I’ll start by saying I wanted to test a theory I’ve had for a few years now and I finally decided to do it this year. I’ve always ran corn feeders in the middle or on the outer boundaries to attempt to keep pigs pulled away from our core hunting areas depending on the piece of property and how it lays out believing they were going to be there regardless and I needed to try to dictate where they were. On a particular 700 acre property that has always been over ran with pigs and absolutely tons of coyotes over the last 12 years I didn’t put a single piece of corn or feed out the entire year leaving it 100% natural browse other than 40 acres of food plots right in the middle.

The results?? We’ve had nighttime pics of 2 groups of pigs in the last 7 weeks of running cameras and a grand total of 5 coyotes over the exact same time frame with zero being seen of either during the daylight hours. The biggest difference is we’re absolutely covered up in deer and have numbers unheard of for this area. It’s become a nature preserve of sorts with bucks from all ages moving in and homesteading. Nothings changed other than we didn’t offer corn to the porkers so they’ve moved off to surrounding properties, the place a mile down the road with feeders running is covered up in more pigs than I’ve ever seen so it’s very clear what’s happening.

This idea won’t work for everyone but if you have a large number of nut producing trees and big enough food plots it might be worth giving it a shot. Not using corn has been the best decision I’ve made in years and I’ve actually been shocked at the results but I’ve thought for a while this might work but not this good.

The coyotes are obviously sticking close to the pigs for an easy score on the piglets I presume and the pigs are looking for easy scores at the corn holes so removing one item the corn from the mix it removed both issues we’ve fought for a long time. They could move back in next week but so far they’ve been gone long enough I’m considering it a complete success at this point. I’ll keep the thread updated as time goes by but I at least wanted to give a few people something to think about.

You might pay your neighbors to throw more corn and turn yours off

Makes sense, if the other places attracted the pigs, it would push the deer towards you. Food plots/cultivation are a great way to pull deer. You probably get enough rain for them to work every year. You could always use a little hand corn if you were trying to hold/pull deer in bow range.

It does make sense.

This year we have so many acorns that hogs are not going to the feeders, put corn in the hog traps and it just lays there.

Found very few places where there is any rooting.

Seen less pigs as a whole this year than in other years and that includes the few feeders that don’t have hog panels. Once we put up the hog panels on the majority of feeders though, the pigs quickly moved on to other properties

If you have an abundance of hogs in the area and do not hog panel ALL of your feeders, you will be overrun with pork

This is a classic example of what works on one place doesn't necessarily work on another place.

I have no feed pens on any of my feeders, and have sporadic pigs at best. Not regular enough to hunt hardly ever. My neighbors on half of my north run feeders but the rest of the borders are all without any kind of feeders or any food sources other than native. I will see pigs show up and be gone in less time than I can even plan a trip to hunt them. In years past I would spend the first couple hunts of deer season shooting some pigs but this year have only seen pigs on two sits and that is way down from previous years.

One thing I will say, if you are seeing pigs and coyotes on camera, they are around more than you think for sure.

I like your theory and I am glad it is working for you.

I guess you have your reasons for not fencing out the pigs but it seems like a win win with no hogs but feed the deer. I know some of your stuff floods so maybe thats an issue for pens.

Your 100% correct, the debris collects on the panels and washes them all away along with the feeders. I’m going to see how this plays out and if it continues to work I’ll open up more timber and add to the food plots sizes. The wife likes running over tree’s anyway so she might have a new project coming soon.

Wish I had some of the equipment of yours over here on my pond at my house....

Pm incoming