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Winter Trapping Tips

Winter Trapping Tips

Each season brings its own challenges to the WCO and winter is no different. Here are a few tips to maximize your results when Mother Nature tries to slow you down.
1. Choose the right glue board. I am not a big fan of glue boards but sometimes they are needed. In cold weather, choose the freezer-style glue boards as they stay tacky even down to freezing temperatures.

Board used to protect a cage trap from snow. Photo by Stephen M. Vantassel.
Board used to protect a cage trap from snow. Photo by Stephen M. Vantassel.

2. Protect your cage traps from snow. Snow can conceal your bait and bury your traps making it ineffective. Worse yet, you have to dig out your traps later. Protect your traps in advance by setting them under an evergreen tree, under an eave, on the lee side of a tree or building, or place a sheet of plywood on top.
3. Improve your baiting technique. Bait won’t volatize as easily in cold weather so don’t think that your bait will have the same draw as it does in the summer. Thus you need to pay more attention to locating your traps in the best location. But since that may not be possible (see point 2) think about using trailing lures to help guide the animal to the trap.

About the Author

Stephen M. Vantassel is a Certified Wildlife Control Operator (CWCP®) who helps individuals, businesses, and agencies resolve wildlife damage issues through training, writing, expert witness, and research. He has written the Wildlife Damage Inspection Handbook, 3rd edition. Reach him at wildlifecontrolconsultant at gmail dot com.

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All postings are the property of Stephen M. Vantassel and Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. Text (not images) may be reprinted in non-profit publications provided that the author and website URL is included. If images wish to be used, explicit and written permission must be obtained from Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC.

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10 Ideas to Consider Before Leaving Your Cage Trap Part 2

10 Ideas to Consider Before Leaving Your Cage Trap Part 2

English: Self folding aluminium trap used to c...
English: Self folding aluminium trap used to catch animals on the ground and keep them alive when captured. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

6. Did you consider the weather? Unfortunately a lot of people think cage traps are by definition humane. The truth of the matter is that they are not. Animals caught in cages can suffer heat stress in the summer sun or suffer hypothermia in the winter rain. Always consider the movement of the sun and potential weather conditions when you’re setting traps. When harsh weather is coming, it is better to wire doors open than to risk catching an animal when the weather won’t let you return. Placing the trap cover over 50% of the length of your trap can go a long way to improve the welfare of your trapped animal.

7. Evaluate the public risk for setting the trap. By public risk, I mean the potential for children, pets, and thieves to encounter your traps. Whenever possible, set your traps in locations that cannot be easily accessed by the public, especially children. Placing a trap on the roof of the building (properly secured) is a better location for squirrel trapping than on the ground. Placing a trap in the bushes where it’s hidden from view is a better location than in the middle of the lawn.

8. Is your trap properly anchored? This is especially important when you’re using traps with gravity doors as opposed to spring-loaded doors. Secure your traps in such a way they cannot easily be knocked over or vibrate as the animal steps inside.

9. Use the smallest cage trap necessary to capture the target animal. Proper trap selection helps to reduce non-target captures. Small traps by definition can’t catch large animals.

10. Use positive sets whenever possible. A positive set is the placement of the trap in such a manner that the animal is forced into the trap as it leaves its den. While bait may be used to reduce refusal, only the animals that leave the whole are the ones capable of being caught. In this regard only the “this guilty” animals are taken.

About the Author

Stephen M. Vantassel is a certified wildlife control operator who helps individuals, businesses, and agencies resolve wildlife damage issues through training, writing, expert testimony, and research. His latest book is the Wildlife Damage Inspection Handbook, 3rd edition. He can be contacted at wildlifecontrolconsultant at gmail dot com. His website is https://wildlifecontrolconsultant.com

Copyright

All postings are the property of Stephen M. Vantassel and Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. Text may be reprinted in non-profit publications provided that the author and website URL is included.

