Can Trap

Been looking for some easy to make traps for small game...I ended up finding this one...This is cheap as hell to make and can me used to capture squirrels, rabbits and other rodent food sources...I like this because it's simple to make and easy to use, so even the most novice of preppers can make these...Set these up around your encampment or compound and you are sure to have dinner for the night if not for the next few days, depending on how many you make and put out...

   Now the one thing I can't remember is where the hell I found this trap, but it's something easy, cheap and will work perfectly when finished....

The list of materials is very inexpensive, and you may even have all the parts on hand right now. They are as follows…

1 – 46 fl. oz. can of juice (get something you and your son will enjoy drinking as you work on the project)

1- Mouse trap. (buy the type with the wide yellow pan as it gives the animal something to step on)

1 – 6”x6” piece if ¼”hardware cloth (rabbit wire)

6” of small wire

Tools needed – a pair of needle nose pliers, lineman’s pliers and drill with a 1/8” drill bit and a sharpie.

To begin this project, you first have to have fun drinking the juice with your son – this is mandatory. If you don’t, you’ll never catch anything in this trap!! You then need to take the entire lid off with a can opener. Wash the can out good and remove the paper wrapper.

Next, set the mouse trap against the can mouth as shown and trace it’s width on the can with a sharpie.

Remove the trap and use the needle nose pliers to bend a bed into the can where the trap can sit on a flat surface.

The new can shape.

This is the position that the trap needs to be attached. Notice that the spring and the can has a little clearance – this is to leave room for the hardware cloth when attached.

Hold the trap to the flat bed area on the inside just as it will be when finished and decide where you are able to drill holes to wire the trap The trap must line up with the edge of the can with the spring just clearing the can as shown in the picture above.

Drill holes through the can and the trap so that wires can be run through to secure the trap to the can. NOTE: watch the position of your fingers inside the can. Drill bits pierce fingers very easily!! Please, don’t ask me how I know about that.

Now it’s time to wire the trap inside the can, twisting the wires together on the outside so as not to interfere with the action of the trap, then bend the wires flat against the can. I like to make staple shaped pieces of wire as shown above that will just drop through the trap and can. Twist the wires closed on the under side of the can.

Next, hold the trap in the “set” position and center the hardware cloth over the mouth of the can, then ease the trap jaw onto the wire.

Again I make small staples with one side longer than the other so that it can be slid into position and held without removing the hardware cloth.

Wire the trap jaw tightly to the hardware cloth using 4 staples. Next you need to determine where the trigger will penetrate the wire and decide if it needs any extra room there when setting, and cut it out as necessary like I indicate here so that it will fire unimpeded.

At this point the trap is done but I like to paint the trap inside and out with a flat paint. This step probably satisfies my senses more than it does those of any animal. In the picture below you will notice one trap does not have the yellow pan. In this case you need to put an 8 penny nail through the pan and bend it to the circumference of the can. This gives the animal something to step on. That same trap has ½” hardware cloth which is fine for squirrels but a mouse can escape through this size of wire.

Now it is time to bait and set the trap. I like to cover the wire and throw some grass or moss into the back of the trap so that an animal feels more comfortable entering. Just make sure that the material doesn’t interfere with the trap when set off. Next I throw the bait into the back of the can. A glob of peanut butter is the best bait I have found. It’s scent travels and will pull the critters in and keep them there long enough to set off the trap. Set the trap where small animals have been known to run and prop it up a little so that it will not rock when an animal enters. I also spread more grass around and over the hardware cloth at this point so that it is a more natural looking entrance. Again this material cannot interfere with the trap closing when tripped.

Now you and your child wait. It is great fun to set it after you have lured the animals into the area so that you can back off and watch the action. Anticipation in a child is a joy to watch! But the best part is when a child checks the trap to find that it has been set off and hears scratching inside. The excitement in their eyes and voices was the best part for me as a father. And the inquisitiveness about these small creatures is also a joy to answer as your child learns about this little creature that can now be observed up close.

Remember, some of these animals may seem docile, but they are wild animals and will bite! Make sure your child keeps their fingers out! And be careful when releasing them too.

Obviously this trap is only large enough for mice, chipmunks and similar sized animals. Sparrows and other small birds can also be caught with seeds as bait. If larger squirrels are the target a larger trap can be made out of a large coffee can and a rat trap. The process is the same.

This whole project took me around 30 minutes to complete, however I would strongly suggest that you dedicate a whole afternoon so that your son can be involved. Let them do the work and just lend a hand and advise – believe me the process is more important that the finished product. Sometimes we fathers tend to do more than we should and it then becomes “our”project. (guilty!) Make it their project!