Rat snaring

[Wolfdog91 6,272]

Came across this picture from last year in the phone brought back a memory

Had gotten bored some time last year and decided to see if I could snare barn rats. They where getting to be kind of irritating past where we usually care. After a week of wooden rat traps in pine boxes ( kept the dogs out and cows from stepping on them) and thinning them out some seemed they just had no desire to go near bait. 110's 120's and 5x5's just ...egh put some trail cams on them and well. That's a subject for a different discussion. Just know there was a lot of frustration. So figured let's go with snares why not Tried a few things but ended up have decent success with this over anything else.

Little 2.5" loop 1/16th 1/16 cable with a barrel swivel slim lock plastic whammy and 12" pig tail. Had to load them extremely heavy/fast though. To the point you tapped the bottom of the loop it would fire the snare and shut it down to about a 1/2" loop. Could actually flip the snare upside down and it would fire.think I have a video somwhere of that...Would just wire a #9 support wire to a brick and anchor the was well as support the snare with that. Would just put it against a wall like 1" off the ground if that. Worked decently though the 1x19 is pretty stiff and noticed sometimes I'd have a pull out if the snare didn't fire fast enough. Did make catches though never found a full rat. Many half of one or a head and shoulders or just some blood and hair with my brick moved some. Guess an owl or something figured out how to get an easy meal thinking about trying it again if around some wood piles in the cow pasture though I think using some lighter 3/64's 1x19 cable would be better. Or possibly just the softer 7x7 in. 1/16th who knows.kind if on a cage trap making kick right now so once that wears down maybe I'll revisit snares.

[earth-thrower 490]

9 hours ago, Wolfdog91 said:

Came across this picture from last year in the phone brought back a memory

Had gotten bored some time last year and decided to see if I could snare barn rats. They where getting to be kind of irritating past where we usually care. After a week of wooden rat traps in pine boxes ( kept the dogs out and cows from stepping on them) and thinning them out some seemed they just had no desire to go near bait. 110's 120's and 5x5's just ...egh put some trail cams on them and well. That's a subject for a different discussion. Just know there was a lot of frustration. So figured let's go with snares why not Tried a few things but ended up have decent success with this over anything else.

Little 2.5" loop 1/16th 1/16 cable with a barrel swivel slim lock plastic whammy and 12" pig tail. Had to load them extremely heavy/fast though. To the point you tapped the bottom of the loop it would fire the snare and shut it down to about a 1/2" loop. Could actually flip the snare upside down and it would fire.think I have a video somwhere of that...Would just wire a #9 support wire to a brick and anchor the was well as support the snare with that. Would just put it against a wall like 1" off the ground if that. Worked decently though the 1x19 is pretty stiff and noticed sometimes I'd have a pull out if the snare didn't fire fast enough. Did make catches though never found a full rat. Many half of one or a head and shoulders or just some blood and hair with my brick moved some. Guess an owl or something figured out how to get an easy meal thinking about trying it again if around some wood piles in the cow pasture though I think using some lighter 3/64's 1x19 cable would be better. Or possibly just the softer 7x7 in. 1/16th who knows.kind if on a cage trap making kick right now so once that wears down maybe I'll revisit snares.

I've seen two or three, on here, with the knack for that  "art" . Think  "moletrapper" was maybe the last post (with pictures) I viewed

[gazjon5 708]

Glen Waters did a very good write up on rat snaring 

Rat Snaring | The Hunting Life

WWW.THEHUNTINGLIFE.COM

 

[earth-thrower 490]

3 hours ago, gazjon5 said:

Glen Waters did a very good write up on rat snaring 

Rat Snaring | The Hunting Life

WWW.THEHUNTINGLIFE.COM

 

What a guy, top notch , he is,... very impressive skills ....(& it's no coincidence, he's Scottish too ! )

[Wolfdog91 6,272]

3 hours ago, earth-thrower said:

What a guy, top notch , he is,... very impressive skills ....(& it's no coincidence, he's Scottish too ! )

Great guy! I chat with him once or twice a week ove on Facebook. Really fun to talk to, seem folks are a bit scared of the guy though

[earth-thrower 490]

On 04/08/2022 at 13:34, Wolfdog91 said:

Great guy! I chat with him once or twice a week ove on Facebook. Really fun to talk to, seem folks are a bit scared of the guy though

Well , ave had the pleasure on the phone with him, at least a couple of times,...& aye, I kinda felt a bit overawed, I must say ,....no wonder but,.. im a rank amateur/ novice, when it comes to rabbits/snaring ....(still can't believe I managed to snare around fifteen , on various occasions, out in the open field ! (usually just practise with two snares, etc),....all thanks to his excellent book , on the subject ? ,...but old reynard, got some of them from my snares, before me , unfortunately (did manage to salvage , & neck one , when a buzzard was just about at it, one morning),....sadly, the 'small pockets' of bunnies which remain , around here,.......I just leave now (cause there ain't enough around, to justify trying to take them,...& they've enough threats to contend with,....)

Edited August 8, 2022 by earth-thrower

[earth-thrower 490]

31 minutes ago, earth-thrower said:

Well , ave had the pleasure on the phone with him, at least a couple of times,...& aye, I kinda felt a bit overawed, I must say ,....no wonder but,.. im a rank amateur/ novice, when it comes to rabbits/snaring ....(still can't believe I managed to snare around fifteen , on various occasions, out in the open field ! ,....all thanks to his excellent book , on the subject ? ,...but old reynard, got some of them from my snares, before me , unfortunately (did manage to salvage , & neck one , when a buzzard was just about at it, one morning),....sadly, the 'small pockets' of bunnies which remain , around here,.......I just leave now (cause there ain't enough around, to justify trying to take them,...& they've enough threats to contend with,....)

