Hogs, Raccoons and Baiting

[Dinny]

I have nearly a dozen different raccoons frequenting my feeder bucket and just a few hogs. How do I make the bait raccoon proof? In Germany the hunters bury a steel pot flush with the ground, fill it with corn and cover it with a heavy piece of slate. Should I try something similar? Any other ideas? I tried soaking corn in diesel and burying it in a posthole. The coons dug it up.

Thanks, Dinny

[Ranger99]

lay in at dark and take out the coons
with a .22 - maybe put out some conibear
trap- pig pipes- use baits other than corn


odd the postholing didn't work out

[Oldshooter]

Odd the diesel didn't work, I have heard that the only thing that will eat diesel soaked corn was hogs. A 17 hmr or mach II will work from a farther distance. than a 22      
 

pot flush with the ground, fill it with corn and cover it with a heavy piece of slate. Should I try something similar?

sounds like a good plan, I might use that one my self. but you will have to replace it everyday, those danged hogs wont put it back! 

[Bigeasy]

What ever you devise is probably going to end up being based on brute strength - something the hogs can move and the coons can't.  Spraying any predator scent that would discourage them would probably scare the hogs as well, though coyote scent might work.   I had a couple pet coons when I was a kid.  Their problem solving skills are amazing, and basically having thumbs, then can open or manipulate almost anything.  My moms favorite coon, the one allowed in the house used to make a B line for the fridge, open it, and help himself.  We put a lift bolt type hasp on the door.  He watched us open the fridge a few times, then climbed on the counter, reached out, and manipulated the latch.  We ended up putting a push clip thru the hasp that he wasn't strong enough to open.  His enjoyment of playing tug of was with my sisters dolls, and climbing the curtains when he saw a bird out the window ended his inside days...
 
Larry

[SHOOTALL]

Get some paw traps for the coons use corn as bait they already seem to dig for it. Coon sticks paw in and is caught. Smack with shovel problem solved. Then use coons a pig bait  blanced diet meat and veggies 

[Dinny]

Thanks for the ideas! I picked up a clay 12x12 sidewalk paver today from home Depot. I plan to bury a 5-gallon pail leaving it flush with the surrounding ground. With the paver over top, something will have to work extra hard to get the corn. The paver is only 2" thick and weighs about 15lbs. There are larger ones available, but for $1.27 I had to give the lighter one a try first. The camera should reveal whether a coon can remove it.

Thanks, Dinny

[Dinny]

Here's what I'm seeing on the camera, as far as hogs is concerned. Turkeys and coons seem to be what's consuming the vast majority of my bait. Today I made some changes, but not the final changes. I added some of the Hog Wild attractant to my bucket when I refilled it with dog food and corn. Also, you'll see I have a mineral block hanging from a tree. I dropped corn down the center hole and powdered the area with Hog Wild. Next time out I'll bury a bucket and place a paver over top of it.

This first picture is taken at the mineral block. It's about 400yds from the bait bucket. Do you think it's the same hog in all pics?






















Thanks, Dinny

[FPH]

From my experience with a pet coon when I was in high school, that paver will be no problem for a coon to move.

[Dinny]

From my experience with a pet coon when I was in high school, that paver will be no problem for a coon to move.

I kinda got that feeling when I was out there. I plan to get a bigger (heavier) one.

Thanks, Dinny

[FPH]

From my experience with a pet coon when I was in high school, that paver will be no problem for a coon to move.

I kinda got that feeling when I was out there. I plan to get a bigger (heavier) one.

Thanks, Dinny

 Coons can be frustrating.

[Ranger99]

you'll either have to shoot 'em
trap 'em, or poison them to get
get rid of them now that they know
where the grocery store is.

[Land_Owner]

Dinny...I didn't look at your photo date/time stamps but I believe that to be the same pig in all of the photos.  It happens every night on my feeders and pig pipes.  They go from one to the other to another and rotate back again.  Tomorrow night, the same thing.  The same pigs in the photos.  They know where the food is to be found for nothing more on their part than to follow their nose.  When they discover the caches of corn, they know from their own scent on the ground how to get back.

[Dinny]

Hog pipes were recommended by another local hunter. I've seen an online video demonstrating how to build and set them up. Are their any other consideration for use that I may not have found recommended yet?

Thanks, Dinny

[shvlhead.45]

As others suggested, turn the coons into additional bait.  Hogs like them too!  Head shots with .17 HMR is right on time.

[gstewart44]

Hog pipes were recommended by another local hunter. I've seen an online video demonstrating how to build and set them up. Are their any other consideration for use that I may not have found recommended yet?

Thanks, Dinny

I have used pig pipes for three years now and they have worked pretty darn well until the Black Bears found them.      The bears will lay down on their bellies and roll the pipe back and forth for 4-6 hours until all the kernels of corn are gone.......the pigs stopped coming around since the bears moved in. 

[Dinny]

As others suggested, turn the coons into additional bait.  Hogs like them too!  Head shots with .17 HMR is right on time.

I like to shoot and coons are great targets of opportunity. Next weekend I'll hang a tree stand about 8ft off the ground and sit there for a while one night. Last pics showed 6 coons emptying the bait bucket from 1930-0130. I don't have an HMR yet so I'll likely bring my Maxi with subsonic loads.

Thanks, Dinny

[Oldshooter]

If you make a pig pipe , put a pocket in it with some gravel or pebbles. pigs will always mess with it even when it is empty due to the rattle the pebbles make.

