New snare user

[backwoodsman]

Ok, Im snare illiterate. We just really started using them the last few years for beaver and we bought all of ours ready made. This year we're wanting to make some of our own and after spending 2 hours going thru trapping catalogs this afternoon I have no idea where to start? Any ideas? The nomenclature was confusing and Im sure I looked like a monkey studying quantum physics. Is there any websites or books that walks you thru what the snares are? Really our only legal critter to snare is beaver.

[white316]

I think i could help you out with any snare questions you might have.

[mohawk]

LOL, a monkey studying quantum physics?!?!?!?! ROTFL!!! That's funny stuff. The first thing is to decide which cable you want to use and which lock. I prefer the 3/32" cable and the micro lock on beaver snares, seems to be a pretty ok combination. Then decide if you want just a loop at the stake end or a swivel. I make my own swivels from a jig I put together, all it really is is a chunk of steel with a couple different sized pieces of tubing coming up to form the wire as you twist it around. I will get a pic of it and post it tomorrow, I think that would explain this rig better.

[fuzz269]

Don't laugh so hard Mo that monky beat my grade in quantum fisics by %5 sniff sniff

[fuzz269]

I have never snared beaver with much sucsess so I will let the fellas who do it with more persion awnser this for ya. But on the cheep side of things, one hint for makin them cheeper is to but the cheepest nuts you can get run them on to a piece of wire like a cherrio neck lace lol. Then throw them in a camp fire or trap boilin fire for an hour or 2 then take them out and let them cool slowly. Bingo you have heat treated nuts, use them inplace of furrels and end stops, just hammer them on same as a ferrel.

[mohawk]

I do about the same thing Fuzz, I just dump a box of nuts out (on a cast iron meter box lid) and heat them up with a torch until they are glowing red and let them cool off on their own. BTW Y'all, still laughing at the monkey thing!

[backwoodsman]

Thanks for the tips and answers. So far we've used a few each of the last few years under the ice. We bought them from a supply house two different times I think? Dozen each time. First ones were thinner but both had a "lock" that was a bent washer looking thingy. I seen a coiled swivel in one catalog the other night but ours we just wrapped the tag end around the poles and wired them tight. So swivels are better? 3/32 is the standard then for beaver? Is it better to have some kind of different setup or is the washer slide thingy ok? The few beaver we caught in them kinked them pretty bad so we changed them out. Is there anything you can do to salvage one or are they pretty much a onetime disposable deal? We paid around $18/dozen shipping and all so I'd like to make our own and espescialy if theyre a one shot deal. We have some pretty odd sayings around here Mohawk. "That stinks so bad it'll knock a dog off a gut wagon etc", "Your as bright as a burnt out lightbulb in a flood". "Your funnier then a galded "posterier/donkey".

[fuzz269]

You can reuse the locks BWM, but the cable is a one timer. I make my coyote snares quite long so somtimes I can make drownin cables for rats or cable stakes out of the good parts but not a reuseable snare. I don't use swivels in my snares but I don't snare beaver I snare k9 and I like them froze solid when I get there so swivels don't help me much, first tree they wrap the snare around kinda stops the swivels usfulnes anyway, for beaver it might be a good thing thow.

[white316]

3/32 is to big for beaver snares,i would not go any bigger than
5/64.swivels are not needed,,the locks can be used over again

[backwoodsman]

Thanks again all. I'd like to try dryland/canine snaring but we're not allowed snares on dryland. Loop has to be half covered with water so its pretty much beaver only(I have debated on trying to snare some wading coons). But we can set 220's on land...? That makes alot of sense. As I understand it you can make canine etc snares for holding or dispatching but a 220 nothing's gonna survive.

[oldyote]

I use 1/16 stiff wire for beaver,under the ice . I make them 36" long with an Adams lock. I wire them to my pole with 14gauge wire. Make sure to run a wire above the ice so if he breaks your pole you don't loose it all. It dont take very heavy wire to hold a beaver under the ice. I am no pro but it is the only way I catch them through the ice.

'

[mohawk]

Here is my swivel making jig:



I take a piece of #11 or #9 wire about 8" long and bend it into a "u" shape, then just lay it over the form I want and on top of the modified chain saw tool (the standard screwdriver end was cut off).



This is just a piece of 1/4"x 2" flat stock that I drilled a series of holes in, the center hole goes over the rod and the wire goes in the holes closest to the center hole, the outer holes are for the 1" square tubing form rod.



Like so,



Now just twist it up



The wire will push off of the flat stock and you will have a couple short legs to trim off, but that is all there is to it.



Here is a pic of my typical cat snare:




I use a swivel, small fender washer and heat treated nut for the stake end and a micro lock and another nut on the loop end. I also use a piece of rubber tubing for a wammy. I have some of the twist on wammy's but I really hate them and will not recommend their use. They are a bear to get solid on your support wire. This is 1/16" 1x19 cable cut about 5 feet long. I also use quick links and extension cables if needed but I usually stake them with conduit anchors. My beaver snares are built the same way, except 3/32" 7x7 cable. (sorry White, I have never used 5/64" so I don't know the advantage of using it yet.)

[white316]

Heres how i make my beaver snares

[mohawk]

I have never seen a lock like that before. Good looking snare!

[robocop]

Thats a great idea keeping the cable short,,very easy to support that way,good thinking.