New Traps-Conibear 220s

20 May 2006, 02:55

Well, just got back from the local farm and ranch supply house and found they don't carry Conibears, and in fact none of the guys knew what they were. However, they immediately jumped into cyberspace and checked out their corporate catalog and found they stocked 220s and had 9 at the warehouse. So, 6 are on order with my name on 2 of them, so crats, krittens, skunks, possums, squirrels, armadillos, coons, etc better watch out. Just got tired of smelling the crat odor and haven't been successful at all with the Havahart or the Sherdan. One old yeller feller is far smarter than I--seen him in the back yard at least 4 times and haven't gotten to take the safety off. One B&W has also eluded me on a number of occasions since I nearly barked him with an Easton aluminum arrow--2" higher and I would have had the sucker. Perhaps I should scatter some tuna in the back border shrubbery?

Oh yeah, they are multi-purpose as they will go to the ranch with me for bunkhouse invading skunks and feeder pillaging coons.

20 May 2006, 03:57

DigitalDan

I'm guessin' that will put a dent in things...in a manner of speakin'.

Wonder if a fella could use one of those things to create one of those...whatchamacallits...where one thing sets off something else, etc. etc....mebbe sound an alarm for ya so's you can go reset it.

Or Trigger a Bouncin' Betty for FX?

Dan

POTYHC

www.TooMuch.TimeOnMyHands

20 May 2006, 05:20

dustoffer

I have a driveway alarm which lights up a small light in the house whenever something breaks the electric eye--maybe I should put it in the back yard? Sit in the chair in front of the TV and when the light goes on, pick up the rifle and red light and sneak out the front door and around the house for a pop. Think I'll put red lights in my motion sensor lights in back too--

20 May 2006, 20:52

johnch

I do a fair amount of traping for coon , muskrat , fox , mink ect every fall/ winter .
So be carefull with those Conibear 220s .
when you are setting them make sure the safty catch is hooked ( the little hook on the spring ) so the trap can't close on your hand .
Not fun , I tryed it .

A set of conibear spring compressers is recomended , Here is a Link to a pic of a home made set .
Unless you have a very strong grip
But I have seen store bought ones also .

I like to set the traps in a place where dogs and people will not get into the trap .

I lite string to tie the springs to sticks I drove into the groung to hold the trap up .
The lite string will brake when the trap is sprung , but provide enough suport to allow the trap to remain upright when the target trys to push thru .

On cat sized targets , placing the wire trips on the bottom works better for me

Good ~~hunting~~ traping .

Johnch

21 May 2006, 00:54

dustoffer

johnch--thanks for the pic--I think a set of those can be made quite easily with just hand tools. Have never used the conibears, but from reading the posts on the link you provided, I may need to make a set of them. Do you use bait of any kind?

21 May 2006, 04:35

johnch

For coon , possium , skunk and cat I do a box set .
I have wood ( cardboard will work ) boxs that I set the conibear in front of the open end and bait the box with the cheapest canned cat food you can find .

Woodchuck just set the trap over his hole .

I also remove any human scent with a mixture of about 1 part baking soda to 2 parts peroxide ( no need to messure )

I then store in a scent free container if I will not be using the next day , or just wash off with a hose and air dry outside .
I use latex gloves to reduce human scent transferr.
You may not need to go this far , I am traping stuff in the woods and marsh .

If you catch a skunk it will probely spray .
Mix 1 box of baking soda and a quart of peroxide togeather and spray the area and the trap down .
Also works well on dogs after they have been sprayed .

Also latex gloves will not allow you to transferr the smell , germs , fleas or ticks to you .

After a kill I remove the critter from the trap .
I then place it in a doubled garbage bag with a layer of newspaper in side .

Tie shut the inside bag ,take the latex off , place inside bag 2 and tie it off .

I then place out for trash pick up

Johnch

21 May 2006, 07:45

dustoffer

I've used the peroxide/baking soda mixture on dogs, but with the addition of a teaspoon of dishwashing detergent. Not 100% but does a good enough job, especially with 2 applications.

I had thought about the box set--will make up two of them-or maybe put a trap at each end of an open box?

