Well I baited my figure 6 hog trap and put a t post in the "gate" to leave it open the last 8 days and the hogs still arent coming in daily. They came in twice, 3 days apart. I
pulled the t post and "set" it Saturday night and a few hogs came to the trap but did not go in/push the panel in to go into the trap. They walked in the little alleyway and stopped right before where they need to push in. Since I wont be down until easter I moved my feeder inside the trap and put the t post back in so they can go in/out freely. Then over easter hopefully they will be coming everyday like they used to and I will pull the t post. The trap is real big, in hopes of catching the 15-25 hogs we consistently had coming to the feeder during deer season. So the ? is. Does it take some time before they realize they have to squeeze/push the panel to get in????? I mean yeah I only had it set for one day but I cannot be there to check it so I am not going to pull the t post. Anyone have any of the same experiences. Please help.
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I set a trigger on mine. I have a little bent piece of metal holding the door open just a little. When they push through the rest of the way the metal piece falls down and the door will close once the hog is through it.

can u explain that more?? or post a pic of it. I am confused. So u added an additional gate or used the figure 6 concept as the gate?

has anyone had similar experiences, and how long does it take for them to realize they have to push their way in?

I just have a hook holding the door open. My trap is the same as yours. The hook is on a additional T-post along the door. When ever a animal pushes the door in even a little this allows the hook to fall free. If this does not clear it up, on Wednesday I can take a pic of it.

I understand the concept but cannot picture it. Please do take a pic and post it. That will help alot. Also I dont know if i want to do that as I want to catch more then one hog at a time. I think these traps have the potential to catch MANY hogs, and most of my hogs run together so that was my plan. I just dont know how long it will take before they realize they have to push their way in.

It is just like using a stick to hold a swing door open. the hog only has to move the door a little to make the stick fall out.

You probably want to keep the door propped open for a longer amount of time so they will get more dependent on the corn. This will make them want it even more!!

put less corn outside and more inside just past the gate......pretty good size pigs....the bigger the pig the harder it is the catch....just keep with it.

yea all the hogs are about that size. Yeah I have the feeder going now and will not be down for the next 2 weeks. yanta61..you are the figure 6 expert, what do you think about my issue and how i built my trap? Yeah while I am not there I put a tpost in so it is like 12 inches wide, so they can freely go in/out and get used to the trap

I just built one like that and haven't caught anything yet either.
prop the gate open with a stick between the part that opens (round part) and the straight part. Just put about a 6 or 8 inch stick between the to to prop open the gate.

To prop it open when you are not there put the t post on the inside of the trap and just wire the gate open, that way you don't have to drive a t post every time.

good idea rick, lol because it was a pain pulling out the tpost and driving it back in. The only problem with a stick/trigger mechanism is you cant catch alot of hogs because once the first hog triggers it, it will close. I will remember that thought if I have trouble catching them in mass quantities, I can always put a trigger on it

If there is 1 inside eating corn the others will find a way in!!!!!

Usually once one goes in, the others won't be too shy.

I had this problem on one I built a few years ago, and decided to change the other end into a tear drop shape towhere they could push their way out of it. Whenever you put your t-post on the inside, tie the bottom towhere it is a few inches open but the top is still touching so they have to get used to pushing their way through it, and I did the same with the tear drop side, but a little more open at the bottom so they'd find it easier. They get used to pushing in and pushing out, then when you want to set it, just wire the tear drop closed.

i wouldn't say and expert....but i have built about 30 traps and have caught pigs in all of them......your trap looks great.... i wouldn't change anything right know, just set it the next time your out there.....if you still don't catch anything then you might change the V opening a little



first question is what is the steel post with the blue arrow for.....is this the one your using to tye it open

Second is you might make the V opening a little shorter......you can see in the picture that you might go about half way and try that.......if you do decide to make the one panel shorter dont cut it just un-tie it and over lap it more then re-tie it...this way you can adjust it as needed....

third put a lot of corn inside the trap and the V opening....


i don't see why your trap is not working the way it is. it just might be big smart hogs.....we usually always caught the smaller ones first....

keep at it and keep your camera going.....theres no telling how many hogs walked up to my traps and walked away....never put a camera up....

ok thanks yanta. I believe I will bungee cord it like mike said and leave the bottom open a bit but leave the top closed where the panels are touching. that way next time I leave and want to leave it open they learn to push their way in while also knowing they can get out. have u tried that method? that or the tpost on the inside and wire it open a little. same concept just little different ways. I cannot see pics on my work computer so I dont know what arrow your talkn about.

its the post at the V on the inside ....sticks up past the panel about 6 inches.......

