you are not going to run it again for a while I don’t think it matters. In areas with lots of activity, it is not uncommon to catch hogs on successive nights. Make sure if your trap is set you run it every day.

What to do with the dead pigs?

Despite what some will say the meat from wild hogs is excellent. It really does not matter the sex or age of the hog. The fat content of young pigs under 60 lbs will be relatively very low. The shoulder meat on large boars will be a bit tough and scared up but makes fine sausage. The determining factor in meat quality IMHO is how fast you get it out of the hog and the lack or presence of cross contamination with gut content. Thus head shot trapped hogs offer the best opportunity for good meat.

If you don't want all of the meat it's no sweat off my back but at a minimum I take the backstraps out of the hogs. I do this by positioning the hog belly down with legs out like the Sphinx. Then I make an "I" shaped cut down the spine and pull the skin down in either direction. I then make a cross cut in front of the pelvis and one behind the neck on each backstrap and pull them out. I call it a field fillet.

If you want to just dump them that is fine too, they will make plenty more. For the most rapid consumption by scavengers, leave them on the edge of the woods outside of the tree line where the buzzards can see them. Make a slice in the skin at the upper edge of the belly to make it easier for the scavengers to get through the thick skin. Here it takes only 48 hours max for nothing to be left but skin and bones.

This post was edited on 10/14/13 at 4:07 pm