Trapping, or How To Get Rid of Pesky Furries

Submitted by Rolf - Tue, 25 Aug 2009

I am a hunter. I trap creatures and blow their brains out for personal gain. Yes, I am talking about World of Warcraft. But also in real life, hunters use traps. Let's look at their artillery.

Note: in no way does this article reflect my opinion, or do I condone the hurting and killing of creatures of whatever size. Only to control wildlife populations or to protect yourself or loved ones, do I think it is okay to painlessly convince the animal(s) to discontinue their offense.

I seriously doubt that every hunter that claims to act upon these reasons to be entirely truthful, though. Especially when I see pictures of them posing proudly with their prey. Or if they take their underage children hunting. If you're such a bad ass hunter and take the 'sport' so serious, why not try killing it with your bare hands? Anyhow, I'm derailing the topic before it has even started.

Live Trap



"Live traps are sometimes called box traps or cage traps. They are used to take animals alive. The trap is in the shape of a box. The animal enters the box and a door closes behind it.

The advantage of live traps is they do not grip the animal. A captured animal can be released easily. Live traps can be effective where the likelihood of capturing a domestic animal is high. These traps can be used safely around houses, barns, or other dwellings.

Live traps are expensive. They are also bulky and hard to transport. Because of this, they are not practical for everyday trapline use. Some animals, like fox and coyotes, will not readily enter a live trap.

One good use for live traps is removing raccoons, opossums, and skunks from buildings. Performing this service can help establish good trapper-landowner relationships."

Snare



"Snares are considered to be traps, but they function differently than most other trapping devices. Snares are made of multi-strand steel cable. To use a snare, you form the cable into a loop and suspend the loop over a trail the animal is using. The animal enters the loop and tightens the snare down on itself. The snare is designed to capture the animal by the neck or body and restrain it like a dog on a leash.

Snares have the advantage of being lightweight and fairly inexpensive. They are good for making trail sets. Snares can be used like foothold traps to capture animals alive. However, snares can also be lethal and dispatch an animal like a bodygrip trap. This happens if an animal gets tangled up at the set and cannot get its feet back on the ground. A situation like this is called an entanglement situation. You must be careful to avoid entanglement situations, especially when it is possible you might catch a domestic animal in the set.

While other traps can be used over and over again, a snare can be used only once. After a snare has captured an animal, it must be replaced with a new snare. Snares work best in trail sets where an animal is moving along. They do not work effectively at baited or lured sets.

Snares are most effective for the larger furbearers, especially coyote, fox, and beaver. Raccoon can also be taken effectively in snares."

Foothold Trap



"Foothold traps are designed to catch an animal by the foot. These traps are also called “leghold” traps. Foothold traps are used to restrain an animal. There are two types of foothold traps: coilspring traps and longspring traps.

An animal’s foot is very tough. It is made up of small bones, cartilage, and a heavy pad. There are very few nerve endings in the foot, and an animal experiences little discomfort if its foot is gripped in a trap. It is important to consider the size of the animal and select an appropriate size foothold trap to use for it. A trap that is too large could grip the animal too high on the leg and cause injury. Always use the smallest trap that will reliably hold the animal. Laws and regulations limit the size of foothold traps that may be used on land.

Foothold traps can be used on land or in the water. In land trapping, foothold traps offer an advantage because they restrain the animal but do not kill it. Non-target animals can be released alive from foothold traps that are set on land. This is an important factor where domestic animals are concerned. When foothold traps are used in the water, they can be fastened so the captured animal will drown.

Foothold traps can be used for any type of animal on land or in the water. This is one of their advantages. They are also easy to conceal. This is another advantage. Some animals, like fox and coyote, are very wary. Foothold traps are a good choice for these animals."

Bodygrip trap



"Bodygrip traps are sometimes called “killer” traps or “Conibear” traps. Bodygrip traps catch the animal around the body. These traps are designed to kill the animals they catch.

Bodygrip traps dispatch the catch, and animals rarely escape from them. This results in a quick, humane death for the animal. These are the advantages of a bodygrip trap, but there can also be disadvantages.

Animals cannot be released unharmed from bodygrip traps. For this reason, only the smaller size traps can be used on land. Laws and regulations limit the size of bodygrip traps that can be set on land.

The smaller size bodygrip traps are very effective for muskrats and mink. The medium size traps are good for raccoon, but they must be set in water. The largest size bodygrip traps are used for beaver and must be completely submerged under water."

Via