Trapping is the act of remotely catching an animal with the aid of a trapping device. It is done for a variety of reasons, including food and fur, pest control, and wildlife management. Here are tips on how to increase your chances of capturing your target animal.

Choosing the Right Trap

There are two kinds of traps: kill traps and live traps. Determine beforehand whether you want to go for the kill or capture animals in a more humane way.

When selecting a trap, there are some factors to consider. One, the size of the trap must be suited to the target animal. If it’s a small animal, then a small cage with a small mesh door is ideal. If it’s a larger animal, then get a larger cage with a large mesh door.

If you’re using a live trap, see to it that the animal trap allows for easy single-handed set and release action. The trap should also have a full hand guard to prevent the animal from clawing or biting you. Spring-loaded doors with a highly responsive trigger ensure quick capture. The opening must be small relative to the size of the animal to keep it from escaping.

Choosing the Right Bait

Know what kind of foods your target animal eats, as the bait you put in the trap will play a great role in how successful your effort become. Every creature is attracted to specific kinds of foods. Here’s a list of suggested food baits for some of the most unwanted animals.

• Mice and rats bait: gum drops, cheese, oatmeal, bread and butter
• Bobcat and stray cat bait: oil of catnip, chicken, fish
• Squirrel bait: apples, grains, bread with a drop or two of anise oil, popcorn, sunflower seeds
• Skunk bait: beetles, canned fish, cat food, chicken entrails
• Raccoon bait: marshmallow, watermelon, fish, vegetables covered in honey, sweet corn

Setting Up the Trap

Remember that animals have very refined senses. Before setting up the trap, eliminate unwanted scents that may ward off target animal by immersing the device in boiling water. Wear gloves whenever you handle the trap to mask off human scent.

There are two ways of increasing your chances of trapping the target animal. One way is to put a trail of bait leading to the trap. Another is to put bait on the trap a few times without setting the trigger yet. What you want to achieve here is to make the animal think it’s safe to approach the trap.

Most animals carry diseases that can be transmitted by saliva. After every use, wash and disinfect the trapping device thoroughly with bleach.

Source: cfhs.ca/wild/what_is_trapping