Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Trapping Squirrels must go....

Got a problem with overpopulation. I am using a live trap. Any recommendations on bait?..

Peanut butter

Cotch up a female in heat. Make a little, sexy bikini looking harness and tie her in the back of the cage. You'll catch every boy squirrel in the neighborhood.....

I use peanuts....sometimes I'll wire the trap open and use it as a feeding station to lull them into a false sense of security. Sometime put a shiny thing like foil on top to catch their attention. Its mating season now and you'll get a ton of young males...bikini clad decoy or not.

I cooked my first squirrel ever for my son the other day that he killed. He loved it, i think all that was left was rib meat.

I haven't fried any in a while.
Mostly make dumplings or cook with ramens.
I'll put em in the crockpot on low till they're
done and they won't be stringy. I like to make
stuff with em that will stretch out the tiny bit
of meat you get

Caught one a day or so ago and stuck it in the
freezer till i get another to make a stew with

No bait. 110 set in a run. Snap

Good Luck

I use a 110 baited with a peanut. Cleaned out 60+ with a single trap in my vegetable garden this year. Most cooked Buffalo Wing style and the tails will be headed for the Mepps trade in program.

I use a live trap with peanut butter on the pan and a few peanuts stuck in the peanut butter

Peanut butter, with one of the 10K of excess Girl Scout cookies stuck on it - 30 seconds to 30 minutes, done.

On the bait paddle of a rat trap nailed to a tree. Rat traps were used similar to that to trap ermine in the great depression, except with a bloody bait.

I used to use a live trap but went to the a lethal tube trap. In a weekend I have caught 13 tree rats. Those bastards are makin a mess of my bird feeders and suet feeders, So, they are introduced to the tube trap. It is like a rat trap but arm is inside the tube along with the bait. Works well.

old fashion victor rat trap with peanut butter

Also my choice for squirrels in places where the 17HM2 isn't allowed.

Put them tacked to a tree striking down about three feet off the ground, A trap works when your not around with a rifle

Peanut butter with bird seed on the trigger of a 110.

Apple slice on one if you want to catch rabbits.

Peanut butter for trap bait, or a few handfuls of corn where you can shoot them with a pellet gun.

I just had a large cage trap baited with a fruit-cup-snack-deal for a
problem coon. Squirrel got there first.

I have been eradicating the grey squirrels in my back yard for about a month now. Just put the 13th one in the trash today. He was dead in the box trap for some reason or another. Saved me from tapping him out with the .22. I have a bird feeder that apparently draws them in from all over the hood. I started out with a Benjamin Marauder pellet gun in .22 cal. Extremely accurate and kills 'em nice enough IF you can get the damned thing to work. I then put 2 box traps to work with corn on the cob as bait. Caught one right off the bat and then nothing. I sat and watched 2 different squirrels go into each box trap and nothing. I ended up shooting one and went to inspect the traps...I forgot to release the door safeties. I now have 2x .75" pieces of plywood glued together to stop the suppressed .22 cal bullets. Haven't got one with the rifle yet because I melted some peanut butter and stirred in some bird seed. It has been slaying them in the box traps.

After sitting outside sipping some whiskey tonight, I realize it has been the mockingbirds f-ing around in the raised garden beds. They just got themselves put on the list. Never liked their asses anyways.

Got a pine squirrel problem. They're pulling insulation out of my eves, and making nests!

Been using a have-a heart trap, and that works fairly well with peanut butter for bait, but not getting enough of them.

Have tried a Victor rat trap, but it's not sensitive enough. They eat the peanut butter without setting it off.

Dose Victor make a trap in a size between a rat trap and a mouse trap? Something more sensitive?

Any other ideas welcome!

Thanks!

Virgil B.

You can fiddle with the wire and the "pan" notch
to make the regular rat traps more sensitive

I've used em for squirrels, but I found 110's do
a better job and a squirrel can't wiggle it's way
out of a 110. Even if you catch it too far back,
it'll still be in the trap waiting for you and your
dispatch stick.
I'd advise securing whatever trap you use to
keep other critters from taking your trap and
prey off somewhere

Bought an new Victor rat trap, and filed the pan notch down.

Got a nice light release now! Should work better.

Virgil B.

Ranhger99;

Could you tell me more about the 110?

I'm thinking this must be the Conabear (SP?)110.

Thanks! Virgil B.

110 is the size designation for that small body
grip trap. I have a few dozen of mixed manufacturers
mostly victor and duke
They can be had at RP outdoors or Fleming traps
either one for right at $4.00 each
Not much to tell. You can bait the trigger wires,
or I set them in runs, or places the animals habitually
travel with no bait. Sorry, no way to post a photo here.
Body grip traps ( and steel traps in general) last
forever +4 days with minimal care, and do the
work for you while you take care of other business
Good Luck

Probably already said it
Any trap you set needs to be fastened securely
to avoid the animal dragging it away, or to prevent
a larger something from dragging away your caught
animal and trap. Fasten traps as if you're trying to
catch a t rex

I just bought 2 of the Squirrel tube traps that have a trap pan and 2 pretty stout springs running through them. Apparently somebody hates Squirrels as bad as I do. I haven't had a chance to use them yet but it seems like those springs are strong enough to cut that Squirrel so you can just shake out the Squirrel pieces out after it goes off. They like to run my fence lines so I still have to devise a wooden "T" with double legs to straddle the fence and screw the tube onto the top of the "T". Also bought some peanut butter oil from the same place to add to the allure of them running through the tube.

https://www.wildlifecontrolsupplies.com/animal/WCSTUBE.html

This will work

theoldpinecricker;

Thanks for the video!

