Snares are tools that have been used to trap wild game since ancient times. They consist of a loop made from a cable, wire, or sturdy twine that is hung across a narrow portion of a game trail to capture an animal around the neck or leg as it passes through. Today, snares are often constructed from a sturdy cable and include a locking mechanism to prevent the loop from expanding once an animal is caught. Additionally, snares can also include a stopping mechanism that can prevent the loop from getting too tight thus ensuring the snare is less likely to be lethal or only lethal to larger animals. Including a stop may be an important addition in areas where there are risks of catching non target animals such as white-tailed deer (which cannot be legally snared in Texas) or pets. Snares have been used to trap a variety of animals of all shapes and sizes. For instructions on how to build your own snare to specifically trap feral hogs, check our publication on the topic.
Snares can be an effective tool for catching individual feral hogs. While the goal of most trapping techniques is to capture an entire sounder, a snare can only catch one pig at a time. Even with this limitation, when used in combination with other management practices, snares can be an important part of an integrated pest management plan. Snaring can be effectively combined with aerial gunning by placing snares in dense brush where helicopters may not have access. Snares can also be used as an effective follow up technique to trapping to help landowners remove final pigs that were too trap-shy to be caught or shot.
Snares are a low cost, low maintenance management tool available to landowners. Other than the fact that they only remove one pig at a time, their greatest drawback is that a snare on its own is not species specific. A loop of wire placed across a game trail or fence crossing is capable of catching any number of native or domestic animals, which is a risk that must be considered. In Texas, fur bearing animals can only be snared if a trapper has appropriate licenses, meets hunter education requirements, and checks their snares at minimum every 36 hours. Game birds and game animals cannot be legally hunted in Texas using any kind of trap including snares without special scientific permits. The only animals that can be legally trapped in Texas on private property without a special permit are non-game and exotic animals including feral hogs, coyotes, rabbits, and the other animals featured on this list. Of the animals on that list, only feral hogs and coyotes do not require a hunting license, just hunters education. With these regulations in mind, it is very important to make sure that snares for feral hogs are as species specific as possible to reduce the chances of accidentally capturing an animal that is illegal to trap. The following strategies can be used to help make your snare as pig specific as possible:
- Stops
- Strategic placement
- Check snares regularly so that any unintentional captures can be release before being harmed (this is generally a good practice to also ensure your efforts are as humane as possible)
Even with all of these precautions in place, there are situations where using a snare will not be a good fit. If there is no way to prevent livestock or pets from areas where snares are being used it may not be worth the risk. Additionally, if you live in an area where there are endangered or protected species that are susceptible to snares, they are not a recommended practice.