raccoon trapping

[coon boy 1]

I would like to make some home made survival traps .
just some thing that is not to hard to make:)
so if you can give me some ideas that would be helpful and I mean any thing that works for you:;)

[Rick]

Hi coon boy. You can do a search on traps and come up with several posts on the subject. Here's a good one Beo just recently posted. Trot on over to the Introduction section and introduce yourself to the pack. Welcome.

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1703&highlight=traps

[NY MtnMan72]

I'm patial to snares....
You can find ALL kinds of internet articles and videos on youtube that show you basics of snares..... one of my favorite is some of the archive articles you can find on field&streams website.... for instance this good article....
http://www.fieldandstream.com/fieldstream/outdoorskills/article/0,13199,493459,00.html with detailed drawings...

I realize that some people are very concerned about the "humanity" of snaring rabbits, squirrels, coons, etc etc.... but when it comes down to it- if your going to kill an animal for its meat/and or pelts... does it really matter how the critter dies?

Ideally it would be nice to have a .22 rifle in the wild, but theres something nice about snares- they work while your SLEEPING..:) and no rifle i own can do that!

[MedicineWolf]

He's right go there and read that post, also try this.
You will need a snare made of a wire or cable. Snares are relatively inexpensive or can be made pretty easily. Remember that most likely you will only get one catch out of a cable as they kink when an animal is caught.
Look for a place to set your snare. In a survival situation you are looking at animals such as rabbits, squirrels, raccons, opposum, muskrats and even fox.
If you are in an upland wooded area or field, look for paths in the thick grass or thickets. Make an educated guess on what type of animal is using the trail if you can't read tracks. This is important as it will dictate the size of you loop and height of the snare when set.
For example; a trail along a creek may be from raccoons, opposum and fox. The loop should be about six inches, use your fist on the ground with your thumb sticking up to determine the height of the bottom of the loop. In an aquatic area look for trails in the marsh or in the bottom of the pond. Most likey these are made by muskrats. Set your loop at 2-3 inches and an inch and a half of the ground. Most likely with muskrats your cable will be reusable as they are not large animals.
Center the snare in the middle of the trail.
Fasten it down to a solid anchor ( tree, fence, root). Remember the rule of thumb; you may be expecting a rabbit but prepare for an elephant.
The next day you may find your catch alive. Be prepared to dispatch the animal. In a survival situation you will need a club, it is a good idea to prepare one before you check your snare. A swift blow or two to the head is the most humane way of dispatching the animal without using a gun.
A few tips:
Since snares are good for one use, you may want to pack three or four in a survival and/or first aid kit. Also the more snares you set the better the percentages that you will catch something.
A snare that has been used and kinked can be used for other purposes in a survial situation and can at times be used again if kinking isn't too bad.
A great place to set snares is on logs crossing a stream. Raccoons, oppossum, fox and squirrels use these structures every night. Remember to put the loop lower as animals keep a lower center of gravity with their heads down as they cross on a log.

This is a simple wire snare: http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/6388/wiresnareet0.th.png (http://img405.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wiresnareet0.png)

This is one set: http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/3476/setsnarekl1.th.png (http://img248.imageshack.us/my.php?image=setsnarekl1.png)

[trax]

Good job Medicine Wolf, anyone wondering..you're probably not going to get a better explanation than that.

[RobertRogers]

I agree, good description. It's no wonder snares are illegal in many areas - they are just too efficient. You can wipe out alot of bunnies and other creatures.

Also, remember to check the snares at least once a day because your catch will attract all sorts of predators and you may find something else has had a good snack for all your efforts.

[trax]

right on, up north we used to say, don't worry about checking your traps, if you don't, the wolves will do it for you.

[wareagle69]

what the heck ya need to trap em for people drop them off to me by the dozens had 140 or so last year

[Rick]

Hey Trax!!! 140 raccoons to go with the pygmy cavalry on Shetland ponies. Nobody but nobody wants to mess with a raccoon let alone 140 of 'em.

[trax]

I was actually picturing a rather lovely fur coat

[wareagle69]

shh don't tell the mrs every now and then some come up "missing" then we eat supper and try to figure out how they escaped