Traps maintenance and inspection
Used traps should be inspected and maintained. Weak springs or other components may need to be replaced or repaired. Chains and swivels must operate freely. Cable devices should be inspected and may be dyed or painted.
After a cable device has successfully captured an animal, the cable must be replaced. During capture, animals often struggle vigorously to free themselves, potentially causing various forms of damage to the cable such as bending, weakening, or other structural compromises. A compromised cable may unexpectedly fail, leading to potential injury or allowing an animal to escape.
Furthermore, a used cable may retain scents or physical traces from the previous capture, such as fur or skin particles. These residual scents or physical traces might discourage target species, reducing the trap's effectiveness. Inversely, they could attract non-target animals, increasing the risk of unwanted captures. Therefore, replacing the cable after each successful capture is a critical practice in maintaining safe and effective trapping operations.
Practice with traps to ensure they can be set safely and quickly in the field.
Tuning traps
Ensuring trap safety and efficiency is a critical step in responsible trapping practices. Trappers should follow a meticulous preparation process.
Initially, conduct a thorough inspection of each trap, carefully examining for any sharp edges or protrusions. If found, these potential hazards are diligently smoothed out using a file. This step reduces the risk of injury to captured animals, preventing cuts or abrasions.
Following the safety check, trappers make precise adjustments to various trap components. They fine-tune elements such as triggers, pan tension, and dogs.
You may need to adjust the pan tension on your trap, which refers to the weight required to activate the trap when an animal steps on the pan. Most modern traps come equipped with a pan tension adjustment bolt. By tightening this bolt, you can increase the tension, helping to prevent smaller, non-target animals from triggering the trap. For instance, if you are targeting foxes, you should set the pan tension to approximately two pounds to ensure effective capture.
To adjust foothold traps so that the pan and jaws are level, first set the trap securely. Check the alignment of the pan with the jaws; if they are not level, adjustments are needed. To raise the pan, bend the trap frame outward, which elevates the pan's position. Conversely, if the pan is too high, gently bend the frame inward to lower it. Ensure both components are level before testing the trap to confirm it triggers correctly when pressure is applied.
These modifications are customized to meet the specific characteristics of the target species, improving the trap's effectiveness and selectivity. Such customization improves the trap's responsiveness to the intended animal while minimizing accidental captures of non-target species.
