Baits used for trapping feral hogs can range from homemade concoctions to specialized commercial blends, carrion, or feedstuffs including whole corn, livestock cubes, or soured grain. Trappers advocating the use of each of these baits can be found depending on individual experiences. Ease of use, price, and availability are three of the most important variables to consider when choosing which bait to use for trapping feral hogs. Luckily, feral hogs will eat just about anything, making our choices less complicated.
Whole shelled corn is probably the easiest and the most commonly used bait for trapping feral hogs in the United States. It is generally readily available, relatively inexpensive, and easy to use without making a mess. Plus, feral hogs love it without any amendments. If desired, whole shelled corn can be flavored artificially or moistened and allowed to sour. Some trappers claim that adding flavoring or souring whole shelled corn increases its attractiveness to feral hogs. Other trappers claim that flavoring or souring only adds unnecessary time and expense to the trapping process. Some disadvantages of using whole shelled corn is that it is also used by white-tailed deer, raccoons, multiple species of birds and other animals, increasing costs, sometimes catching non-target animals, and causing areas of bird and animal concentrations, increasing the risk of disease.
There are a multitude of other baits that can be used to successfully trap feral hogs but none beat the convenience of whole shelled corn. These baits can be concocted or purchased from several commercial sources. An online search for “wild or feral hog traps” or “wild or feral hog bait” will yield several sources.