Easy way to make a squirrel trap.

I went looking around for easy ways of making squirrel traps, and found many articles about complicated trap doors and cages and such, but I found one that appeared alarmingly easy. It incorporates another fact that I know, that squirrels do not get much, if any traction on PVC pipe. If you put your bird feeder on a PVC pole, they will have a very hard time getting into it again.

An even simpler trap is to use a large piece of PVC pipe, 4 inch diameter three feet long will do. Cap one end but drill a few holes for air and then rub butter or cooking oil around the top. Stand the pipe with the open end on top near the place with the squirrels and drop in some appealing food. The squirrel climbs in, gets slippery feet, slides down and gets fed, but is stuck! They can't turn around or get traction to jump. Take the pipe away and then simply slide out the rodent where you want it to be!

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more detailed guide

I think a frog gig would be a good way to humanely kill the little guy, because we're not setting him loose, we're hungry. I also think you need to set this up in a way that they can easily get in, but not get out (no traction to climb the pole). Between two trees would be great. Just make sure it can't be knocked over. You could probably find the PVC to make it, in a survival situation under an abandoned house, or on a junk pile. Happy hunting!

reply to post by Evolutionsend

The trap would work, but I am not a fan of live traps for hunting. If the plan was to remove it from your bird feeders to be freed well away, yea this would work. Hunting? no its more work than it needs to be. Using a frog gig, gigging frogs can be hard enough, trying it on a squirrel sorry no thank you. It would not be a quick kill.
For hunting, fall traps would be best, ( I am not a fan of leg traps at all!) As a hunter, I have always tried to have a " clean kill" I know you are trying to come up with new ways to help. I would have never come up with pvc, hey thats new, but the frog gig, leave that for the frogs..

Sounds pretty good to me.
PVC is cheap and readily available in an urban setting.
To kill the squirrel, take a stick to hold it in and then fill it with water and drown it.
I could see using the same idea but using larger pipe simply dig a trench under the bait end so that when the animal (say a possum) crawls in it tips forward in to the trench. Kind of like a teeter totter.
Large commercial rat traps will also work on squirrels.
Might pay to keep a couple around for rats as well.
If things really do get bad the rodent population will be skyrocket due to lack of waste removal.

Thanks for posting this.

How about a rat trap with peanut butter nailed to the side of a tree?

I know folks used to do this during the great depression for a little extra protien.

reply to post by Asktheanimals

Rat traps seems to be one of the best traps listed here. My father and grandfather made " Rabbit boxes" It was a small wooden box with a trap door that would fall when the aminal would walk in to get the bait. The problem was you had no idea what was in there. Rabbit maybe, skunk, or ground hog. Well you can guess what can happen with the skunk, but a ground hog can be more than a handful! I have never made one, maybe I should ask my dad, he is 75.

a reply to: Evolutionsend

Check this YouTube (www.youtube.com...)

Simple , I will try to guide you through few simple steps:
1 large box, 40 feet of string, 1 stick, handful of nuts.
First tie string, place the box, lift one edge of the box and prop it with a stick, place nuts underneath the box to lure the squirrel in to the trap, hide and wait, pull and catch.
Voila !