Making snares

[martentrapper]

Lotta guys that do a fair amount of snaring make their own snares. There are several suppliers of snare cable, locks, and other parts, and with a few tools you can make your own. I'll show a few pics here of how I make fox snares. These are kill snares, and not for use as a restraining device.
This first pic shows the tools I use, cable cutters, a hammer, and long needle nose pliers. You can also see 3 strands of cable. For fox, I use 3/64th in., 1x19 cable. Start with a 30 in. piece of cable. Slide an aluminum stop on the end and pound it flat with the hammer. You can see my bench top vise which works as an anvil to pound on. Once the stop is pounded flat, (middle strand in the pic) take the needle nose and bend the flattened stop over 180 degrees (top strand in pic)

 

[martentrapper]

Step 2

Step 2

Next you want to load the cable. Loading puts a "set" to the cable and makes it want to spring closed when the animal contacts the cable. I use the vise generally. Hold each end of the cable in each of your hands. Draw the cable back and forth across the vise ( any curved or angles surface will work) a few times. This will preload the cable and make it want to set in more of a curve.
Here's a pic of how I do it, sorta:

 

[martentrapper]

Step 3

Step 3

Go slow on loading the cable until you've done it a few times. It's easy to overdo and you and up with a cable that coils up like a spring.
Now your ready to slide on the lock. Must be a couple hundred different locks available these days. They all are designed, or are supposed to be designed, to only slide one way. So as the animal pulls, the lock slides down and tightens on it's neck. If the animal quits pulling, the lock should remain in position and not loosen. Slide the lock on the cable, slide the end of the cable thru the sliding part of the lock, and now you have a functioning snare.
The lock I have in the picture is a BMI mini lock. I like them fairly well for fox. They are small, present a slim profile when viewed by the animal, are fairly stable, and slide easily. I use other locks too tho.
For my purposes, I finish the snare by making a small loop in the end. This is done by crimping on a double ferrule. In the attached pic, you can see my crimping pliers, a 3/64th double ferrule, a snare without the finished loop on the free end, and a finished snare. You can see that the finished snare is coiled to form a small loop, which is from the loading. My snares for fox are made so that when open all the way, you have a loop 8 in. in diameter.
Here's the pic:

 

[martentrapper]

There's more but.........

There's more but.........

it's too late to post more. You can all chew on this for a while and I'll continue later with the rest of the story.............

 

[Alaskacanoe]

Hey !

Hey !

I think That is my grandpa's Vice..
lol
his was used as an anvil too and showed some good ping marks....
Nice job, Now show us a map of your trap line and your trap line schedule so we can come pick up some of those new snares you are going to put out.. with possible fur in the loop..lol
I had my traps and Snares removed by a not so well meaning cross country skier two years ago. I had just bought a dozen new MB750's for Wolf, and this fellow followed my sno go tracks and pulled my line for me..
I will give him a map of your trapping location,so he doesn't bother me anymore. He looks like he would make fair to poor bait station material,but you be the judge..
..by the way, how do you clean them up and de-scent them? Boil them?
Spruce bows?
Max

 

[martentrapper]

The vice came off ebay. So it was someone elses before.
I used to boil the snares with some willows, since they are set in trails in willows. Gave the metal a slight brownish tint. These days I just boil in water and some baking soda. It dulls the shine on the metal and leaves them a gray color. Since most of my season there is snow on the ground, that's good enough. I have painted/dipped them in white also, and caught fur.

 

[akpredator]

Right on

Right on

thanks for the post there Martentrapper. I have tried my luck in snareing for the last 3 years and so far only pulled a beaver. I still have a lot to learn but being able to throw out some more steel on the line couldent hurt. I will give it a try as soon as i get some time off

 

[trailblazersteve]

Great post Mike!How long do you make your snares?I like them 8' to 10'.

 

[martentrapper]

I'll show the rest of what I use on the snare, later. Next day or 2.

 

[martentrapper]

I'll bring this to the top since it's time to catch fur.

 

[Vince]

I'll show the rest of what I use on the snare, later. Next day or 2.

wow MT... been a long few days