Trapping Tips - the cotton tail flavour

Righto lads, let's here your advice!

I am wanting to trap rabbits in live capture box traps, so that if I manage to trap something I don't want to kill it can be released. Also I wouldn't want a stoat/feral cat/dog running off with my poor man's chicken dinner once I've snared it.

I have made a box trap very similar to the one in the video, the same triggering system anyway.

How to build a box trap - YouTube

What are your tips for baits, placement, or even traps? Am I barking up the wrong tree? I could probably make some wire snares somewhere a little less likely to catch a dog but at the moment I'll stick with the box traps :) I am planning on making a slightly improved MkII this arvo so chuck in your ideas before I start building shit again.


:thumbsup:


EDIT - basically the one I built yesterday is a wooden frame and wrapped in chicken wire. I got very frustrated to say the least while making it. The frame wood I chose was shite and it was timely and annoying to use chicken wire for the entire trap. I am going to make MkII from fence palings and just chicken wire one end (like the trap in the vid). Palings are pretty cheap and will be a lot easier to nail together than shitty thin framing crap! Also the trigger I made isn't really long enough - it'd probably take a fair bit of wiggling by the rabbit to un-hitch the notched stick that holds the door up.

Dougie, my father would place a trap (as in gin, which are banned now but similar ones are legal now) at the entrance of a warren burrow or a stop (this is the burrow where there are kits, bebe buns in the nest and dam closes off the entrance after going in to feed the youngin....sorry Dougie you know all this anyway!!) and ever so gently put some fresh dirt over the top of the trap...fresh dirt being the operative word as fresh dirt appeals to rabbits...:OSMILEY:

I dont know how a box trap would go with rabbits...actually...

I don't know much about rabbits so thanks EBs :) I have only just shot them at night in a wide open paddock. Can you explain your father's trap a little more please?

At this spot I have seen plenty of them coming out from the fringes of the gorse and broom thickets to the edge of the grassy paddocks during the last hour of sunlight. There are bunny poos allllllllllllllllllllll over this place. I even saw a big fat white Bugs yesterday, peeking out onto the track in front of me.

I am finding it a little frustrating to find a good spot for my box trap though - so many dogs go to this area that I can't tell what is a game trail or just where the family fido has gone smashing through the grass.

This is an interesting article on gin traps...they are banned but the new fangled ones are probably no less effective with the end result being the same...if you have lived through like our grandparents and parents did the rabbit plague here and the possum one nowadays no one would believe the numbers you are meaning...my father shot 1500 rabbits out his living room window one day when the rabbits were in plague mode...so the good old faithful gin was party to the control work...anyway, enough of this...

GIN TRAPS

here is something on snares...be careful out there, Dougie...even a snare could nobble a little dog...oh thats right, they are not DOGS!! they are potlickers or something equally vexatious!!! I would definately not use a trap in that area...probably a snare would be the best way to go by virtue of it being very inconspicuous and simply made...I do not know the legaliities of any of this...

Philproof - Traps
Snaring Rabbits and Hares

Meant to add that when the kits can move around and getting to the stage that they will soon leave the burrow to feed, the dam will leave the stop open so they can come and go...when they are at this age they are known as runners...the dogs love nothing better than to have a stop dug up and there be runners in it...ypu can tell a burrow is an opened stop by the traffic packed dirt at the entrance...buck rabbits. and I am sure does in estrum, will leave scats, piles of strategically placed poos and mimi sort of like leaving a message on a dodgey public toilet wall:D

Dougie

I know bugger all about this as I've never trapped rabbits before but I do know.........

Bugs Bunny had a powerfull hunger for carrots and Peter Rabbit loved Mr McGregors cabbage patch.

So I'm thinking bait your trap with some fresh Carrots and Cabbage leaves.

Lettuce know how you get on ;)

Cheers
Pete

the.22 with a silencer is a great wee trap:D

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Originally Posted by Dundee

the.22 with a silencer is a great wee trap:D

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If anyone reading this has a nice farm they wouldn't mind me doing the above, please PM me! Until then Dundee unfortunately it's not possible in this area :( Jet chased another one today. Another white one. Would these be unwanted pets released then bumping the uglies in the wild? I've never seen a white rabbit in the wild before.

As Eeebees said fresh/overturned dirt attracts them like honey.
You may want to try a long box they can go through, with dirt sprinkled in it and a snare in the middle.
A dog will go a small box with a live rabbit in it.

Of course I'd just tell Cruze and Witchie to get one and that would be that (with teeth marks) :yaeh am not durnk:

EBs that last link was really cool, thank you!

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Originally Posted by Barefoot

As Eeebees said fresh/overturned dirt attracts them like honey.
You may want to try a long box they can go through, with dirt sprinkled in it and a snare in the middle.
A dog will go a small box with a live rabbit in it.

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Ahhhhhhhhhhh I like this idea of the box. Snared rabbit would make an easy meal for a dog but not so much if it was in a box.

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Originally Posted by Dougie

If anyone reading this has a nice farm they wouldn't mind me doing the above, please PM me! Until then Dundee unfortunately it's not possible in this area :( Jet chased another one today. Another white one. Would these be unwanted pets released then bumping the uglies in the wild? I've never seen a white rabbit in the wild before.

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The domestic and feral rabbits interbreed very nicely, thank you indeed!!! There used to be a group of black rabbits the Napier side of the Rangitaiki (SP????) pub on the Taupo Road...havent seen any for ages and ages so the genes must have come to an abrupt end.

I'll let you know how I get on ;) might catch a whitey for ya!

We have had white rabbits on the farm,I caught one with a fishing net and we had it caged for about a year before it dug out.Also caught a black one by hand and had them in the pen for some time.

I'll see if I can dig out the pics.

The feral rabbits we caught weren't interested in carrots but lettuce and they love dock leaves.

Zilch in the traps this morning.

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Originally Posted by Dougie

Zilch in the traps this morning.

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Keep trying Dougie

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Originally Posted by Dundee

We have had white rabbits on the farm,I caught one with a fishing net and we had it caged for about a year before it dug out.Also caught a black one by hand and had them in the pen for some time.

I'll see if I can dig out the pics.

The feral rabbits we caught weren't interested in carrots but lettuce and they love dock leaves.

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Attachment 4596
His name was Willy:D

Yep our pet feral rabbit loved lettuce but not carrots.

Must be a myth about the carrots then.

Yep

Dougie

You should try using the fresh earth idea and baiting your traps.

Lettuce seems like the popular choice.

Can't hurt could it ..... after all you can't catch anything less than what your getting now ;)

Good luck, don't give up and let us know how you get on

Cheers
Pete

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Originally Posted by Rushy

Must be a myth about the carrots then.

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Rushy

I did some extensive research on this subject when I was much younger and I can say with all honesty Bug Bunny was never short of a carrot or two.

I believe he was addicted to them ;)

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Originally Posted by P38

Rushy

I did some extensive research on this subject when I was much younger and I can say with all honesty Bug Bunny was never short of a carrot or two.

I believe he was addicted to them ;)

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And TimeRider would confirm that he is my favourite actor.

Golden syrup on whatever you put in there. Serious.

With Golden Syrup there, I would even crawl in for a lick.

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Originally Posted by gadgetman

And TimeRider would confirm that he is my favourite actor.

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is he THE favourite, or one of the?