Snare setup (pics)

T

Tommy Johnson

New member
Shooter asked last night if I could get him some photos of my setup and thought since I was already taking pics and all that I would just go ahead and post my setup.

Below is a pic of a well traveled thoroughfare that I look for when setting up. In fact this spot had some coyote hair stuck inside the fencing. Notice the type of fence (sheep/goat fence or net fence). This style fencing narrows down where a critter can travel. A coyote would rather walk half a mile to go under than it would go over. This particular spot has produced a cat and three coyotes. Notice the old flags on the top strand of wire.

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Take your snare and be sure to loop it through itself to a solid anchor point such as a fence post. If the hole is too far from a post for a snare to reach take two snares and run them through each other and this will give you the extra footage. Never anchor to the fence . This will result in "runoffs" and high risk of fence damage.

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Take bailing wire and make some "clips" to help suspend the snare. I used 3 for this setup and they seemed to hold the snare in the lasso shape well even with a 30 mph wind. Sometimes I have had to use more but the setup dictates how many you'll need.

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Here is the completed setup. Be sure to take a clip and place it right behind the lock between the lock and where you anchored it. On all your clips you want them only to act as pressure points to help suspend the snare in that "lasso" shape. But on the one behind the locking device you want to actually twist it, fastening it to the bottom strand, Ive dubbed this clip the "choking clip". This will help give that added resistance when the critter is going under the fence. Any slack that is from the "choking clip" and the anchor will have no effect.

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In the last pic you can see my new flag so I can spot my setup faster. If you plan to snare be prepared to fix a damaged fence. By anchoring the snare to the post you minimize your chances of tearing it up but Ive seen some strange stuff. In fact on several occasions Ive seen them run underneath, then over, back underneath, until they tie the fence into a pretty little bowtie. And two I highly suggest that you run a 24 hour trapline. They will usually be expired by the time you get there, even under 24 hours but if it managed to tear down the fence in the process that could lead to lost livestock.

I ll keep an eye on this setup and post the doggy that had the misfortune of falling for it. Should be in less than a week.
 
Thanks for sharing that with us Tommy, I have always wanted to know how to set a snare up and now i do!
I want to see the results! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Nick~
 
I thought the snare would have caught it around the neck . And how did it get up in the air? You may catch them that way, But I hang em higher! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
Guys I didnt want to post a picture of the train wreck, so I just cut the snare and hung him on the top strand. If you look closely at the pic youll see the path the snare took. See the cable in the right side of the photo, how it goes around the barbed wire? That means his butt had to go through there. He pobably went through that gap between the wires 3-4 times. Like I said its amazing where theyll fit.

Craps, 95% of my catches are caught around the waste. Think of it like this, the coyote puts his nose in first, everything is cool. Then his front paws and slides his cylindrical body through the snare and still everything is cool. Now here comes the magic trick he must pull off. When the snare is around his waist it cant make a 90 degree turn to get down and around his hind legs. Ive caught them by the feet and meaning they did a magic trick but 95% of the time they cant do it.

BTW every little jerk he makes the snare tightens. Its a one way street. That locking device will only allow the snare to tighten. He must have gone through over night. I checked yesterday at lunch and he wasnt there and this morning he was already expired. He was still warm and rigormortous hadnt set in at all. Its very rare to have to dispatch em.
 
I read in a coyote book that if you catch the female in a go under in a fence the males will use the hill and jump over the fence. In WY one Nov. I snared a couple females and with the snow that fell I saw what the big males did, they jumped over the fence on the hill, above the go under in the erosion.T.20
 
Juat a suggestion, why not cut the size of your loop down to 9 or 10 inches and catch them around the neck. That way they won`t live long enough to tear up fences. I have snared and trapped coyotes for 30 years and if I catch one around the flanks I did it wrong. Even a sheep killing coyote deserves to die better than that.
 
Wheew, nothing like the wind takin out of your sails. :rolleyes:

I have set snares from 9-12"'s, and still manage to catch em in the flank area.