21 May 2006, 09:39

akperrydog

If I might suggest.........

http://www.snareshop.com

They have pretty good prices and are great to deal with.

If you want something truly interesting try out one of the new 660's.....not legeal in this state as it is too big!

They also have some snares that are meant to catch and retain foxes and lynx, nonlethal....might be the ticket if you have some cats that you might release(the 90 year neighbor lady's only friend in life) but might have the need to "dispatch" others.

phil

27 May 2006, 02:12

dustoffer

Well, the traps are in my possession, but until I make one of the setting tools, they will stay in the shed. Those are some strong and complex crat grabbers for sure (or else I'm weak and simple). However, the big orange box store is less than 2 miles from the house and after supper, off I go.

31 May 2006, 07:37

dustoffer

Trap is out--sitting in front of a 5-gal bucket with bait in the bucket and some firewood strategically placed to guide the crats to their demise. When successful, photos will follow with full report on the effectiveness.

31 May 2006, 19:08

dustoffer

Got a big smiling rat last night--DD, what is your address so I can mail him to you for lizard food?

31 May 2006, 22:24

scr83jp

A Predator & Rodent Control Agent in Tucson gave me some of his trap bait for predators but when you opened the container you had to be cautious about the wind currents.His mixture was calf brains,limburger cheese,beaver castor,can of sardines,female coyote ,bobcat & fox urine which was allowed to ripen in the container in the AZ sun for a few weeks,man it stunk; sardines is a good bait,skunks like cottage cheese as do most predators.A man in australia used 2 crushed aspirin tabs in milk or cough syrup to rid his property of stray feral felidae.A lot of animals like peanut butter.

31 May 2006, 22:36

scr83jp

quote:
Originally posted by johnch:
For coon , possium , skunk and cat I do a box set .
I have wood ( cardboard will work ) boxs that I set the conibear in front of the open end and bait the box with the cheapest canned cat food you can find .

Woodchuck just set the trap over his hole .

I also remove any human scent with a mixture of about 1 part baking soda to 2 parts peroxide ( no need to messure )

I then store in a scent free container if I will not be using the next day , or just wash off with a hose and air dry outside .
I use latex gloves to reduce human scent transferr.
You may not need to go this far , I am traping stuff in the woods and marsh .

If you catch a skunk it will probely spray .
Mix 1 box of baking soda and a quart of peroxide togeather and spray the area and the trap down .
Also works well on dogs after they have been sprayed .

Also latex gloves will not allow you to transferr the smell , germs , fleas or ticks to you .

After a kill I remove the critter from the trap .
I then place it in a doubled garbage bag with a layer of newspaper in side .

Tie shut the inside bag ,take the latex off , place inside bag 2 and tie it off .

I then place out for trash pick up

Johnch

If you catch a skunk in a Hav-A-Hart Trap cover in with a canvas tarp then wrap the tarp over your tailpipe and start your engine carbon monoxide puts them to permanent sleep w/o spraying.

01 June 2006, 02:26

dustoffer

quote:
If you catch a skunk in a Hav-A-Hart Trap cover in with a canvas tarp then wrap the tarp over your tailpipe and start your engine carbon monoxide puts them to permanent sleep w/o spraying.

I've trapped/shot 28 in my yard in past 3 years and never thought about that method of doing them in. Always used a black plastic sheet draped over the trap, load 'em into the truck, and off to a country roadside. Let 'em loose and hammer them with the shotgun. About 1/3 to 1/2 of them sprayed anyway, even with the plastic draped over the trap.

01 June 2006, 03:56

DigitalDan

I'd use kryptonite if I was you.

Dan

POTYHC

www.DontSeeAnUpSide.ToSkonks

01 June 2006, 04:27

N. S. Sherlock

A plague of skunks has got to be worse than all the cats that would fit in your sandbox. Those odds are pretty bad.

01 June 2006, 07:08

dustoffer

Our neighborhood is two parallel streets with houses on both sides of each street, and pastures/brush/woodlands/creekbottoms all around. Needless to say, all my not-nice neighbors who have outside crats or let their inside crats have the run of the neighborhood are partly responsible for the skunk plague as they all have a food bowl on their back steps for their crats, and the skunks take full advantage of them.

