Got a question about trapping ?

[iceman]

please post it here..
between I and Griz we will try to answer it..

I've been a state trapper now for almost 3 years and cover most of the northern half of the state..

[GRIZ]

That works out good then as I've covered most the southern half.

I'll start out with the first ? Have you heard anything about the zone changing for otter next yr. I've heard both yes and no.

[iceman]

Haven't heard anything as of yet Griz but then again this is Minnesota..you never know what to expect..

[GRIZ]

I didn't know the state still had trappers, other than on the volenteer program where complaints are refered to these volenteer trappers. What kind of a deal do they have going now a days?

[iceman]

Still volunteer ..
all i get paid for is when we sell our furs..

[kenhuntin]

My daughters have a bunny and I made it a cage that is seven feet long by 2 feet wide and two feet tall on two foot legs the frame is 4x4 cedar most of it is a hardware cloth excersize area and on one end is an insulated hutch. Last Sun. The hutch part was chewed up and partly splintered away on two sides there are bite marks in the soft cedar and alot of scratches. one track I found in the bare soil was that of a fox. I am zoned rural yet close enough to the reidential area that I cannot use a firearm. I have a couple of legholds but do I need a trapping license? I do not care to call some wildlife control outfit. This is also not the work of any dog in the neighborhood and I do have neighbors with roaming cats also not the culprits. They just eat the Bluebirds out of my nest boxes.How can I eliminate this problem if it reoccurs?

[Super Star!]

well you do not need a trapping license on your own land. i would say if your in town i would use a soft catch trap. so you can let Sparky go. are you sure it was a fox and not a Dog? if a fox i would try to find were it came from and trap it there. how do you find were it came from you might ask. Look for scat (poop).

[kenhuntin]

Thanks I thought a live trap would probably be the answer. what size? I have seen this thing out back a couple times this summer. Do I bait it with anything?

[GRIZ]

If you were to give this a try to stay away from any type of meat bait. That would keep the cats away for the most part. Because of fox and dogs being the same family if you atract one you attract the other. Fox are not easily trapped in live traps, it takes a pretty large live trap to get them to enter.

[Super Star!]

i have live trapped them. very very very hard to do... i bet this cat feels what your rabbits do.....

[GRIZ]

To nanswer the ? about scat, fox they will leave their droppings on a gopher mound. On way to tell if they are from a fox or a cat is to examine them for hair. A fox dropping will contain lots of hair and kindda twisted to a point on the ends. Cats cough up hair balls and wont have hair in the droppings. Hope that helps.