At this stage the trap should be open but not set. Secure the trap by staking or pegging it down, and leave the trap with the door held open. If possible, use a metal ‘bait tray’ attached to the bottom of the trap, to minimize the loss of bait to mice. Lay the trap so that the wire mesh floor of the trap is flush with the ground. Grey Squirrels will only eat the maize kernelĪt the chosen site, level an area of ground where you want to place a trap. In areas where it is difficult to draw squirrels to the ground, for example, pine mixtures, or where traps are disturbed by badgers, deer or wild boar, it may be necessary to site Fenn Tree Traps, Fenn Bird Box or KANIA2000 traps on the trees. Leaving both ends uncovered encourages squirrels to investigate the ‘tunnel’. Single capture traps may be more easily camouflaged by placing them in a bank or tunnel, singly or in pairs. However, to avoid or minimize vandalism, sites should be chosen to ensure the traps are not visible from the track, particularly in woods with high public access. The trap sites are normally laid out to form a trap round which may use existing tracks, paths or rides for convenience. Without a pre-bait period it may take two to three weeks to catch the squirrels with a daily (preferably twice-daily) visit necessary throughout.įresh grey squirrel droppings in a large woodland close to a pre-bait area.Įxperience will determine the most productive sites and be far more effective than placing traps to a regular grid. Pre-baiting lasts for a minimum of five days after which the traps are set for a period of four to five days. As traps on pre-bait are only visited every other day, there is less human disturbance than when traps are set immediately and visited daily. The presence of animals feeding at traps will attract others passing through the tree canopy down to the ground. A period of pre baiting is essential to give the squirrels a chance to find the traps and become used to feeding from within them. It is possible to achieve this by simply setting out the traps and visiting them daily to check the catch. A successful trapping session can remove at least 90% of the resident grey squirrels in the garden or wood at the time.
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