Snaring rabbits???

[Superbrad]

He's looking forward to it. Lots.
Skiing tomorrow and Saturday,rabbit catching Sunday.

Have at it Brian...... I live cross country skiing as well.......

There is lots to teach your kids there and checking snares is like looking for Easter eggs.... and even if you are unsuccessful your first try, then try again...... the most exciting is when you get a fresh skiff of snow and can actually see where they fell victim to, or avoided your snares ...... it's great learning and fun and gets you guys outside..... it's one of those things that, if you get it wrong, you finback to the drawing board...... then when you get it right, there is great satisfaction .....

 

[cdn1canhunt]

Careful with your loop size....too small and the rabbit feels it tick an ear he may not go into the snare.....Too big and you'll catch em around the waist. He'll either die a slow painful death or still be alive when you get there.... that sucks they go crazy when you aproach. Take a .22 rimfire to dispatch just incase. Most will be dead in seconds likely frozen solid.

The key as most have said, find the heaviest used trails and some kind of natural funnel. You can cut some sticks to narrow down their trails. I have also found best snaring happens on really cold clear nights, the bunnies are running everywhere for food to stay energized. PS: it's a good skill to know in a survival situation.

 

[Brianma65]

Thanks for the advice ,everyone. I'm sure we're going to have fun.

Down hill skiing for me,Brad,it's my first run of the season and my fourth run ever.

Marble Mountain.

 

[Superbrad]

Careful with your loop size....too small and the rabbit feels it tick an ear he may not go into the snare.....Too big and you'll catch em around the waist. He'll either die a slow painful death or still be alive when you get there.... that sucks they go crazy when you aproach. Take a .22 rimfire to dispatch just incase. Most will be dead in seconds likely frozen solid.

The key as most have said, find the heaviest used trails and some kind of natural funnel. You can cut some sticks to narrow down their trails. I have also found best snaring happens on really cold clear nights, the bunnies are running everywhere for food to stay energized. PS: it's a good skill to know in a survival situation.

I agree...... and personally prefer a 3-3.5" loop as opposed to the four we are allowed....... rabbits move quick between positions and a good duck stick or funnel point does wonders......

When I make my snares, I use a piece of 3" ABS pipe to make the perfect loop....... then I adjust in the field as necessary...

 

[cdn1canhunt]

I always just guessed but after awhile and 20 or 30 sets it was easy to tell when a set didn't look right. I could almost predict what sets would get me a rabbit and the ones that would never work...but once is awhile a weird set would produce. Ei) waist catches.

 

[Frank McFarquhar]

,,,,,,,,,,,,, Here is the simple answer , that I used for years with success . Yes ,,,,,,,,, put your wire noose
in a tight part of the trail , so noose is the only thing the rabbit can go through.
Here is the sizes ,,,,,,,,,,,, 5" in dia. of noose , with bottom of noose 5" off ground . ,,,,,,,,, Frank

 

[Brianma65]

,,,,,,,,,,,,, Here is the simple answer , that I used for years with success . Yes ,,,,,,,,, put your wire noose
in a tight part of the trail , so noose is the only thing the rabbit can go through.
Here is the sizes ,,,,,,,,,,,, 5" in dia. of noose , with bottom of noose 5" off ground . ,,,,,,,,, Frank

Botom of noose 5 inches off the ground? I thought it was 1 inch. O was thinking the top of the snare was 4 to 6 inchs Off the ground. My bad .
So approximately 4 inch diameter hoop,with bottom 4-6 inchs from ground. Got it.

 

[the spank]

My grandfather taught me how to snare when I was a kid. Nothing was more exciting than a trip to the cottage with him and my grandmother after x-mas and after arriving at night getting up the next day, reaching in the drawer they kept all the fun stuff in like bulldog pellets, old williams wablers in need of new hooks and of course snare wire, then throwing on my snowshoes and heading into the bush to start setting snares. I used to set only two or three as I wasn't out to fill the freezer. Once I had one, usually the next morning I would pull the snares for a few days. My grandmother would make a snowshoe stew as my grandfather jokingly called it. Once that had been consumed I would snare another to bring home. It was awesome. As a little guy you felt like a real experienced woodsman, lol!

