Wild Boar Trapping

What are Wild Boars?

The European Wild Boar is a lot different than a feral hog which is just a domestic pig gone wild. European Wild Boars have been around forever and many portraits of memorable boar hunts from prehistoric times decorate the walls of cave dwellings in Europe. They are survivors and certainly they are a formidable prey. They are intelligent with their combined senses serving them very well to find food as well as to warn them of danger. Their bodies are well armored with fat, muscle and a thick hide. In a fight they are probably as dangerous as anything around. Their size, speed and tusks make them pretty darn formidable. They move silently and can camouflage themselves in almost any terrain. They are flighty and will run most of the time. However I have found that Wild Boars are cool customers and are not given to panic. They can get huge and are intimidating to look at. They also can be quite aggressive at times with no discernible provocation. Experience has taught me to respect them and to never trust them. For the most part they are not a problem but every now and then a wild boar scares the pants off of someone.

Wild Boars mostly eat plants but they are omnivorous and will take time out from making a huge mess out of a planted crop to clean up small animals and any nests that come into their path. It’s because of this that Wild Boars are getting quite a bit of attention these days. In some areas of Alberta European Wild Boars have found their freedom and are now running at large. In some counties and municipal districts their populations have reached a point where they are a being viewed as a threat and bounties have been set up for them. A few hunters are going after them and turning in the ears for cash. Trappers should also be getting into the game. It’s another way for trappers to show our knowledge and value to our modern society. Besides that it’s a lot of fun.

How to make a trap for Wild Boars

Wild Boars are really easy to trap and if everything is done right a whole herd of them can be caught in a single trap. Commercial traps are available but if you are handy with a welder and have a couple of hours a very effective trap can be built. Another couple of hours setting it up on location and you can have a permanent trap that with a little maintenance will work for you for years. The first trick is to make a drop gate with a trigger of some kind that the wild Boars themselves will trip. The ones that I use are very simple affairs featuring a guillotine style gate and a trip wire running to the back of the pen. My trigger is very short and sits on BB’s to speed things up. When a boar rubs his back on the trip wire that is tied to the trigger and a solid point in the pen the gate comes crashing down and locks swing into place to hold it solidly in place.

The next thing you need is to make sure that you build a large enough pen for them. Pigs are pigs and they will resent being locked up. If the catch pen is large enough that it doesn’t sink in that they are trapped they will work a lot less hard to escape. A normal wire fence won’t cut it and you will only be educating your wild boars. You need to use ¼ inch wire livestock panels for your pen and they must be held on the outside with well anchored “T” bars. Four foot panels will work but if you can get five foot panels they work better. Wild boars can jump and they’ll do their best to clear the pen. A roof is a good idea even if it’s just a tarp that is well supported inside the pen with “T” bars. The wild boars won’t challenge it as quickly. I have found that by making the pen more circular in shape there is less stress in the corners. Wild boars will beat the hell out of the corners and do their best to root under them. I use heavy zip ties to hold my panels to my “T” bars. I use lots of them and make sure that they are tight and in good condition before I set my trap.

How to bate Wild Boars

Finally you need bait and like anything other animal that you want to successfully and consistently trap you need a good location that will appeal to Wild Boars. I usually prebait using peas, barley or wheat until I see confident activity in and around the pen. Pig tracks and deer tracks at a glance can look the same so make sure that you are setting on solid wild boar sign before cocking your trigger. Deer will find your bait but they will hop out of a pen as long as there is no roof. Get your trap set up and use lots of bait. If there are boars in the area they will find it. It takes some patience because boars like most wild animals travel the same area quite a bit and for the first while they will be skittish and unreliable. But once they get the idea that food is to be had in that same spot every day they will begin to pattern out much more predictably. After that it’s as easy as baking a cake. This wonderful survivor from prehistoric days who is so capable of making it on its own intelligence and hard work can always be caught with a free lunch. I guess in that respect they are pretty much like Liberals.