Never new how these traps worked!

Going to pick one up, and give it a try.

Virgil B.

They are fantastic. Good luck. I love those traps

I got to try that

Just came home with a 110.

Had to watch the video again to see how to set it!

Time to dig out the marshmellows! (GRIN!)

Hope I don't get my fingers!

Virgil B.

I tried to set my trap, but couldn't hold the spring down with one hand, to set the latch.

I'm thinking I got a trap that's bigger than a 110. It "looks" bigger than the one in the video.

Any "tricks" to holding the spring while setting the latch? Thanks!

Virgil B.

I watched the video again, and "think" I have it figured out now.

After opening the trap while compressing the spring with one hand, I have to grab the two "jaws" with my other hand,

Then hold it closed while setting the latch, then easing my hold on the jaws, to make sure the latch is "set"

Watching the video, I did get a bigger trap than a 110. My trap is about 6"X 6" and the 110 in the video looks to be about 4"X 4"

Virgil B.

The dog will have 2 or more notches
They are for varying degrees of sensitivity
one will be a notch that makes the trap harder
to fire. That's what you'll want to use until you
get a handle on it

If you have a #110 trap, it should be like 4 1/2 × 4 1/2
with a single spring

Hopefully, you cleaned all the factory oil and grease
from it and didn't wax coat it like folks do for
foot hold traps. That'll make it fire too easy

A 6x6 is not a #110

That's a # 159 or a # 160

Thanks Ranger!

That must be what I bought, a # 159 or #160.

Anyway, the spring is way stiffer than the 110 in the video.

I'm OLD, but still have a pretty strong grip, and I could barely get this trap open.

Going shopping again tomorrow.

Virgil B.

Still a useful trap though
I use #160's for possums and similar sized pests
with a bucket

Any of mine bigger than #110 I use the tongs
to set. Sometimes a hook

Ranger99;

Could you describe the "tongs" you refer to?

Sounds a lot safer than using my hands to try to compress this spring.

I haven't removed the factory oil yet. Think I'll try some Gun Scrubber to clean it up.

Will NOT be waxing it!

Thanks! Virgil B.

Got my trap de-oiled.

I watched a video on using "tongs" for setting these traps.

Looks LOTS safer! Going shopping to see if I can find these.

I "Think" the place I bought the trap had something like this.

Can't seem to find a # 110 trap near me. Will keep looking.

As you can tell, I'm a novice at this!

Virgil B.

Bought a pair of tongs for setting my trap. $10.49 ...cheap enough!

Still having problems figuring it out.

I must be getting to be a "wimp" in my old age (69)

Can't seem to hold the trap and set it, even with the tongs.

Don't want to take a chance on getting my fingers!

Time to watch more videos!

Virgil B.

For whatever reason, I'm unable to post photos here.
It lets me get all the way to the end, then says
" UNABLE TO POST something-something TOO
MANY MEGA SOMETHING OR BYTES" or
some kinda dung like that

Your tongs should be notched and the notches on
the inside squeezy side
You grab the eyes of the spring and compress it
and any larger BG traps should have a safety catch
like a bent wire or strip of metal. you hook that
over to hold the spring compressed while you are
setting the dog and trigger wires, or if it's a double
spring trap, you compress the other spring and set
the safety

I have some 110’s coming, can’t wait to try them. I keep catching coons in my live trap. I guess I’ll eradicate them too.

Small possum ( 8-9inch body) in the squirrel set
with a #110 today. One less to clean up after, but
still needing another squirrel for stew making.
Possums go in the "dust bin"
If things continue down the same road in this
country, I may be filling freezer bags with possum

24HCF won't accept the photo

A 110 is rather small for a coon
They can fight a trap pretty hard.
More than you would think they can.

They came today, already caught one!

That's a good squirrel now

Ranger99;

I finally have my trap figured out!

Got it set with marshmallows for bait, and have it in my shed.

Caught a rat in my Victor rat trap last night!

I used peanut butter with marshmallows stuck on top for bait.

Got one squirrel this AM with my 22.

It made the fatal mistake of hanging around my bird feeder.

So, TWO dead "vermin" this AM! (GRIN!)

Virgil B.

Got a vehicle wire chewers off the top of the right front tire the other day !
Hatsan 22 caliber pellet gun works great.
Shot another off the neighbors flower pot on their front porch.
Found blood, and followed it to a hole under their back deck.

I dispatch a cat squirrel this morning at my bird feeders. 22 lr to the head does wonders. Would love to try the 110’s but with my luck I’d kill one of my woodpeckers.

All you people that are killing these squirrels, do you eat them or just throw them away? To me a squirrel is the number one meat source in flavor. I eat everyone I kill.

As long as I got money in my pocket, I ain't eating them. Especially city squirrels. God only knows what the have been eating and chewing on.

Live trapped and kept and fed for a month or so possum is not bad meat although it is very greasy.

What are you using for bait in your tube trap? I have it mounted to a old 2x6 and I'm using peanut butter and nuts. i can't get them to go into that thing for love nor money no matter where I put it.

Same thing country squirrels eat and chew on.

Much greasier than pork for sure. And not a lot of meat on the carcass.

Good job, absolutely hate tree rats.

110 conibear with whatever bait is natural for the AO, in these cases it was a walnut wedged in the forks of the trigger.

Pecans here. Sometimes the #110 just holds them and
finish with a pellet gun.

Only one out of hundreds trapped that I've ever had to "finish", had been caught by the arm only. Squirrel gets its head, neck or body inside a 110 and it's DRT.

Oat meal mixed with Plaster of Paris

I use a double ended cubby with a 120 on either end with toast covered in peanut butter in the center.