i have used the post to tie it open and have used a stick about 8" to 10" to hold it open for the first pig...then when the pig walks through the stick falls and the panels close....then the next pig has to push it open.....

i just think time is the only problem......they might get used to walking in then you close the panel and the next night they see the closed panel and turn around....you might have to set it for a few night before they push in....

o that is just there for more support. It is in the same depth as the others, its just a taller/bigger tpost. Do you think I need to pull it out and let the gate be more flimsy and easier to bend?? The gate it pretty easy to open now, its doesnt take too much effort for them to get inside when it is set. yes I agree I just need more time. The gate still opens plenty with the tpost there and if it is pushed in by some huge hog there is ample room for the gate to bend in. do you think the walkway is too wide/narrow?

the gate looks good.......the only thing i would change if they keep turning around in the V is the lenght of the V.....you'll see what i'm talking about once you see the picture i posted.... the farther they have to walk, with panels on both sides of them, the more likely they are to turn around....

very true, they will go in there when its open just hesitated the one nigth I set it. So I will do that for sure because that takes no time really. And I will add the bungee/elastic cord to open the bottom but not the top

if they go in there when its tied open but not when its set i would add the stick to hold it open about 8" or so when set..

what are you planing on doing with the hogs when you catch them

i think the bungee cord will only work with the tear drop trap....
if they have to push to get in they might not be able to push it back open to get out...... the reason it works on the tear drop is he leave the back of the trap open were they push out... they come in one way and push out another.....then when he wants to catch pigs he ties the back shut....

i would just make sure if you tie it open they have enough room to get out....

I would put a prop stick holding the gap open about mid ways and get some picture hanging wire and fix atrip for them to set maybe a feed bucket.Alot of hogs wont go in a closed gap.Onc you have some trap they may figure out the gap then.

idk, I have a few people who want some meat other then that idk. I have some pens I plan on holding them until I figure out what I want to do. I will worry bout them when I catch some lol

the reason i asked is you really have to watch yourself around them.....i caught 11 hogs from 150 to 250 pounds....we drove up and tried to load them in a trailer and they started going crazy....they ended up busting a hole in the cattle panel and started getting out.....nothing a 30-30 couldn't handle until i ran out of shells......i think one got away and we loaded 2 of them....just make sure and watch yourself around the trap especially the first couple of times you catch hogs, they will work the trap trying to find a weak spot.......
good luck, hope you catch them all
AY

yeah I was forewarned about that. I will also add somemore t post next time. I plan on: shortening that v to half like u said and adding 5-6 more tposts. Do you think I should remove that post u highlighted blue? Also, once I leave after easter break and wont be back for weeks after, what do you think would be the best way to prop it open considering most of the hogs are 100-225 lbs with most being 150-175?? I thought the best way would be a bungee cord to holf the bottom open about 6 inches. Knowing that if I take that tpost out and just bungee it they can push it open as far as they need to get in since it will be flexible and not have a tpost behind it like I have it now. I just want to find a good way to leave it open/bait it so that I know for sure they will get used to it and understand they have to push their way in.

I don't think the bungee cord is all that great of an idea, and you're trying to put too much thought into it. The reason I did the tear drop is so I wouldn't have to leave the gate open for them to go in and out of until I made it out to set it. They get used to seeing an open gate then you go out and expect them to push it open when you set it, doesn't always work. I wouldn't have put it in if I was around everyday.

As for the setup, after noticing the closed gate issues, I already had a t-post in the inside of the 6 that I was using to tie the gate open, so I wired the top of the gate to the chute panel loosely (just so having the bottom wired wouldn't keep it open as well) and wired the bottom of the gate to the inside t-post towhere it would only close to about 5 to 6 inches. That wire on the bottom does not restrict them from pushing it open, it just keeps it a little open so they get used to going in there. Then on the tear drop side. I put a t-post on either side of the tail and tied the bottom of each panel to the respective t-post towhere they were 5 to 6 inches apart, and there is no restriction when they push through it. I tied it at the top so that it would close back and not hang open. Then when I was able to check it I would cut the tear drop tail wires from the t-posts and wire the heck out of it since that is the weakest part of the 6. Do not just wire the ends together, those welds they put on there are not too bueno, so wire a couple of the others together as well. I would sometimes let the wire to the t-post on the inside of the 6 out towhere the bottom would be open about an inch or two from the panel, just so they didn't notice any dramatic difference, but not open enough so that they could get their snouts in it and open it up.