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10 Ideas to Consider Before Leaving Your Cage Trap Part 1

10 Ideas to Consider Before Leaving Your Cage Trap Part 1

English: A cage trap designed to catch rats. T...
English: A cage trap designed to catch rats. The door closes by gravity when the rat moves the penal which is attached to levers. The cage contains bread as bait. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

1. Did you select the right location? Set the traps for the convenience of the animal not your convenience. Bait will never overcome the problems of a poor set location.

2. Are your traps properly stabilized or secured? A wobbly trap is an empty trap because it will easily misfire. Traps placed on roofs or on buildings need to be securely anchored so they don’t become a fall hazard.

3. Did you consider the area around your trap? Cage traps allow animals to reach out of the cage and grab (or destroy) items in the area. Raccoons are known to shred shingles when trapped on roofs. One wildlife control operator placed a trap too close to the garden hose. When he returned the next day, the raccoon had pulled all 50 feet of the garden hose into the trap forcing him to by the customer new one. Consider the 1 foot area around a trap (in all directions) at risk when setting a trap. Use plywood, hardware cloth etc. to protect surfaces from damage.

4. Is the cage trap’s treadle free from obstruction? Setting traps on soil or mulch occasionally stirs up debris underneath the treadle thereby interfering with its action. Test fire the trap before leaving.

5. Is the cage door free from obstruction? When setting cages up against burrows, particularly around buildings, the door can become jammed by the structure or your barriers. Always ensure that your barricades or positive trapping systems don’t interfere with door action.

About the Author

Stephen M. Vantassel is a certified wildlife control operator who helps individuals, businesses, and agencies resolve wildlife damage issues through training, writing, expert testimony, and research. His latest book is the Wildlife Damage Inspection Handbook, 3rd edition. He can be contacted at wildlifecontrolconsultant at gmail dot com. His website is https://wildlifecontrolconsultant.com

Copyright

All postings are the property of Stephen M. Vantassel and Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. Text may be reprinted in non-profit publications provided that the author and website URL is included.

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Baiting Box/Cage Traps with the Y Stick

Baiting Box/Cage Traps with the Y Stick

This isn’t about the kind of baits you should use to trap  problem animals. Rather it’s about a method to place and manipulate the bait to  make it more effective. Y stick baiting technique Photo by Stephen M. Vantassel

Box and Cage Trapping Not as Easy as You Think

Box and cage traps are completely different to animals than traditional trapping tools. Here we have this unnatural metal or plastic contraption that we are trying to lure the animal into. He will sense its foreignness. The metal will feel harsh under his feet and his  body may feel cramped by the small opening. All these factors add to the animal’s reluctance to enter the trap. So if we are going to get the animal into the trap we must make sure it has a good reason to enter.

Choosing the right bait or lure is of course very important to enticing an animal into the trap. However, if the bait isn’t situated properly in the trap, the animal won’t be able to sense it and know its there.

Animals hunt primarily using three senses, hearing, smell and sight. Typically WCOs do not utilize hearing in their trapping so we won’t discuss techniques for this sense, but I should note that this is changing.

The “Y” Stick Baiting Technique

Usually trappers exploit the animal’s sense of smell to capture the animal. The key is to bait the trap so that the food or lure molecules have the opportunity to disperse into the air. The method I like to use most often was taught to me by Rob Erickson. He advises trappers to get a ‘Y” stick and with the stem of the “Y” scoop out some of your bait. Then insert the stem into the bait area of the trap so that the bifurcated stems grab into the trap mesh thereby allowing the stem to dangle. With this method the bait has a very high exposure to the air around it. Other advantages lie in the techniques ability to reduce the loss of bait to hungry ants. By keeping the bait off the ground it is more difficult for the ants to find it. Finally, this technique allows the bait to remain active even if it rains. The small surface area makes it difficult for rain to wash it away and when it does then the bait can fall to ground where it may still be effective.

