Where to snare?

[den]

Hello

I’ve got a few Questions about rabbit snaring if any one could help? :-D

Where to site snares on a run?

Obviously one place would be to site at an obstruction, a narrowing where the rabbit could not deviate from the run. Are there anymore places anyone could think of which they have had some success?
Cheers all
Den :-D

 

[Stuart]

I site my snares where i can see runs entering or leaving cover (brambles etc)

this provides a natural bottle neck and the hole in the cover provides the exact placement of the snare

i usually look for places which i can see a small hollow just inside the brambles just behind the hole where the run appears where the rabbit can stop and watch the open ground before venturing out (as these seem to be the prefured runs for rabbits and those most used)

or

places where they travel from cover to cover (as this is usually done quickly and they are focused on the other side)

always with the loop a fist wide and four fingers off the ground I have also taken up Ed's practice of always using guides (small sticks to ensure that the rabit does not travel around the snare)

this is one of Ed's setups

also note in the picture that Ed's snares end with a triangular section where they are tied to the tree, this adds stiffness and support tothe snare to prevent it from drooping (another tip that i have adopted from Ed)

the placment is by far the most important part of laying a snare though in the picture below the snare has no guide sticks, no triange where its anchored (in fact it has no cord to tie on the wire is twisted directly around the anchor) it doent even have an eyelet, its just a piece of six strand brass wire yet this snare is in a good position and caught a rabbit each time it was set (three rabbits in total)

be sure that before you start snaring you fully understand the law and i recommend geting somone with experiance to take you out for your first few trips

 

[Gary]

Yep I'm with Stuart on that - a good instructor/guide to teach you the basics is a must. It is only fair as it is a life you will be playing with and causing unnecessary suffering is unforgivable.

EMMMMMM wonder who first taught Stuart?

 

[Stuart]

I had a good teacher :-D

 

[Yeoman Bone]

another trick that i believe is worthy of note is to soak the snare wire in ketchup or vinegar overnight when you first get them.
this will remove the shine that can alert your quarry to the snares presence and improve your chances of a catch
alternativly you can give them a quick charring on the fire (although this can make the wire brittle if done for too long)

 

[den]

Thanks for the speedy reply lads.. :-D

Sound advice Stuart. I’ve been trapping rabbits and hares myself on and off for about 15 yrs now. The things covered are spot on .Good pictures.

Are there anymore points you can think of for when you are setting snares?
Do you ever build up the bottle neck if it’s not clearly defined? I see you use guide sticks. I find it worth while adding the odd discreet branch or twig etc to channel it directly in to the snare. Before practicing this I found a lot of my snares brushed aside where it has only just missed.
Have you ever had much success with building an obstruction which channels directly into a snare? Say between two bushes.

I like to use my snares only after a good weathering down the bottom of the garden. I’ve used the fire smoking before when i have been caught short on the weathering.
Stuart your snares are shiny. Does this make a difference? My snares have always dulled as part of the weathering but I would still dull them if I didn’t have time to weather them. To tell the truth, I done it more part of routine not really knowing if it makes a difference. Does anybody know if dulling your snares makes a difference? Can’t say I’ve ever tried the ketchup or vinegar Yeoman Bone
Cheers
Den :-D
:-D

 

[Lithril]

When I was out learning from Ed, the guides really did help, if the run is coming out of some bushes then only a few guides are needed, to stop them diverting off to one side. I don't think the shiny wire is too much of a problem as the rabbits only see in black & white, when they're bolting, they're looking for the opening.

One thing I did pick up is the small stick that the loop sits on is vital that its secure, I set one up, we came back the next day to find it flattened with only a few tufts of hair showing. Either the noose had fallen off the stick or it was set slightly too low, either way the rabbit when straight over the top of it.

 

[Stuart]

normally i try to disturb the area as little as possible, but if there are places where there is a lot of traffic but no suitable position to set a snare then on occasion I do build bottlenecks.

in the picture below there was a great deal of traffic moving between these two areas of gauze, but the soil here is only a centimeter deep with solid bedrock underneath (its the top of a cliffline) so i could not put in stakes for the snare.

so a build a V shaped stone wall toped with gauze six feet long between the bushes and left one hole in the middle of the V, then left it for a week for the rabbits to become used to it

then i set the snare (attached to a large stone in the wall to act as a drag with a length of paracord tied the bush on the side) as shown below in the closeup picture

I dont diliberatly deshine my snares but many of them have darkend from corrosion and i have not noticed any difference between the shiny and dull snares i there ability to catch rabbits

however i do spend time descenting my snares (I keep them outside in a bag of rabbit droppings) and i try to handle them as little as possible

I have notied that snares that have not been descented need to be out for up to a week (or a few days if it is raining a lot) before they lose some of the human scent and begin to work effectivly (though you will catch the odd rabbit that was bolting)

 

[Ed]

Stuart your snares are shiny. Does this make a difference? My snares have always dulled as part of the weathering but I would still dull them if I didn’t have time to weather them. To tell the truth, I done it more part of routine not really knowing if it makes a difference. Does anybody know if dulling your snares makes a difference

Yes they were shiny..... They were mine..... the thing was..... I ended up going at short notice (about 24hours) and so had just braided the snares for that weekend to show people what to do. They were new and not descented. I like yourself leave my snares out and leave them to weather, descent and dull....


Ed

 

[den]

Ah another fine photo.
I worked a wall like the one above some years ago to catch a hare in Cyprus, but Never for Rabbits in the UK.
It’s one of them things you don’t need often as there are normally much better spots which don’t involve much modification. However it can come up trumps when the others fail.
Do you think the set, up like the one above could increase your chances of getting unwanted traffic going through?
I would be quite pi**** If I snared anything else.
I think even if you have got permission to use snares on someone’s land, you really need to consider what else could come along and visit your snare. Are there houses near? Are there any animal sign apart from rabbit? Dog walkers.
If you like rabbit that much get a .22. Nag Nag
Den :-D

 

[Ed]

you really need to consider what else could come along and visit your snare. Are there houses near? Are there any animal sign apart from rabbit? Dog walkers.

Well said den!!! Very Importtant!!!
It is part of the skill of snaring to be able to identify rabbit runs comming off the main game trail..... if in doubt.... dont lay the snare.


Ed

 

[Stuart]

I think even if you have got permission to use snares on someone’s land, you really need to consider what else could come along and visit your snare. Are there houses near? Are there any animal sign apart from rabbit? Dog walkers

I dont have much time to anwser this (I'm writing from a library in Finnland) but its a good point and one of the many reasons i recommend getting somone with experiance to teach you and take you out on your first few trips at least

all the snares in the pictures above are well away from housing and areas where people walk dogs

the advantage of snares over a 22. rifle is that you do not have to sit and wait for the rabbit, it will catch food whilst you are doing other things you have to check them twice a day but they will keep hunting for you every day for as long as they are set