I recently found a spot that looked promising for a 'snare' set up.




I baited it out for several days and had action each night. Noted a single set of large hoof prints each time, so I assumed it to be a Boar Hog.

I didn't put up a camera as originally planned because I was fairly certain it was just a single hog using the area.

I set up two snares on one side of a wooden fence post, placed a short section of a rotten log between them and piled some brush to the outside of the last one. So the arrangement was Wooden fence post, Snare #1, Log, Snare #2, Brush pile.

Basically created two 'easy' paths for the hog to go under the fence.

Checked my snares this morning and even before getting all the way up to them I could see the ground was torn up around the snare site. Didn't see a hog however.

I walked on down to the site and found that the 'set' had worked perfectly, BUT the hog managed to pop the snare wire.



I searched the area for about 100 yds. around but couldn't find the hog or any sign of what direction it might have gone.

I use heavy 1/8" snares whenever I expect to catch a large hog and generally they work very well. In this case...the hog managed to circle the fence post five times AND go over and under the bottom wire four times.

When that happens a cable can become kinked or twisted and will be substantially weakened. I use both springs and swivels on my snares to reduce that possibility...but this pig managed to do it anyway.

The real 'problem' I believe was of my own making. I set one of the snare loops a bit closer to the ground than I normally do...because I had a trail of corn dribbled out and was attempting to get the hog to feed through it.

My guess is that the hog stepped through the loop and had a leg and it's neck in it (snare around one shoulder). IF the hog had been caught only by the neck, it would surely have choked down. I use 'cam' locks on my snares.

So most likely there a hog out there wearing the remaining part of the snare around its shoulder. There wouldn't be enough of the 'tag' end of the cable to catch on anything....but it would take the hog rubbing on something just right to get the cam lock to release.

Doubtful it will return to that same area, but I will watch my game cams to see if it turns up.

So once again "The best laid plans of mice and men......."

…are generally about equal"

You can't win them all.

I win them 'all' with my rifle, but not with snares, about 50/50 depending upon the circumstance and set-up.

Wish I'd taken the time to set up a camera there now. Might have gotten some good video.

Oh well.....on to the next one. Got a medium sized boar right behind the house been coming in each night for the last 5 nights. Just need an Easterly wind and for him to come in a little earlier.

Will just 'shoot' this one.

I see no problem with your setup seeing you got him to do exactly as you wanted. After that not a lot you can control. I'd use the same place again sooner or later another hog or the same one will use it again.

Well....I got him to go where I wanted, but I should have set the loop a bit higher.

It's kind of a 'toss up' when you try to get a hog to 'feed' through a snare loop. If you place the loop too high, they will just brush underneath it while picking up the corn, too low and you risk them getting a front leg in the loop along with their neck...which usually ends up on their shoulder. In this case...I had no choice but to try the feed through set.

Ideally you'd want your 'set' to be in a spot where a hog is moving along briskly, that way you can set the loop fairly high, the hog will hit it and the cable will close down quickly. When they 'feed' through a snare they are slowly moving forward...have their nose/mouth low to the ground and can push the snare aside if you don't get it just right.

Also, its harder to catch them at a 'terminal site'...which is any 'end' place they've traveled to (feeding site, water, open area where they pause). Much easier to catch them on a trail or fence crossing along the way, especially at night when they tend to travel faster.

So yeah, I caught the pig...but I should have fine tuned the set a little more. I knew it was a bit low, but took a chance. They usually don't break 1/8" cable, that is what surprised me. Normally you just find them tired....but very much alive when they get a leg through the snare.

I've caught a few by the 'snout' as well. Traveling with their mouth open they get caught around the upper snout behind the whetters. Really pissed off when caught like that.

When caught properly (around the neck) the snare takes them out in short order.

All I can do is try again.