Due to the success of these simple plans, we've republished this information in a greatly expanded format at www.hogtrapping.com, and hope you enjoy the other info.
Materials:
- Hog bait, such as corn.
- Bucket to place bait inside.
- Prop for the door, such as a 1"x2" piece of wood.
- Rope, such as clothesline rope.
Baiting the Area
Place the trap in the area that you've found hog sign. For the first week, tie the door open and bait the inside and outside of the trap. This gets the hogs accostomed to feeding in and around the trap, and being crowded inside the trap.
This is a neccesity, as your scent is covering the trap, and the hogs have an acute sense of smell. They need time to get used to the new structure.
Setting the Trap
Only after hogs have found and fed inside your trap should you set the trap.
Set the door by placing the piece of wood between the door and the door jamb. Tie the rope to the wood and string through the top of the frame toward the back. Drop the rope through the frame, and tie to your bucket of bait. The rope should have very little slack in it with the bucket sitting on the floor of the trap. When the hog begins feeding and knocks the bucket over the rope will pull the prop from the door.
If your spring is not too stiff, other hogs will usually enter the trap to get to the feed. You may end up with quite a few!
Other Tips
Many people sour their corn first. You can do this by filling a bucket of corn with water and letting it sit out for several days. You'll know when it's sour.
If you're having problems getting the trigger to go off, you can put the bucket on top of a cinder block inside the trap. This will give the bucket farther to fall and should trip the trigger easier.
If the trigger is tripping too easily, it may be that the hogs are too wide to fit in the trap, that a deer is trying to enter, or that your spring doesn't have enough tension to hold the prop tight enough. If this is the case, use a longer prop to increase the tension on the spring.
Hogs usually feed at night, so check the trap each morning. Be careful approaching the trap as the hogs may be very angry!
