A Treatise on Traps and Trapping

[Howard E]

Weasels, minks, etc. Long term, best solution is exclusion......build a coop and run they can't get in. Not easy, but just know that if they are able to get in, they can wipe out a good sized flock in a single attack. But they tend to be territorial, and in the short run, the problem animal can probably be trapped to stop the carnage......at least in the short run.

To give you an idea on what your are up against, this video shows all three of your most likely predators......the tiny little least weasel, a weasel in winter coat (ermine) and a mink.

The best method of trapping all three is to use a weasel box. The size of the box and trap used differs depending on which of the three you are after. For the least weasel and probably the regular one as well, the box holds a big old wooden rat trap.

This video shows how to build the box and set the trap. For your coop, place the trap where it has been coming and going and use chicken livers as your bait.

 

[lazy gardener]

Excellent thread and information Howard. I did not look at the date. How did I miss this thread? Has this been turned into an article? IF not, it needs to be done. I especially like your mention of the fact: You trap it, you kill it.

 

[Howard E]

Minks, martins, etc, are bigger and you need a bigger trap.......

Note the way this box was built, the end of the box is open. As noted, this is a bigger trap and anything that walks in and trips the trigger is going to be killed instantly. That might be a mink or it might be your neighbor's cat. So to filter the catch, put ends on the box like was shown for the weasel box. Hole size should be no larger than 3 inches. Maybe smaller.

For this type of trap, the success you achieve is going to depend on a lot of things, including the trap brand, which will also bring into play trigger design and sensitivity. Duke traps are mass produced and mass marketed, but are the least desirable as the triggers are the worst of the lot. There are at least 5 to 10 commercial made alternatives that would be better. Brands include BMI, Belisle, Bridger, Sleepy Creek, etc. just to name a few. You may not find these locally as you will the Dukes but it is worth the effort to find them elsewhere. They are that much better.

For minks, martins, etc, a good trap is a 110 (single spring) or 120 (double spring).

And pan triggers may be the best way to go......

 

[Howard E]

When conibear / body grip traps are shipped, they are shipped as bare metal, coated in grease or oil. This has to be cleaned off before you can use them. There are a lot of exotic ways folks us to clean them up, but best way I've found is to dunk them in Purple Power degreaser, found in automotive section of Walmart. Put trap in the bottom of a bucket, pour some PP over it, add an equal amount of boiling water to the mix, wait 15 minutes and trap is clean. Rinse it off under clear water and you are good to go!

 

[itsasmallfarm]

When conibear / body grip traps are shipped, they are shipped as bare metal, coated in grease or oil. This has to be cleaned off before you can use them. There are a lot of exotic ways folks us to clean them up, but best way I've found is to dunk them in Purple Power degreaser, found in automotive section of Walmart. Put trap in the bottom of a bucket, pour some PP over it, add an equal amount of boiling water to the mix, wait 15 minutes and trap is clean. Rinse it off under clear water and you are good to go!

i season my traps by a pine tree, just throw em on the ground and leave for a few weeks and then they should not have any smell on them (this was told to me by a pro trapper)

 

[Howard E]

Probably a good idea to let those body grip traps (conibear....same thing) "breath" in the great outdoors after you get the shipping grease off them. Most are bare metal and will develop a light coating of rust when left outdoors. Others will dip them in trappers wax, the latter making the trigger slick and super sensitive and keeps them from rusting.

 

[Howard E]

On trapping foxes.......this is my favorite video on the subject and was found right here on BYC!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/i-caught-my-fox-updated-now-with-the-video.677983/

The neat trick with this is how the trap was baited with live birds......and covered. The latter being really important with live traps. You don't want the fox to be able to see the trap.

This is another live trap method to use without the live birds.........

But even so, trick remains to cover / conceal the trap behind the tarp, or bushes or whatever. You want to make a tunnel.....with bait in the back, and ideally, really close to entry point where the fox is using to assault your birds.

