Walk through rat trap box

[Wolfdog91 6,263]

Figured I'd share this little experiment with you guys. So ever since we got rid of the feral barn cats we had we've had an influx of rats ,mice ,squirrels chipmunk and so on. The mice are pretty easy to take care of with a decon block hear and there chipmunks seem pretty co tent with staying out of my way and the squirrels.....well small game season starts in a  month or so lol. The rats how ever are a different story. Seems they won't come near the poison what so ever almost never see them in the day except a few times when I'm moving stuff around the yard so can't shoot them ( well at least till I can get my night vision on my pcp) so trapping has been my main method of control. Problem is  have 6 dogs that like to stick their noses and paws into every dang thing I touch so all my traps have to be covered and even then I have to use somthing that's not going to hurt them too bad when they manage to get caught ( and they always seem to lol). So mainly what I'm stuck with are just cheap wooden rat traps in weseal boxes basically. A weseal being really just a wooden box with a hole in one end for the weasel to climb in and a rat trap in side.  They where working very well for a good while and cheap too ( I might have $3 in each box with screws wood and the trap )  but after a while seems the rats wised up to them.

Not sure if it was they seen too many of their dead freinds in them or what but with my trail cam I was a me to watch a few scurry up to the box look around it and just walk away.  Tried using a new box ( and im not one whos big on the whole scent control band wagon either )and trap,same thing, old trap old box same thing different Bait same thing. Well got frustrated and left the box out one night with some bait and the rear door open and guess what just about every one that came by walked right in one way or another and Walked right on out. Reckon the ability to see though to an escape made them feel more safe. I know alot of cage trappers prefer do me door cage traps with wire conibear triggers for fox ,bobcat and beaver trapping for a similar reason so why not rats.  Ok so great all but problem is I can't use a 110 or 5x5  for various reasons . One being one of my dogs will eventually get caught ,the second unless I add a pan and play with the trigger I'm going to end up missing smaller rats and mice. I could have went with an RBG 44 round coni and slipped in in a life of PVC pipe ,but I'm not paying close to $15 for a single rat trap. And with a normal rat trap to work properly as a duel direction trap the rat is going to have to come across the pan and hit it   instead of climbing over the back side and possi my triggering it early. So with all that being said I come up with this little number.

Pretty rough looking I know but I'm a welder not a carpenter lol. Any how as you see basically it just creates a open tunnel with the trap in the middle so that it can only be triggered from a proper position. All nice and open but constricted enough so any decent sized rodent should bunt the trigger on his walk though.

And the good thing about this is since it just a rat trap my nosy dogs can stick their laws in and get popped but worse that's going to happen is a sore paw and the box get flipped over ( which has happened about three time already  lol) I can also bump this up against the side of the sheds and what not where I know their traveling anyway and basically have it as a blind set. I had one place in particular where they would run a skirt if bricks along my car sed to get to the dog food and basically didn't care a put any bait . Well with this all I need was for one to just walk though. Actually planning on taking a paper clip and adding a little wisker trigger to see if that helps with catches any

And so far I haven't been able to put a camera on it , keep forgetting to buy new batteries but seems to be working,problem is with the ways it's made other animals can remove you're catch pretty easy so the last few set off their been a nice little puddle of congealed blood ( the kind you get on a good head catch) a seems one of the dogs decided to come remove my rat ( not like I'm doing anything more than tossing them across the fence though ) after each catch. Anyhow figured I'd share see what yall think. Seems over complicated but if I have to deal with them might as well make it interesting and do some wood work lol.

[Ken's Deputy 4,456]

Good many commercially made (plastic) boxes work on the exact same principle, Wolfie; Trap pan presented from one side of a run through. So, yes, it's a tried and tested principle.

Here's an example, with the lid removed, obviously:

[EDDIE B 3,120]

Yes, as said not a new concept, but i also like making use of what i have. Ok, so im a tight *ucker lol

[Wolfdog91 6,263]

And here I am thinking I made a break though on a new idea lol. I will say though that box just looks like they tool a poison station and add a place for the trap to go. But hay if it works who can complain

[Ken's Deputy 4,456]

That's pretty much exactly what they did do, Wolfie. In fact, I had the great pleasure of hosting the man who 'invented' that, and many other innovations in rodent control gear, Paul Hoyes He's retired now.

Now, you too have figured the concept out? Well, ye know what they say about Great Minds

 

[EDDIE B 3,120]

2 hours ago, Wolfdog91 said:

And here I am thinking I made a break though on a new idea lol. I will say though that box just looks like they tool a poison station and add a place for the trap to go. But hay if it works who can complain

What about this one wolfdog? Same principle

 

[Arry 18,588]

Few I made up, I could not use one with large open ends it would slaughter the hedgehogs.

Cheers Arry

[Tyla 3,179]

An easy way to avoid your dogs taking your catch and stop anything bigger getting is to tack 2" weldmesh over the ends. Squirrels or rats happily move through it but bigger stuff cant