Wildlife seminar focuses on a problem gone ‘hog wild’

By LYNN MONTGOMERY | East Texas Edition

Wild hogs were the focus of the recent Harrison/Panola County Wildlife International Seminar in Marshall. The animals can be an annoying and expensive neighbor on farms and ranches. Fortunately wlldlife trappers can ease some of the problem.  -- Photo courtesy of David Whitehouse

Sept. 29, 2005 - Ask a farmer or rancher what some of their land-related problems they are facing, and right now, drought would not be only answer. Most would also say “wild hogs.” 

Because of this problem, wild, or feral, hog trapping was one of the topics discussed at the recent Harrison/Panola County Wildlife Informational Seminar in Marshall.

�You gotta be smarter than the hog you�re trapping,� began trapper Coot Rash of Gilmer.�

�I�ve made every mistake in the world,� he added.

Some of his mistakes have been using cattle panels for his trap. “Hogs can get out.” Another mistake was setting the trap in the middle of a field. 

Rash utilizes the shade and said, “I very rarely loose a hog by setting the trap in the shade.”

How does this trapper, who has been in the business for over 20 years, decide where to set up the trap?

�First thing I do is go all around looking for a place that the hogs are coming into the field. I put corn in several (of those) places before bringing the trap. I may not put any corn (into the trap) until the next day.�

The trapper stated he uses between 30 and 40 pounds of corn to bait one trap.

He also soaks the corn because hogs like the grain “just when it starts to ferment. It gives off a real strong odor, and the scent goes further,” Rash said.

�In the fall, hogs are looking for grapes, so I bait with something that has a grape smell. In the spring, it is wild plums.�

He added, “All the things you think would be good like watermelon and cantaloupe only draws out other animals.”

Rash utilizes an 8- x 12-foot x 60-inches trap. It is made of angle iron or sucker rod and has panels placed on top to keep hogs from climbing out. The trap easily breaks down for moving to other locations. 

The trap must do its job because Rash normally catches between 500 and 550 hogs a year. In years past, he took the animals to a buying station in Normangee but in the last five to six years, he has sold them to a local bow hunting ranch.

He stated the trapping business has been hurt by some landowners catching the hogs and then giving them away. Now, he is “having a hard time getting rid of them.”

The trapper also mentioned the possibility of a buying station for the feral hogs coming into the Gilmer area, but as of right now, there isn’t such a place in the area. 

Meanwhile back at the farm, farmers and ranchers will continue battling the feral hog problem, but hopefully the information shared at the recent seminar will them trap the land-rooting animals.

(Rash may be contacted at 903-797-2850.)