Haven't caught a skunk in 3-4 months, but several possums, and have had a heck of a time with a Boone & Crockett class armadillo which all I've been able to do is ineffectively throw a machete towards. Didn't think I ought to touch off the .357 at 11 pm in the neighborhood so that's the reason for the machete. Oh, and a few crats too.

01 June 2006, 12:51

derf

quote:
Originally posted by dustoffer:
Haven't caught a skunk in 3-4 months, but several possums, and have had a heck of a time with a Boone & Crockett class armadillo which all I've been able to do is ineffectively throw a machete towards. Didn't think I ought to touch off the .357 at 11 pm in the neighborhood so that's the reason for the machete. Oh, and a few crats too.

Would a field point on an arrow fired from a quality Compound Bow do in an Armadillo, dustoffer? We don't have them things up here hence the dumb question. derf

01 June 2006, 13:46

Crimson Mister

quote:
Originally posted by dustoffer:
quote:
If you catch a skunk in a Hav-A-Hart Trap cover in with a canvas tarp then wrap the tarp over your tailpipe and start your engine carbon monoxide puts them to permanent sleep w/o spraying.

I've trapped/shot 28 in my yard in past 3 years and never thought about that method of doing them in. Always used a black plastic sheet draped over the trap, load 'em into the truck, and off to a country roadside. Let 'em loose and hammer them with the shotgun. About 1/3 to 1/2 of them sprayed anyway, even with the plastic draped over the trap.

I use the creek and a can of Miller. I lower the trap into the creek, then sit down on the atv and use the beer as a timer.

Once when we had a dry spell, I threw the trap into the usual hole only to find the water level had dropped and no longer was deep enough to do the job.

So I waded in to retrieve the trap and find a deeper hole. Hint: Never wade upstream toward a live, very pissed of skunk that is clinging to the top of a Hav-a-hart. Two showers and lots of tomato soup later, I was sleeping in the guest room. The wife was really proud of me.

01 June 2006, 13:54

Crimson Mister

quote:
Originally posted by derf:
Would a field point on an arrow fired from a quality Compound Bow do in an Armadillo, dustoffer? We don't have them things up here hence the dumb question. derf

I was drinking with a friend of mine and his brother who was up from the Big Easy. He claimed he smacked an armadillo with his Beretta 9mm and the bullet bounced off it and went through the neighbor's living room window.

Does that sound possible? I've never had any dealings with these critters. He said the cops weren't as entertained with his story as we were, though.

01 June 2006, 20:30

CDH

I wouldn't expect the ol' possum-on-the-half-shell to turn a 9mm bullet unless it was a glancing hit anyways. Their armor will stop crat claws and maybe canine teeth, but an arrow or bullet should do just fine. A 22lr solid will exit...at least on the ones we have down here. Maybe we have a soft shell variety...

300WSM, 180 grain NBT, 1950 fps...they don't bounce off (dang thing should know better than to be rooting in the grass below my deer blind!)

Instead of the machete, try making a strong spear and sneak up on it. They have lousy eyesight and are fairly easy to get next to. A sledgehammer would make a nice sound effect too I'd imagine...messy but satisfying!

02 June 2006, 06:05

dustoffer

Field points do fine, as would judo points or blunts or broadheads. Only problem, if you don't get a pass-through and the arrow is hanging out one side or sticking out both sides and the 'dillo heads for its hole, it is bye-bye arrow. However, have you ever tried to shoot a bow and hold the light on the target at the same time? Maybe I need to get my wife to hold the light--after all, she is the one complaining about the armadillo holes in the flower beds.

05 June 2006, 12:44

derf

Dustoffer, you could get you one of those miner type "headlights". They don't cost all that much if you know where to find them. I have one the 4 Dcell type. derf

05 June 2006, 18:41

dustoffer

The headlight is a thought, but I can see the bowstring catching on it and snatching it off my head and launching it towards the critter.

I have thought about a smaller light mounted on a bracket that would screw in to the stabilizer hole in the front of the bow, wired to a small press-on switch, similar to a doorbell--ought to work I think. Surprised someone hasn't invented/marketed one--but then maybe they have.

