Thread: Pig Trap almost ready to go....

Since spotting pigs during the day on the neighbours farm over lockdown, feeding amongst the cows as bold as brass, and then my resident farmer spotting the same pigs a few days later along with 'pig rooting' on her farm, the command came down.....she wanted them gone.

I set out a plan to her for the long game....i.e. a pig corral in the corner of her paddock by the forest, and she was keen. The idea of continual harvesting of pork and ridding her of the infestation of her grazing appealed to her.

Game on.

Have been laying out feed of fermented barley/corn and rotting fruit where the corral was to go after I was able to build it after lockdown and, on queue, they have been turning up. Unfortunately my trail camera got taken out by a possum so I am only able to estimate what I have got by the sign they leave........hopefully new camera arriving from Auckland any day soon.

Corral is now all but completed....



I have a bit more strengthening to do and fine tuning of the trigger mechanism.

I really want to have a camera going so I know when the best time is to set the trigger, but I am continuing to lay out the food in the corral until then.

Will keep you posted.

Cheers
Phil

with trap that size i would set up new camera and see what time they are there then set up a rope to manually trip door and sit out on a nice night to maximize catch numbers. also i would brace warratahs for the ensueing panic charges.

Hope those Warratahs are driven in deep.

I would use twice as many waratahs - if the get a snout under that wire they will lift it and be gone

I would knock those Waratahs in further and put shorter pegs in between each stake. Also ties should be used on every horizontal or vertical steel strand even with a decent overlap. I have seen one pig trap destroyed by an agitated boar. Good luck with the trapping Phil.

Thanks for the comments so far. I have to say it is all a learning game for me. I have roughly fashioned the corral on plans I have seen on the internet and am not in a hurry to set the trap until I have got it right as this is one of the little chappies that is coming around.



This was from last year, but I can assure you he has only got bigger.

I accept that I have to put in more waratahs and will probably not be able to get those until next week. I also have some steel U-bolts on order to really hold the mesh together. I also want to put some more external bracing on the outside of the guillotine door.

All comments gladly received. As I have said, I am new to this and am flying by the seat of my pants and the good advice from this forum.

Cheers
Phil

Originally Posted by Phil_H

Thanks for the comments so far. I have to say it is all a learning game for me. I have roughly fashioned the corral on plans I have seen on the internet and am not in a hurry to set the trap until I have got it right as this is one of the little chappies that is coming around.

Attachment 141038

This was from last year, but I can assure you he has only got bigger.

I accept that I have to put in more waratahs and will probably not be able to get those until next week. I also have some steel U-bolts on order to really hold the mesh together. I also want to put some more external bracing on the outside of the guillotine door.

All comments gladly received. As I have said, I am new to this and am flying by the seat of my pants and the good advice from this forum.

Cheers
Phil

That black bastard is going to take your trap deep into the woods.

Pigs will be relatively quite till they spot you, then you will be glad you restrengthened the trap.

The power behind the nose is massive...years ago I dogged the neighbours sow with a cattle dog and a corgi to send it home...ahead of it was a 13 wire fence with battens every 6 inches...that sow hit that fence with both dogs up it's arse and she flew through that fence as if it wasn't there, about 30 or 40 battens totally removed from the fence, no broken wires...the wires twanged back just in time to stop the dogs...she was a big sow but I was gobsmacked that the fence never even looked like stopping her...I got into a bit of trouble over that escapade.

@Phil_H your 12 ga / 45 ACP pig dispatcher is ready for action

Ground looks soft like they could dig under the mesh and lift it. The door might not be up to the job either. There were some pig traps on farm in North Canterbury where one pen in a set of cattle yards was modified and lined out with 6x2's to hold them. Can you get a couple of scraps of deer netting to wire in across the floor and stop them getting started digging ?

Originally Posted by Moa Hunter

Ground looks soft like they could dig under the mesh and lift it. The door might not be up to the job either. There were some pig traps on farm in North Canterbury where one pen in a set of cattle yards was modified and lined out with 6x2's to hold them. Can you get a couple of scraps of deer netting to wire in across the floor and stop them getting started digging ?

Yes good advice there and one I've used myself..deer netting floor laced to the wall all round is a priority. They'll soon tunnel out of their
prison camp.

Originally Posted by DavidGunn

That black bastard is going to take your trap deep into the woods.

Ohh....Bugger.

Not what I wanted to hear.....more strengthening needed.

Thanks for that @DavidGunn.

Cheers
Phil

If it was a much bigger trap with space enough to take a screaming, nutting out pig, I'd suggest getting a portable electric fence unit on the outside hooked up to a hotwire on outriggers run around the inside at nose height.

A few crackles on the snout would help take the pressure off the netting.

Another suggestion. Get another couple of sheets of reinforcing mesh and lay on ground within the pen. Ideally it should be there before the perimeter was erected. The floor will help prevent the pigs rooting underneath.