Wild Hog Trapping

Trap placement Increase your chances of success by placing traps properly. Place them on or along hog trails linking resources such as food, cover, and water (Fig. 1). Aerial photographs can show how resources are distributed across the landscape, which will help you place the traps strategically. Photos can be obtained through the U.S. Department of Agriculture or software such as Google Earth. Before setting a trap, scout the property for hog sign: trails, scat, wallows, hog damage, and rubs, which are areas of mud rubbed on trees, posts, and utility poles. In areas where hogs are abundant, they will create visible paths (Fig. 2A). Often the easiest form of hog sign to locate and identify is the damage caused by rooting. However, do not place a trap in these sites. If you place the trap where there is ongoing damage by hogs, the bait will compete with a food source that the hogs are already using, and hogs tend to prefer a familiar food source. A better approach is to place traps along trails to and from these areas. Fence lines are often good places to start. Hogs often create crawls under fences and leave mud or hair on fence wires when passing. If a trail is well established or has significant traffic, it may be heavily eroded. In some cases, hogs may just be passing through one property to gain access to a feeding area on another property. If so, determine where the hogs are entering the property and set the trap nearby (Fig. 2B). Use landscape features to hide the trap as much as possible, or set the trap near a fence line.