# Make your own catch pole for trapping.



## trapperJim

With the rise in fur prices, a lot of guys are starting to trap but very few of them are equipped to release non target species. With this in mind I decided to make this video on how to build a rugged catch pole for a very small investment. Just figured I'd help my fellow trappers save a few bucks.

All the best to ya.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbLP43ICEOM&feature=c4-overview&list=UUItDmit6Yy5-hazNSdoDYuA[/ame]


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## Badger

Thank You for that. It was just what I needed.


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## fishhead

Thanks.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE

thanks much , the fellas here talk about a release board and show it quite a bit in trapping class but they didn't cover catch pole use 

they use a 2x3 foot piece of 1/2 inch ply wood with a , cut out to go over the animals foot , and a handle on the user side .they like it cause it keeps all the claws and such on their side of the board and once released they give them a shove with the board if they need it.

wondered if you had used anything like that, and what you thought?


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## K-9

Obviously not my post but as far as the board goes, it works fine but a 2' x 3' sheet of plywood is not easy to carry on/in anything except a truck/ATV. If you are trapping on foot it is not practical plus at least one of your hands is tied up holding the board. 

With a catch pole, once you get used to it you can manage the pole with your foot freeing up both hands to remove the trap, by noosing the animal, then placing it on its side laying the catch pole across its neck and standing on the pole, remove the trap, grab the pole, remove you foot and release the animal. It is convenient to carry, easy to manage and a safe way to release animals when you are by yourself. Just be careful with the PVC ones they will break and usually at the worst times. 

I won't go on the line without my catch pole or cable cutters.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE

thanks , I had wondered why they didn't spend any time on catch poles they showed us one but seemed to prefer the boards , and told us of releasing just about everything using the board 

cable cutters , is that for when using cable restraints ?


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## simi-steading

I'm not a trapper, (but want to start trapping after we get moved) so I have a question.. 

If you catch something in a leg trap you don't want, if it's still alive and you release it, won't that leg be too messed up for the animal to survive?


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## fishhead

Normally the foot isn't permanently damaged. Foothold traps are used to relocate animals and for doing research.

If the trap isn't oversized and properly set up with swivels, base plated (center anchor) and shock absorbing springs in the chain the traps are pretty forgiving.

Here's an interesting article on using footholds for wolf research. http://www.trapperspost.com/articles.html 

He got a lot closer than I would. If you look there is enough chain that if the wolf lunged it could easily reach him.
http://www.trapperspost.com/articles.html


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## simi-steading

Interesting article.. Thanks.. I never knew that.. I always thought they pretty much snapped bones..


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE

no infact there are even rubber padded jaws on some traps 


p.e.t.a. wants to make people think the trap brakes bones does major damage, Hollywood doesn't help this any , but fur is solidly driven my the dollar paid for for the hide , a hide with damage brings less money , there for we try not to do any damage.

we are also accountable to the land owners who's land we trap , if we caught their dog in a trap and it broke bones we would loose that property so fast, even if we were at the far corner of the farm a half mile from the house , a dog caught in may have a sore paw but nothing a few licks and a days rest won't cure. I talked to one trapper who had a farm the owner swore his dog never left the house yard , but every morning the dog would be in one of his traps he would let him out and the farmer never even knew the dog had left the yard because he was back before he was ever missed.

Rats = muskrats will "ring off " sometimes if they spend to long in a foot hold placed so that they can get on top of a house or pile , so you always stake to deep water or use a cable and lock so they can only go out to deep water and not swim back , or since time is money a stop loss trap is used that holds the leg from spinning around and keeps them there till you get back , most trappers also check traps as early in the morning as they can 
jaw size is also a factor , the size of the jaw for the target animal like say a 1 3/4 coil spring set for fox has a jaw size that will typically grab the paw on the same pad that they walk on , and not the ankle.

damage to feet is typicaly done by the animal itself when the blood flow is cut off the foot goes numb , if it can't feel it it doesn't hurt it to chew at it's foot , but if it can't chew because the jaws of the trap prevent the animal from reaching the paw , or keep the blood flowing with an offset jaw , padded jaw , or laminated jaw.

I purchased offset jaw traps , they cost 25-50 cents each more new , but one lost or damaged animal would cost me more than that.


here is the Wisconsin trappers education course material , it is well put together and very informative about trapping even if you don't trap http://dnr.wi.gov/education/outdoorSkills/traped.html this course is also accepted by most states and possibly even Canada look about 2/3 of the way down the page there are 3 units to the manual


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## K-9

Greencountypete, yes, I use the cable cutters for cable restraints but I also use them to retrieve my trap for when one of the "disposable" stakes that I use will not come out of the ground which happens occasionally.

simi-steading, that is a common myth that the anti-trapping crowd likes to spread. If properly used a foot hold trap does little to no damage to the animals foot. I manage to get my fingers in a coyote trap fairly regularly when I get in to big of a hurry and I have never broken a finger doing this, it hurts for a few minutes but there are no long term effects. As far as the animal being dead when you get to the set, I have never had an animal dead when I arrived at one of my foothold sets unless the set was a water set, intentionally set up to drown the catch. Now where I trap the temps are moderate and we must check our traps every 24 hours.

If you want to learn more about trapping, there is a site www.trapperman.com that has a wealth of information about all aspects of trapping.


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