Response of Wild Boars (Sus scrofa) to Two Attractants, and Use of Cage Traps to Capture Wild Boars in Korea

Abstract

This study was carried out to determine whether cage traps can be used to capture wild boars successfully, and to assess their response to different bait materials and the number of wild boars caught. Steel cage-traps (4.0 m × 1.5 m × 1.2 m, L × W × H) were installed at two sites in Damyang County and at one site in Sunchang County, South Korea. To identify preferred bait-diet, baits were prepared with dry corn and fermented sour corn and placed in equal amounts at the sites close to wild boar pads at 200 m intervals. Before selecting trap locations where sufficient activity was observed, pre-baiting was undertaken and steel-framed traps were installed with gates open. Preference for bait materials was not clearly defined. After providing the bait for the first time, the number of days until wild boars ate all the food were counted. In the Damyang and Youngam areas, where hunting was allowed, total bait consumption took 6 to 12 days; in contrast, in the Sunchang area, where no hunting took place, total food consumption took only 5 days. In addition, after pre-baiting with the mixture of dry and sour corn for diet for about 8.7 days and then opening the trap gates for 3 more days, 13.7 days were necessary to catch 4.3 wild boars per trap. These results suggest that hunting intensity around trapping places was an important factor in determining the success of the traps.