Option B, with a fox, is to use a snare. Snaring is an acquired skill, but may be one worth learning if you have a fox you can't catch any other way. Set it directly in front of the hole he is using in your coop and he will catch himself.

I've not found many good videos on snaring a fox........better ones on catching coons.

This guy does a really good job of explaining snares.....how they work and how to effectively set them.

Missouri is one of those states that requires a relaxing lock or live catch stop in the snare. Basically, it is not supposed to tighten up enough to kill the animal. If you have concerns about cats, dogs, or other non-target animals, snares with stops in them would be a good idea. These are supposed to catch the animal alive. (locking stops only get tighter.....use one of those and the animal will kill itself).

Source of snares was mentioned before, but no harm in doing it again.

https://www.snareshop.com/Aboutus.asp

 

[Howard E]

Here is a variation on the conibear or body grip trap for use on rats and weasels......stick with the smaller rodent trap. And you can use the same type of weasel box for rats or weasels......just make the box smaller. And I'd want to wax that trigger stick to make sure it is super sensitive.

https://www.snareshop.com/prodinfo.asp?number=KOROD

A seriously souped up rat trap!!!!

 

[Howard E]

Having purchased and tested the Koro trap, I'm not sure it is a candidate for our use with rats or weasels. First, it is a very powerful trap, which means it will be difficult for most to set and the friction created by the very powerful spring on this trap means it takes at least 4 to 5 oz of weight on the pan to get it to fire. It could probably be modified to make work, but for our members, most will not want to do that or have the skills needed to make these modifications if they wanted to. The flip side is due to it's incredible power, if you did get it to work, it will kill anything of that size graveyard dead.

Two similar options for rats and weasels may work better:

https://www.amazon.com/Various-SHOMHNK004-Black-Hole-Rodent/dp/B0007O24US

https://www.amazon.com/Victor-Black-Gopher-0625-Weather-Resistant/dp/B000FBMFDO

In both cases, bait would be set in the back. Triggers are much more sensitive and if the animal is in far enough to trip the trigger, he will almost certainly get caught.

These traps are said to work on all sizes of weasels....so for them, they may work instead of having to build a weasel box.

 

[Howard E]

On post #13 above, a body grip trap was shown in a weasel/mink box type setup. Although the concept is valid, the size traps typically used for minks, etc. are too large for rats and weasels. It turns out there are a few smaller sizes of these traps that may be useful for rats and weasels:


In this photo, bottom left to right is the same 110 (4 1/2" x 4 1/2" jaws), then a #50 (4 1/2" x 3 1/2" jaws), then what some refer to as a #40, a square body grip with 3" x 3" jaws.

On the top row, left to right are round body grips......a 3 1/2" round and a 2 1/2" round.

Not shown, but the same size as the 110 is a 120, which is also 4 1/2" x 4 1/2", but with two springs vs. just the 1, as is the case with the 110. The 120 is a much more powerful trap and is what you would use on minks, skunks, etc. A double spring 120 is shown in the mink box video.

The two most likely candidates to be used on rats or weasels would be the #40 (3" x 3" and 2 1/2" round). Not only are the traps smaller, but note the size of the coil springs, which are also smaller, meaning easier to set and since they are less powerful, they have less friction on the dog, so are more sensitive. A rat or weasel could easily set off either one of them, yet either trap is more than big enough to pop a weasel or rat. Fit them into a box with bait in the back, or impale your bait on the tips of one of the whiskers. A bit of tootsie roll might do it for rats?

Square trap goes in a box......the 2 1/2" round trap will fit inside a piece of 4" sewer pipe to create a tube type trap.

https://www.wildlifecontrolsupplies.com/removal/CTM_BG.html

(also available from the same seller on ebay).

The two midsize traps......the #50 and 3 1/2" round.......are smaller than the 110, yet extremely powerful. They might work if the trigger is sensitive enough.

And again, these are intended to be kill traps, which would be used to take out rats inside a home or structure where you do not want to risk the stench of death that you might get if they ate poison, then died in a wall cavity or somewhere.

Serious big boy traps that will get the job done on the biggest rats you have.