05 June 2006, 21:31

derf

I don't think my Mathews would catch the light but then we all hold our bows a bit differently. derf

05 June 2006, 22:26

dustoffer

derf--

My problem would be getting the light pointing where I was looking and aiming.

06 June 2006, 01:54

claybuster

pelican makes a flash light you wear on your head like a miners light,,the thing is great has a led flood light and a incandesant spot,runs on 3 AAA batteries. It lights up a generous area with the flood and the batteries last 80 hrs on the flood,,maby 2 hrs on the spotlight. Kill'em ALL!!!!!Clay

06 June 2006, 02:29

DigitalDan

If there's anything I find more disgusting than a crat it's armadillos. All the bad habits of crats and they have found a way to be dumber...and they aren't much of a challenge either. Here's what I've found works well on them:

Shovels, pitchforks, pickups, sedans, spearguns, .22 BB, CB, Shorts, Longs, Long Rifles, .22 Hornets, Bob, .30-30, .44 Mag, .410, .20 Ga, 16 Ga(double barrel-pull both triggers as one), 12 ga. and .50 Cal Renegade. Machetes(in hand, not thrown), Benjamin Pellet rifles, 4" fence posts, ax handles, canes. IIRC that completes my experience. I have fond hopes of trying out my .358 Win on one of them, planning to use Partitions after hearing about the Wonder 9's bouncing off.

I've yet to nail one with my 150 Suzuki, but you never know when opportunity may strike. They can swim as well as walk under water, maybe I'll need to find one that's really retarded for that notch on the throttle.

Dan

POTYHC

www.Thumpity.Thump

06 June 2006, 03:40

CDH

quote:
Originally posted by DigitalDan:

They can swim as well as walk under water, maybe I'll need to find one that's really retarded for that notch on the throttle.

Dan

POTYHC

www.Thumpity.Thump

I always heard that, so one time (after a few too many beers in my well-spent youth, I snuck up one one intending to bare hand grab it. Better sense prevailed, but I couldn't back down so I planted a size 12 on its back...not hard enough to kill, but it wasn't getting away. Well, what to do with a captured PossumOnTheHalfShell??? Give it a swimming lesson and blast it as it climbed out of the stock tank. After waiting a good hour, it never came out. 2 days later while shooting turtles at aforementioned tank it floated up...

www.thatarmor.didnt.float.wellenough

06 June 2006, 05:23

DigitalDan

He din't have his snorkel kit? They always float tits up down here, least ways after they been shot...plus a few days. I heard that thing about them walking under water some time ago...didn't think much of it one way or another...two years back I winged one, thinking it would run over to the neighbors to die. Fell in the creek though. I went out to look and if was on the bottom, clawing it's way to shore. Made it too..then it died. So I don't really know the truth of it. Maybe it drowned or died from gunshot. Maybe it had a hole in it's lungs and that took away the 'dillo stroke option.

It did seem to know what it was doing on the bottom, and moved with fair speed, all things considered.

Dan

POTYHC

www.Expert.Breaststroker

06 June 2006, 06:18

Crimson Mister

quote:
Originally posted by DigitalDan:
I've yet to nail one with my 150 Suzuki, but you never know when opportunity may strike. They can swim as well as walk under water, maybe I'll need to find one that's really retarded for that notch on the throttle.

Dan

POTYHC

www.Thumpity.Thump

I've never hit one of those with a bike, but I did hit a cat with a Yamaha 1100 back in the 80's. That was a wild ride at 70 mph. When I pull out of the soybean field and back up on the rode, I doubled back and ran over the SOB again. It was trying to make it's way off of the rode dragging it's back legs. Didn't make it.

06 June 2006, 11:03

dustoffer

quote:
Machetes(in hand, not thrown),

I resemble that remark--oh yeah, I already admitted to that incident, although not under oath.

One stumbled into my trap set last night, only as you might figure, it was in the unopened end of the bucket--all it did was uproot the bucket and tip over the trap. Guess I should cut out the other end of the bucket and put a trap at each end, with fences leading to each end. Not sure I have enough room for 10' of 2X6 going away from the bucket on each end though.