How to Recycle Rubber Cords

Make an antler trap from worn rubber cords.

Rubber cords or rubber bungee cords are used in a variety of ways around a homestead. Rubber cords can be found in the barn holding farming implements against the wall or used as tie downs for loads going to and from the farm.



Over years of regular use, the elasticity of rubber cords can wear out. A buck-friendly antler trap is the ideal project to recycle rubber cords and provide a service to the deer in your area.

Things You'll Need

• 2-pound coffee can (empty)
• Pencil
• Ruler
• 5-gallon bucket
• Drill
• 4 rubber cords
• Jigsaw
• Plywood, 3-foot by 3-foot scrap
• Glue (industrial-strength, all-purpose)
• 3/4-inch eyebolt
• 10-foot nylon cord
• 10 lbs. deer corn

Instructions

1. Place the coffee can in the center of the plywood scrap. Trace around it. Place the top of the bucket over the circle previously drawn. Center the bucket and trace another circle. Enlarge the diameter of that circle by 2 inches. To enlarge the circle, lay the ruler down and mark two inches from that line around the bucket.

2. Drill a pilot hole on the line you made with the coffee can. Place the jigsaw blade in the pilot hole and cut out the circle. Repeat this process on the enlarged bucket line. This will give you two circles. Place the smaller circle inside the larger one. Draw a horizontal line straight down the center. Draw a vertical line straight down the center. This will split the wooden circles equally into four pieces.

3. Take the small circle and draw a circled mark 1/4-inch from the edge, on each line drawn. Repeat this process for the larger circle. Drill through each mark for eight total holes. Drill the ninth hole through the center of the smaller circle.

4. Place the bigger circle flat on a work surface. Liberally apply industrial-strength, all-purpose glue to the bottom of the bucket. Place the bucket in the center of the larger circle and let it dry.

5. Insert the hook on one end of the rubber cord into a hole on the larger circle. Hook the other end into a hole on the smaller circle. Repeat this process using the other three rubber cords. You should now have what resembles a makeshift cage around the bucket.

6. Install the 3/4-inch eyebolt into the hole drilled in the center of the small circle. This will be used to hang the antler trap from a tree. Find a tree with a low hanging branch. The branch should not be more than 8 feet off the ground. Throw the nylon rope over the limb and hang the antler trap from it.

7. Fill the bucket of the antler trap with the feed. Bucks lose their horns every spring. They will come in to eat at the antler trap and the rubber cord will help their antlers fall off. The rubber cords will not trap the buck and they will help him remove the antlers that could become stuck in a fence or "metal" style antler trap.

Tips & Warnings

• Check the antler trap once a week and collect the antler sheds.

• Do not add more rubber cords to the antler trap or the buck will be unable to access the food.

References

• Ohio Sportsman: Homemade Antler Trap