A little snaring

[lyonch]

Well the past few weeks i have been dabbling into some snaring. I haven't taken many pics, but i did manage to snap a few to share with everyone. Since Jan. 1st i have snared 8 coon, and 17 red fox. Oh and i should add that i had one coyote chew out ( was able to confirm tracks leaving catch area) and anohter chew out that was my fault but couldn't tell what animal.

[leadbiscuit]

What do you expect to get for the reds? I'm seeing a lot of sign around here, but they're not laying out in the open like they have the last few years. I had a disagreement with them over who owned the laying hens. They stay out of the yard now....and they seem a whole lot smarter.

[lyonch]

An average Red fox in my area, i would expect $30-$40 per pelt. Long hair pelts in general right now are up. Coyotes, red fox, and beaver seem to the furs that are currently on the rise. Muskrats are still paying good money!! Mink are about the same as last year with maybe a slight bump. Coon have taken a slight hit recently and you can accpect lower than average prices on them right now.

[rodeorulz]

My husband told me that a coyote is the only thing that would chew cable to the point of breaking the snare cable. But a coon can twist a snare to the point that it breaks and if your cable is small enough in diameter a deer can break it. If you are sure it was chewed, then it was a coyote that chewed out that you were unsure of. There are several things you can use to help prevent cable chew outs with coyotes. I know as this is what my husband and father-in-law use predomitinately through out the later winter months and they kill a lot of coyotes using snares.

[lyonch]

My husband told me that a coyote is the only thing that would chew cable to the point of breaking the snare cable. But a coon can twist a snare to the point that it breaks and if your cable is small enough in diameter a deer can break it. If you are sure it was chewed, then it was a coyote that chewed out that you were unsure of. There are several things you can use to help prevent cable chew outs with coyotes. I know as this is what my husband and father-in-law use predomitinately through out the later winter months and they kill a lot of coyotes using snares.

I never say never with a coyote, but the most recent set that was chewed out of (blood all over, and cable not twisted up) had a 5inch loop that was 4 inches off of the ground set for coon. There were no coyote tracks visible in the snow, but coon tracks were all over. I have also recently done some research on cable quality, and the cable i purchased was of no quality what so ever. When i made the order - I ended up purchasing the chinese cable which come to find out is some god awful stuff!! There are only two people whom i will be ordering cable through now, and that will be newt sterling, and o'gorman.

[EO caller]

Very cool stuff chris. I never knew a guy could snare coons Was that a target?

[xdeano]

are they all alive? relaxing locks? everything that I snare is dead. You may want to change your loop size if you're using a non-relaxing lock. Body catches = fur damage.

I'm curious to hear what you're using.

Deano

[Coyotehunter]

I thought the same thing. I would scrap the locks you are using. I have zero complaints with the cam locks the OGorman's sell. Bigger diameter cable on your coon. You can pretty much forget head snares on coon. if you get them great but more time than not you will hip catch them. To small of loop they push them aside and the bigger loops they step through. You will catch most by the hips. they will munch right through light cable.

[Prairie Ghost]

How long are you able to check? I have had some issues with live coyotes in snares not chew outs but just alive. I'm using 1x19 cable, Cam locks with choke spings it can depend on the place you are trying to snare also you might need to put something in the ground for them to entangle on but i had that one disproved pretty bad today.

Good to see you finally running snares. What did ever do with that bobcat of yours?

[lyonch]

Yes the coon was a target. At first it was fox tracks coming through, then for some reason they turned into coon tracks as the weather warmed up, so I resized my hoop size and height to get him. I am a fur trapper, so i am happy with any fur that comes through to get caught.

I think i have two problems here with these snares and everything alive. I know for a fact it is not an entanglement issue because i have snared a lot more than i took pics of, and they were all alive as well, unless i got them on a fence line. Every fox or coon i snare along a fence line is dead. The brushy areas, they are alive. In MN i am limited to a 16" top of loop from ground height. My loop can not be any bigger than 10" either. Since the majority of the sign was fox i was running a 8 inch loop 6 inches off of the ground. The first problem is the biter cam locks i purchased. All of the teeth are turning over and it looks like a normal cam lock after a fox catch!! So problem number one i am tossing all of them when i get a chance and getting some from O'Gorman. Second problem is when i ordered snare cable at a fur buyer (melby fur who handles MTP products) i asked for some good cable. Well i think i received the cheap chinese crap! Right now i tossed in 2 dozen slim locks into the arsenal to see just how they do according to the cams, and as of now there is a obvious difference. The red i picked up today was in the open with a kill pole off to the side, and it was dead as could be (slim lock). We have been managing a few more coon lately since this warm up, and of course they are all large boars looking for love. Well i am learning a lot about snaring in this one month i have actually been out and doing it. Our count right now since januray 1 is 22 red fox, and 18 coon. 16 more coon and i hit my goal of 200 on the season (too bad they took a hit in prince recently ).

Prairighost - The cat is still in my freezer. I am waiting for that fur check to come, so i can put a down payment on it. I am still debating on the pose, and the taxidermist yet. I am really anal about how the face is going to turn out, so i am being perticular in who does it.

[Coyotehunter]

Jim does some great work over there at his shop. Jayson D. who used to run the tournaments with me years ago has my minnesota Bcat. He also does great work. Both are from Grand Forks.

[lyonch]

Here are a few from the last two checks. I didn't get the red fox in there. The coon that were caught had snares set specifically for them.







Oh i forgot to add that the coon on the top pic committed suicide and took that leap of faith

[Coyotehunter]

glad see u had success with the snares.....thanks for the pics

[Coyotehunter]

glad see u had success with the snares.....thanks for the pics

[Tactical.20]

I had a rd fox break free as I drove up once, luckily I got the .223 out in time to stop him, he chewed a 3/32 cable! Coon have done it more than fox, some coyotes just don't fight it, they sit down and chew it off. best bet on coyotes is to use the choke spring, 80-90% of the time it looks like they ran to end of cable and went to sleep, no damage to the area, not even broken grass! That I really like! The springs don't work that well with IA's retarded deer stop requirment.