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How to Make Hog Snares

An increase in the feral hog population is often harmful to local crops, as well as local residents and livestock, and can have a detrimental effect on the water supply. As a result, many farmers and land owners set up hog snares around their property to catch these pests and dispose of them. Hog snares are quite useful in areas where feral hog populations are known to be a problem, mostly because of how relatively cheap and easy they are to put together.

Things You'll Need

Hammer
Needle-nose pliers
Tape measure
Cable cutters
1/8 inch snare lock
Two 1/8 inch single ferrules
1/8 inch double ferrule
10 feet of 1/8 inch steel cable

Instructions

- 1
  Take the cable and run it through the ends of your 1/8 inch snare lock.
- 2
  Take a single ferrule and crimp it to the end of the cable. This is usually done with fencing crimpers, but most people don't have those on hand, so a hammer and hard surface will do just fine.
- 3
  Take your needle-nose pliers and bend the end of the cable back just below the ferrule. Turn it at about a 45-degree angle to the rest of the cable, as this helps to secure the lock once the snare is activated.
- 4
  "Load" the snare. Train the last loop of the cable in the traditional circular shape that defines snare traps. Loop the last 10 inches of the cable around a solid round object, like a pipe. Pull the cable toward you firmly as you slide it back and forth. Because you only want to round out the last 10 inches or so of the cable, make sure that you use less pressure when you get near the 10-inch mark.
- 5
  Prepare the anchor, which is attached to a solid object like a tree or a post, in order to keep the hog from running away. Make an adjustable anchor by sliding the double ferrule over the free end of the cable, which is not forming the snare. Loop the cable back and pull it back through the ferrule.
- 6
  Cap the end of the cable with the other single ferrule and crimp it, just like you did with the first end to complete the snare.

Animals & Science