So I don’t want to kill my neighbors cat or the native songbirds. How do I set a trap for mr. McSquirrely? How could I bait a trap that a cat or bird isn’t interested in, but a squirrel would loooooove? What should I stick to, dead falls or snares? I’m thinking snares on fence-lines, and snares in trees at parks.
Nick hunts squirrels (with a gun) and is explaining to me that there are “dray” trees where the squirrel nests and platforms are, sort of like outposts, and they generally surround a den tree which is a hollow tree that the squirrel lives in (sometimes they live in nests if there is no hollow tree). When the squirrel is scared it runs for the den tree. So Nick looks for a bunch of nests and then locates then den tree and waits there to shoot the squirrels when they are acitve before sunset. He would put a trap in one of these trees.
I’d go with with tree and fence snares too, Urban Scout, because, for one thing, they sure are quitter than a gun, and the likeliness of them catching a cat or being seen are much lower than if you put them on the ground, but you might catch a racoon, bird, or opossum because they are more regularly in trees and on fences than cats. And remember that saying “What is out of site is out of mind?”
I’m thinking about trying this:
http://mdc.mo.gov/nathis/woodwork/ww10/
I suspect it would work as well on squirrels as on rabbits, and if it catches a cat, then I could just let it go.
Granted, I hear trapped squirrels at close quarters are surprisingly vicious (can’t help but think of Monty Python and the Holy Grail tho’ ;D) so I’ll want some thick gloves and a towel, but…
just make sure brother maynard is there to back you up with his holy hand grenade when you open it. 
hey jhereg,
I’m pretty sure if you have your club read you’ll have no probablems…
Also, I’ve seen birds get caught in those traps too they’ll catch just about anything large enough to get caught in them.
i love the simplicity of that trap, too jhereg. i’m thinking about trying to build one. my friend might be moving to a place that looks like it has some good brush habitat.
anyone have any ideas for getting man-stink off of a trap?
you could try bottled deer piss, like the hunters around here pour on themselves.
pretty much any hunting mag has ads for it in them.
yeah, i’ve heard of deer piss and fox piss for smell camo. i’m hoping for something more common though. like rubbing a strong but common plant on the cage.
hmm, maybe garlic…?
There are a ton of rabbits in Discovery Park. Wow.
I learned their rabbity ways today and made a snare where the majority of them congregate. When I found the snappiest sapling, I pronounced it the most beautiful tree I had seen all day. It was the perfect spot for a twitch-up, too, and there’s no way I will forget how to find it again. I’m pretty proud of my first snare; I hope it works, and works well.
I also enjoyed the blackberries and the sunshine. It was a beautiful September day.
I found a nice place full of small wildlife and id like set out some traps/snares there. Problems is, lots of people walking their dogs around that area and it would be really nasty trying to explain… Nevertheless im gonna check it out again soon and see if i can find some remote trails. Wish me luck !
Dogbane, Mint, Cedar or Pine.
I use these in lieu of “commercial” deer scents and they seem to work well.
Must, of course, be present in the area.
alan
Hmmm. Forgot to disguise my traps.
They were once-domesticated rabbits gone feral, so perhaps they haven’t wisened up to human predators. I’ll see throughout the next week or so…
set some snares today in the forest. will check them tomorrow and the next couple days.
i use 22 gauge green steel craft wire.
Re: descenting : ai’ve read in more than one place about rubbing rabbit poop on your hands before handling the traps.
This topic is pretty old, but I had this idea and wanted to post it somewhere relevant.
If you happen to be growing vegetables horticulture style, and you’ve got rabbits and other garden “pest” animals, maybe traps or snares could be set up around and randomly within the garden. I figure then you at least have a chance at getting some meat and salvaging some edible plants.
Edit: Wait, I just realized that this might get some complaints in a city or suburban area, but maybe you might get away with it. I recently heard that a guy in my neighborhood killed a neighbor’s dog because it was barking too much and he’s on house arrest. Perhaps it would be fine if you don’t let it be too obvious that you’re carrying animal carcasses from your garden to your house.