Myself along with Jeff Guilloz, a retired Marine, adding bait to a pig trap in a condo complex in Kona.
Jeff has another pig trap in back of his pick up. That same trap set only an hour later got 2 pigs within first few hours.

While most people go to the Hawaiian Islands in search of beaches, luau’s, palm trees, breath taking sunsets heck even Mai Tai’s – I get a thrill when I find out more about pigs. In this case wild pigs on the Island of Hawaii. 
Puaa (Hawaiian name for pigs) arrived with the Polynesians over 1600 years ago, brought on canoes along with dogs, chickens and various types of plants. Today’s feral pigs are a mix of the Polynesian pig, European boar and domestic pig and can be found at all elevations from the heights of Mauna Kea to sea level. 
My folks, who reside in the town of Kailua- Kona on the big island for five months of the year to escape Canadian winters, moved from their house to a condo complex overlooking Keauhou Bay last year.

Where the pigs come up from old golf course below. Causing damage in complex.

 In chatting with the condo manager, he mentioned that they have been having a real problem with wild pigs coming into the complex. One of biggest reasons is that condo units are located just above a former golf course, now over grown, that provides a great place for them to live and roam. They climb the hill in search of more food. When I asked the manager how they go about handling the problem – as you can imagine the residents do not appreciate mess and damage the feral pigs leave behind – he told me about Trapper Jeff. 
As many of you that know me, I was excited – yes on holidays in the beautiful sunshine – but now I get to meet a real pig trapper.  
The next morning, I had the pleasure of meeting retired Gunnery Sargent Jeff Guilloz. What an incredibly interesting fella. He came to the island in 2008 with his wife, who is originally from Hawaii. We met right beside one of the condo units in the complex with a trap he had set adjacent to it only days earlier. The traps/cages are five feet x 30 inches x 36 inches with a steel frame, steel wire mesh on the tops and bottom and heavy chain link on the sides and end. The steel is reinforced about every five to six inches on the bottom as the pigs, understandably upset, bang against the sides.  
The top is less enforced and when you look at the traps you can clearly see bows in the side from where the pigs have tried to escape. There is a flap door he can open from the top for access to the animals. The chain link on the sides and end keeps the piglets from escaping.
He puts a mixture of bait in the traps with the ripest of fruit right at opening then a bit greener at the front, this entices them to get a good taste then move further in the trap to trigger the door. Often a trail of crushed Macadamia nuts is used to lead them to the trap as well. 
We talked about what he does with the pigs once caught; using a rope he “ uses a choke hold.” This enables him to remove from cage, he then ties their legs, carries or drags them to his truck and secures them in the truck bed. Can be quite noisy as they are not excited to be tied up in back of a truck. Jeff shared when you get multiple pigs in a trap, it can be bit more challenging to apply the choke hold with the rope while keeping the other pigs away. 
Jeff added, “a passed out pig is a happy pig, and can be easier to deal with. Especially if a larger one. Sometimes you don’t want them fully passed out just calmed down – a little less angry.” 

Two pigs caught in trap within a few hours, at a coffee & Mac nut farm. Another pig was watching from the bushes as he removed these two.

When he has a sow and piglets, he does the choke hold on the sow, tying her up on edge of cage then will reach inside with burlap (coffee) sacks to grab the piglets. He ties up the bags and places them in back of his pickup until they reach their destination upcountry.   
On one occasion, he was talking to some observers next to a tied-up pig when his hand got too close – the tip of a finger bitten off right through a big glove.

The pigs can crack a mac nut easily. They are incredibly tough shells, I have drove over and not cracked one.


As the average size of feral pigs caught is about 30lbs. Some are sold direct for slaughter, but the majority are either set loose up country to eat and grow, then captured again. Or taken to piggeries grown for about 6 months then butchered. Jeff shared there has been a few times where they become pets too. The males are castrated (Laho olo) prior to release in wild or in pens.   
Just like in North America, the meat tastes better without boar taint. Many of the males will have their ear notched so hunters can tell which have been altered.   Pig hunting is huge on the island; some use bows, some guns some hunters even use dogs to flush them out of the bush.  
Another reason for moving the pig’s upcountry, besides the obvious away from tourists and locals, is they find better quality food, making better looking and tasting meat.   
Mauka pigs are the ones raised at higher elevations, they also have more hair. Pigs at lower elevations sometimes appear hairless as they often eat Koa Haole plant seeds which causes their hair to fall out.