When I loaded, I would back the trailer up to the tear drop, cut those wires holding it closed and wire the panels to the t-posts on the outsides of the tear, so that it would become a chute into the trailer. Just make sure you use a trailer that has split gates which open to the inside or has a sliding gate.

i would leave the post(blue arrow) as long and they can push in with out to much trouble.....

if i'm not setting the trap i just tie the panel open....as much as possible.....just get some heavy wire and tie the panel open to a post...i would probably go with atleast 12".....because you don't want it to small were they cant get out or have to bent the panel to get out....don't put the post on the end of the panel put it about 2-3 foot from the end...that way if they have to they can bend it to get out.....and if they rub agaist it on the way in it gives a little.....

i think you just need to set if for more that one night.... a couple of nights with no corn in the bellies will make them want to push in.

ok thats I will do. I just fear they wont understand the concept of having to push it open once i set it, after having it wide open when I done set it. I think they are smart lol

I think you are having the same issues I had, I'd only be out there for one night and didn't have the ability to leave it set for multiple nights before they'd decide to push their way through. When you go to set it, rig up a trip wire with a trigger to release the gate, and just leave it open for them to go in. Hopefully you'll have more than one in there when they trip it and hope the others push their way in. That will probably be your best bet.

well since you only get to set it one or two nights you could rig up a trip wire..... it would be really easy to do if you aready had the post there to tie the panel open... pic should explain it.

We have used this style and set a trip wire to let the gate close. We only used it once last year while several of us would be on site for a week or so. It seemed to work well.
The trip wire was just a small diamiter rope on a stick in the ground just enough to hold the door open. Once the pig hit the line it closed the door.
The only problem we had with it was that the pig climbed out of the trap. We now have strung some barbed wire over the edges to help prevent that in the future.

I do not think it helped that I had a flash camera set up close to the trap. It really pissed that sucker off. I will have to dig up the picts and post them.

that raccoon scared them hogs away

If they are walking into the trap with the door propped open, it stands to reason that if they encounter the door closed and there is no pigs already in it, they will spook and go away. I would use a trip wire method described above to get the first one caught and then as his buddies see him feasting on the goodies they will push their way in. Worse case is you only trap the one but that is better than zero. Good luck.

i am definitely going to install a trip wire I am just trying to think/prepare what kind of string/rope, and hook I am going to use

All I did was drive a t-post about 1 foot from the end of the door, and made a hook out of a piece of the hog wire I had laying around. Just bent a loop in it and used a piece of wire to tie it to the T-post. I put the corn behind the door, so that they bump the door turning to get the corn. Any bump to the door and the hook just falls. I can take a few pics tomorrow if you want me too.

yes helomech please do. PPPPPLLLLLEEEEEAASSSEE!!! lol, I am a visual guy and need to see a pic of it. Some close ups too if possible of the hook. I will be looking forward to it. I planned on tying it across to the other side of the trap on the paneling. My trap is pretty big, or I can tie it to the leg of the feeder. Please do though take some pics

Will do. If I haven't posted pics by about 11 am, just bump this thread to remind me.

use the trip wire method. use picture hanging wire that is what i use. also, those look like 4 foot cattle panels. hogs will jump right over them especially if you catch alot of them and they start jumping on top of each other. piglets will squeeze out of the holes in the panels. i have seen hogs jump over 5 foot panels before. i know its cheaper to use cattle panel but you will lose hogs and the cattle panels dont hold up to abuse as long as the utility panels. i use 5x8 cage traps but when i use pen traps i use the 6x20 utility panels.

tie your picture hanging wire to the door flap, then run it towards the back of the trap. attach the other end of the wire to a 8 inch piece of rebar and push the rebar in the ground in the back of the trap which will hold the door open. when a hogs hit the wire the door shuts. but with this method you will catch alot of smaller hogs because you cant adjust the trip wire height. i like my wire a little above knee high. this allows piglets to go under the wire w/o tripping it.

those are 5 foot tall hog panels, with the bottom part being small gaps(forgot what you call it) so little hogs cant get out. I dont think our hogs will jump over them. Its pretty damn tall lol. I believe u though. good idea on trip wire height. lol so where can I get picture hanging wire?

Hope these pics help. The latch was just made out of pieces of hog panel. Just the slightest bump of the door causes it to fall free, and let's the door close.





If you want more pics, just let me know.

you can picture hanging wire from lowes or home depot. i use the 25# wire

I think put in 1 more t post and put a door on it.. It doesnt look like it would work to me..

I think it will work if I leave it open and make it like helomechs or build a trip wire. what kind of door? I dont want to go buy a regular door, lol

a door is just a waste of money......your trap will work, you just have to set it.

i agree, u convinced me "expert"

I like my door..... Of course I built it. Gonna build a swing door next.



I caught these 11 last weekend... Well there are only 8 in the trailer. 3 got shot in the trap!! They get used to going in and eventually they don't get out.

