Couple Hogs Down in Soggy Conditions, Busted Later, Question...

Brian Shaffer

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Okay, so how do y'all get through, over fences? I have tried a variety of means to squeeze my plus size self between the wires without getting snagged, to go under, and to go over. I have tried a t-post climber which nearly killed me (not all t-posts are well anchored). I have tried climbing the wire at a t-post only to have the wire slip and nearly get impaled. I have finally gone with some collapsible step stools from Amazon that work real well. They are fairly light, quiet, and make it possible for me to step over most barbed wire fences despite a short inseam. So do y'all have other ways you have found useful to get over/under/through the wire, particularly by yourselves?

Got a small boar and smaller female in some ugly conditions. I hate wet, saturated ground where you slog you way through the fields, but that it what we have right now...

 

Ratdog68

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I'd say you have the winning combo for fence work. I'd consider a quick means of tieing the tops together, making them less likely to move/topple as you're shifting your weight from one side to the other. I little "scratchy" on tender bits if the one on the slope decides to shift at mid-task.
 

J BAR K

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Don’t know how many pairs of pants I ruined back when I was working going over or through somebody’s fence. I vote for the stools ! Good shooting on the hogs too.
 

der Teufel

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I'm liking the fence traversing method. Gonna copy that in some form or fashion! When I'm alone I usually lie down and roll under the bottom strand, but that has drawbacks if it's muddy or tick season. Perhaps I'll also get some of the those little marker lights you use to keep track of downed hogs and hang one where I've crossed the fence. On several occasions I've had to use my thermal monocular to find my way back to my vehicle on really dark nights.

Good video and nice shooting! It's always nice to get a two-fer, even if it just slows them down and makes the follow-up shots easier.
 

Brian Shaffer

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When was younger, I’d jump/crawl through. Now i lay down, roll under, quick, no noise or scars

As der Teufel also suggested rolling under...between the chiggers, sand burrs, and the low wire, plus wet ground like we have now, that is one of my least favorite options, but sometimes the low wire is as much as 18" off the ground.

Don’t know how many pairs of pants I ruined back when I was working going over or through somebody’s fence. I vote for the stools ! Good shooting on the hogs too.

All my field pants are patched in the crotch area. My wife has gotten good at salvaging the fabric from old pants to use to mend the new ones. Even when I don't tear the pants, I still get hung up pretty good and have to work to get unsnagged in a timely manner without tearing open a new hole.

A buddy of mine made me a contraption that would actually go between the wires and spread them while covering each wire with a U-shaped aluminum beam that would protect me from getting snagged above or below. Neat device, but it was far too bulky for easy transport and wasn't quick to deploy in the dark. It also had trouble with tight wires. Good concept, just difficult to implement while being stealthy.

I tried a t-post climber step. Another neat concept but not all t-posts are created equal and it could sometimes slip. Plus, if the t-post wasn't well buried in well compacted dry soil, you could get a lot of sway going as you tried to go over. Between the sway and fear of impalement on the post when the step gave way, I gave up on that $20 gadget. It might work okay for a 150 pound person, but not for a 250 lb person.

I have straight climbed many fences. I try to do it next to an H-brace or corner brace when possible. While more stable than climbing a single t-post, you still run the risk of wires slipping.

So I tried the 16" stools first, actually just using 1 stool to get me over the top and realizing a 2nd stool on the other side would be really helpful. I have now gone to 18" stools because with my short inseam, I still wasn't quite clearing the top wire cleanly all the time. The stools shown in the video cost about $22 each, hold up to 350 lbs (maybe 400?), don't make a lot of noise, and generally work pretty well. The down side is that you can't really carry them around all the time while stalking, although I often carry one in the back pocket of my vest if I am planning on hiking out to a field to sit and watch it for a while. The stool serves as a nice little travel seat.

Even so, still not a perfect solution to getting over fences, just the best I have found that works for me so far.

Oh and Ratdog68 brought up a good point about stabilizing them. I don't know how I would do that. As shown in the video, sometimes the ground isn't level by the fence and so they tend to cant outward from the fence. Too much cant and they are not stable.
 

Ratdog68

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My train of thought was, two lengths of paracord with loops (large enough eye to hook a carabiner to) tied along their lengths. As small as your stools are, you could get away with only one line. Since you're dealing with the luxury of an open fence (able to reach through), set up your stools. Have the tail end of your cord tied to the top of your nearest stool... go through the fence, over the top of the outer stool, under the top, then back , and clip to the nearest loop which will allow for the least amount of movement.

Since your weight is on the nearest stool already, as you put weight onto the outer stool, having them tied together should help keep you from having a "runaway" stool that could happen while it's on a sloped surface, like what you have pictured in the video.

Now, if a feller kept a chunk of saddle leather to drape over the barbed-wire, he might be able to protect his bits from wild/rabid barbs reaching up to do him/trousers damage. If this chunk of leather was well oiled, he could leave it with the one stool and allow the rain to simply bead up and not soak into his piece of leather, soaking one's bits is never ideal.
 
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gshock

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We use to let down the tailgate and back up towards the fence. Just hard to get back over. A fold able step stool probably works best.
 
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Ratdog68

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We use to let down the tailgate and back up towards the fence. Just hard to get back over. A fold able step stool probably works best.
I like that too... put the tailgate down, flop a 4' step ladder over and lean it against the fence post and step on over/down.
 

Bacon8tor

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I avoid them as much as I can but if I have to cross then I go in between the wires. I use my Primos adjustable shooting sticks to hold up one wire then crawl through while pushing down on the other wire. Still get snagged a lot though. Plenty of patches on my pant legs from crossing barb wire fences.
 

der Teufel

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I avoid them as much as I can but if I have to cross then I go in between the wires. I use my Primos adjustable shooting sticks to hold up one wire then crawl through while pushing down on the other wire. Still get snagged a lot though. Plenty of patches on my pant legs from crossing barb wire fences.
I sometimes use my shooting stick in a less imaginative way. My stick is literally a stick. It's just an old wooden industrial mop handle (about 1.5" thick) with a V mount on top. I bend over and lay it across my shoulder blades, holding it with one hand. With the other hand I push down on the lower wire as I step through. The stick causes the upper wire to slide across my back. It works reasonably well if the wires aren't too tight.
 

lonepunman

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Lots of good advice above…

It’s tough for me to provide any insight without direct visualization of your current technique.

On your next crossing, please zip tie your rifle between a couple of strands about ten feet away, with the scope facing you.

Start the recorder.

Go back and forth over the fence several times, alternating techniques.

If you get hung up on the barbed wire, just keep shaking until you break free. (Don’t worry; the jostling of the rifle most likely will not break the connection between the recorder and the battery).

Looking forward to the footage.

(On a completely unrelated note, do the owners of the properties you hunt have a list of back up hunters?)
 

Homebrewer

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