 

[Brianma65]

My grandfather taught me how to snare when I was a kid. Nothing was more exciting than a trip to the cottage with him and my grandmother after x-mas and after arriving at night getting up the next day, reaching in the drawer they kept all the fun stuff in like bulldog pellets, old williams wablers in need of new hooks and of course snare wire, then throwing on my snowshoes and heading into the bush to start setting snares. I used to set only two or three as I wasn't out to fill the freezer. Once I had one, usually the next morning I would pull the snares for a few days. My grandmother would make a snowshoe stew as my grandfather jokingly called it. Once that had been consumed I would snare another to bring home. It was awesome. As a little guy you felt like a real experienced woodsman, lol!

Awesome story,my boy is 10 and he's very excited for Sunday . As am I.
He's been eyeing a 22/410 combo,but I'm not sure he's ready for a 410. (He has a 1022).
I'm sure we'll have fun,no matter the outcome.

 

[chisholm]

My grandfather taught me how to snare when I was a kid. Nothing was more exciting than a trip to the cottage with him and my grandmother after x-mas and after arriving at night getting up the next day, reaching in the drawer they kept all the fun stuff in like bulldog pellets, old williams wablers in need of new hooks and of course snare wire, then throwing on my snowshoes and heading into the bush to start setting snares. I used to set only two or three as I wasn't out to fill the freezer. Once I had one, usually the next morning I would pull the snares for a few days. My grandmother would make a snowshoe stew as my grandfather jokingly called it. Once that had been consumed I would snare another to bring home. It was awesome. As a little guy you felt like a real experienced woodsman, lol!

Awesome story! Man I had a blast snaring rabbits when i was a kid, lots of fond memories!

 

[Dorian Gray]

I haven't done it in about 10 years. Thinking of starting again on my days off. Thanks for the encouragement guys.

 

[City Boy]

A buddy from Nova Scotia taught me how to snare rabbits .... it seems to be more common on the east coast.

I've only done it in the snow and learning in the snow is a great way to start out ; you see tracks and how multiple tracks meet in a natural funnel and that's where you set up the snare. Then use branchs to further funnel that area and set up as the photo posted earlier. The only thing I would add is that I was taught to cut the branches for the funnel somewhere further away from the snare and don't go overboard on building walls for the funnel. It works remarkably well ... I remember saying "there's no way this will work", but sure enough bunnies find their way into these snares even when you never see one around. I'm glad I learned how as it's great for an emergency and I keep some wire in my hunting pack in case of an emergency. We never had any coyote problems, but my buddy says he caught a grouse in one once. He swears by grouse and rabbit pie.

 

[City Boy]

It's been many years, but I remember thinking how small the nooses were .... a fist sized seems larger than I remember, but since so many people on here are saying four inches, I guess that must be about right.

 

[Brutus]

Ever watch a rabbit die in a snare?

Myself I don't have the luxury of time to actually set rabbit snare(s) and watch 'the show' unlike yourself.

So I guess you have and also did nothing about a quicker ending to it's suffering huh??
I am sure it would be a lot faster death than being eaten alive by a raptor.

Some words of advice: Go watch Disney's bambi.

 

[the spank]

Awesome story! Man I had a blast snaring rabbits when i was a kid, lots of fond memories!

One of my faves was the day gramp was sitting sideways on his old moto-ski zephyr fiddling with his canon camera. As I came around the corner of the cottage snowshoes on to head out to check my snares he looks up at me and says "hey lad the easter bunny came early and dropped off a present for you". He reached in the pocket of his ski-doo suit and produced a tinfoil package and handed it to me. I opened it and the 6-10 frozen rabbit turds were not the treat I was quite expecting. We both burst out laughing and he fired a pic of me with my treats with his camera. Those were the best of times!

 

[the spank]

Awesome story,my boy is 10 and he's very excited for Sunday . As am I.
He's been eyeing a 22/410 combo,but I'm not sure he's ready for a 410. (He has a 1022).
I'm sure we'll have fun,no matter the outcome.

He will absolutely love it and never forget those times spent with you, the lessons learned and the way you helped him feel like someone who had the skills to survive. So many of the kids I grew up with in a city environment were so far removed from nature even back then I felt sorry for them and all they were missing out on. I was very proud of my family as a kid and grateful for the days I had with them growing up and all they did for and with me.

 

[Papaclaude]

I caught hundreds of them as a kid (45+ years ago). We used to sell them to a company that made a French Canadian holiday dish out of them. Got a whole 75 cents a rabbit, skinned and gutted. Bought my first snowmobile with money I made selling rabbits. Here's what I remember:

Use brass wire only. Copper will king and snap. We used to have unlimited access to copper lead (blasting) wire, and it would break.