Downside of the Y Stick Baiting Technique

The downside to this method is that it works only with paste baits. If your bait or lure is especially liquid this baiting technique would not be recommended because it won’t cling to the stick properly. In addition, since the y portion extends above the trap, it may be affected by the trap cover. So if you use this method, be sure to check that the stick is still hanging properly after you cover the trap. Failure to consider this may allow the animal to grab the bait without having to get close enough to depress the treadle. Remember, animals are just as lazy as we are. If they can grab something by reaching for it rather than moving towards it they will. So be sure you hang the bait stick/wire towards the back half of the bait area.

Stephen M. Vantassel is a certified wildlife control operator and is available for consultation, speaking, and writing on wildlife damage management related topics.

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5 Tips for Effective Box or Cage Trapping

Leghold trap.
Image via Wikipedia

5 Tips for Effective Box or Cage Trapping

Many people, including some professional pest/wildlife controllers, think that live trapping wildlife is easy. Cage and box trapping (mistakenly referred to as live trapping when footholds and cable restraints are also live trapping) consists of using wire-based enclosures (cage traps) or solid wall enclosures (box traps) to capture wildlife. While it is true that the use of these devices is simpler than using footholds, the use of box/cage traps still requires attention to detail.

Here are five tips to make your use of cage/box traps more effective in resolving wildlife complaints for your clients.

Tip #1. Select the smallest size trap for the target animal.

Cage traps come in a variety of sizes and styles. It is best to choose the smallest size trap necessary for the animal you are planning to catch. For single door traps, choose 10x12x32; skunk 7x7x24 inches and squirrel 5x5x18 inches. These dimensions can be modified for different manufacturers but they provide a good guide. Small traps are less expensive and more of them will fit in your truck but the most important advantage is that they reduce non-target captures. Why set a skunk-sized trap when trapping for squirrels? Using a larger trap,  increases the risk of catching a skunk or opossum or something else that isn’t the target animal your client has hired you to control.

Tip #2. Use the right bait

Failure to use enough traps means that you are not taking advantage of the time-benefits provided by traps. Traps work even when you are not around. I recommend setting at least 3 per job, more if you can. This allows you 3 trap nights for every 24 hour period where placing only one trap gives you only 1 trap night per 24 hour period. Think of it as more hooks in the water.

Tip #4  Choose the right location(s)

As they say in real estate, property is all about location, location, location. The same concept applies to trapping. Don’t make the animal move to your trap, move the trap to the path of the animal. Never make the bait do what moving the trap will do for you. Now of course, there are situations where the best location isn’t prudent, perhaps because children, pets, or the nosy public will interfere with your work. In those situations, you should still look for where the animal is likely to travel and find a more secluded spot. If that isn’t possible, then use a trailing lure available at professional trapping suppliers.

Tip #5 Follow the right setting procedure

Avoid sloppy setting procedures. Even though cage/box traps are more forgiving than footholds, you still need to stabilize them to keep them from wobbling when the animal enters. Wobbly traps can spook animals and sometimes cause the trap to spring prematurely allowing the animal to back out.

In addition, you must ensure the cage/box trap is humanely set. Contrary to popular mythology, cage/box traps can be quite cruel. Trapped animals can bake in the summer sun, or freeze in a driving ice-storm. So think about where you put your traps. Will they be shielded from the sun/rain. Chances are no. But simply covering 50% of the trap’s length with a sturdy cloth cover provides the animal with shelter from wind, rain, and sun. It also protects the bait from prying claws, forcing the animal to enter through the entrance to get the bait.

There is much more to effective box/cage trapping but these 5 tips will help remove a number of key mistakes made by wildlife control professionals.

Stephen M. Vantassel, CWCP, ACP

Stephen provides consulting services to the public, wildlife control professionals, and others on issues related to wildlife damage management. He is available for conferences, workshops, and private training.

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About Stephen

Stephen M. Vantassel MNI, CNI, CWCP, ACP Bio Stephen M. Vantassel is the Vertebrate Pest Specialist for the Montana Department of Agriculture (2015-present). Formerly, he was the Program Coordinator of Distance Education-Wildlife Damage Management for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln School of Natural Resources from 2004-2014. Stephen filled the position vacated by Dallas Virchow, who … Learn More

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