Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Property Projects & Construction What did you do at your pond today?

Trap and sell? There is a market, but I don't know if the price per pound is high enough to recoup your investment. I have seen videos of remote triggered traps. Watch on the game cam and when enough are under the trap, push the button to drop the trap.

I have 2 hog traps but haven’t set them in quite awhile.

I am, like most rural Texas land owners, loaded with pigs. A couple of years ago my Grandson and his buddy trapped about 20 in 1 night. Most were small but they butchered all of them. A couple of days later my Grandson started running a high fever and was hospitalized. No idea what caused it but the docs expected it was a a tick bite that they couldn’t find. Hogs are loaded with ticks. We almost lost him. He is 23 yoa, 6’5”; a big healthy man.

I’ve heard of this happening to others.

Most around my place aren’t all that wild. Wife and I were tossing fish food at a 1/4+ Acre pond at the back of my place. A bunch of hogs showed up and started swimming around. She got spooked and got on the 4 wheeler and left. I followed her and the hogs followed both of us. I’ve ridden up within 6 feet from them without them spooking. I have phone pics of that. Texas Parks and Wildlife has all but conceded the battle to the hogs. They breed quicker than they can be controlled. I don’t use any wild animal for target practice but the pigs are changing my mind.

Twenty years ago we didn’t have them. In another 20 or 30 an awful lot of you guys above the Mason Dixon Line will be enjoying their company and wonder where they came from. When that happens, keep a can of OFF bug spray handy. You’ll want more than one can.

I was warned by a lawyer not to let anyone on my place to hunt, fish, etc. if they got a tick bite, gotten sick or worse, I might be sued. Especially since I understand the potential problem.

Damn, that's awful Dave D1, sounds like its about time for a silencer on a gun and do some elimination. I don't like to waste wildlife or food, but I have a hard time letting it destroy property. eat all you can and can what you can't eat.

Jake, if I shoot one, I walk away or pull it to a place where the buzzards can get to it.

Place it in a setting where you can shoot coyotes off of it.
Curious, what will them darn things do to a fence, I know domestic hogs are hard on a fence, hard to keep them in one, if they can get their head thru it they will tear it out and gone.

Added some dead spruce trees on top of the ice in 3rd pond while its down 3', and before the snow and frigged temps get here. Hoping that spotfin shiners can use as spawning structure.

I doubt the spotfin shiners will use the dead spruce trees as spawning structure. They need fairly deep narrow crevices for egg deposit. You might get GSH shiners laying eggs on the filamentous algae that grows on the spruce branches.

It's hard to see in the pics above, but the bark is exfoliating on these spruce trees due to their dying of disease (needlecast), so I was hoping the crevices might be deep enough under these "bark flakes", but maybe just wishful thinking. The surface resembles peeling paint.

Jake, I don’t molest coyotes. I know they are fawn predators but they are the only thing that hunts and eats pigs. A couple of years ago, I was hunting over a corn feeder when a sow and young ones showed up. Suddenly, a coyote ran through and left with a piglet in its mouth. At that point, we became brothers.

I rarely see a coyote but often hear them. When we butcher out a deer or pig, we haul the carcass, guts, and hide about 200 yards from the house. Within a short time, if at night, we get serenaded. They are the only thing that stands between me and the pigs and I tell the kids and grandkids that hunt my place to not molest them or use them for target practice.

"Suddenly, a coyote ran through and left with a piglet in its mouth. At that point, we became brothers."

Kind of like Sgt. Hulka being the 'big toe?'

The Blizzard of 'ought-22' is upon us.

Lake effect snow hitting and winds are right behind it... Bummer because I have 3" of clear ice on the edges, about 3.5" a few feet further in. Would be glorious skating if a bit thicker but now will have 20 or so inches of snow on it plus who knows how much drifting. Not sure how to get all that snow off with ice under it that can hardly support a man and a 2 stage snowblower...

And we are only expected to get 2", and I am not complaining! We are going to be very cold for about a week, but better than a snow dump! Nowhere near the snow that they were predicting.

We've been suffering below zero temps since yesterday here in the middle of Misery.

I glanced at the pond long enough to see that there's air coming out of the diffuser and maintaining a section of open water.

I got to the livestock fountain just before it locked up this morning. Those things are generally trouble free in cold weather if you have enough critters using them to keep them open. Three horses don't drink enough water to do that so I have to help it out every now and then.

It's a little easier when looking at forecasts with highs in the 50s by Thursday here in central Indiana. Went for a short walk with the pups today and my face froze up, even with my winter beard... The wind is brutal with negative temps.

This wind should blow a lot of the snow off of it. It's howling here. We had -10°F this morning and we aren't supposed to break +10°F until Monday morning.

Dave, not true about the coyotes being the only thing that kills and eats pigs too. Humans do. Like I've said before, coyotes eat more deer than pigs. If you were a hungry predator, which would you rather try to eat? A pig that is protected by a momma 24/7 that has sharp teeth or a fawn that is left alone while momma is off foraging for food for herself? I'd pick the fawn every day of the week.

I checked the pond, sadly one corner has warm water stress holes and water under snow, the other 2/3 still has hard clear ice with fluffy snow on top. The pond is in a low spot so snow seems to collect in it rather than blow out of it. About 18" drifted snow on the pond now. So tempted to go clear it but lots more snow coming and the windchill and bare skin do not mix.

Hard to believe that next week when most people will be rescheduling their Christmas get togethers it will be in upper 40s and raining...

Scott, I know the song dog is an opportunist. However, I probably have 10 times as many pigs as deer. Hell, we all do. And, they’re coming your way.

Below zero temps with 25mph+ sustained winds make Augie grumpy.

True, but if Santa uses the current big waves in the circumpolar jet stream, then he might finish deliveries a few hours early tonight!

I am hoping that my children leave some "fortified" eggnog to warm up Santa this year.

Let us wish for peace on earth!

Birds have taken over! One magnificent bald eagle spotted, along with 7 Canada geese and 7 dirty birds (cormorants). Scared off dirty birds, but sure they'll be back.

Pond has risen maybe six inches due to heavy rain a day or two ago. Hopefully we'll get more precipitation soon, still have 2.5 feet to reach full pool. Fish cabin plumbing okay despite cold snap, we left cabinets open & taps dripping. Feeders still being used, we think mostly by trout & hybrid stripers.

Went fishing and caught quite a few fatties including a 7+ and a 5+ that I transferred to a neighbors pond. Have never seen the fish of all sizes this fat. Had an inch of rain and it came fast so pond came up a bit but it muddied up the whole thing…. Still caught fish in 12” Visibility….

Catching two large fatties at the end of December in murky water is very impressive!

Sounds like an excellent combination of good pond management and good angling.

Lol Rod you can’t accuse me of either! Dumb luck…… if I could just get lucky to get my BCP to not get eaten by the LMB….

I went fishing.

First cast yielded this RBT:


About 5 casts later I had this one:


Both were 14"-15" long. I thought I'd better quit while I was ahead.