Believe it or not, I had too attend a 'snaring course', here,...legally, before you can use them  (wtf is that all about ???) ,....took an old 'poacher' along with me (he was more keen than I was ,...& got me to book it !),...thought he was gonna learn , some modern tricks,...& see the latest snare designs, set up, out in the field etc,.....& so did I,.......but NO , stuck in a f***ing barn , for 4 hrs, we were (along with a load of keepers, old & young, on 'refresher' courses,.....had too listen , & sit a f.....g written test !!, at the end...36 or something questions, (multiple choice,  right enough , but some where hard, cause two answers could potentially, fit the question ,  (here ive been outa school , quite a while,....& my poor old poacher mate,...well???),....a told the posh bloke , taking it,   "here we never came up from .........& paid the money to fail this thing, etc " ,...just so you know,    ha ha ha  (he got his own back, by trying to belittle, by saying to me "oh , have you never snared a rabbit " ? ,...I goes   "no" ,....I've been too busy catching moles, for decades, to worry , about any other quarry really  (obviously helped out others ferreting, etc....but that's about it),.......anyway, all I really learned from it was what I COULDN'T do with snares anymore, it seems !! 

Edited August 8, 2022 by earth-thrower

[BEARINATOR 2,825]

11 hours ago, earth-thrower said:

Believe it or not, I had too attend a 'snaring course', here,...legally, before you can use them  (wtf is that all about ???) ,....took an old 'poacher' along with me (he was more keen than I was ,...& got me to book it !),...thought he was gonna learn , some modern tricks,...& see the latest snare designs, set up, out in the field etc,.....& so did I,.......but NO , stuck in a f***ing barn , for 4 hrs, we were (along with a load of keepers, old & young, on 'refresher' courses,.....had too listen , & sit a f.....g written test !!, at the end...36 or something questions, (multiple choice,  right enough , but some where hard, cause two answers could potentially, fit the question ,  (here ive been outa school , quite a while,....& my poor old poacher mate,...well???),....a told the posh bloke , taking it,   "here we never came up from .........& paid the money to fail this thing, etc " ,...just so you know,    ha ha ha  (he got his own back, by trying to belittle, by saying to me "oh , have you never snared a rabbit " ? ,...I goes   "no" ,....I've been too busy catching moles, for decades, to worry , about any other quarry really  (obviously helped out others ferreting, etc....but that's about it),.......anyway, all I really learned from it was what I COULDN'T do with snares anymore, it seems !! 

Them courses are a waste of time but keeps it legal, you  learn more actually doing the snaring in the fields 

[earth-thrower 490]

42 minutes ago, BEARINATOR said:

Them courses are a waste of time but keeps it legal, you  learn more actually doing the snaring in the fields 

Still don't have too attend a course in England & Wales, yet , though,... or does that still stand ?

[earth-thrower 490]

12 hours ago, earth-thrower said:

Believe it or not, I had too attend a 'snaring course', here,...legally, before you can use them  (wtf is that all about ???) ,....took an old 'poacher' along with me (he was more keen than I was ,...& got me to book it !),...thought he was gonna learn , some modern tricks,...& see the latest snare designs, set up, out in the field etc,.....& so did I,.......but NO , stuck in a f***ing barn , for 4 hrs, we were (along with a load of keepers, old & young, on 'refresher' courses,.....had too listen , & sit a f.....g written test !!, at the end...36 or something questions, (multiple choice,  right enough , but some where hard, cause two answers could potentially, fit the question ,  (here ive been outa school , quite a while,....& my poor old poacher mate,...well???),....a told the posh bloke , taking it,   "here we never came up from .........& paid the money to fail this thing, etc " ,...just so you know,    ha ha ha  (he got his own back, by trying to belittle, by saying to me "oh , have you never snared a rabbit " ? ,...I goes   "no" ,....I've been too busy catching moles, for decades, to worry , about any other quarry really  (obviously helped out others ferreting, etc....but that's about it),.......anyway, all I really learned from it was what I COULDN'T do with snares anymore, it seems !! 

When the paper work comes through, from the course, etc,  you run down to the local police, & register, etc & pay them a £20 fee,.......they didn't have a clue, about it (even though theres wildlife liason, I think)...anyway, the old poacher , runs down like a shot,.. (I held back a couple of month),...& gets it all organised. I laughed now,  how I was keeping him going, saying , "that's it, they know who you are now,....any of these daft 'c...s' , snare someone's cat,  badger, dog, lamb, etc,......they will come to you first, see if you know anything about it !! " ,....he was quite proud though, telling everyone,      "he was legal to snare over the whole of Scotland now !!"   

[BEARINATOR 2,825]

4 hours ago, earth-thrower said:

Still don't have too attend a course in England & Wales, yet , though,... or does that still stand ?

No mate not yet anyway 

[Daniel cain 42,892]

have to be checked twice a day last time I heard in Wales

[earth-thrower 490]

3 hours ago, BEARINATOR said:

No mate not yet anyway 

Thanks

[earth-thrower 490]

3 hours ago, Daniel cain said:

have to be checked twice a day last time I heard in Wales

Interesting , thanks.

[BEARINATOR 2,825]

Two to three times a day for snares is the least people should do anyway