Something eating my catch

[THE GRIFF 8]

I have been and checked my rabbit snares today to find 2 have been pulled off a wire fence, one peg snare has had the wire bit through half way down the wire and another snare has gone missing with a chunk of the fence snapped off.

That's 4 snares in total.

At first I thought it was Charlie but after thinking about it I think it's more likely to be a billy, the fact that something has pulled the fence down.

I am going to bait it up and do the clock and battery trick to see if it's happening at the same time each night.

If it is a billy do they tend to always come back at the same time each night as fox's often do.

Do you also think this problem will go away on it's own if left.

 

[The one 8,398]

Would you go away if you where getting a free feed each night ?. no chance lift your snares mate your on a hiding to nothing

[THE GRIFF 8]

Would you go away if you where getting a free feed each night ?. no chance lift your snares mate your on a hiding to nothing

That's what I meant, if I gather the snares in for a week or 2 and then put them back down do you think the problem will disappear or will I have to get rid of the "fox"

The main problem is I need to keep on top of the rabbits in this particular area, it's took us nearly 12 months and we have finnaly more a less wiped them out but over the last couple of weeks we have started to get a few moving back in again, I don't want them getting settled back in and breeding again.

[micky 3,325]

If your killing them whats the problem,? just carry on .

[Night Hunter 109]

I would be carefull mate It will cause you no end of grief if some cu*t else finds one of your snares with Billy in it,have you thaught about digging in one or two tunnel drop boxes into the fenceline they work great if there are only one or two routes through the fence but the rest of the fence needs to be pretty much rabbit proof .

 

http://www.rabbitcontrol.org/our-methods/drop-boxes

Edited April 28, 2012 by Night Hunter

[The one 8,398]

Aye if it's charlie a fox wire each end of the snare line might pick him up but with anything else you knackered unless as above drop boxes then it's a big outlay and you need to fence the area . Once the foxes and crows find a snare line at this time of year i pull it it's dawn at 4or 5 am and unless your emptying the snares then there beating you to your rabbits you could try pulling it for a week or two ,but cant you try another method of control on that bit

[THE GRIFF 8]

If your killing them whats the problem,? just carry on .

First of all the fence is getting damaged where the snares are getting pulled off.

Secondly, it's not ideal when snares are disappearing or getting damaged.

And thirdly, the butcher isn't very happy.

 

[THE GRIFF 8]

I would be carefull mate It will cause you no end of grief if some cu*t else finds one of your snares with Billy in it,

 

http://www.rabbitcontrol.org/our-methods/drop-boxes

 

They are only brass snares on a fence, I don't think one of these would hold a billy for long, I have known them drag a fox snare attached to a tree trunk for 100 yards, the tree trunk was that heavy it was difficult for a grown man to drag it back.

The problem isn't the billy getting caught in the snares, it's it eating what's in it and the damage it's causing, that's presuming it's not a fox.

 

It wouldn't be possible to use a drop box, the fence is too open.

[IanB 0]

Griff, it will be a fox or dog.

 

Probably a vixen or dog feeding cubs.. Up to yourself, there easy enough to snare especially when they have food on offer..

[j j m 6,481]

id say dog or fox not a billy bud

[TWOTWOTHREE 152]

More than likely a fox, I posted something simlar happening to me look back through and check it out,I had snared rabbit robbed all the time I pulled then and left it a few week hoping the problem would go away,ha ha was I wrong the next time I set the same area they were took again the first night,I ended up setting a few fox wires in the fence line at each end like mentioned above also sat waiting with the 223 but no luck and i still had the odd bunny stripped from it's wire a week later I crossed the road on the way to check the wires one morning and in the grass verge was a dead Charlie looked like a car had hit it,the problem stopped there and then,so I guess luck would have it a motor car cured it for me, good luck in sorting your little problem

Atb 223

Edited April 28, 2012 by TWOTWOTHREE

[IanB 0]

More than likely a fox, I posted something simlar happening to me look back through and check it out,I had snared rabbit robbed all the time I pulled then and left it a few week hoping the problem would go away,ha ha was I wrong the next time I set the same area they were took again the first night,I ended up setting a few fox wires in the fence line at each end like mentioned above also sat waiting with the 223 but no luck and i still had the odd bunny stripped from it's wire a week later I crossed the road on the way to check the wires one morning and in the grass verge was a dead Charlie looked like a car had hit it,the problem stopped there and then,so I guess luck would have it a motor car cured it for me, good luck in sorting your little problem

Atb 223

 

Had the same happen to me a few year ago only it was a vixen feeding her cubs, splatted crossing the road from a wood, to pilfer the snares..

[OldTrapCollector 376]

I have been having my tunnel traps stripped of squirrels by badgers these past few weeks so I wouldn't rule them out. They will pull a Fenn trap chain ring out straight trying so a brass wire half hitched to a fence wouldn't stand a chance against them. And what's more, they are everywhere, the countryside is over-run with the grain-guzzling digging machines ...

 

OTC