Content Warning.
This little bit is about using a type of steel traps.
There are NO pictures of dead animals
If you don’t agree with trapping that’s your problem.
A VERY versatile trap which comes in two strengths:
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The Baby Fenn Trap (Mk4). Legal within UK for grey squirrels, stoats, weasels. rats and mice.
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Daddy Version Fenn Trap Mk6. Legal within UK for grey squirrels, mink, rabbits, stoats, weasels, rats and mice.
Of course it’ll also do a number on anything else small, furry, or feathered if you set it in the right place (or set it in the wrong place depending on your point of view) .
To comply with UK LAW, all traps should be set and either covered with a man-made cage or placed WAY inside burrows to stop the wrong thing from being trapped. Dunno what US laws say but I understand that some less enlightened states ban the use of traps.
So, how good are they? Answer is VERY GOOD if you set them well.
I only own Mk.6 traps.
A bit more meaty a bit longer and wider than the MK.4 yet more versatile.
REMEMBER ONE THING THOUGH, these traps show absolutely no mercy to you if it goes off on your fingers.
This gives rise to a number of self-preservation rules.
DON’T CARRY THEM COCKED.
NEVER TRUST THE SAFETY CATCH
NEVER RELEASE THE SAFETY until it’s in place.
THE TRIGGER PLATE IS SENSITIVE. Cover it over with fine earth or sand from the borrow if you must BUT if the sand gets wet, the triggers on my traps are so fine, they do go off.
Designed to be put out and left, STAKE THEM DOWN WELL.
WEAR GLOVES. Not those little light leathery garden things, good thick rigger gloves.
IF YOU ARE GOING TO MOVE IT, TRIGGER IT. Never try to move one with the safety off.
Use a lightweight stick to trigger them. It will break.
IF YOU HAVE TO COVER THEM, CAMOUFLAGE THE COVER.
They are expensive and the anti snaring tree huggers love to steal them.
In use.
You are trying to eliminate your scent.
Dig a small hole big enough for the trigger plate to be level with the general surface.
There must be at least 8 inches of vertical space for the trap to fix correctly.
Stake the trap down Use a hefty stake. A poorly trapped animal will fight like mad, it won’t be able to escape the trap BUT it could drag the trap off. That’s two losses, the trap and your meal.
COCK IT AND APPLY THE SAFETY CATCH
GENTLY cover the trigger plate with sifted soil
RELEASE THE SAFETY CATCH. I always use my “stick” having had a couple of random triggers which luckily only caught my gloves.
If necessary cover with your “man made cover” to comply with the law.
Walk away.
When to set them?
I’m a firm believer in keeping my fingers intact so I NEVER set these traps in the dark. I usually set them for rabbit just before DUSK i.e. when the sun is setting.
Then I go back to check the trap next dawn. Four reasons.
The trap may not fire correctly and trap not kill. I’m not squeamish about killing BUT I don’t like pain to me or other things, simple humane thoughts. (Nearly forgot, it’s also UK LAW to regularly check traps).
Foxes and rats love trapped rabbit. The longer you leave it, the more chance there is it will be “tenderized” by somethings teeth.
There is a strange breed of people called sheeple, tree huggers, anti-snaring protesters (and a whole string of less polite names). They will interfere with traps, steal them, SMASH them, or just nick your catch.
Thus set them late, check them early BEFORE the morning dog walkers appear.
Thinking OPSEC, a trap means a person set it.
All a person has to do is wait for you to come along.
Just before dawn, reactions are poor, a watcher will be tired, tired people make mistakes. That could give you the edge regarding your personal survival.
Finally you are probably wondering why I haven’t talked about setting them for squirrel, birds, or larger prey like cats (which the MK.6 will cope with).
Squirrel I snare. Simple.
They do work well on squirrel but it is a pain having to set them up elevated in cages to prevent birds attacking them.
There is also the anti everything activists. They love to smash these traps.
So it’s cheaper to replace a simple wire snare.
You aren’t allowed to use these traps on birds BUT leaving an uncovered trap with bird seed “glued down” with bird lime does seem to work.
It is illegal to trap domestic animals.
That and snares work better.
Cats have a habit of taking whatever is lying round, they are scavengers.
When ratting, I’ll bait the trap with something nice like peanut butter or strips of flesh from old kills. Cats love this.
