Caribou Gear

Need some live trap pointers!

220 Conibear… it’s like a mouse trap but bigger. That’s what I would tell my wife. Kills them instantly
 
Thanks all!

My brain is spinning now! Brought it up to my wife this morning and she isn’t nearly as keen on the idea as I was thinking she would be. Now I just need to convince her that it’s the right thing to do.
Maybe your wife doesn’t know that foxes can carry rabies… 😉
 
220 Conibear… it’s like a mouse trap but bigger. That’s what I would tell my wife. Kills them instantly
That might be a better sell for her and more likely to trick the fox. I will need to design something to close up the hole every day. Our dogs aren’t aloud to be out at the same time as the chickens. Too much of a killer instinct. Sprinting across the yard with a tool belt to save the chicken only works once.

I will also need to lock the chickens in the coop until I spring the trap everyday. Right now they have 24 access to the run. That thing is locked down. Don’t want one of them springing it early
 
Just be aware that ANYTHING that sticks their head in will die. If you have any worries about your dogs doing their business outside or neighborhood cats it may not be the best choice. A skunk will piss off everyone near you! Not trying to discourage you, it seems like one of the best choices, just don't want the wife to freak if something unintended was killed.
 
When I started hound hunting, I desperately tried to live catch a raccoon to train with.

I poked holes in a can of tuna for bait and used a big wire live trap.

All I caught was skunks. Probably like 8-10. I'd snipe them from afar with a .22 while they were in the cage, then remove them a few days later. They'd always spray when I shot, and no matter the wind, my wife could smell me as soon as I came home.

I never caught a coon, or fox, for that matter.

My advice is worthless. Listen to people who catch their desired prey.
 
When I started hound hunting, I desperately tried to live catch a raccoon to train with.

I poked holes in a can of tuna for bait and used a big wire live trap.

All I caught was skunks. Probably like 8-10. I'd snipe them from afar with a .22 while they were in the cage, then remove them a few days later. They'd always spray when I shot, and no matter the wind, my wife could smell me as soon as I came home.

I never caught a coon, or fox, for that matter.

My advice is worthless. Listen to people who catch their desired prey.
My dad has caught a fair amount of skunks with their chickens. An old timer taught him the secret for skunks. You sneak up and throw a blanket over the trap. Then pick up the trap and throw it in water deeper than the trap is tall. We have a little waterfall that does the trick. He hasn’t been sprayed yet.
 
My dad has caught a fair amount of skunks with their chickens. An old timer taught him the secret for skunks. You sneak up and throw a blanket over the trap. Then pick up the trap and throw it in water deeper than the trap is tall. We have a little waterfall that does the trick. He hasn’t been sprayed yet.
I'm a living testimony that that works. Surprisingly well but a little nerve racking the first time or two.
 
That might be a better sell for her and more likely to trick the fox. I will need to design something to close up the hole every day. Our dogs aren’t aloud to be out at the same time as the chickens. Too much of a killer instinct. Sprinting across the yard with a tool belt to save the chicken only works once.

I will also need to lock the chickens in the coop until I spring the trap everyday. Right now they have 24 access to the run. That thing is locked down. Don’t want one of them springing it early
Just FYI unless I am missing something body gripping traps have been illegal in Colorado since 1996. That includes conibears.
 
Just FYI unless I am missing something body gripping traps have been illegal in Colorado since 1996. That includes conibears.
Yep, hence the live trap question. All great ideas though. my options are very limited. Can’t shoot inside city limits, can only live trap in co. If I lived outside city limits it would have been shot already the other morning. My lever action .22 was screaming at me!088EE887-729C-4FBB-B0BE-7502BE2DEFB7.jpeg
 
My dad has caught a fair amount of skunks with their chickens. An old timer taught him the secret for skunks. You sneak up and throw a blanket over the trap. Then pick up the trap and throw it in water deeper than the trap is tall. We have a little waterfall that does the trick. He hasn’t been sprayed yet.
That is clever.
 
My dad has caught a fair amount of skunks with their chickens. An old timer taught him the secret for skunks. You sneak up and throw a blanket over the trap. Then pick up the trap and throw it in water deeper than the trap is tall. We have a little waterfall that does the trick. He hasn’t been sprayed yet.
^ This. And dunking critters like skunks and coons is my preferred dispatching method, easy, clean and quiet too.
 
Use your live trap on the other side of the hole in your coop. Don’t put any space between the wall and the trap so if foxy goes in the hole, it’s caught. Bed the trap floor with dirt. Use the old piece of coop wall to close the hole up each night. Cut your coop hole just smaller than the trap door so foxy can’t see the wire.

I’m all for shooting stuff, but a fox isn’t worth getting a felony for illegal discharge of a firearm if one of your neighbors catches you.
 
My dad has caught a fair amount of skunks with their chickens. An old timer taught him the secret for skunks. You sneak up and throw a blanket over the trap. Then pick up the trap and throw it in water deeper than the trap is tall. We have a little waterfall that does the trick. He hasn’t been sprayed yet.
Use a syringe to eject their essence. You could probably get $10/ounce for it from a trapping lure manufacturer.
 
If you have magpies around don't bait your trap until they've gone to roost. If you do the drowning dispatch make sure the trap doesn't roll upside down. Had that happen in a water trough. When I retrieved my trap it was empty.
 
My dad has caught a fair amount of skunks with their chickens. An old timer taught him the secret for skunks. You sneak up and throw a blanket over the trap. Then pick up the trap and throw it in water deeper than the trap is tall. We have a little waterfall that does the trick. He hasn’t been sprayed yet.
Double check it's not the neighbors cat first otherwise this is the way it's done.
 
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