Snaring tips

Anyone snaring fox, rabbit, coyote? I put out some snares on a few rabbit trails and was wondering if anyone snared rabbits. I was wondering how big the loop should be and how close to the ground?

Snaring rabbits isn't legal in many states...so check your regs.
On snare height, it too, can have legal limits,,,I know in VA the law makes it difficult to snare a yote unless its at a fence crawl under site.
I see this is your first post,,,Welcome.
You could probably get more hits if you posted this in the Strictly Trapping forum, also.
It's a rule to put your location in your Profile, it helps us help you better for your area.
The Archives are a great source of info too, so don't forget to look there.

HEY

MHK need your location please.

Thanks

Chuck

4-5 inch loop, bottom of loop 2-4 inches off ground.... I make small game snares and sell commercially and snare a lot of bunnies during the season.

My experience here. I am not nearly as knowledgeable as many on here.
I know all the survival experts talk about wire. Two things about wire. (1. It breaks (2. it breaks, especially in cold weather. Yes it will work in an emergency, and quite well on a neck catch. But if you don't do that they will twist it and break it. I know some people have had good luck. Just not me.
The rabbit snares I use when trying to get a couple for the freezer are made with 1/16 7x7 cable. And a home made breakaway lock. (required BAD in Mt) As for use just find a good run and put a couple snares on it. I really love to find a willow bottom. Try not to trample on or disturb the run if you can avoid it.

4-5 inches is far too large for an American cottontail. That size and most will be neck caught or with both front feet through.

You want to 'pin' the ears against the head, NOT catch it behind the head on the neck, like one does a coyote or fox...

This breaks the neck on the 1st lunge.

If you catch the rabbit on the neck, it will fight, often squealing, attracting predators...and you know everything eats a rabbit !

If it last,(and some will) it will have a swollen 'bloodshot' head like a softball.

To 'pin' a rabbit in a snare, you need it loaded faster than normal.

Single stand wire works, if legal, but most states will want multi-strand cable.

In that case, 1/16th aircraft.


LT

22 or 24ga brass wire,3in loop,2 fingers off the ground or packed run,for varying hare.

I caught lots of snowshoe hares with picture hanging wire set as Boco describes. No lock just a twisted loop or double loop. Never had problems . Your cottontails are a bit smaller.

This is how i set my snares for Bunnies over here, 6to7 inch loop,6 inch or depth of hand above ground.I make all my own snares 6 strand spun from single stand brass wire,fixed to fig 4 tealers and fastened to 7or 8 inch hazel pegs. Snares here are supposed to hold not kill,[ Code of good practice ] i do lose a lot at times to foxes and badgers, but catch a lot of rabbits. this year has been a excellent year for rabbits [coneys] around were i live

Brian

FWIW: Old music wire Guitar strings, in the smaller sizes make good snares. And yes, I know that's not legal on dry land in Mo.

Coney, can you show that system to the T-Man viewers ?
I've seen that sysytem on Patrick Carey's video,(English) ...it sounds very similar.
You have a larger hare than we have here in the eastern U.S., called a Cottontail rabbit, which is not a hare of course.
We do have the Snowshoe hare, but it is protected in many places and Jack Rabbits, which are actually hares.

LT, very similar, i will take some photoes and get them up ,but i need one of my offspring here to show me what to do, not very good on these one fingered typing whatsits,

We have Blue hares [that turn white in winter] but they are up in scotland,i have ran them with the Lurchers.
Around home we have Brown Hares, they can grow up to 11lb, used to run a few with the lurchers, but now i leave them alone as i like to see them , i class them as the ultimate athlete in the animals we have in this country.

I have eaten snowshoe hares, we went on a fishing trip up near northbay ontario, took a 22 with us, lived on Walleye, spruce grouse, and snowshoes for 6 days.

Brian

Here in NJ our deer stop is 2 inches in circumference or 6 inches down from the top of the lock. When I catch a rabbit, They are alive by the neck, unless as stated something finds them first. If I set a 6 to 7 inch loop 6 to 7 off the walking surface I will hip catch the rabbit as long as it is not open under the snare. they may slip under. or as I have seen in snow a 7 inch loop 7 off the ground the rabbit just hops through. if I go with a 4 to 5 inch loop 4 to 5 off the walking surface I will get a neck catch and sometimes a hip catch if it is a open set. I want to add At the trapping school Newt, Morgan and I gave last week, I showed the 1x19 5/64th or 3/32 with a downward triggering rather than a swing out triggering has more speed than the 7x7 when tuned right and fired. It seems Coney catcher is doing a similar thing with his spun brass. my guess is he is getting a down trigger also. I would love to see a vid of one of his bunnies going into and through a snare and the mechanics of it in operation. I guess we all do it different ways