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I'm in southern NH and over the weekend my barn cats killed what I think was a short tailed weasel. My barn cats are 18 and 22 lbs, so no issue there! My concern is I have show rabbits, my barn is fairly secure but I want to set some traps as a just in case. I really don't want to use a snap leg trap because of the cats and we have a family of foxes living behind my barn.

Can I use a small havahart trap? Or can I buy a weasel box from somewhere? I was told bloody meat was the best bait?


Lisa

Can I use a small havahart trap? .....yes ,with the pets around I would say thats your best bet...make sure the mesh of the wire on the cage trap won't let the weasel back out after you catch him..I have recovered most of my cage traps with quarter inch mesh wire..I can catch a chipmunk and he will be there when I get there.hope this helps..fresh blood is a good weasel bait..

Welcome Lisa. I am not a weasel trapper so I am of no help. Are you not concerned with the foxes busting a bunny? I assume you haven't had any trouble with them yet right?

The barn is secure enough that the foxes can't get in. It's a silver fox and I have found her sitting watching her kits play with the barn cats sitting with her. If I get a baby rabbit that had died I toss it at the opening of the den and they take it. Except for rats that quickly got trapped and gone we have not had a problem. Not taking any chances with weasels though, I have seen first hand what they can do in a rabbitry.

Lisa

A box with a 17/8 hole is all you need to keep the kittys out and a weasel could go threw there side ways, I use the victor rat traps with the big pan, they work great and if a kitty does stick its paw in there it can pull out no problem.
My box's

and the catch


I hope this helps you some.

nice ,fuzz

nice ermine fuzzy wuzzy

Nabbed by the fuzz!!!! Beautiful catch!

You do know Fuzzy Wuzzy has a Bull Moose side too.

You ever get the fealing you are witnesin a hijakin that is about to go real bad and do it with a nurciry rime theam.

welcome to Wild About Trapping, Lisa!
listen to these guys (well, at least up to the last half dozen posts ) the weasel box idea is the way to go. easy to build with scrap lumber and a rat trap is cheap to buy, plus you have it if you ever run into a rodent problem in the barn.

I've caught a pile of weasel in my days. That new snaptrap design looks to be absolutely perfect for barn work. The narrow sides are a plus.

fuzz- what's the diminsions of your weasel box, does it have a back "window" (hardware screen), and how do you keep the top on (just something heavy?). sdtrapper- are short-tails more wetland edge critters and long-tails more upland pastures? Also, with all of the water in our state this year, do you think finding weasels will be a lot tougher (is it worth going out after them this winter?) Sorry for hijacking your first post Lisa! Welcome to the forum

I would have to go measure but I think they were 16'' long, the width of a factory 1x4 so the trap fills the bottom(no were for the weasel to go but over tha pan) and just a 1/2 inch higher than the trap jaw so it dosn't hit the lid when it fires. I use old rubber iner tube for a hinge and 1/4x1/4 hard werechoth for the back. I don't often put anything on the lid to hold it down, so far I have only had 3 box's messed with. Coyotes kicked one around till they got the bait out, never did catch him Had a lynx and a mink hang beatns on boxes to get the bait,,,,,,,,,,,, but I ended up peltin them 2 out the next time they came for a free meal

Shortails = tall grass and primarily cattails in the winter. Longtail = cattails and dry grass washes, and anyplace he feels like. Prices are half 2 years ago. I had a couple in 'TOP LOT' at the NAFA auction. $6.50 before commission, if I remember correctly.

Fuzz269 - I really like that box! Do the mice, schrews, and voles manage to avoid the plastic trip pan? Do they avoid it, or trip it?

Some times I catch mice, but I try to leave the pan up alittle and that helps make the mice go around it, but it is far from full proof.

I suppose Lisadim got all the suggestions she needed.