snaring and trapping fox

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fishermann222

New member
where I currently live I snare alot of fox every year. I snare them in dwarf willow along creeks. I am moving to a new location in alaska where there are no bushes, not even dwarf willow. it is a lunar landscape. The location is LOADED with red and white fox. I am looking for new and creative ways to snare them. Foot hold traps do not work as the place I am moving is an island in the bearing sea and it warms up and freezes alot, snows and blows. so the foot traps tend to freeze up I have heard because the fox are just not heavy enough to set them off.

anyone have any suggestions?
 
Would a bucket set with bait work? What kind of anchor could I get to hold it down? 5 inches under teh tundra is solid rock. Could I freeze it in? would it hold?
 
Are you allowed to use conibears and exposed bait. I ask this because these foxes may be very stupid and will stick their head in a 220 bucket set. What about pounding rebar in the tundra and anchoring your snare to it with lots of bait or lure.
Also, make some waxed dirt and use a dirthole set. Waxed dirt is great and works for us in Maine in simalar situations.
 
You might use a drag log (you may have to bring your own log), or some other type drag. Anthing much over 5 lbs and they won't drag it far.
 
You will need some sort of outlining brush or grass to blend/disguise your snare set up... so partially open areas still work.

You can anchor your snare by pounding a 1/2" rerod into frozen ground. It's not fun, but possible. You can also attach snare to drags, but catching larger animals by the leg are a possibility and if it snows or blows much, you may lose the whole set up.

If you use 3/64" cable, which is almost too small but works, it will help disguise the snare as it has a smaller diameter. I prefer 1/16" cable. I don't know the fox size their, but if you use a 8 1/2" loop 8" off the walking surface, that should get most fox.

The snares need to be set where there is some existing brush or taller grass. You can also import brush or grass from other spots to attach to the area where your snare will hang to better conceal it.

I have more, but that will get you a good start!

Snareman
 
Thanks for the info guys, Logs, No trees on the island I live on, grass, completly buried by wind swept snow. The fox are extremly stupid, so I do like the idea of bucket sets. I may give that a try next winter. Nunivak Island is an old Volcano, so it is solid rock about 8 inches under the tundra, so pounding in rerod will not work, I did get an idea to dig a hole and fill it with water and pack it in. Will this work? Has anyone ever tried something similar?
 
fisherman222, I would think that if you asked around your area, you might find some local solution to this problem. Check with the folks who have lived there a while. It's funny how local solutions to problems are so ingenious. Let us know what these folks have to say...I'm curious to find a solution to this.

I'm wondering if a inverted U shape cut from a white bucket to hold the snare would work. I would think the white color would almost be concealment enough.
 
A thought just occured to me...we use ice anchors to hold down ice fishing tents on lakes...we drill a partial hole in the ice, insert an anchor (flat metal disk) and cover with water from one of our through holes. Hold the tent in high winds so it would surely hold a fox. Now, where you would get the water???
 
Thanks for the idea of Ice anchors Big Al I will look into it. there is only one small eskimo village on the island and they do not trap fox at all. Which is one reason there are SO many of them. They do not feel it is worth it to skin them out for 40 bucks. However, I made quite a bit this past year where I used to live, on the mainland, so I used scrub willow. I was thinking the same thing with buckets. I also thought I could get out and try digging some holes in the sides of the river banks that they may use once it freezes up. I am not sure how rocky it will but but I will give it a shot.
 
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