Anybody know how to "Pig Proof" a hammock?

B

Bumppo

Joined
Jan 27, 2006
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I have camped in "piggy" areas, no problem. The pigs rooting up next to the tent and walking around is no big deal, they actually have given my tent about a five foot berth anyway. I am going smaller and lighter though, using a hammock. the guy lines are much longer, so the possibility is there the pigs might trip or run into them. Any suggestions that might allow me a good nights sleep? Having a pig sniff my butt at three in the morning does not appeal to me either. Does anyone have experience hammocking amongst the ham hocks?

The specific area I will be trying this out is Myakka State Park in Florida.
 
I might be missing something but broadly I think you have three options:

1] Fence - Dunno how you'd work that.

2] An enduring thing that you can sleep through but pigs may not like - radio playing / strobe?

3] Something that is going to startle you too but at least it wont feel like molestation - something like this.
 
pokesalad said:
Take a bar of Irish Spring soap and shave it all around where you will be sleeping. Animals can smell that from way off and won't come near. At least this has been my experience.
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Does anyone else have experience with this? It sounds so simple.
 
Maybe having a good ole' fashioned camp fire? When I go hog hunting it seems that just about anything will spook 'em real quick. They breed fast and are actually smart at not getting dead - I did a big report on the ones in the gulf coast region during college when I wanted to be a game warden :)

I would also like to know more about the soap trick...

As far as the Hammock, maybe place your rear at least a couple of feet off the ground :D
 
Wharn said:
Having a dog with you helps a lot as well too.
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That has to be the most logical answer yet :thumbup:

Dogs aren't man's best friend for nothing. Very comforting on day hikes and especially overnight. Built in warning system, guard, and friend all in one :)
 
Make a fence by winding paracord around surrounding trees. Two foot high should be enough to keep them out.
 
I am not so concerned about pigs around my hammock, but being a pinata for black bears.
 
KBamhi said:
I am not so concerned about pigs around my hammock, but being a pinata for black bears.
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No kidding. :D

As for the soap trick it may or may not work but it's cheap and worth a try. I know a lot of people who have tried that trick to keep deer out of their gardens with no noticeable deterrent effect whatsoever.
 
Depending on the amount of time/work you want to spend, the idea of building a fence is a good one, I think. I was out for an overnighter with a buddy some weeks ago and we managed to find a nice spot where the trees stand in a circle with the right distance to each other. We started to gather sticks and poles from around the area to built something like a fence - without cordage, just rudimentary. It took about an hour and gave us peace of mind. We heard pigs that night, but they were some hundred meters away. I don't think they would really try to break into the camp through the fence.

We found it to be a good technique to look for long V-shaped or Y-shaped logs, which would make good main poles. If you lean them sideways against the trees, you can lean shorter ones against them.

This is how the spot looked before the fence was built:

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Only a night-time pic with the fence, but you get the idea.

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Best regards,
l.
 
The fence might be a good idea, There might be a couple places where I might be able to run some line and maybe hang some debris on it to give the pigs an idea where the hammock is, but since my plan is to be at a different site every night, it might not be so practcal. I will bring the soap and try that out, and a bag of dog hair was suggested as well. The 12 gauge noise maker might not be the best since I might be near other people in a state park, and that might cause undo disturbance to fellow park users. I am thinking it might be good on remote trips though.
 
Your going to use a hammock? So hang it a bit higher, a fence and all that is a Lot of work. I would generally welcome a pig walking into camp, nothing like free meat.
 
i went on an overnighter in some pig infested country last Thursday.

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voila, one FizzPop, 2yo Border Collie. 100% guaranteed to keep pigs and snakes away from my swag and coffee!
 
I wonder if peeing around ones perimeter would help repel varmits ? It seems to be important in the animal kingdom.
 
fence, fire, land mines. lol

Last time i went hammock camping I woke up in the middle of the night to a few pigs running through the camp. None of them ever got real close to my hammock though. my tarp comes down pretty close to the ground, so a pig would have to be pretty small to really get close to my hammock.

There was a time I was camping with some other forum members and one of them woke up to an armadillo nosing him in butt.
 
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