Snares Continued 1
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, 09-02-2008 at 11:51 AM (16128 Views)
Deer Stops
Deer stops are installed on snares to prevent the loop from closing past a minimum diameter. This will prevent the snare from closing around a deer's foot if one of these animals should accidentally encounter the snare.
Unlike other trapping devices,snares can only be used once. After an animal has been caught in a snare,the cable will be bent and will no longer function properly. But all the mechanical parts may be able to be reused to make more snares.
How A Snare Works
There may be some questions as to how a snare works if there is no powering device to close the snare loop. The fact is, the animal itself provides the power to close the snare. In use, the snare loop is suspended above a trail or path the animal is expected to take. The animal, walking along, enters the snare loop and continues its forward progress pulling the snare down on itself. On the surface, this may sound odd, but if you take into consideration how an animal travels through its environment and the conditions it meets there, this becomes more understandable .As an animal travels along, it regularly encounters weeds, vines, and small pieces of brush in its path. An animal does not make a detour every time it encounters one of these objects. Instead, it simply pushes its way through the obstruction. If by some chance the animal cannot muscle its way through, it will then back up and make a detour. An animal perceives a snare in the same manner that it perceives a vine or weed. It does not recognize the snare as a danger. On encountering the snare, the animal behaves as if the snare was just another vine or weed and tries to push its way on through. When it finds it cannot break free of the “vine” the animal will try to back out. However at this point, the snare is cinched down on the animal, and the lock keeps the snare from opening up.
Fastening and Stabilizing Snares
Like any other trapping device, a snare must be fastened in place to hold the animal while it is detained in the snare. Some state regulations require that a snare be fastened to a solid, immovable object or that it be staked. One easy way to fasten a snare is to stake it in place as you would a foothold trap. Make sure the stake is long enough and strong enough to hold any animal that might get in the snare. Wood stakes can be used for snares, but many trappers prefer to use steel stakes because they are more durable. In using a snare on a stake, you should try to provide swiveling at the stake as you would for a foothold trap. With a wood stake, the snare swivel itself may provide the swiveling action you need. Some snare swivels are designed to accept a steel stake right through the swivel. You also have the option of fastening a regular stake swivel or s-hook to the end of the snare to provide for use with a steel stake. For larger animals, like coyotes, you may want to consider using a cross-stake system to hold the snare. The same devices used to cross stake foot-hold traps can be used to cross stake a snare. The other option for fastening a snare is to anchor it to an immovable object. Usually this comes in the form of a tree or a large log that the animal cannot move. If the anticipated path of the target animal comes close to a tree or a log, this would be a good place to construct a set. To fasten a snare to a tree or log, use a piece of heavy gauge wire to completely encircle the trunk. Pass the wire through the snare swivel and twist it closed. Sometimes a snare is not quite long enough to reach the object that you want to fasten it to. In this case, you should use an extension made of snare cable to lengthen the snare. You can purchase these or make them using a length of cable and forming a loop in each end. NEVER, use wire to extend a snare. A wire snare extension could easily kink and break as the animal struggles in the snare. Another aspect of getting a snare in place is stabilizing the snare so it hangs in the proper position. A snare must be supported so that the loop hangs vertically and will be in the proper position to intercept the animal. The best way to do this is with a piece of wire. One end of the wire is fastened to the snare cable and the other end of the wire is anchored solidly. Bending the wire allows you to position the snare. In attaching the wire to the snare, there are several options. You can bend a small hook in the wire and crimp this onto the snare cable. However, crimping the wire to the snare may interfere with the action of the swivel. Another way to attach the wire to the snare is to bend the end of the wire into the shape of an “N” and thread the snare cable into it. Some snares are equipped with coiled wire support collars that will accept a certain size wire. Here the wire is slid under the support collar where it pinches against the cable. For the anchored end of the stabilizer wire, you can wrap the wire around a stake or wrap it around a tree or log, especially if you have fastened your snare to this object. One option is to leave a long tail on the fastening wire and use this tail to support the snare. You can also anchor the end of the support wire by spearing it in to the ground. Wire in size 11 or 12 gauge, or larger, is best for fastening and stabilizing snares. You should not, however, use wire to extend the length of a snare. When an animal is detained in a snare, it has the use of all four feet and can pull hard against the fastening. If wire gets kinked and bent, it can readily break. If you need to extend the length of a snare, use a piece of snare cable with a loop formed in each end. The cable is designed to hold up under the struggles of the animal.
Using a stake is a good way to fasten a snare. Steel stakes often serve better for land trapping because they are more durable. The stake system must be strong enough to hold the largest animal that can get in the snare. In poor soil conditions it may be necessary to use a cross stake system. If the snare swivel does not fit well on the stake, you can use a regular stake swivel and fasten it to the snare. An s-hook would also work.
Use a length of heavy gauge wire wrapped around the object to fasten the snare. Pass the wire through the snare swivel.
Cont.