Yep, Big Hogs Got To Deer Feeder

[alsaqr]

Stony and Flintnapper were right. About two weeks ago a big boar jumped over the fence: Then others did the same: One was a huge banded sow.



This evening well after sunset that big sow jumped over the fence. i lung shot her with a .50 muzzleloader. At the shot the sow went down, jumped up, went over the fence and ran off: but not very fast. She is now coyote bait.

 

[Stony]

I've had them get out of a trap with a 52 inch high cattle panel for walls. I don't know how they manage some of this...but they certainly can surprise you.

 

[redneck2]

There was a video on YouTube put out by professional hog trappers. They had one they called Hogdini. He got out three times. They set up a camera. The pig would climb the cattle panels like a ladder and get out.

 

[Flintknapper]

I've had them get out of a trap with a 52 inch high cattle panel for walls. I don't know how they manage some of this...but they certainly can surprise you.

When I first started trapping hogs (large pen type trap) I used 48" panels and quickly discovered that some of them would literally JUMP out of it. Usually hitting the top of it and rolling over and out of it. I went to a 52" cattle panel and things got better in terms of hogs not 'clearing' the panel when jumping, but some learned they could 'climb' it.

Now I use 60" utility panel and lose far fewer but they still climb it.

Some hogs will try to escape immediately, others will not really 'try' the enclosure until daylight (if a night time catch). I try to check my traps at first light in the morning to take care of any trapped hogs before they become anxious. Same thing when checking snares.

Short of constructing something at the top of the panels that projects inward, you simply can't prevent losing some hogs. And once they 'learn' they can jump or climb out, they will do it again (IF they ever go into another trap).

 

[lastofthebreed]

A very interesting post. I will be putting out my hog traps in a couple of weeks. I don't know that I have ever had one climb out, but I have never set a camera near a trap to check for just that occurrence. I may give that a try.

 

[sage5907]

I have had people on this forum tell me that hogs will not climb over a hog wire fence. My first reaction was that they must be dealing with a different hog than the ones on my place. My pens have 48 inch fences and I see the hogs in my pens all the time. I think that if they can get their front legs over they will climb the fence. The big hog in the picture is inside a 4 ft fence. Hunting hogs in my area is just like hunting deer, they have excellent senses of hearing and smell and a big boar is just as weary as a mature deer. Look at the time and temperature.

 

[Flintknapper]

[QUOTE="sage5907, post: 10449240, member: 162633"]I have had people on this forum tell me that hogs will not climb over a hog wire fence. My first reaction was that they must be dealing with a different hog than the ones on my place. My pens have 48 inch fences and I see the hogs in my pens all the time. I think that if they can get their front legs over they will climb the fence. The big hog in the picture is inside a 4 ft fence. Hunting hogs in my area is just like hunting deer, they have excellent senses of hearing and smell and a big boar is just as weary as a mature deer. Look at the time and temperature.[/QUOTE]

Whether or not a particular hog "will" climb a fence depends very much on circumstance. But the fact that they CAN climb a fence is what matters.

Like you, I'd submit they are dealing with different hogs than what we have.

Keep after them and best of luck.


Flint.

 

[alsaqr]

We have used those low fences for years. Game cameras did not show a hog inside the fence until recently. TAMU did a study of these low fences:

http://www.southwestfarmpress.com/management/fences-keep-out-feral-hog-moochers-deer-feeders

BTW: This morning i found the sow pictured in my OP about 140 yards from the feeder where she was shot. She was huge; at least 350 pounds. .

 

[Stony]

Sometimes these critters can sure surprise a guy with their strength and ingenuity. I can't imagine the power and pain endurance it would take for a hog to stick his head through a cattle panel hard enough to actually break through it. I've had to do a lot of repair to traps over the years.

 

[alsaqr]

Sometimes these critters can sure surprise a guy with their strength and ingenuity. I can't imagine the power and pain endurance it would take for a hog to stick his head through a cattle panel hard enough to actually break through it. I've had to do a lot of repair to traps over the years.
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Wild hogs are tremendously strong and they bust up cattle panel at will. Hogs are expert in finding a traps weakest point. i reinforced the sides and end of one trap with angle iron. Then a big boar stood on the gate, knocked a hole in the top and escaped.

 

[sage5907]

alsaqr, I agree that a hog can find the weakest point. I started making pens with hog wire with T posts 10 feet apart. I quickly found out that if there was any stretch in the wire the hogs would go under. Next, I installed T posts every 5 feet with clips on the lower 5 wires and this solved the going under problem. This stopped the small pigs, but the big boars just started going over the top. If they can stand on their back legs and get their front feet over the top they will jump and climb over the top. Also, a scared hog going full speed can almost run through a hog wire fence. Welded wire fences do not work with hungry hogs because they will look just like Stony's picture.