Wild hogs were introduced to La Florida in 1521, by the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce De Leon. Since that time, the wild hogs have invaded all parts of the state and despite becoming an important food source for early European settlers (the natives hated the taste of pork), however, they too have been a destructive pest. Hog’s rooting, the digging for subterranean food sources, can create a lot of erosion in our wetlands and muddy up the waters in the streams and rivers.
Still today, the wild pigs are a destructive nuisance to farms and communities across our state. Loved by hunters and trappers, but scorned by all others it seems, the population of free-range pork has to be kept in check; which is where the hunters come in. There is no greater tool for wildlife biologists to manage our wildlife, both native and invasive, than hunters. But, what can you do about hogs that have moved in and begun destroying places where hunting simply isn’t practical? Then, that’s where the trappers come to the rescue!
I’ve recently begun trapping hogs in a not-so-rural part of our county where the feral pigs have been wreaking havoc upon the landscape. By using a cage-style trap with a drop gate, I’ve been thinning the sounders and saving the community tens of thousands of dollars in landscape restoration. My trap is a 4’ x 8’ all-steel cage style capable of catching several at a time, but there are as many types and styles of hog traps as your imagination might allow. The key is the bait….
Corn is usually the preferred bait, and despite the infinite number of hog bait recipes, nearly every one of them involves corn. Lord knows I’ve done my part to support our corn farmers over the years and I still today use corn as the base of all of my hog trapping baits, but I do pour a dry packet of cherry Kool-Aid over the top of it to give it a sweet aroma that carries on the wind for a long way. I’ve removed several off of the property I mentioned earlier, just this week alone, and have distributed the meat out to folks who can benefit from it. Sure, it’s a lot of work, but it helps me sleep at night, knowing I’m doing my part to help folks who need it.
Most recently, I caught a fat little sow in the trap and was mighty pleased to meet her acquaintance. Now, unfortunately, these hogs cannot be relocated elsewhere. State law requires that they be euthanized on site; it’s illegal to transport wild hogs live. The state does offer a permit to select trappers for live hog removal, but it is difficult to obtain and I do not have such a permit, so I follow the law and put them on ice.
I always welcome feedback on my column and hope you’ll take a minute to drop me a line if you have any questions or comments about hog trapping. I can be reached at [email protected]. God Bless, and good hunting!
Toby Benoit is a best selling novelist and professional outdoors-man with thirty-five years of experience guiding and outfitting for big game all across America. Toby is a renowned archer and turkey hunting expert who manufactures custom game calls and is a regular judge at NWTF sanctioned turkey calling events across the Southeast.
