Catch That Rabbit
Although this will be viewed by some as cruel, when you have to eat by trapping a rabbit, this method works well and can be used to great effect when in an area with an abundant supply of rabbits.
I should mention here that this is not a game and should not be used just because you can but only used when you need food.
Ideally this trap should be set under a tree branch but if this is not practical then a good supple sapling can be driven into the ground or tied to a stake that is driven into the ground.
A stout switch as large as a man’s little finger, and nearly two feet long, should be cut and nicely sharpened at both ends. This should then be driven into the ground in the form of an arch in the rabbit run which can be seen by the regular used tracks left in the grass.
The illustration shows the method of setting the trap. This trap can be baited for other animals and birds but it is hard to get a wild rabbit to eat baits. The method I use is to have the trap set so as the rabbit ‘nudges’ the bait stick and thus springs the trap.
After the arch is firmly fixed in its place, a short piece of stick should be cut, of a length corresponding to the height of the arch. To the middle of this stick the bait should be attached, being either tied to it or stuck on a plug driven into the stick, the latter being sharpened on one end. Next proceed to cut another stick, of about six inches in length flattened on one end. The wire noose should then be fastened to the opposite end.
The noose in this case should be large enough to fill the opening of the arch. We will now go back to the sapling again. It should be bent down slightly, and a piece of the strong twine should be tied to its tip. Taking hold of the string, proceed to bend down the end of the sapling, in the direction of the arch, until it draws with a force strong enough to lift a rabbit if he were tied to the end of it. Thus holding it down with the string against the front of the arch, cut off the twine at the place where it crosses the top of the arch, as this will be the required length.
It is now necessary to tie the end of this string to the same piece of wood and at the same place to which the noose was tied. When this is done the trap may be set as shown. The sapling should now be bent and the piece of wood holding the noose should be passed beneath the top of the arch, as far as it will go, with its long end pointing away from the noose. By now supporting the inside end with the bait stick, and carefully adjusting the noose so as to completely fill the arch, the trap will be set.
In order to reach the bait, the rabbit or bird must necessarily pass its head through the noose, after which, if the bait be scarcely touched, the animal’s doom is sealed, and he is lifted into the air, generally suffering almost instant death. It is well known that in the case of a rabbit the neck is broken by a very slight blow, a strong snap of the finger being often sufficient.
It is therefore safe to conclude that when thus suddenly caught and lifted by the noose, death must occur almost instantaneously from the same cause.
It is not really necessary that the force of the sapling should be strong enough to lift the rabbit from the ground, as a mere strong tightening of the noose would be sufficient to cause strangulation and death but I recommend the former method as being less painful and more effective.
The ” Twitch-up ” may be used for the capture of all varieties of game and, when set with corn as bait, game birds can be your next meal but check your local laws on poaching before ending up on the wrong side of the law!