The two pigs tied and secured in back of truck ready for their trip upcountry to be transferred to a piggery.



While having no success trapping any pigs at the condo while I was there, a very short distance away, just up the hill a couple miles as the crow flies, he caught five in less than a week at a coffee and macadamia nut farm in a trap attached to the base of a mac nut tree. After I had met with Jeff, he was on his way up to this particular farm to set the trap. He received a call back within hours and caught his first two, followed by couple more the next day. When he was retrieving the pigs from the trap there was another one watching him from the bushes. 

Here you can see Jeff positioning the rope to begin the choke hold.
The pigs are not happy when tied up and make quite a bit of noise. Which can be tricky in certain areas, as somebody is always watching.

Bigger pigs are hard to carry so he drags them to his truck.

Jeff explained that he is paid per pig that he captures, no matter the size. The rate has increased to $40/pig, plus gas, plus a base weekly fee for setting and checking the traps. He has some clients on a regular basis and some like my folk’s condo association just call when they need him.   
When asked what was the highest number at one time in one trap, it was 15 at a golf course about 35 minutes away and more upcountry where the trap set off to the side of a fairway in the bushes.

Jeff uses trail cameras in some locations. This is a lower elevation and you can see the pig almost looks hairless.


 Another time, he received a call about a pregnant sow caught in a trap late in the day. Overnight the piglets were born, bringing the total to 11.   
After joking with the property owner about his cost going up dramatically, Jeff let him off the hook charging him for just the sow. 
I asked Jeff if over the years he has ever had and scary encounters. He shared a story of a time a sow was caught in the trap that must have been in heat – when he was beside cage ready to do the choke hold, a large boar came up behind him. He decided it would do not be good to jump on top of the trap as he would get knocked off if the boar charged and then mostly likely trampled, so he made loud gestures and clapped his hands. The boar, while continuing to watch Jeff, turned and walked away. This particular trap was in an area than many onlookers were there and one proper looking elderly lady came up to him and said “you had bigger _alls then the boar.” 
Some of Jeff clients are individual homes, golf courses, housing subdivisions, small farms and condo comminutes just to name a few.   
Wild pigs are causing problems all over the globe and with the constant threat of ASF we are all monitoring that much closer. Also, like home, somebody is always watching. As many of the pigs are trapped in a populated area you have to be extra mindful that the “city slickers” that are watching, taking pictures and possibly taking video do not see any animal in distress. 
I would like to personally thank Jeff for taking the time to meet with me and explaining the whole process from setting the traps to catching and releasing. It was very interesting indeed. You can follow Jeff, as he is one busy guy in many aspects of outdoor activities. His company is called Hunt Fish Explore Hawaii, and can be followed on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Carbon TV. I have watched a few of his videos and I invite you all to do the same. 
Also, I’d like to acknowledge Jeff for sending me so many of the photos to accompany the story. Jeff was super sweet and offered to have me join him while checking various traps, however by the time we connected it was almost the end of our time on the Island. Mahalo.  •

— By Laurie Brandly

At no time did I come into contact with wild pigs, all pig photos supplied by Jeff.

Jeff gets help from friend of my folks, who also lives in complex, using his walking stick to help pull sack open so Jeff could get the baby pig in.
Condo pigs caught, not 1 but 2. The sow tried hard to escape banging and biting the trap causing scrapes on her snout.

Smaller pig inside bag in back of Jeff’s pick up.


Update: Literally just days before sending the issue to press Jeff reached out and said caught two pigs at the condo complex.
You can see from the snout, she banged against the trap/cage pretty hard. The two pigs were relocated upcountry at his wifes cousins place.
The trap had been moved more into bushes and camouflaged with branches rather then right beside condo.