Helo's is so sensitive that if you fart while you're setting it you'll trip it...it takes him 5 minutes to get ti set the way he wants it, but has alot of success with it!

Ok I did not catch anything and only 1 out of 3 day was the trip wire triggered. I tired the wire to the other end of the panel in the middle of the trap. The only problem is that becuase the wire is having to hold the weight of the gate back, there is alot of tension and pressure on the wire. Therefore requiring too much pressure to be applied to the wire before it is set off. I guess my problem is the HOOK. I need to come up with a good hook. Mine is just a bent piece of metal. But it has to be bent enough to hold the gate open which requires alot while also being not bent too much so it slips off when triggered. I will post pics of all the new hogs. THERE ARE ALOT. 3-4 boars, 2 sows with fresh litters(1 sow with 12-14 little tiny babies), and probably 8-9 sows in the 80-120 lb range. Fri nigth the wire was triggered and it was extremely foggy so the camera could not see that far. But i did get one pic at 8:40 am with something near the gate. I have no idea what it is, any help would be nice but it looks like a 100 lb brown hog.

just start shooting them in the face

I am going to start night hunting them but they are so hard to pattern. Sometimes they come at 9 pm others 5 am. I turned off the am feeding time and have 2 feeding times one at dusk and other at 1030 pm.

currently there is way too much food for them to enter a trap.. Wire the door open and make the corn a part of their regular diet. that will make them enter the trap..

turn the 10:30 pm OFF and lower the dusk to like 6pm they will start comeing in early, if they dont no corn for them brids will get it

well I have never seen them in 4 years earlier then 20 mins before its pitch black. I say dusk but its set for 7:45 which is 20-30 mins before its dark. They just dont come out until night. So 6 pm will just feed the birds. I had it going off at 6:30 for 3 weeks and didnt get one pic before 830 pm. My thoughts are I would rather have them come in between 8-11 pm then 5 am. That way I can shoot a few if push comes to shove and I dont trap any in next 1-2 months.

Do you have any type of lighting for your feeder where you can see all night long?

I have rigged up a shop light and ran an extension cord, uh several, from the barn to the tree about 15-20' from the feeder. Will give it a try this weekend.

I haven't thought of a Fig. 6 trap, but I have on of the Blackwell trap doors (3 individual angled push doors) which can be tied open until they get used to entering, then set it.

no I do not have a light on my feeder. I just bought a sniper hawg light and it is amazing. I just cant pattern them enough for it to be worth my time to go sit out there. Bc some nights they dont come at all and others they come at 6 am and others its 9pm and 6am. They are just all over the place. And every damn time I go check my cameras that night they never come around. Its because of my scent and the hogs being smart so from now on I wont check the cameras daily and I will sneak in to set trap and get out of there ASAP. The hogs are currently winning this battle.

well I shortended the gate/6 part as suggested and I left it open and turned the 6 am feeding time off and added a 10:30 feeding time to get them coming all in before midnight now instead of all spread out. I also put 100 lbs of protein/cracked corn in the cow tubs(they love that mix & its free from my uncle) So I got it feeding at dusk and 1030 pm. I am going to sit in the stand saturday night with my new sniper hawg light, that light is legit. so now next concern......I was told to take the tension off the string just tie the metal piece/hook to the tpost so that the metal hook is holding the entire weight of the door and then tie the string to the other side of the trap and the hook. So there is no tension on the string(its all on the metal piece). To me this sounds like a really good idea but I just dont see how the string will pull away the hook that has all the tension of the weight of the door on it????? If someone has up close pics of theres please post them. I am determined to get there bastads and I wont give up.

Hopefully those babies will enjoy lead bukcshot.

I added about 12 more tposts and shortened the gate like suggested. Reason being is because I didnt tie the gate to the t post good enough and what looks to be a big sized hog got trapped in there for a good while and rammed the gate until he bent it open and dug out the bottom like a foot deep. They have all been in there alot, as you can see by the ground inside the trap. Hopefully I get them this weekend or at least shoot another 1.

Put some smaller mesh wire/hog panels on around the bottom side to keep the little pigs in also and they not escape. Better to shoot all or any than none. Other than that, it looks good.

We build ours like a heart with the gate being the top of the heart. Leave where the heart meets at the top open and build it so the gates will spring back and hit each other. Put a stick to hold the doors open and tie a trip wire to the stick to a wire running the opposite way at the back of the trap. This allows multiple hogs to enter and when one makes it to the back it trips the gate and shuts them in. More hogs can enter by pushing the gates open and believe me they will do it.

If I have time this weekend Ill post pics of ours.