Ferreting: Trapping

Simon Whitehead punctuates the rising rabbit numbers by rekindling a method that works while he sleeps
Feeling that my resources were stretched, I needed a method of control that worked while I was elsewhere, as I can only be in one place at any moment in time. This was a job for my two favoured traps - the cage trap and the rabbit drop box. With these ancient methods, I could keep the pressure on the rabbits even when I was asleep.
However, I needed to dig in some more drop boxes on a newly erected fence line, where the rabbits were savaging the emerging sugar beet.
To the unaccustomed a rabbit drop box is a contemporary interpretation of the “tip trap” utilised by the warreners of the 1800s on their sprawling warrens on the Brecks of East Anglia. This feat of ingenuity is now invaluable to, not only myself, but any rabbit catcher. It consists of a holding chamber dug into the ground with a mesh floor and a tunnel with a counter-balanced false floor that tips and resets itself when set. You place these traps along rabbit fencing, and the tunnel presents the rabbit with what looks appealing - a passage of no resistance to and from their feeding grounds. Once the rabbits are accustomed to travelling through the tunnel, the counterbalance is removed, thus setting the trap. Over the course of a day/night this discreet method will resolve those public outcry that always arise due to their location and environment. From conservation areas, nature reserves to public rights of way, rabbits can be harvested without anyone knowing anything different.
Simple, yet effective
As many of you will have experienced, fencing alone will not solve your problems, especially if you happen to manage the surrounding fields. It only delays the inevitable of rabbits chewing a hole through the fence, or, worse still, the “toothpaste” effect, where rabbits are squeezed down a passage onto another source of food. There are several differing versions, but I use the Leader rabbit trap from Scotland, a tried and tested operational and long-lasting trap that has the potential efficiency to render itself redundant within 12 months! On most sites though, it keeps the rabbit numbers down to a manageable and realistic level for decades, dependent of course on the size of the surrounding rabbit reservoirs. The simplicity and beauty of this trap is that the rabbits are led into a false sense of security. Nothing visibly or physically alters but then when set, the clank signals another victim of this timeless yet very effective piece of engineering. For these rabbits, the grass wasn’t greener on the other side.
A nocturnal solution
I really like these methods that are effective when I am asleep. The childlike anticipation when going to empty them out never deserts me. Experience has taught me to empty them with an air of caution, as I have nearly been bitten by stoats, mauled by squirrels and gnawed at by rats. Working off a tunnel system, they have the ability to catch anything that passes through them, but with this trap and the cage trap, any non-target species can be liberated, unharmed and none the worse for their experience but these traps do need a rabbit fence in order to be at their most efficient. Cage traps on the other hand can be used anywhere as long as the two-legged fox doesn’t interfere with them.
www.shootinguk.co.uk/videos/fe...

[@fizzyfozbuzz874]

Collin makes the best traps, I have a fox trap from collin. I met collin at his home, very kind and knowledgeable man. That fox trap works wonders!

[@peterobinson29]

A pleasure to watch a pro doing his job well.

[@richardharvey6174]

Colin a real ex gamekeeper with tons of knowledge. well done Colin

[@richardharvey6174]

Colin the old gamekeeper .is a excellent trapper and makes cages and all other types of traps.find him on Facebook Collins traps.lot of respect for him

[@daveno144]

Great video so thanks for sharing. What did you do with the squirrel as I believe technically once caught its illegal to release them as being an invasive species but I could be wrong. atb Dave.

[@ionmarius6652]

Hi, can u give me some advice in catching some polecats that are killing my ducks and chickens? thanks

[@louisblock1006]

nice traps . i ame from belgium , so i can't buy theme , but have you a plan off them ?

[@silkmothspinnery]

I like it! I wish I live there so I could do it.

[@ferretWhitehead]

Robin Hoskins Thanks but we all have our bad days at work as well as the good ones.

[@alexpotapov3877]

1:59 сторожок клетки 3:06 вытащил и обездвижил

[@jaredspencer3304]

Just to get a sense of proportion, how much money would you lose in a growing season if you let the rabbit population go unchecked? Can they really cut into your productivity? Thanks!

[@camdude1cambridge124]

who cares there fun to hunt an shoot

[@camdude1cambridge124]

plus there taste great!!

[@ernestohuerta4768]

Y qué haces con los conejos?

[@FoxyFan-fk4cc]

I have a question about traping... So some person (Idiot) wants to trap on our pond for muskrat and we don't know how they know they do I'm a little suscpicouse because I think the only reason they could possibly know is if they've been on our pond recently and a few weeks ago some one shot our trumpeter swan with a rifle. It wasn't a killing shot. We tried to save it but failed. Is it leagle to trap on our land? Not only have our swans vanished but so did our rabbits sure they were wild but they came up to the house. There were at least 10 we could see I think someone was trapping how would I know if they were trapping? I live in the U. S

[@louisblock1006]

i don't now where you live , but normal you neet permichen off the oner , if you give permition put a anding date on it and name to who you give , oterwise the can come whit a lot off pupils, liftime

[@adambentley4773]

Adam Bentley😀👍

[@idkidk3940]

I did that

[@jacobockenga1960]

i never thot of theroing carits to get them hukt

[@300sportan]

vk.com/oxota_s_xopkom спасибо за видео

[@Shadysideofsouthview]

It makes much more sense in my eyes to let people who are willing to shoot rabbits come on there lad and control the rabbit problem that way. Huge sport there for shooting rabbits and dozens have been caught in traps then had there necks snapped. Shooting I believe is also more humain than leaving a rabbit trapped in a cage for hours on end 👎

[@brickfuckingmaster7505]

U.K. trapping laws

[@johnsheppard1476]

I would have raised a dozen stoats and never would have had to snap their necks:just squeaky shows satisfying as hell every single time!

[@Agri-WMH]

Jonathan, that’s all well and good but often hobby shooters/ferreters leave som for future sport which isn’t what many landowners want

[@douglaswojcik7912]

why do you kill the rabbits if you're going to use a live trap if you're going to want to kill the rabbits use a kill trap not a live trap thats common sense

[@brickfuckingmaster7505]

U.K. trapping laws

[@Thomas-xp9oz]

What if you catch the wrong animal? With a live trap you can release them. Please don't talk of common sense if you don't know the pro's and cons yourself.

[@adambentley4773]

Adam Bentley😀👍