Repairing hog damage

Dan in North Houston · Mar 25, 2019

I spent Saturday repairing damage to the hay fields. For those of you that don't have feral hogs, you cannot believe the damage they do. I lost about 5% of my hay crop last year. They are too smart to successfully trap. Neighbor has one of the fancy traps that sends a video to his cell phone, so you can trip the gate at the best time to catch the most hogs. He has taken over 300 in 3 years, but then are getting smart to it. He started out catching a dozen at a time, now it is just the occasional single hog. You can't hunt them fast enough, and you'd have to stay out all night every night. Problem is, they can range 5 miles a day, and they might be back tonight, or you may not see any sign of them for months.
So I thought it would be interesting to see how other people repair the damage. I disc, re-seed, and the run a roller packer over the ground.

First photo shows typical damage. They root holes about 6" deep, although occasionally they can be a foot deep or more. The strip in the back is where I've made a pass with the disc.

When the grass is short, I pull a chain harrow with the spikes down behind the disc. If the grass gets much taller, it will roll up in bunches under the chain harrow, so I won't use the chain harrow much longer, unless after the hay is cut.

Dan in North Houston · Mar 25, 2019

Guess the photos were too big, so here are some more.

After re-seeding, I use a roller packer to firm up and smooth out the damage.

Last photo was taken Sunday morning. They came back to inspect my work. All of my fences are barb-wire, but have come to the conclusion that putting up woven wire is about the only way to cut down on the damage.

Interested to hear how other people approach the problem. I have a custom operator that bales my hay. When the hogs damage an area, he just by-passes it rather than try to run his 14' rig across it, and I can't blame him. Not only does the damage tear up the ground, but wooly croton quick sprouts in the damaged area and takes over the area.

Russ from MN · Mar 25, 2019

My wife and I would like to come down and shoot some for you, but that's probably not possible! And we are too old to stay up all night anyhow. What does you neighbor do with the carcasses? Do they taste like chicken? I had wild boar in a restaurant it Italy once, it was OK. I watched a video once of someone shooting them from a helicopter with an AR-15, took out quite a few, that would be one of the only justifiable reasons to own an AR-15.

jddrawbar · Mar 25, 2019

Dan, I feel your pain. Here in the hill country, most all the fences are goat fences, 9 strands of barb wire. The hogs have no problem going right thru & can do it at high speed. That said, I don't think woven wire would help. They put their nose on the bottom, push it up and they are thru. They learn the technique quick. Their is major research going on in Kerrville using a poison bait system. The hang-up is in the delivery system. I don't have any answers, but I do know you can't shoot them into control. They do hate dogs, so if there are any hog hunters in the area, you might invite them out ever so often and put the dogs to work.

Traditional Farmer · Mar 25, 2019

I like that packer set up,have a sister that lives North of Houston in Montgomery County they'd have a fit if hogs tore up the Golf Course where they live(LOL)

jddrawbar · Mar 25, 2019

I can think of other reasons to own a AR, but I won't get into that. I have green motion lights set up and when the hogs come near it lights up. For whatever reason green lights don't spook the hogs. With a 50mm bell on a good scope, it gives plenty of light to shoot. The smaller hogs are great eating, just like any other hog. 200lbs. and up they get a strong taste. I seldom see hogs in the daylight.....they are very smart. The ones on my place have only been wild for several generations. They don't have the big heads with long noses and the razorback hair down their backs. East Tx. has the piney wood rooters that have been wild for decades.

dcarp · Mar 25, 2019

Your neighbor needs to move his trap, no more than 2 catches in one location. Hogs learn quickly and adapt even faster.
The methods of damage repair you use are about the same here, SE TX. Except I think the hogs here carry off the dirt, it?s really hard to ever get the damaged area level with the rest of the ground.
IMHO spraying with Grazon seems to be a hog deterrent, either they don?t like the scent or the weeds they prefer to eat are gone.

Billy Shafer · Mar 25, 2019

I am up here in Centerville Leon county. We didn't have a problem with them last year.But they are back this year. Showing up faster than we can kill them.

4520BW · Mar 25, 2019

Has anyone tried to put dogs inside the fence? I livestock guard dog might help.

Mike M · Mar 25, 2019

And I thought I had problems with moles in my yard. That would be terrible trying to make a crop off of.
What ever happened to the pretty girls on TV that went around and caught hogs ? I miss watching them. lol.

wjytexas · Mar 25, 2019

They are moving into NW Austin and are tearing up $$$$$$$ landscapes where a lot of people feed the deer. They have complained to TP&W Dept. to do something. When told to quit feeding deer they say they want the deer, not the hogs. A country boy will survive (country song) but a hog will too.

Dennis Minn · Mar 25, 2019

Mike M,

Not to take away from the hog issue, but try the step-on mole traps. I've liberated no less than 53 moles in 4 summers.

D.

rustyfarmall · Mar 25, 2019

We used to build hog-tight fences to keep the hogs IN. Sounds like you need one to keep the hogs OUT. They would probably just tear up an electric fence?

coshoo · Mar 25, 2019

Seems like a couple of strands of heavy wire 6 and 12 inches off the ground, set out about a foot from the existing fence and electrified with a super hot hi-tensile fence charger would work. I accidently touched the neighbor's hot wire once, and it really brought me to my knees. Will kill a foal or calf if they get caught in it. Spray underneath with Round up so it doesn't short out on the grass.

Billy Shafer · Mar 25, 2019

They would rip a dog apart. We have talked about the Army coming over with mini guns. We are on the flight path of Ft Hood. I know it would never be allowed. But it sure would be nice.

WAYNE-N-TEXAS · Mar 25, 2019

My place looks just like yours. I hit a hog hole, sure messed up the baler, wrote the TP&W depart.LOL, they gave me permission to shoot them. Kill a wild animal and you will find out real quick, wild animals belong to the state, then you pay a price. But let a state owned animal mess up your place, TP&W don't want to hear about it.

504 · Mar 25, 2019

the Missouri Conservation is trapping the daylights out of them.

jeffcat · Mar 25, 2019

Wow is this what you need? Love them night scopes.
Night hunting hogs

in-too-deep · Mar 25, 2019

Is there much hog hunting to be done in Missouri?

tomstractorsandtoys · Mar 25, 2019

Do not have any answers but find your factory John Deere cultipackers interesting as I have never seen any before. I know they made them as I have original sales brochures that show them. Tom

4520BW · Mar 25, 2019

I was wondering more about the noise and smell of the dogs more than the dogs actually going after the hogs. I got 2 great pyrenees and seen them pull a coin in half. Hey maybe that would be a good use for a pit bull, no matter who loses it a good deal.

in-too-deep · Mar 25, 2019

I now see there isn't a season for them. Looks like the govt will handle it.

Dan in North Houston · Mar 25, 2019

I have the manual for them, model 920 4' triple gang. Would like to see the sales brochure. [email protected]

James Howell · Mar 25, 2019

"[b:654c4848f0][i:654c4848f0]I disc, re-seed, and the run a roller packer over the ground.[/i:654c4848f0][/b:654c4848f0]"

Same here.

Texasmark1 · Mar 27, 2019

We have them up here too, mostly in the river bottoms. North of me is a new lake going in and the bottom that will fill is full of hogs since the locals hunt them regularly. Don't know how it will impact me but know it's coming. Got a new neighbor a couple of years ago and he put up a complete perimeter hog fence....was going to run goats and needed a good fence for that but this fence is way more than you need for goats. Neat thing is that I'll only have to fence 3 sides.

Repairing hog damage

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