William F. Andelt
Colorado State University Cooperative Extension
- Snaring
is an effective technique to capture animals that
cause economic damage and for harvesting furbearers.
- Snares
placed in trails or under fences can successfully
capture furbearers.
- Carefully
select sites where snares are set to avoid capturing
non-target animals such as deer and dogs.
|
Snaring is a useful technique to capture animals that cause
economic loss, such as coyotes that kill livestock and beavers
that cut trees or plug irrigation ditches. Snaring also is
popular for harvesting surplus furbearers, one of our renewable
natural resources. Snares are effective for capturing target
animals, but may capture non-target animals such as deer and
dogs if used improperly.
Snaring
is the technique of setting a steel-cable loop in an animal's
movement path to capture the animal by the neck or leg. Snares
usually consist of a 2-1/2 to 10-foot long piece of galvanized
aircraft cable containing a slide lock that forms a loop in
the cable (Figure 1). Attach a swivel, which prevents twisting
and breaking of the cable, to the end of the cable opposite
the loop.
Snares
present several advantages over steel leghold traps. They
are light weight, compact, simple in function, affected little
by weather, easy to set, low in cost, and offer a high degree
of trapper safety. In a south Texas study, snares were 10
times more selective for target species (coyotes and bobcats)
than steel leghold traps. However, snares can be a greater
hazard to livestock and some non-target species may be killed.
New
commercial snares and extension cables can be cleaned by boiling
in detergent and hanging outdoors for a few months until they
turn a dull gray. Snares also can be changed to a dull gray
by boiling each dozen snares in 4 tablespoons of baking soda
for one hour. Darker snares can be obtained by boiling in
brown logwood crystals and dye. After boiling, keep snares
clean of foreign odors. Wear clean gloves when handling and
setting snares.
Snares
designed to capture furbearers by the neck or leg are set
directly in the center of the animal's movement path. Snares
usually are held in an animal's movement path with one of
several different support systems. One support that works
particularly well can be constructed from a 36-inch piece
of 12-gauge galvanized or 9-gauge soft wire. A "V" bend is
made in the support wire about 4 inches from the end and driven
into the ground with a notched rod to prevent the support
from moving in the wind. The snare is wrapped around the support
about three times and held in place by a "U" configuration
formed in the upper end of the snare support. Bend the snare
cable upward slightly, just inside the lock, so the snare
loop is not closed by the wind (see Figure 1).
Attach
snares to a solid object so captured animals cannot escape.
A steel 1/2-inch diameter rebar, 24 to 30 inches long (depending
on soil hardness), makes a good anchor. Attach snares to the
rebar with a strong swivel to prevent tangling and breaking.
Use a lead cable that is at least as strong as the snare cable
to attach short snares to the rebar stake. Avoid using 9-gauge
wire or several strands of 14-gauge wire to anchor snares
to a rebar stake because they may bend back and forth, crystallize,
and break. When used for beaver, snares also can be secured
to a tree that is at least 6 inches in diameter or to the
base of a large shrub such as a willow.
Snares
set in holes under woven wire fences should be held in place
about 1 to 2 inches from the fence with the snare support
system described in Figure 1. The top of the snare can be
as high as 3 inches above the bottom wire of the fence. Set
the snare far enough away from the fence to prevent the lock
from catching on the bottom wire of the fence. Hold the snares
in place by clipping them to the bottom wire of the fence
with a fine U- shaped wire such as a 1 1/2-inch piece of a
paper clip that allows the snare to easily release (Figure
2). The bottom of the loop should be about 2 inches above
the bottom of the hole or coyotes and foxes may be caught
by a front leg. With either of the above snare support systems,
anchor the snares to the heavy-gauge wire on the bottom of
the fence. The upper wires on a woven wire fence usually are
too weak to secure a snare.
Snares
occasionally are placed in the field but left unset for one
to two weeks. This placement allows trappers to quickly set
snares when pelts become prime and reduces human scent at
the site.
Snares
usually are set in the form of a round or oval loop. A round
loop that is 12 inches in diameter can form an oval loop that
is about 14 inches high and 10 inches wide. The following
round loop diameters and heights above ground are recommended
when snaring furbearers (Table 1).
A 5/64-
or 3/32-inch diameter galvanized aircraft cable is recommended
for snaring coyotes, beaver, and raccoons. Foxes and bobcats
can be captured in 1/16- to 3/32-inch-diameter snares.
Table
1. A snare set in a hole under a livestock fence |
Furbearer |
Type
of set |
Round
loop diameter (inches) |
Height
of bottom of loop above ground (inches) |
Coyote |
Trail |
9-12 |
10-12 |
Coyote |
Under
Fence |
7-10 |
2 |
Coyote |
Leg
Snare |
8-11 |
4 |
Fox |
Trail |
8-10 |
6-9 |
Fox |
Leg
Snare |
8-11 |
4 |
Bobcat |
Trail |
8-10 |
6-8 |
Raccoon |
Trail |
8-10 |
3-5 |
Beaver |
Den,
underwater |
8-11 |
Cover
bottom of loop slightly |
Beaver |
Dryland
Trail |
8-11 |
2-4 |
Beaver |
Slide
in water |
8-11 |
Set
bottom of loop 2 inches below water |
Animals
usually follow the easiest route through heavy cover. These
routes, which generally consist of trails, are excellent locations
to snare furbearers. Specific locations to set snares for
individual species follow.
