The one and two door traps are both effective traps, but have different benefits. The one door trap is favored by professional trappers and it allows you to place the rabbit bait behind the trigger plate, which lures the rabbit further into the cage. The two door trap allows the rabbit to enter the cage from both directions, thus providing a higher catch rate for rabbits. Rabbits will also become nervous or fearful once in the trap, but having a two door trap allows the rabbit to see through the trap, which can be comforting for the rabbit. The two door trap can also be set as a one door trap if desired.
Rabbits are often in areas where they have cover and open land. Common areas rabbits are located are hedges, shrubs, trees, fence lines, tall grass, wood and brush piles, bushes, and tree lines. These are the locations you’ll likely have the most success in catching a rabbit. If you are able to locate a rabbit’s den or warren (rabbit hole), then place the trap a few feet from the entrance. You can often locate areas where rabbits have been by their droppings, which are dry, round pellets.
If you are using a one door trap, place bait at the end of the cage, behind the trap opening. If you are using a two door trap, place bait between the two doors, in the center of the trap. Some baits to use for rabbits are fruits and vegetables like apple cores, bananas, potato peelings, lettuce leafs, raw cabbage, carrots, dandelions, and leafy weeds. If you find traditional baits aren’t producing success, you can try using baits that are more unusual. Some ideas for these types of baits are cheesy biscuits crumbled up and peanut butter. Rabbits may be able to smell your scent on the trap and will avoid the trap because they feel that something is wrong. To cover up your scent, drip or spray apple cider onto the trap.
If the rabbit you are trying to trap is on the smaller side, they may not be able to trip the trigger, so place a small weight on the trigger plate so that the combined weight of the two will be enough to make the trap effective. It could also be good to camouflage your trap with twigs and leaves, because a metal trap can produce a glare in the sun, causing the rabbit to avoid it.
Keep in mind you may accidentally trap other animals in your trap. Raccoons are often lured into rabbit traps as well as other animals, so if you catch another animal release it immediately. You may find that you are not having much success with your trap if you are trying to catch a rabbit in the summer. That’s because during the summer, rabbits often have a much higher supply of food and nutrients available to them. The best time to trap a rabbit is in the winter, when food is more scarce and the rabbit will be in search of food.
If you have caught a rabbit in hopes to keep it from destroying your garden or flowerbeds, then relocate the rabbit at least five miles away, if local law permits. Try placing the rabbit in a covered area, for extra protection.
If you are unsure about the amount of foliage you have used, you can test out the trap by placing a five pound weight on top of it and see if the weight falls through. If it doesn’t, then you have too much covering the hole and will need to remove some.
As with the cage trap, use gloves and caution when handling wild animals. It’s likely they’ll try to bite you and they may carry diseases or have rabies.
Different states also have different laws about snares, so make sure you check your state’s guidelines on hunting with snares.
The noose is the part of the snare that will actually trap the animal. The two part trigger consists of a hook and a base. The base is a piece of wood, stuck in the ground that connects to the hook, which is what the noose is tied to. The leader line is a cord that is connected to the engine and the hook. The engine is usually a tree, like a bent over sapling or an extended branch, that provides tension to the hook and holds the snared animal. Essentially, the snare starts from the tree, which is bent over, and at the bent over part of the tree the leader line is connected, hanging down until it connects to the hook, which is a piece of wood that stands straight up and connects to the base, which is also straight up, but stuck in the ground. The noose then connects to the end of the hook.
If you can’t find a bent over tree, then you can connect your snare to a branch that is weighted down. The engine just needs to have some tension, so that it can withstand the initial spring jerk and it needs to be strong enough to suspend the animal in the air. Having a sturdy engine also leads to a more humane death, as the animal will die quickly, and it also prevents other predators from eating the rabbit.
