Relocate Those Rustlers!

Image Gallery Photo by Genette Dordahl

Here's a way to catch henhouse marauders without harming a hair on their furry little bods.

By Barry Dordahl

You say there's a weasel dining on your chickens? A raccoon's growing fat on the eggs? Squirrels are gnawing through your roof, rabbits are eating all the lettuce from your garden, and a porcupine is sharpening its teeth on your truck's tires? And because of all that your thoughts are growing ever darker ... you have murder in your heart ... but, when it comes right down to it, you just can't bear to hurt the pesky rascals?

Well, you'd better get off dead center and do something.

You might try running about your place at odd hours of the night, wearing a flowing white nightie and banging on a pie pan with a hammer. Or perhaps you should take up playing the flute and Pied Piper the furry rustlers over yon far hill.

Or you might want to livetrap the bothersome little dears and release them miles away (say, for instance, near the home of the president of your local utility company).

But you've seen live traps advertised, and you know they're expensive. You can't afford one? All right. I'll show you how to build your own for nothing (or maybe for $5, depending on the health of your scrap pile). It'll take only a few hours to whop together, and the first step is to ...

BUILD A BOX

The size of the box is up to you. Just make it big enough to accommodate the largest animal you intend to catch. But, as a practical matter, don't build a trap that's much bigger than you need. I like a cage 12" high by 12" wide by 18" deep. With that size, I can capture anything from a squirrel to a raccoon without fear of harming the prisoner.

To start, you'll need four corner posts, each 12" long (if you're planning to build 'my" size). I use 2 X 2 pine, but 2 X 4's will work just as well. Any lumber or plywood at least 1/2" thick will work for the top and bottom (roof and floor) of the box. Cut the top piece 12" wide by 18" long, and the bottom panel 12" wide by 20" long. With the four corner posts and the top and bottom pieces cut, assemble the basic box, letting the extra 2" of the 20" bottom board extend on one end—that end is hereby designated as the front—and nail the whole thing together.

Next, scavenge or buy some 1/4" wire mesh (often called "hardware cloth"), preferably galvanized. Plain old screen wire will do if you're after nothing larger or more ferocious than squirrels. Staple or tack the wire to both sides and one end (the back ... where the 2" extension isn't), as shown in the accompanying illustration.