Rabbit Hunting Tips >> Rabbit Hunting Beagles

The first thing you must do if you plan on trapping rabbits is to select the trap sites. You should know that the rabbit traps should be set only in areas where these animals are known to be active, examples of an active area would be around hollow logs, earth mounds, dung heaps or most likely entrances to burrows and warrens. Rabbits can be found in those areas in which they can easily escape, like brush piles, bluegrass which is mixed with shrubs or clovers, thick fencerows or briar patches. It is advisable to place the rabbit trap along the trails made by the rabbits which are using that area because if you place the trap in an area where there aren’t any rabbits then your efforts will be in vain.

Traps shouldn’t be installed near fences and other objects, such as bushes, small trees and others in which the trapped animal may become entangled. The location of all trap sites and the number of the rabbit traps must be accurately marked and recorded. This crucial information should be readily available to other people in case the trapper is unable to return to check the traps.

Setting a trap properly must meet some conditions, some of these would be:

•  It is recommended to set the rabbit trap at the end of each day and check it early in the morning. If the rabbit traps are set during the day, it is advisable to check them later in the afternoon
•  Before installing a rabbit trap you must ensure that it is working without any problems
•  The rabbit traps should only be anchored to stakes/fixed objects if there is a shock absorbing device like a spring that is fitted to the anchor chain and a swivel that is attaching the chain to the rabbit trap. It is advisable to use a short length chain measuring approximately 50 centimeters. Alternatively, the rabbit trap can be tied to “drags“ or objects like small logs or rocks that will move when the animal pulls against the trap
•  The trap must be placed in the hole, in the ground and you must ensure that the surrounding debris or shrubs won’t interfere with the trap mechanism
•  It is advisable to carefully camouflage the area around the rabbit traps with grass debris, leaves and others but make sure you leave a slightly cleared zone ( about 10-15 centimeters ) over the area of the plate

If you follow the next 7 steps you won’t have any problems trapping these animals:

•  First thing to do, as we have mentioned in the first paragraph, track the paths used by the rabbits
•  Purchase a rabbit trap or if you are a DIY fan, you can make your own live rabbit trap. A one-door cage trap is recommended and these products can be easily found at a regular feed supply store
•  Third thing in order, place the rabbit trap at the entry point to your garden or along the trails you have found
•  A very important step, bait the rabbit trap with carrots, very tempting rabbit snacks that you can buy from a pet supply store, dandelions or leafy greens
•  The baited trap must be placed during active times for these animals like dusk and dawn
•  You must observe the trap so that you will release the animal as soon as possible after you caught it
•  Reposition the rabbit to a park or other rural location and let him go

When it comes down to which baits you should use, opinions vary; some people use apples, corn or carrots; another alternative is to purchase some rabbit snacks from your local pet store; other people prefer not using any baits due to the fact that by using baits you may attract skunks or even opossums who are on the look for a fast and easy meal. Many people say that the best baits for catching rabbits are those baits which these animals usually eat.

A rabbit trap can be very versatile due to the fact that with little modification of the trap’s size, it can be used for other smaller or larger animals. Remember that there are some rules for traps you must follow, check the ones that apply to your state before starting to build a rabbit trap.

All things considered, trapping a rabbit isn’t a very hard thing to do if you take things nice and slowly and respect these simple steps. If you have problems with rabbits, trapping them is the right thing to do but remember to relocate them once caught.

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