home made traps

[ruger357]

I am going to make some traps for bobcats but I can only find 14ga welded wire mesh. This is what I am thinking tell me what you think. The trap will be 15"x22"x48" it will be a drop door with a larger food pad release 14"x8" with a standard releasing rod. I am hopping the that the 1/2"x1" 14ga cage wire will be heavy enough with a frame made out of light wight angle and strap wrapped in the the 14ga wire. Lets hear what you all think and if you have any traps you have made lets see them. Thanks for your time. Good luck out there and be safe.

[Humptulips]

14 gauge wire is plenty. I would reccomend 1x1 wire. I have a bunch made of 1x2 and some made with 2x4. I have never lost a cat out of them even the 2x4. Anything less then 1x1 is questionable if a coon or coyote gets in your trap.

It sounds like maybe you are going a bit overboard on the frame. Only thing wrong with that is the weight. There will come a time when you will have to pack one a ways and you will cuss them if they are too heavy.
Believe me I know from experience. The first traps I made I used 5/8 and 3/4 rod I had plus the 2x4 wire I had. The wire is very poor. I have patched them a lot but no escapes except a coyote. The frame on the other hand is overkill and makes the traps too heavy to carry far. A lot of choice words have flown over those traps and the maker.
Now I use 1/4" rod for frame.
I'll see if I can get a picture of one tomorrow.

[ruger357]

so do you thimk there is any reason to build it with anything more than a few ribs or should i have the ribs linked together with rod stock runing the length of the trap in the four corners.

[pnwmtnmn]

A trap maker in Ca.(Yancy) made his bobcat trap with only a frame for the drop door, the rest of the trap was just bent into shape and j-clipped together. 1x1 14 ga.

[Humptulips]

so do you thimk there is any reason to build it with anything more than a few ribs or should i have the ribs linked together with rod stock runing the length of the trap in the four corners.

I think only the ribs are neccesary. My new cat traps have three ribs including the door frame. The back 1/3 is just the formed cage wire. I have only caught two cats in the new traps so far but no problem with them damaging it.

A trap maker in Ca.(Yancy) made his bobcat trap with only a frame for the drop door, the rest of the trap was just bent into shape and j-clipped together. 1x1 14 ga.

I have one of those traps and while I prefer my own design it holds up well.

[hardkorrhunter]

His a pic of what I built from Bruce's design it is 14guage with 1/4" round stock frames.

[hardkorrhunter]

I am no longer using the trigger you see in the pic I went to the conibear trigger. If you go back a few pages and and look through my thread titled " dispatching animals in cage traps " you will find several great pics that Bruce uploaded for me, and I gotta say I couldn't be happier with the design. They are light weight and very effective with the conibear trigger.

[wags]

Here's a link to a good source for cage wire. I've found that's it's pretty hard to find any hardware/feed stores in western Washington that sell the right wire, I think they must all use the same wholesaler.

http://klubertanz.com/images/Klubertanz_Pg1-7.pdf

[UrbanTrapper]

Also, you can catch cats in cages as small as 12 x 14 x 36.  Height is more important than width.  Yancy has caught cats in cages as narrow as 8 in wide. One theory is that bobcats are MORE comfortable going into smaller cages.

[dbfalls]

Wags that is a good source for wire if you live in Wisconsin. Go to Mclendons Hardware they get there wire local from Prime Source Building supply. Cost for 1x1 galv. welded wire 3' x 100' roll $175.00.  That will net you 20 swim through traps At 12x17x36. Northwest Steel & pipe has 1/4" rod 20' cost roughly $24 and anything else you need. They are located in Tacoma .

[ruger357]

I am thinking going with the 15x22 so I can make it a set of three that will all fit inside of each other that would make the next 13x20 then 11x18 this way I can slide them together strap them to my hand truck and cart them down the trail.

[hardkorrhunter]

I just go to my local do it best hardware and have th order everything I need.

[CementFinisher]

tag

[Humptulips]

Sorry, didn't get a picture today.
Only place I have found suitable wire is Del's Farm and Feed. Do a search they have a website to find a store near you.
My new cat traps are 10x18x42. Ones I made last year that can be used for cats or as a swim through are 10x18x48. With the internal door that probably makes them between 8" and 9" wide.No problem getting cats to go in. Cats have no problem turning around in them either so I have to think it doesn't seem that tight to them.

[jasnt]

Tagging along