Keep Cattle OUT, Let Hogs IN

We are looking for a solution to our cattle problem. We deer hunt, but like shooting hogs at the feeder too. I've noticed panels don't really allow hogs to come in although sometimes the dig holes to go under. We think barb wire would work but want the deer to be able to come in without a problem. Has barbed wire worked for yall in the past? Other ideas?

Cheap hay ring will work around the feeder or hog panels with the feeder closer to one side so 1/3 or more of the corn throws outside the pen.

Just put the T post in and then run a double or triple strand of barbed wire.

My experience with wire around feed pens is that it is not if, but when, a deer will get hung up in one. Just sayin'. Your mileage may vary.

On our non-penned feeders, we have two strands. Deer go under it normally. Bottom strand is 24 inches and top is 36 inches like our hog panels. Calf can too maybe once a week but big cows don't try. Never seen a deer get stuck. Seen a deer get stuck in panels though.

Just make a normal pen, but have the panels 12” off the ground.

Some of our guys just cut a 2x2 square on the front side of the pen for pigs to go in and out.. they keep that piece and reattach with zip ties when they want to slow the pig traffic down.

We have the hog panels up off the ground. I think the above sounds like a good idea too.

Here's my pen with customers.


While I think the panels should be a little higher, this big boy comes in every day or at least he will until it cools down just a bit.



This is the same hog pen as above (camera was on the pen posts), I have another pen 30-40 yards from this one with protein and corn for deer with panels on the ground and some trimmed sections on the upper part for ease of jumping in. I was in my stand waiting for hogs and watched this guy get down and crawl under the fence to get in the hog pen.


I guess I need to put up signs that say "Deer Here" and "Hogs Here".

Lots of good suggestions here. Be prepared for the cows to test it (depending on their ornery-ness and how much pasture they have).

If you have panels Just leave a small gap like a walk through gate and put three strands of barbed wire arcross

I do this.

We do this as well. Heck the does will even use the cut out to get in versus jumping over. Pigs only have one way in or out.

I use old trampoline frames either wired to T-posts or weighted with big rocks. The cows stay out and the deer and pigs get in. Put a self-tapping screw in every joint to hold them together.

Yes they will and the less they have to eat elsewhere the more they will push on the fence reguardless of how strong it is. Raise the panels up a little let the piggys in and choot tha heck out of them.

and the cows will push though, unless you put in a lot of stays

Sounds like a plan

Just cut two of the bottom rebarbs and bend the panel back enough to make a 24"x24" entry in the bottom.

Lift one hog panel up about 18 inches off the ground. This will allow hogs/fawns/turkey in and keep cows out. Used to do this before deer season so the hogs would trample down all the feeder pen grass.

Three strands of barbed wire. Doesn't have to be super tight. I have mine with t-posts at the corners, tied to angled t-post anchors. It works. The cattle don't get in, the deer and hogs do.

add 1 strand of elec. fence wire or tape with solar fence charger in line with the middle strand of barbed wire and cows will loose interest in my experience. Deere and hogs will never touch it, so no problems for them.

We just make sure that the feeder throws corn outside the feeder also

We just remove one of the panels and run 3 strands of barbed wire where panel was....also did in line with blind so we no longer have to shoot thru the panel, just 3 strands of barbed wire. Works great!!

I now regret getting rid of my old trampoline frames.

In four years, not one pic of cattle in the pen. Lots of pics of them outside the pen.

Entire ranches are built that way, works good.

This works great. I would have never believed it until I seen it in action

I had cattle on my place for a while. Had feeders inside two strands of wire - no corner posts (like previous poster) just t-posts and then an angled post from ground to strengthen the corners. Never has a problem with the cattle getting into the pen, but they did scarf up every kernel that landed outside the wire.

Have also watched hundreds of deer either go over, or go under. Never seen one get hung up.

Are you sure it was the cows that ate the corn? Cows, due to their big mouths, have a hard time picking up corn off the ground, especially individual kernels.

Yessir, I had always heard cows had a hard time with kernels, but lots of photos on game cameras of cows milling around with their heads down.

They'll definitely stomp it into the dirt if nothing else. Trouble-makers!

I have watched a couple of really old cows lick dirt and corn up off the ground and swallow it all. Most issue are with overstocked cattle on a ranch that can not support the numbers. Most cattle won't try but a few will.

I had no trouble keeping this bull inside a 5 wire perimeter fence. I did have a problem keeping him out of a 34" tall hog panel feed pen with only a corn feeder in it.

He tore the panels up getting in and out till it was nocked down finally after I had repaired it once. He left this message for me on the trail cam.

I finally had to put up a 50" tall cattle panel pen. No problems after I did that. Very lightly stocked cattle numbers at that time due to prolonged years of drought. A 5 pasture rotation with 1 cow per 25 acres on a place with good grass cover and very little brush.