Last week on my morning drive, I discovered where all my pigs had fled to after they semi-left the pasture where I had been trapping them. I trapped about 30 in the first pasture in a couple of weeks, then the other morning I looked out in another pasture down the road and counted 35 before they started moving around where I couldn't keep track. Conservative estimate would be 40+ out in the pasture. I watched them over the next several mornings to see where they were coming from and where they were going. Got out my plat book to see who owned the land then went knocking on doors. I guess you have to be in the right spot at the right time, but the good ol days are not over with as far as getting land owner permission. Having never met the man, and hearing a couple of horror stories about his oddities, I didn't have very high expectations of getting permission. I went to his office, introduced myself, and the first words out of his mouth were "what do you want?". I explained my trapping program down the road, told him what I had been seeing on his land and what I wanted to do. His eyes just lit up. He not only allowed me to trap out there, but gave me the combo to all his gates and suggested I go out to another ranch he has and provided me an extra trap to use. I tried not to crack a smile, but inside I was jumping up and down at the thought of permission to trap on a new spot and rid him of some pigs.
So I went down that night and set two traps, wired the doors open, and threw out some corn. I did a little experiment on corn as well. In hopes of having them find the corn the first night, I threw out about 5 gallons of soured corn I had brewing, and I also threw out just plain corn to see if there was a preferance. Checked the next morning and all of the plain corn was demolished, soured corn... barely touched. They nosed around in one pile of it but ate very little. I thought that was a little interesting as I have always heard they loved stanky ol soured corn. I am just going to stick with what works, plain whole corn. Rebaited traps.
Went down yesterday morning to run traps and low and behold, a sow had managed to trap herself, even though the door had been wired open. Apparently got to nosing around behind the door hard enough to bend my ol baling wire I had half assed tied it open with. I was a little ticked at her for jacking up my plans, so she came down with a sudden case of lead poisoning and made new friends with the buzzards and vultures. Retied the door open and rebaited the traps. I am going to let them go 4 or 5 days without setting the traps, just so they can get used to walking in and around the traps for a free meal. Then when they get accustomed to going through the drive-thru, BAM! Fresh pork.
This is going to be somewhat of an experimental trapping program different from my last. Last time I had one trap and one catch pen, after each catch, I would transfer from the trap to the catch pen beside it, so I kinda had some live bait right there by the trap. This time I am not doing the whole catch pen thing, I am just going to kill on site and rebait. I have heard quite a few theories about "if you kill a pig in the trap, they won't come back", which I have proved untrue on a few occassions. I don't doubt there may be a little truth to that theory, but I have a few problems with it. I don't see my success rate being near what it was from the pasture down the road, as I think the catch pen was the key to that, but I'll do what I can do.
I also had to change the timing of my visits to the traps. The trail that I come in on intersects the pig's trail that they are leaving on, I have encountered 20+ pigs each morning when I come in to check. Luckily, both times I have seen them before they saw me, so I just killed the 4wheeler and let them mosey on before proceeding. This must be one of the last places they visit before headin to bed, they are on their way home from 6:30 - 7:30 when I want to go in there. So I am just going to have to contain myself and wait till after work to go check on them so I don't run them off.
This was the little turd that messed up my plans. Looks like it is cold outside, her nipples could cut glass! I wish I could have at least gotten some of her little offspring, I want to raise one for a pet.
[Broken External Image]
So I went down that night and set two traps, wired the doors open, and threw out some corn. I did a little experiment on corn as well. In hopes of having them find the corn the first night, I threw out about 5 gallons of soured corn I had brewing, and I also threw out just plain corn to see if there was a preferance. Checked the next morning and all of the plain corn was demolished, soured corn... barely touched. They nosed around in one pile of it but ate very little. I thought that was a little interesting as I have always heard they loved stanky ol soured corn. I am just going to stick with what works, plain whole corn. Rebaited traps.
Went down yesterday morning to run traps and low and behold, a sow had managed to trap herself, even though the door had been wired open. Apparently got to nosing around behind the door hard enough to bend my ol baling wire I had half assed tied it open with. I was a little ticked at her for jacking up my plans, so she came down with a sudden case of lead poisoning and made new friends with the buzzards and vultures. Retied the door open and rebaited the traps. I am going to let them go 4 or 5 days without setting the traps, just so they can get used to walking in and around the traps for a free meal. Then when they get accustomed to going through the drive-thru, BAM! Fresh pork.
This is going to be somewhat of an experimental trapping program different from my last. Last time I had one trap and one catch pen, after each catch, I would transfer from the trap to the catch pen beside it, so I kinda had some live bait right there by the trap. This time I am not doing the whole catch pen thing, I am just going to kill on site and rebait. I have heard quite a few theories about "if you kill a pig in the trap, they won't come back", which I have proved untrue on a few occassions. I don't doubt there may be a little truth to that theory, but I have a few problems with it. I don't see my success rate being near what it was from the pasture down the road, as I think the catch pen was the key to that, but I'll do what I can do.
I also had to change the timing of my visits to the traps. The trail that I come in on intersects the pig's trail that they are leaving on, I have encountered 20+ pigs each morning when I come in to check. Luckily, both times I have seen them before they saw me, so I just killed the 4wheeler and let them mosey on before proceeding. This must be one of the last places they visit before headin to bed, they are on their way home from 6:30 - 7:30 when I want to go in there. So I am just going to have to contain myself and wait till after work to go check on them so I don't run them off.
This was the little turd that messed up my plans. Looks like it is cold outside, her nipples could cut glass! I wish I could have at least gotten some of her little offspring, I want to raise one for a pet.
[Broken External Image]
.
