Snares and Snaring

By Raymond Thompson

This early work is a fascinating read for the hunting enthusiast or historian about the techniques of snaring. Illustrated with diagrams, drawings and photographs. Contents Include: The Steel Snare and its Use, Snaring the Fox, How to Become a Wolfer, Trapping the Canada Lynx, Rabbit and Lynx Snaring, Tricks in Beaver Trapping, Illustrated Snaring Methods, Live Traps, Snares and Deadfalls. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Read Books Ltd.
• Release date: Jan 28, 2013
• ISBN: 9781447482253

Book preview

Preface

THIS book is written in the hope that it will prove of benefit to trappers who have tried to snare successfully and have failed, or perhaps not succeeded to the extent they desired. Snaring is a comparatively simple art to master but, as in every kind of trapping, certain rules must be mastered at the start. It is the intention of the writer to set forth these rules as briefly as possible and explain them as clearly as space permits.

Snaring as an art is one of the oldest methods of capturing wild animals, but during the past 20 years some really remarkable developments have been made along this line. Canadian, Alaskan, and U.S. trappers have made a big success of snaring coyotes and foxes in recent years, while until a comparatively short time ago, it was generally conceded impossible to hold such sly animals in snares. Amazing developments in the types of snares and the kind of material from which the snares have been made, are largely responsible for this success.

The use of Deadfalls and Live Traps will be found practicable under certain conditions and each method offers unique advantages. The deadfall rivals the snare as far as origin is concerned as it apparently dates back hundreds of years. Natives in many parts of the globe, used this method to kill game for food and clothing. And scarcely a boy who hasn’t at some time or other conceived the idea of using a Live Trap to take squirrels, birds, etc., for pets.

Correspondents from many parts of the world indicate a growing interest in all these methods of capturing wild animals. I have had inquiries from Argentina, England, France, South Africa and other countries. From the last-mentioned, a former resident of the United States writes to tell of the natives snaring crocodiles. Others are interested in jungle trapping and snaring, etc., etc.

As a result of the world-wide travel of our boys in the armed forces during World War Two, the spirit of adventure has been greatly magnified. No doubt, after new avenues of trade are opened, a percentage of men from North America will take advantage of the many opportunities created in other parts of the world. And of course there are vast unexploited sections on our own continent, where, combined with seasonal work in the woods, trapping is still a paying profession.

So, to the Spirit of Adventure, wherever it leads our young men, this book is dedicated.

The Author

SPECIAL NOTE:

Snares and Snaring was written during the war years and under normal conditions would have been brought out at that time. However, paper and printing conditions made this impossible; also, the binding of the book in a cloth cover, which was originally intended. We were anxious to present this information to a vast field of interested people as early as possible, because we believe Raymond Thompson has collected here the most unique methods of snare making and using ever offered the public in any form. Material has been condensed to give readers the kind of direct information they require to grasp the details of operation without unnecessary beating about the bush, coupled of course with sufficient trapping atmosphere to make even the novice acquainted with the art of snare making and using. A condensed style of type has also been used to conserve paper—all in all, while we have kept down the size of the book, we have not omitted any information of value to the subject.

FUR TRADE JOURNAL OF CANADA

The Steel Snare and its Use

THE STEEL SNARE AND ITS USE.—First, let us briefly discuss the various types of snares, with first—the spring pole snare. The object of the spring pole snare is, of course, to hoist the animal from the ground, or even partially so, and thus prevent the escape of the animal. There are several things about the spring pole snare set which renders it ineffective under certain conditions. One of its greatest drawbacks is the time required in making the set, it being necessary to arrange the snare to the sapling and provide some sort of trip and catch, the catch to hold the snare in the bent position, and the trip to release the sapling when the animal is ensnared.

While the modern self-locking steel snare does not require a spring pole or any other hoisting method, we include in another chapter, some proven adaptations of the device. This should prove beneficial in case the snaresman has an inferior quality wire, which would make it necessary to lift the catch from the ground to prevent its escape. Occasionally too, even when using the best quality snare or snare wire, it pays to lift the snared animal so that its fur may not be damaged by mice. This also may be accomplished with the garotte, or weighted snare.

THE GAROTTE OR WEIGHTED SNARE.—The garotte or weighted snare works on practically the same principle as the spring pole, except that a weight is used to hoist the animal aloft instead of the power confined to the bent sapling. The same objection to the garotte applies owing to the fact that it is a lot of trouble to arrange a set, a heavy weight having to be provided and some sort of trip to hold the snare and weight in place until the desired animal is captured.

WHERE THE ORDINARY SNARE FAILS.—The ordinary snaring methods such as are used with a spring pole, weight or other arrangement fails in the long run because it is often not applicable to actual conditions on the professional trap-line. While a set of this kind will capture many animals it is cumbersome on wolves or foxes, for instance. Any method which fails to work successfully on the slyest furbearers is apt to be discarded by the professional who has little time for experiments. I do not mean to say that a spring pole snare set is incapable of capturing a fox or coyote, I merely state that it is impractical for the general use of a fox trapper or wolfer.

It is difficult to arrange a spring pole snare set, garotte, or any device that requires the provision of a trip and suppressed power for hoisting the ensnared animal, without making a lot of signs about the set that any shrewd animal is going to notice under ordinary conditions. For that reason your spring pole snare, unless cleverly prepared will warn a coyote away just as effectually as if you hung up a sign and warned him away in letters compiled from a coyote alphabet.

THE IDEAL SNARE.—The best snare is one that can be set in a hurry, without requiring the use of spring pole or weight, that is light to carry and cheap as to cost, and that will catch and hold any animal it is set for. Sounds simple, does it not? Strange to say, after many years of careful experimenting, professional trappers have developed a type of snare that will accomplish the task set for it and at the same time meet with all the other requirements mentioned above.

The writer has been snaring coyotes (the hardest animal on the North American Continent to trap) for many years, but not with any great amount of success until after several years of experimenting. I do not claim to know all there is to know about the use of the steel snare, but I do claim this: I can take a hundred steel snares and catch more coyotes in a month than I could ever catch with a hundred steel traps during two or three seasons. By actual count I have taken twenty coyotes from less than fifty snares in one month, which is a pretty good average for these sly fellows. Foxes are far easier to snare than coyotes. They do not require such a heavy steel strand, though when trapping in a country where coyotes and foxes run together (I mean over the same general routes) I always employ a strand