Slick Tricks for Trappers
Posted on: 4 May 2017
Trapping has been used for centuries to provide sustenance for explorers, nomads, and families widely. This continues to be an effective practice today, both for providing food to the hunter as well as to help maintain the balance and manage the population of regional wildlife. Know the local laws and guidelines before setting traps or risk hunting out-of-season which carries stiff penalties and repercussions.
Some slick tricks for hunting and trapping your prey are:
1.Boil your snares. Animals- especially predatory ones like wolves or coyotes- will smell the human scent on your traps and snares from quite a distance. Before you set your traps, boil your snares with a couple spruce boughs and carefully hang to dry. Use a pole or branch to remove the snares from the boiling water, paying attention to not touch them which renders the entire process moot.
2.Conceal with snow carefully. Carefully lift snow with a spatula or knife, leaving it in a solid, unscathed piece as much as possible. This will be placed on top of a snare, to disguise it without giving away any sign or scent that it is a trap to potential prey. Wear gloves to further prevent your scent from being left behind near your cubby or trap.
3.Think before you trap. Predatory animals are typically wily and suspicious of baited traps, but it is important for hunters to also manage these types of prey to maintain balance in the eco-system. Some predatory animals include wolverines, wolves, and coyotes, and though these can be much more challenging to trap, it helps to regulate the population and maintain the environment when you hunt these animals in addition to less-difficult trapping, such as fox, rabbit, and beaver.
4.Treat your new traps before using them. Make sure to boil off new traps to get rid of anti-rusting treatments typically applied at the time of manufacture. This is often a waxy substance, so boiling water will melt this- and the telling scent- away from the snare and trap before you use them. Hang to dry, remembering not to touch them with your bare hands before set. Talk to retailers like DSGARMS about other ways to prepare your hunting equipment.
Think of trapping as a way to help manage the eco-system, while providing a humane way to put food on your table. Use these tips for efficacy when trapping animals, particularly wily, intelligent predators that are usually difficult to trap. Talk with game officials to determine the seasonal regulations for your region, and to ensure you pay heed to the guidelines dictated by your wildlife and game department.
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