The loop was the size of our fist, the bottom of the loop about 1-2" off the ground (this was for snowshoe hares.)

We used branches to make a funnel if there was not a natural funnel.

It takes a loooong time for them to die. Most of them froze to death rather than suffocate. It's why I would not do it any more, even if it was allowed in our area, However, it is a valuable learning experience for kids.

If you're in Ontario, it used to be you were only allowed to snare North of the French and Mattawa Rivers - you may want to check on that.

Also, snared rabbit has not bled out, and in the dead of winter, they taste like poplar. Also, they're tough as heck. Here is a good recipe: take a pot of water, add 1 onion, 1 carrot, some aslt and pepper. Add 1 rabbit. Find a rock that weighs the same as the rabbit. Add to the pot. Cook until the rock is tender, throw the rabbit away and eat the rock.


Which reminds me - we used to watch Robin Hood on TV, and they always had a rabbit roasting on a spit. So, one day, we caught a rabbit that wasn't frozen, cleaned it, made a nice fire (of balsam and dry pine - yum), and roasted our rabbit. The taste of balsam was exquisite, and we took our first bite. Four days later, we were still chewing it.

 

[the spank]

I caught hundreds of them as a kid (45+ years ago). We used to sell them to a company that made a French Canadian holiday dish out of them. Got a whole 75 cents a rabbit, skinned and gutted. Bought my first snowmobile with money I made selling rabbits. Here's what I remember:

Use brass wire only. Copper will king and snap. We used to have unlimited access to copper lead (blasting) wire, and it would break.

The loop was the size of our fist, the bottom of the loop about 1-2" off the ground (this was for snowshoe hares.)

We used branches to make a funnel if there was not a natural funnel.

It takes a loooong time for them to die. Most of them froze to death rather than suffocate. It's why I would not do it any more, even if it was allowed in our area, However, it is a valuable learning experience for kids.

If you're in Ontario, it used to be you were only allowed to snare North of the French and Mattawa Rivers - you may want to check on that.

Also, snared rabbit has not bled out, and in the dead of winter, they taste like poplar. Also, they're tough as heck. Here is a good recipe: take a pot of water, add 1 onion, 1 carrot, some aslt and pepper. Add 1 rabbit. Find a rock that weighs the same as the rabbit. Add to the pot. Cook until the rock is tender, throw the rabbit away and eat the rock.


Which reminds me - we used to watch Robin Hood on TV, and they always had a rabbit roasting on a spit. So, one day, we caught a rabbit that wasn't frozen, cleaned it, made a nice fire (of balsam and dry pine - yum), and roasted our rabbit. The taste of balsam was exquisite, and we took our first bite. Four days later, we were still chewing it.

Hence my grandfather calling it snowshoe stew. I think it was more a reference to the taste and texture than breed?! It was years later before I discovered my grandparents despised the taste of it but did what they felt necessary to entertain a young bush crazy kid!

Now being taught how to snare walleye?! That's an entirely different skill set!!

 

[gerard]

It say brass only,in the regs (NL). No big deal,just wondering why.

It's because of the Newfoundland Pine Martin

 

[Papaclaude]

Hence my grandfather calling it snowshoe stew. I think it was more a reference to the taste and texture than breed?! It was years later before I discovered my grandparents despised the taste of it but did what they felt necessary to entertain a young bush crazy kid!

Now being taught how to snare walleye?! That's an entirely different skill set!!

Holy crap, man, you bring back memories. When we were kids, we used to snare pike when they were spawning. You tie a snare to a long poplar pole (8-10 ft.) and you slide the snare over the fish, yank it up when you are just behind the gills, That is now illegal as heck (was then too, but back then, game laws were viewed more as suggestions than rules). And yeah, it isn't a gourmet dish, although almost edible when you soak it overnight in water with a bit of vinegar or soda, change the water often, and remove all the membrane you can from the muscles. Then, stew it for a few moons. When you shoot them, they're not too bad, because they bleed out.

Others have mentioned the risk to cats. I have also known of a few dogs that have lost limbs when they get gangrene after getting caught in a snare. As a matter of fact, the last dog I had to shoot as a teen was a gorgeous husky that had a gangrenous leg from getting caught in a snare. But, times were different then. The "good ol' days" weren't always that good.

Please note that the things mentioned in this post are now highly illegal. Don't try them, as they are inhumane and unsportsmanlike. We are talking things that happened almost 50 years ago, in rural areas.(Had to throw that in not to get an infraction)