[Dinny]

If you make a pig pipe , put a pocket in it with some gravel or pebbles. pigs will always mess with it even when it is empty due to the rattle the pebbles make.

 I can do that. Thanks for the pointer.

Thanks, Dinny

[FPH]

If you make a pig pipe , put a pocket in it with some gravel or pebbles. pigs will always mess with it even when it is empty due to the rattle the pebbles make.

 I can do that. Thanks for the pointer.

Thanks, Dinny

They show you am easy method of doing that on the web.

[Dinny]

I may have shot and killed this hog. Last weekend I was walking the creek when two hogs jumped up on the opposite side. They ran about 15yds and turned back to look at me (the wind was blowing from them to me). I shot the first one that afforded a clear shot. I had my Weatherby SPM .243 in my arms and my Ruger 77/22 slung to my back. The .243 was loaded with factory Hornady Superformance Varmint 58gr V-Maxes. I shot just behind his head and he came a tumbling down the bank and performed a cannonball into the creek. After a moment of kicking, he was done. He sunk out of sight. It took me nearly an hour to get a friend there to assist me in recovering the hog from the creek.  I tried to snag it with a weighted treble hook but that didn't work too well. I threw it and didn't anchor the loose end of the 550 paracord. It went into the water and out of reach. At this point, I have rappelled down a steep 20ft bank and I'm standing on a slick, muddy patch of flat ground at the water's edge. I'm attached to a treestand harness that has been tied to heavy rope. So now I decide to wade into the cold water and try to feel around for the hog. The water got deep in a hurry and was up to chest level. My breath was taken away, but I wasn't going to stop now. It got shallower as I crossed farther through the creek. After carefully wading through the water for 45 mins, I found nothing.

  Today I went out with my 45LC Handi rifle and followed the same path. About 2 minutes after dispatching a armadillo with a reduced velocity load, I saw the hog floating. He was within two feet of the same place I checked last Sunday. I was able to use the same weighted treble hook to snag him this time and drag him to the bank I was on. Then I went and grabbed more rope, my camera, and my daughter. When we got back, I wrapped the rope around the hog and used a come-along to drag him up the steep bank. I learned quickly that hog are sleek and aerodynamic. The rope slipped off in short order. I cut through the top end of his leg and ran the rope through there for a positive hold. After fighting with an old worn-out come-along, I decided to bring the truck in close and drag him up the bank.

The rest is shown here in the pics.





















Thanks, Dinny

[Oldshooter]

Goes to show where ever you go there ya are!


Wow nice pig, sorry you lost it in the water.


Cute kid, gonna be a hunter ya think?     She will always have those memories, and you will be ten ft tall in em.

[Dinny]

Cute kid, gonna be a hunter ya think?   

She got all the looks, I sure don't have any. She likes hunting but told me today she doesn't know how to shoot. We'll fix that soon. 

thanks, Dinny

[jeepmann1948]

Here is a Very true statement:
"She got all the looks, I sure don't have any."
She sure is a cutie with a beautiful smile!
Now get started on the shooting lessons.
Great job on the porker by the way.Very nice flesh wound ! (INSIDE JOKE)
cu
George

[Land_Owner]

She's going to be  heartbreaker for sure Dinny.  What a smile...the kind that warms an old heart.

You have a 2nd hog to hunt now.  Of the two, you got the boar.   Pretty soon, if the other was a sow of that size, you may have a dozen more.  Where there is one pig there are a dozen.

Didn't anchor the treble hook throwing rope...lesson learned there the hard way.  Difficult to get rope around pig for hauling...another lesson learned. 

Food for Thought:  Any diameter rope that will do the job and cut through the hamstring works.  A smaller diameter rope fitted to cinch up on that same joint, without cutting, will work too.  Take a couple of wraps, not unlike a Hang Man's Noose, and when pulled, it tightens.  The joint will prevent slipping if the rope is not too large in diameter.  I use 7-strand parachute chord (550# breaking strength) and sometimes have to use two lengths.

[Dinny]

I haven't had any pics of hogs since I shot this one. A friend of mine is going to let me try one of his pig pipes, maybe that will change things for me. In the meanwhile, Miss Gwendolyn will get some shooting lessons and I'll keep the filming rolling.

Thanks, Dinny

[Dinny]

Food for Thought:  Any diameter rope that will do the job and cut through the hamstring works.  A smaller diameter rope fitted to cinch up on that same joint, without cutting, will work too.  Take a couple of wraps, not unlike a Hang Man's Noose, and when pulled, it tightens.  The joint will prevent slipping if the rope is not too large in diameter.  I use 7-strand parachute chord (550# breaking strength) and sometimes have to use two lengths.

The treble hook was tied off to 550 cord and I could have used that to tie the hogs legs together. There just wasn't alot of room to work on him. I almost ran the rope through both legs, but he was slipping back into the water while I was tying him. There's always next time.

Thanks, Dinny

[dougk]

I have nearly a dozen different raccoons frequenting my feeder bucket and just a few hogs. How do I make the bait raccoon proof? In Germany the hunters bury a steel pot flush with the ground, fill it with corn and cover it with a heavy piece of slate. Should I try something similar? Any other ideas? I tried soaking corn in diesel and burying it in a posthole. The coons dug it up.

Thanks, Dinny

The only way I have found to deal with the raccoon is to dispatch them.  They have no natural predators and in my opinion are in the same class as hogs, out of control.