Re: [gardeners] OT sloth trap for sale?
David G. Smith (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Sun, 14 Nov 1999 21:28:56 -0500
My brother-in-law says he's caught a dozen groundhogs in a season with one.
I borrowed it once and caught a squirrel. FWIW. He did say to set it so
it would release as easily as possible. Just barely latch it.
David
At 06:13 PM 11/14/99 -0600, you wrote:
> Do these things (Havahart box traps) actually work? So far a brand new
>"raccoon-size" (~12x12x36") unit is one-for-three on (I fear) the cat I
>really want to catch and the possums which devour all the food I put out to
>at least keep her around.
> They're dumb enough, I hope, that they'll fall for this as many
>times as it takes. But a semi-feral cat? Fat chance. I >could< manage
>to confront them across the feed bowl almost nightly, at chest height
>and point-blank range....
> Unfortunately they're even more durable than they are dumb, and the
>thought of 15-20p of dead possum in a big back-door woodpile does not
>appeal. Let alone having to dispose of several hundred pounds of nosy
>neighbors and overinquisitive cops....
>
> Ahem. Anyway, it looks to me like those big doors - even preloaded
>by slipping in sticks to hold them partway down, are just too slow once
>gravity takes over. More than looks like: even sitting inside hearing it
>trip as unexpectedly as the animal does, it seems like an awful lot of
>brain cycles go by before it actually slams to.
> Especially the passive-linked door, which just sits there forever until
>the tripped link comes about halfway up and relieves the friction on it.
>The "squirrel-size" one I got to trap the kittens last year is perceptibly
>faster - and works like the proverbial charm.
>
> Anyone had any experience with (any) live traps? Will the animals get
>scared off or gradually come to assume they can beat it until one day they
>don't? Will a squirrel-size trap still catch at least a smallish cat or
>half-grown possum? Is anything actually going to walk into a 36" long trap
>if I leave one door shut? Any other tips or tricks? Thanks in advance.
>
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