Hog pen question

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Haven't seen anyone use a spring loaded swing-in door for a pen. Any reason why it wouldn't work?

I have a saloon type door & it works just fine. I think it was from Ranger gates. They make an entire pen setup with portable panels, but I just got the gate to use on my feed pen when I want to use it as a hog trap in the off season.

They sell them around here. Unless I'm misunderstanding what you are talking about, the doors here are pushed open by the hog and then the hog can't find it's way back out; but other hogs can keep pushing their way in. We don't have a spring one but we do have a drop swing and it works very well, usually catch 4-5 in it.

Same company that makes Everlast feeders....

info here:


ranger gate hog trap

I like this style and Wisdom Mfg out of Jourdanton used to make them. It was very similar to this one and you could buy just the gate portion to build your own size trap. I have seen large groups of hogs caught in this style trap. They set them in the shade around a tree with feeder and waterer. They are continual catch style traps. Like this one GS?

Very similar STX, I believe ours was homemade and it was given to my dad since the previous owner no longer could use it. We will prop the door up with a stick just high enough that the first hog will make the stick fall over when it enters, then the others follow it in. Then....... Their demise!

I have a spring/swing, but would not recommend. As that spring wears/rusts over time, its obviously less effective, doesnt shut as fast unlike a drop that has some weight or force behind it.
You just have to stay on top of that spring with oil or replace every so often.

I built a box trap a couple of years ago, and thought I was being really clever by using self-closing hinges on saloon doors. The hinges have built-in springs. I quickly found out that they didn't have enough strength to reliably close the doors all the way once sand and grit got into them. I ended up adding cords and weights to help pull the doors shut and hold them closed. That works okay.

My spring swings consist of tposting down hog panel and letting half of one overlap.. then set a tpost in the middle of the trap and wrap the panel around to the middle post then let the pressure do the rest.

Got a pic? trying to understand what/how the panel trips back..

Some articles on corral traps:

http://www.extension.org/pages/63638/corral-trap-designs-for-feral-hogs#.VNUX-y4m8VQ

http://feralhogs.tamu.edu/files/2010/05/CorralTraps.pdf

http://www.easttexashogdoggers.com/forum/index.php?topic=56738.0

Here's a setup we use that has been very effective (only had a baby pig escape and 1 large boar that found a weak spot to get through near the left hand side of the gate, which has since been fixed). We're upwards of 80+ hogs from this trap over the past year and it is only set when we're out at my ranch.

I have used swing and guillotine. I prefer guillotine. Swing can be pushed in, but also can be pulled open. Best setup is to use a design that will have a large percentage of a group in before gate drops. I was once coming to trap to load out a group of 4 and while I was backing trailer to door large sow used her teeth to grab door and pulled it open. I ditched swing gates after that.

Some good ideas. Thanks.
A friend just picked up 10,000 acres and I'm going to see if I can trap some there.

Does he need a few more friends? I need some new friends.

I first saw one made very similar to that in Atascosa County in the early 80's. We set them the same using a stick cut to the height of the hogs we were trying to catch.

I don't even know if I can get on it and its my sons in-laws!

Latest results from our hog trap! 8 gilts and 4 boars, and a generation gone!