I've been away for a while. The last time I was here I was after nuisance beavers and I read some good posts and received great advice. Funny thing about it is that nature took care of that problem by producing an abundance rain. So much in fact that the weight of the water behind the dam caused the dam to burst and the remaining beavers didn't repair it. Now I'm facing an issue that needs immediate attention. Like the beavers, I've been hunting hogs.I've been aware of them for about 5 years. I hunted them in the past by baiting and combing thick cover for them to flush and pressure them. Over the years I've learned more about their behavior to the point that I've become a somewhat effective tracker on my own. I've learned that they are a lot more intelligent than I'd given them credit for. I've shot a couple, but that does very little to their numbers in the grand scheme of things. Last summer is when I noticed that they are a serious problem that cannot be ignored.

On one particular parcel I've crawled into thick cover and discovered that there are more hogs present than I'd imagined. I've heard them active in the day time on several properties and they are a raucous bunch. The damage that they do in a short period of time is remarkable. No crops or food plots are grown on this land. At this point I'm trying to manage the land in order to mitigate further erosion, destruction of grassland, fouling of water ways, and to help better management of our whitetail population. These hogs are like vacuum cleaners clearing fallen acorns, pecans, and hickory nuts. Some of this land is also home to livestock. Deer and livestock depend upon mast during this time of year and I'm trying to keep our whitetails from being pushed out. What I have also identified are areas where the hogs are using to travel between three other adjacent parcels. So in the interest of all that I have stated, I've been investigating various types of traps geared towards removing sounders or at least groups of hogs and pigs (6 or more).

I was looking at a corral styled trap to start with. I understand that I am to condition the hogs by feeding them in a trap left open for a week or two so that they become comfortable feeding there as a group. As cheap as it is, corn will be my bait. I will probably dispatch the first few groups, using some of the healthier hogs for consumption. The others will feed resident coyotes, feral dogs, possums, raccoons, crows, and local buzzards. What I am unsure of is a good location to place the trap(s). I have identified feeding areas, trails, wallows, at least one bedding area, but I am unsure where to place the trap. Can experienced trappers advise me on a good location to effectively place traps to bait and trap these hogs?

Pigs are easy to trap. Put the trap where you see sign and bait it. No need to over think it. I'm fixing to head out to run my fur traps in a few and I have two hog traps with hogs in them I need to tend to. One trap is in a clearing, the other off the side of a game trail in a hardwood bottom. Just like trapping anything else, set on sign.

I've often wondered...do you just rebait the trap after dispatch, or do you have to move locations (due to remaining body fluids)? How many hogs are normally caught at a time with those corrals?

I know a guy that had documentation of over 300 hogs caught over a period of time and every one was dispatched in the trap
Not saying it is the same in all situations but apparently it did not bother the ones he was catching

Like already stated, set on sign. Find where they are travelling and put your trap there and start baiting.
About to start working on my pig issue
I have a corral trap (figure 6/9 ) made from cattle panels. Seriously thinking of wrapping it with chain link to keep all of them inside.

I use a figure 6 trap made with t posts and cattle panels. Normally placed beside a trail they are using and baited with corn soaked in diesel.

Like you stated, hogs are SMART!
We’ve trapped them with drop traps and the pig brig.
With the drop traps we have a camera monitoring it and if you don’t get the entire sounder, you’re educating hogs.
The Pig Brig works great, if you do it slow. Some folks have been able to throw it up completely and catch. We have to do the stakes for a week, then the net up for a week, then the net hitting there backs for a week, then finally dropping the net.
Every sounder is different.
Trapping is always attempted first. After that, thermal hunting is deployed and I’ll be honest, you can wipe them out. I killed 33 in a months time when hunting over bait piles. I could shoot on a Monday and be back shooting on that same site by Wednesday or Thursday. And shooting multiple pigs at a time. If they were killed father than 50yds from the actual pile I left them laying. I’ve actually shot hogs feeding on dead hogs.
All in one day we’d caught 8 pigs in a trap, had doggers show up that same morning and catch 3, and I shot 4 that night on bait.
The cool thing about hunting at night and suppressed, is I can shoot and just wait, and more than 50% of the time the remaining hogs will come back within 20min. The works especially good if you take out the older hogs on the initial volley. And works even better if you can identify sows and take them out first.
If baiting for shooting…spread that feed out. If bait is piled they come in and don’t stay long enough for me to show up. If it’s scattered then they stick around trying to pick up every kernel. A 5 gallon bucket of corn can go a long way when scattered handfuls at a time. I always start with a pike and let them come in a few nights unmolested, then I’ll scatter the heck out of it and go in and kill them.

I just back from running two hog traps and the north part of my trapline. I kiled pigs in each this morning. I rebaited and I about 95% positive I will have a couple more pigs tomorrow.

This is all really helpful. I've looked at a lot of various traps. I like elements pf the Pig Brig, but I wonder how long will the netting last before getting chewed through or sliced to the point where the integrity of areas of the net is compromised. I do like the portability of the trap and how they net gives and taken energy away from the hog's charge when they ram and jump at it. I've seen the Hawg Buster and Big Pig Trap. These are drop traps and I have no experience with them . I think a C-trap is a good starting point for me.

@Trappuer Gunny Are you saying that you have had pigs escape from your 6/9 trap? Are these small piglets?

My largest concern about trap placement is that as of late their activities have been along the property line/fence row. I'm reluctant to place traps or snares along trails leading under the fence because I don't want snared animals busting the barbed wire. I also don't want to place a trap next to the fence the would prompt animals to run onto a adjacent properties for safety. Especially since I have no access to these properties. I want them comfortable enough to remove large numbers. I am also trying to gain access to other adjacent properties. I'm unsure if other property owners want them gone.

I don't have any pigs escape my traps. Mine are drop door made out of heavy chain link. What ever is in there when the door drops stays in there. I might not get the entire sounder, but I just reset and catch more the next day and reset and catch more....And I really don't think pigs are that smart. But then I don't think deer are smart either.

@Trappeur Gunny My apologies. I thought the above quote was yours.

@BTLowry Why are you thinking of wrapping the cattle panels with chain link? Are pigs escaping through 4" square holes in the panels?