Killing off big hogs effect

[Bfh_auto]

The last two hogs we killed were a big boar and a big sow.
After the boar . We noticed a large increase in the movement of small pig tracks.
The sow had about a dozen piglets. Is it likely we will start catching them in the trap since momma is gone?

 

[Flintknapper]

IF they don't join a sounder with an alpha female (basically be adopted) then I'd say yes.

Typically.... the young learn from the older adult members and rely on them to some degree to help nurture and educate them.

I've had good success in the past by taking out the 'lead sow' (when it can be identified) thus removing the 'leader' and causing a replacement to take over. Then taking out that Sow and so on. The effect is to 'dumb down' the groups leadership. My Daughter and I nearly wiped out a group of about 20 pigs that way (over a 3 month period) shooting them. Trapping a group of less wary/educated hogs would be even easier.

The young pigs (if not discouraged by an older one) are usually the first to rush in on a bait site (whether that be a feeder or trap). So I'd say yes, your 'chances' are better now.

 

[alsaqr]

Kill those little pigs. Dead pigs don't become hogs.

Orphaned pigs that don't get adopted by a sounder are easy to kill. There were 14 orphaned pigs running alone at one wheat field i hunted; only the largest; a 40 pounder, escaped my .223 rifle.

 

[Bfh_auto]

Kill those little pigs. Dead pigs don't become hogs.

Orphaned pigs that don't get adopted by a sounder are easy to kill. There were 14 orphaned pigs running alone at one wheat field i hunted; only the largest; a 40 pounder, escaped my .223 rifle.

Killing then is the general idea.
We're trapping in heavy brush that doesn't give much opportunity.

 

[alsaqr]

We're trapping in heavy brush that doesn't give much opportunity.

i understand..

Few years ago we trapped numerous young pigs up to about 30 pounds. Our traps are made of hog panel with the narrow openings on the bottom. Traps have root doors that get closed buy a line pulling out the door prop. The door closes at an angle. Those pigs were using the gate as a ladder, poking their heads out the larger panel holes and climbing out of the trap. We screened the first two feet of the sides and top of the traps; that stopped the runaways.

 

[jmorris]

Is it likely we will start catching them in the trap since momma is gone?

If they are hungry they will come in if they are cattle panel, they will walk right through them. Unless you happen to drop the gate right on one.



They will hang out with their captive momma until you arrive though.

We killed some of the mommas of the group and the little ones keep going in but the other adult females were not so fast to come back. Lots of photos with just one adult female going in with them.





Had all three sows in there yesterday but I’m going to wait until the piglets get big enough I can get them all as I think they might be big enough now to make it without their momma.



The trap I have in the works now has 2x4 openings though to catch even the smallest ones.

 

[Bfh_auto]

If they are hungry they will come in if they are cattle panel, they will walk right through them. Unless you happen to drop the gate right on one.

View attachment 981994

They will hang out with their captive momma until you arrive though.

We got some of the mommas of the group and the little ones keep going in but the larger ones were not so fast to come back. Lots of photos with just one adult female going in with them.

View attachment 981990

View attachment 981991

Had all three sows in there yesterday but I’m going to wait until the piglets get big enough I can get them all as I think they might be big enough now to make it without their momma.

View attachment 981992

The trap I have in the works now has 2x4 openings though to catch even the smallest ones.

My trap is a snail shell with cattle panel on the outside. Then we wired hog panels to the inside.
The gate area has hog panel buried underground to prevent them from rooting it.

 

[jmorris]

If it’s like these hog panels they will likely get out unless they are too big to go through The larger openings.

 

[Bfh_auto]

If it’s like these hog panels they will likely get out unless they are too big to go through The larger openings.

View attachment 981996

It's one like that with the larger 4 foot one wire tied together.
When we raised domestic pigs. The piglets stayed inside the smaller panels. I'm not sure about wild ones.

 

[jmorris]

It's one like that with the larger 4 foot one wire tied together.
When we raised domestic pigs. The piglets stayed inside the smaller panels. I'm not sure about wild ones.

I would bet they would, until you arrive.

 

[alsaqr]

Never had small pigs escape through sides of the traps. Somewhere i have a game camera photo that caught a pig in mid leap from top of the trap. This trap has screen to prevent small pigs from getting out: