More Than One Way To Catch a Critter...

[Runner]

Maybe this post would be better off in the "Harbor Freight Tools that Suck" thread, but here goes. See, I've been having this ground hog problem for a couple of years. They're fine when they stay out back, but when they start digging around my foundation (ruining my new landscaping job) and making holes in my evaporation pond dam, that's when I have to do something.

So, I bought a cage trap from Harbor Freight and set it up outside the hole with apples, carrots and other goodies for bait. Next time I checked the trap, it was sprung, the bait was gone but no ground hog. This happened several times and I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong.

So, I'm mowing my back yard one day and I surprise the ground hog. He runs into a hole in a tree that he likes to hide in. I think "This is my big chance to get him". So, I jump off the tractor, run over and get the trap. I set it up outside the hole in the tree and block off all the other entrances with concrete blocks.

Then, I have to figure out a way to get him to leave the safety of the tree. So happens, there is a knot hole in the tree, so I stick a garden hose in there and let her rip. (At this point, it looks just like a scene from Caddyshack, dragging the hose between my legs and all....).

So, I turned the hose on and out he comes, into the trap. Springs the trap and the door closes. Problem is, the structure isn't strong enough to hold him and he pushes the door open and escapes. This happens TWICE before I finally figure out that I need to block the trap door so he can't push it back open.

So, THIS time, I run to the shed and grab a piece of rebar to slide in between the trap door and the sides of the trap. Bingo, he can't open the door. I safety wire the door with bailing wire and off he goes to be "relocated".

Third time was a charm.

I wonder if anyone makes a better trap for this kind of stuff?

 

[Bluelick]

I bet that was one PO'ed groundhog! At least they put a metal shield under the handle to you don't get your knuckles gnawed!

 

[Travelover]

Great story.:laughing:

Used to buy Havahart brand back in the day - they even held PO'd 'coons.

 

[beenthere]

Get a Havahart trap. What you show is apparently a chinese knockoff of the Havahart.

I've had one for a good number of years, and probably caught a half dozen groundhogs, a few skunks, some large feral cats, and at least a 100 racoons.

None have ever managed to push the door open from the inside.

That was a clever way to get that hog outta that hole in the tree.

 

[Freds]

It's hard to tell what the problem might be without seeing the trap up close. Are you sure you have it "set" right so the trap door locks? I pulled my havahart trap out a couple weeks ago for the same purpose, to catch a groundhog that was burrowing under the perimeter fence surrounding my kennel. He was leaving holes a small dog could have easily slipped through. I threw a couple peaches in there and gave him a free meal because I had not flipped the locking mechanism over so it would keep the door from being pushed open. Duh. I guess I overlooked that part, lol. Anyway, I caught two in three days and am pretty sure I got the culprit. Those havaharts appear to be beefier than that one in your pic, but I can't imagine a trap that the door doesn't lock properly.

 

[Runner]

The door seems to be locking as intended, but there's so much "flex" that the critter can bend it out enough to slip through.

Sounds like the Havaheart traps are stronger so I'll see if I can find one. I have two or three more ground hogs that I still need to relocate. Those things are incredibly strong and heavier than they look....

 

[jinman]

I bought a trap from TSC and it seems to work fine. I just think your HF trap may be defective or too weak. It would probably work great for rabbits, cats, and other less-determined animals. Raccoons are the toughest to catch and keep. They will try every imaginable thing to get out of a trap. If a trap door can be defeated, a 'coon will find the way.

Oh yeah... Your "tree trap" picture is priceless.

 

[Runner]

"It would probably work great for rabbits, cats, and other less-determined animals."

Actually, I did catch an opossum in there once by accident and it held him/her fine.

As for the "tree trap" there's a little story there too. The previous owner of the property called that the "smoking tree" because he once had a burn pile too close to it and the inside of the tree caught fire. He cut the "knot hole" with a chain saw and put a hose in there to douse the fire.

Anyway, the knot hole came in handy for flushing out the hog.

Incidentally, the hog looked like a circus performer shot out of a cannon when released from the trap. Cleared a three foot ditch and took off into the brush.

 

[Jim Thompson]

I keep three traps set pretty much all the time to trap squirrels, raccoons and possum. I have 10 pecan trees and it's astounding the damage that one squirrel can do. Before I started trapping them, there would be 8 -10 in any one tree every day.
Using the Havahart traps, I catch and relocate in excess of 10 squirrels per week. Have caught a number of possum and raccoons but none recently. They don't usually show up until the weather is cooler and the pecans mature.

Jim

 

[bullbreaker]

Using the Havahart traps, I catch and relocate in excess of 10 squirrels per week.



Jim:I use to do the same thing.Make sure your "blindfolding"those squirrels or they will find their way back!




(just kidding of course)Don't get bite though!
Boone

 

[buckeyefarmer]

my brand of groundhog trap is Hollowpoint

 

[bullbreaker]

my brand of groundhog trap is Hollowpoint

:laughing: :laughing: :laughing:
Boone

 

[RadarTech]

my brand of groundhog trap is Hollowpoint

Weird name for a trap...:laughing:

what size does it come in? 30.06 30/30 .357 ?

J

 

[beenthere]

Don't release the pest somewhere else. Finish the job.

I had neighbor farmer who lived in town (rented his farm) and trapped several squirrels a week, always talking about how many he caught.

I too was inundated with squirrels, and shot them with the 22 (hollow point ). Come to find out, the neighbor was dumping them off here. I commented that I didn't appreciate the extra squirrels, so he started ending their life span before letting them out of his trap. Remarkable difference on my end.

So, please finish the job at hand.

 

[Jim Thompson]

I've sent many of them to the great nut farm in the sky, actually fed them to a couple of families of Red Tail Hawks who reside in the back swamp. Had the hawks conditioned, fire the gun out back and within a minute or so later, one would land in a live-oak and start calling for lunch.

Houses are too close for a 22 so I used a 20 gauge model 17 Remington pump. Would reach out and touch them pretty good, but I waste a lot less time this way - just set the trap and collect the squirrels. The county has park a mile or so from here next to the river where I release them. It's on the opposite side of a 6 lane highway so they will have to hitch hike to get back.:laughing:

Jim

 

[Chuck52]

I bought the same HF trap a couple years ago. I already had a Havaheart but needed another trap due to having so many coons to deal with, and the HF trap was a lot cheaper. At first, I liked the HF trap because unlike the bottom of the line Havaheart, it had two doors so it was easier to bait. It worked fine for a few young coons and some possums, but then I caught a bigger coon (I guess) and that one forced its way out and bent the trap door in the process. Those traps are made to fold for easy shipping. The metal isn't that much lighter than in my Havaheart, but the trap door is just wire while the Havaheart has some sheet metal to protect the mechanism and stiffen the door. You could probably spot weld on some reinforcement, but I guess that would negate the advantage of it being so much cheaper.

I added some wire to the trapdoor of the HF trap and still use it, but I doubt it would hold the coon that got out of it.

SIL used to do some trapping and still has a few older traps that are much better made than the new Havahearts. They don't have spring loaded doors, just gravity driven. You do have to keep the locking mechanism clean and lubed, but once something gets in there it isn't getting out.

Chuck

 

[Freds]

I wasn't very concerned about squirrels until one day I saw this. The darn red squirrels were eating their way into my toy box I smeared peanut butter and rat poisoning in the hole and he just started at a different spot. I found that some 7-1/2 shot in my .410 Saiga worked much better.


I read the reviews on that HF trap and critters squeezing out the bottom of the door seems to be a common problem for just about anything determined enough to want to leave.

 

[tallyho8]

I keep three traps set pretty much all the time to trap squirrels, raccoons and possum. I have 10 pecan trees and it's astounding the damage that one squirrel can do. Before I started trapping them, there would be 8 -10 in any one tree every day.
Using the Havahart traps, I catch and relocate in excess of 10 squirrels per week. Have caught a number of possum and raccoons but none recently. They don't usually show up until the weather is cooler and the pecans mature.

Jim

What are you using for bait to catch those squirrels so easily?

 

[Jim Thompson]

What are you using for bait to catch those squirrels so easily?

Left over pecans from last year. Sometimes after emptying the traps, before baiting the traps, I will catch them with no bait. I forgot to mention that I set them near the wife's bird feeder where there is steady traffic mostly in the morning and late afternoon.

Jim

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Weird name for a trap...:laughing:

what size does it come in? 30.06 30/30 .357 ?

J

Usually just a 22mag, but 30.06 and 22/250 works also.