- Trails
to uplands--place in water or on land along the route.
- Trails
over dams--set on top or bottom side of water.
- Narrow
creek passages.
- Den
entrances: Construct a 2- to 3-inch high mound with mud
and apply beaver castor. Make a V-shaped fence by placing
old branches vertically in the mud. The center of the V
should be open. The V should point toward the mound and
be located about 1 foot from the mound. Place the snare
in the opening with the bottom of the snare about 2 inches
below the water.
- Under
ice at lodges and food caches.
- Trails
leading to a carcass, bone pile, or pond.
- Trails
in the bottom of ravines.
- Trails
under fences.
- Trails
into thickets.
- Livestock
trails in vacant pastures.
- Narrow
paths inside weeds or brush.
- Trails
can be created by driving down weeds or stubble with a pickup
or by walking in snow.
- Culvert
-- place lure inside.
- Under
bridges.
- Holes
under old buildings.
- Along
river banks next to water.
- Along
top of high banks next to a river.
- Trail
along the top of beaver dams -- keep snare up to avoid beaver.
- Avoid
setting under fences and near trees and brush because raccoons
can become entangled.
Check
snares regularly. Within any city limits or any areas annexed
into a city, Colorado Division of Wildlife regulations require
that snares be checked at least once daily unless mechanical
means are provided to kill snared animals. In all other areas,
snares must be visually checked at least once every other
day unless mechanical means are provided to kill snared animals.
However, all snares, especially those set near residential
areas, should be checked once every 24 hours, preferably early
in the morning, to increase the probability of releasing non-target
animals unharmed and to minimize the duration of restraint.
Carefully
select sites where snares are set to avoid capturing non-target
animals.
- Avoid
setting snares on public lands where hunting dogs might
be captured during the upland game bird seasons.
- Avoid
setting snares in pastures with livestock.
- Avoid
setting snares within 50 yards of animal carcasses to prevent
capturing birds of prey and other scavengers.
- Avoid
setting snares within major deer, elk, or antelope wintering
areas. These big game animals are much less susceptible
to leghold traps.
- Avoid
setting snares on any trails being used by deer, elk, and
other non-target animals. Attract predators and furbearers
away from trails with specific baits and lures.
- Avoid
placing a stick horizontally over the trail to encourage
deer to jump over or go around the snare. This method encourages
deer to lower their heads and get captured in the snare.
- Avoid
setting snares under fences where antelope, deer, or dogs
are using the crawl space.
- Although
most dogs do not struggle a great deal in snares and most
can be released uninjured, avoid setting snares near residences
where dogs may accidentally be captured. Use a short snare
cable to reduce injuries where accidentally captured dogs
might jump over a fence or tree branch. Also, avoid using
entangling devices, which increase the chance of killing
an animal, in areas where dogs may be captured.
- Snares
are prohibited along portions of the Gunnison, Piedra, San
Juan, and Dolores Rivers and some of their tributaries to
protect river otters.
- Carry
a catch pole to release dogs and other non-target wildlife.
- Use
the lightest snare lock possible, such as the Gregerson
breakaway lock, to capture the desired animal. If deer,
elk, and antelope are captured by a leg, they usually can
break a light lock but may be held by heavy home-made washer
locks.
- Avoid
setting snares where people can readily view captured animals.
- Place
the location and number of snares on a map so that all can
be found.
- Remove
all snares at the end of the season or when they cannot
be checked frequently.
Snares
are likely to remain a legal harvest tool and a legal depredation
control device if they are not misused. There is no need to
make a set that has high potential for capturing non-target
animals. For example, most coyotes can be captured anywhere
within their home range, which usually averages 1 1/2 to 10
square miles in size. Thus, select areas where non-target
animals will not be captured. Before setting snares, become
familiar with state wildlife regulations. Learn the proper
techniques and try to accompany a proficient snareperson while
learning to set and check snares. By all means, THINK before
setting any snare. Responsible trappers have an obligation
to the wildlife species as well as other trappers, so do your
best to avoid problems when snaring.
A furbearer
license is required to snare badger, gray fox, kit fox, swift
fox, beaver, marten, muskrat, mink, ringtail, long-tailed
weasel, short-tailed weasel, and bobcat. A small game or furbearer
license is required to snare coyote, red fox, raccoon, striped
skunk, spotted skunk, hognosed skunk, or opossum.
Disclaimer and Reproduction
Information: Information in NASD does not represent NIOSH
policy. Information included in NASD appears by permission
of the author and/or copyright holder. More
NASD Review: 04/2002
Service
in Action 6.517, Cooperative Extension, Colorado State University.
Published January 1988. Revised August 1993. Copyright 1993.
For more information, contact your county Cooperative Extension
office.
Colorado
State University Cooperative Extension wildlife specialist
and associate professor, fishery and wildlife biology.
|