Fact checked by Steven Lines, lifelong Hunter and Outdoorsman
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Baiting is one of the best ways to attract hogs to your property. Corn is one of the best foods to get their attention. But will hogs eat corn that’s been soaked in diesel? After doing some research, here are the things you should know.
Hogs will eat corn that has been soaked in diesel. The motor oil will often attract more hogs to the area, as they use it to protect themselves from parasites and other bugs. Soaking your corn in diesel won’t impact the health of the hog. But you should avoid eating hogs that have consumed diesel.
There are many reasons why you might want to soak corn in diesel. But why does it work, and how much diesel should you use? In this article, we’ll answer these questions and more.
In this post, we'll cover:
Why Would You Soak Corn in Diesel?
There are a few reasons why you might want to soak corn in diesel. The biggest benefit is that it keeps away unwanted species. Animals like deer, squirrel, and raccoons won’t like the smell of the diesel. This will stop them from stealing your corn.
Also, the pungent odor of the diesel has been known to attract wild hogs. The motor oil contains chemicals that will help protect them from bugs. Because of this, they have been known to rub their bodies against creosote poles and burlap sacks that have been soaked in diesel. They will eat the diesel to kill any parasites that might be inside them.
What’s the Best Soured Corn Recipe to Attract Wild Hogs?
Before you can start using corn soaked diesel, you’ll need to make the soured corn first. Thankfully, there are plenty of simple recipes that you can explore. One of the easiest is to put some Jell-o into a bucket with the corn. Add half a liter of flavored soda. Then, leave it for a few days. When it starts to smell, you’ll be able to use it to attract the hogs.
Once you have made the recipe, it’s time to distribute the corn. There are a few ways that you can do this. Let’s look at a few of the best techniques.
First, you might want to use a feeder trough. In this case, you’ll load the corn inside the trough. Then, sprinkle diesel around the outside of the trough. This should be enough to keep the deer away. This is also a good way of keeping the diesel out of the corn. By doing this, you’ll know that the meat from the hogs is safe to eat.
While soured corn is the most popular bait, if you’re using a feeder trough, just about anything will work. You’ll be able to use rotten vegetables and other spoiled food. Hogs aren’t picky eaters.
Another highly effective technique is to use a post hole. Dig the hole under the ground and fill it with corn. You’ll want the hole to be about six inches wide. It should be between two to three feet underground. Then, cover the hole with dirt. Sprinkle diesel on top of the hole. This will keep the hogs in the area for a longer period.
Because the corn is buried underground, they will need to use their snouts to excavate the area to get it. Once they have removed the corn, they will often use the diesel soaked ground as a wallow. The size of the wallow will give you a good idea of how many hogs there are.
A third option is to use a deer feeder. This will send out a trickle of corn. As long as the supply of food continues, the hogs will remain in the area. Often, you’ll need to fill up the feeder every few weeks. This will give you plenty of opportunities to shoot them.
You might also want to consider using a hog barrel. You’ll fill the barrel up with corn. Then, the hogs will be encouraged to roll it around to get the rest of the corn out. This is a great way to keep them in the area without needing to use a lot of bait. These will be able to last for a few weeks.
This video goes into more depth about how you will be able to make a hog barrel.
How Much Diesel Should You Use?
The amount of diesel you will be using will often depend on the type of baiting method you are using. If you want to mix diesel with the corn, you will only need a sprinkle. Just enough to stop deer and raccoons from eating the feed. You’ll only need a small amount around the trough or over the post-hole.
If you want to use a creosote pole, you might need to use a little more diesel. You will often have to paint the pole. This will ensure that the hogs won’t have any problems finding it. It will also keep the hogs in the area for a long time, as they keep rubbing themselves against it.
Try to avoid using more diesel than you need. When the diesel sinks into the soil, it can be potentially damaging. You should only use diesel on areas of the property where you don’t intend to grow crops. It might take a while for the chemicals to disperse, and you don’t want to make yourself sick accidentally.
Does Diesel Hurt Wild Hogs?
As we mentioned, wild hogs will often rub themselves with diesel to protect themselves from parasites. You shouldn’t be using an excessive amount of diesel. Often, just a small sprinkle will be all that’s required. Because of this, the hogs won’t be harmed by the use of diesel.
If they are rubbing themselves in the diesel, their health might be improved. They will be protecting themselves from parasites.
Will the Hogs Taste of Diesel?
If you want to eat the hogs you shoot, you’ll need to be careful about the amount of diesel you use and how you use it to bait hogs. It’s unlikely that the hogs will end up tasting like diesel. Unless you used an excessive amount, you wouldn’t notice any differences in the meat at all.
However, the hogs can still contain small amounts of the harmful chemicals found in the motor oil. If you consume enough meat, there is a chance that you will get sick. Because of this, you will need to be careful about the way that you are using diesel.
If you want to eat the hogs, it’s best to use the feeder trough method. This will ensure that the diesel doesn’t get into your food. The post-hole method will also be a good choice. The layer of dirt should help filter out the diesel from the corn. If you have a corn feeder or hog barrel, you can sprinkle diesel around the area where you have them set-up. This should help deter deer and raccoons.
Final Thoughts
Diesel can be a useful tool when baiting wild hogs. The scent will attract them to the property. It will also ensure that other species, like deer, don’t end up eating the corn. There are plenty of ways that you’ll be able to use corn that has been sprinkled with diesel.
But you’ll need to make sure that you’re using diesel properly. If you use too much, you can create an ecological problem. You also don’t want to be ingesting potentially harmful chemicals.
Steven Lines is a hunter and outdoorsman from Safford, Arizona, USA. Since he was a child, he has been hunting and fishing and has over 20 years of outdoor experience. Steven works as a hunting guide in Arizona during his spare time and runs a Youtube channel dedicated to sharing his outdoor adventures with others.