I have been witness to setting them too tight just to have them avoid a hot hole altogether or simply knock it over going through.
 
tommy don`t take this as I am picking on you , I`m not. My computer won`t pull up your pictures completely for some reason, but the loop I saw looked like it was 12 or 14 inches. If you are setting them at 8 to 10 inches and catching a lot of them around the flanks it may be your locks or something else. You shouldn`t catch one in 20 that isn`t around the neck. YOu may want to try some of the snare shops snares, they have a little gizmo to slide on a piece of wire to hold the snare in place. Whammy I think its called, they work like a charm. Also there locks slide easier than any I* have ever used. Start tightening immediately. Almost insure a neck catch even on cats and they can slip through a loop like a greased pig. By the way if you can make it to Uvalde for the Rondevous, Jimmy Brooks from Menard is going to do a demo on fence snaring. Gerald Stuart is also going to be there. Maybe we can all learn something.
 
No harm taken Cat Whacker. I thought you may have been pokin at me, but I see now that your weren't. Thanks for the clarification.

I took some more pics to help show what size my loop was. Here is the original. BTW Those squares are 4" x 6".

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And here is a pic with a tape to help give you a reference.

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Once you compare you can tell it is about an 8" wide snare.

I can say without a doubt, that I would not set one with a dia. of 12"-14". A deer could walk right through that, let alone a coyote. LOL /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

These snare locks have always worked, I figured if they're catching em, there's no sense in changing em'. But I see your point as to response time of the lock. Im glad you brought that up, thats what this board is here for. Ill look into some different style snare locks. Thanks
 
It's not your snare loop size it's the fact your snare is sitting on the ground. He can't help but put his front paws in as he goes into the hole and then if you add the fact your loop may close a little slow it will be tightening around his chest, then he is going to panic and hit the end of the snare full force which is then going to slide down to his flank where he will be caught. I usually put the bottom of my snare 2 to 2 1/2 inches above the dirt. When yotes go down they normallly put there noses right down between their paws but just slightly above them. You will catch most of them by the neck. Much less struggle when the leap back accross the fence and hang themselves. P.S. Those whammys from the snare shop are about the neatest things going.
 
One thing I noticed is your lock is way over to the side. The lock should be about 11:00 or 1:00 that will let it fire much sooner. The wire clip on the loop side will slow it down too. The loop has to be free, after the lock. Put your supports on the lock side. T.20
 
Machais Good point, I think you are a little closer to solving my problem.

Tactical.20 I dont know if it really matters if it is at 2 o'clock or 9:30. Any perpendicular movement through the snare is going to cause the lock to begin to slide. I set my clips so that any movement at all will release the snare. With a coyote trying to fit through it is plenty of movement, I can assure that the lock never meets the clip.

Machais, Im gonna try setting them a little higher next time to see what happens. I think I remember doing that once or twice, and had every rabbit in Jiles County knock em down.

We'll see, Ill try perfecting it.
 
Here's the way I look at it......a dead coyote is a good coyote when it comes to snaring in sheep country. I've snared 'em by the neck and everywhere else......the main thing is that they were caught. I agree.....neck caught coyotes are easier to deal with and don't make as much of a mess, but I'll take 'em any way I can get 'em. In fact, I've gotten quite good at leg snaring over the years......sure wish Texas allowed a live market! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Tommy....you're absolutely right about the rabbits. Those jacks will settle down in those holes every time. That's why I actually bury the bottom of my snare and let the top of my snare hang down a little (and inch or so) below the bottom wire of the fence. Those jacks set up there because they can move to either side when the hawks come to harrass them.......seen it happen too many times. They can use those coyote slides under sheep wire as a pretty good defense against the hawks and eagles.

BTW....I really like the Amberg locks with the kill spring and whammy. That is one slick set-up and will lock down tight enough to kill those coyotes caught by the waist. John Graham sold me on those snares after showing me countless pics of dead cats and coyotes that didn't even live long enough to tear up the ground around the set. To each his own, though.

Take care,

Rusty
 
Well there you go a guy up in WA state not knowing what you are dealing with trying to give advise! LOL We do not have to deal with rabbits so that is something I did not take into account. Very interesting. Keep us posted on how things go. I appreciate you posting the photos, great job!
 
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