How to Use a Bear Trap
Bear trapping is a tradition that reaches back thousands of years. While bear trapping is becoming more and more limited in the U.S., the tradition still remains. The kind of traps used for bear trapping has changed as well, from the twigs and twine of the American Indians to the cable and wire traps of today. Read this article to learn more.
- Difficulty:
- Moderate
Instructions
-
-
1
Research the bear trapping regulations in your state or in Canada. You may do this by calling the Inland Fisheries and Game Department or by going online.
-
2
Carefully read the sections regarding the set-up of bear traps. In that section, the types of traps allowed are specified. In Maine, for example, the only traps allowed are cable traps.
-
3
Acquire traps specified in the bear trap regulations by going to your local sporting goods store or by going online to such sites as the Snare Shop.
-
4
Learn the best habitat to find the bears you wish to trap by going to the Animal Diversity site.
-
5
Find a site where bears are known to go at night. This information can be learned from fellow hunters or online, or through a hunting service such as the Maine Sportsman Guide Service.
-
6
Enclose your trap by strands of wire: one two feet from the ground, the second four feet from the ground.
-
7
Be certain that the wire of the trap is securely held in position.
-
8
Place the wire five to ten yards from the trap.
-
9
Mark the traps with signs that have letters three inches tall reading: "Bear Trap". The signs must be spaced around the trap at 20 foot intervals, and must be securely fastened with the top strand of the enclosure.
-
1
