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Post by musher on Apr 14, 2005 13:08:47 GMT -6
MChewk: I'm not a big wolfer (best year 8) but I do have a few to my credit. With the rig you describe I have never had a chew out. Water heads are not rare. I always tie low or grapple my snares so that could be a reason why.
BadDog: Yes, I knew you were a fellow Canuck but I didn't know if you sold to trappers or only to dealers. If it weren't for shipping and customs I'd prefer to buy from Steve as he sponsors this site.
Cliffy: I can't see 250 lbs. holding all wolves, either.
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Post by JWarren on Apr 14, 2005 22:06:25 GMT -6
A 250 bad tested on a straight pull is going to break at way higher than 250 when incorporated into a loop. Some manufacturers like sullivan use a loop value, others use a straight pull value, and yet other manufacturers use unknown tests that can not be duplicated to match advertised values. In this case I think it was good to mention a straight pull was used right off so as not to keep people guessing.
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Post by z on Apr 16, 2005 1:15:41 GMT -6
"I always tie low or grapple my snares" Musher, Could you elaborate a little more bout grappling please?  ! |
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Post by musher on Apr 16, 2005 3:49:46 GMT -6
A wolf can be a real brush saw once it's in a snare. A few times I had tied to alders, real low, and I arrived to find my wolf in a clearing! I also found a few locations where wolves were cutting across clearings, dried beaver ponds, or blueberry patches. There was nothing solid to tie onto.
My solution was to tie onto 10-12 feet of heavy duty chain with a good grapple. I wrap the chain around anything and everything. It has worked very well but it does get a little exciting when you can see your wolf doing a slowmotion run through an open space.
I think I have a couple of digitals. If I locate them I'll ask DJ to post them.
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Post by dj88ryr on Apr 17, 2005 15:38:04 GMT -6
Here are Mushers pics.   |
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Post by musher on Apr 17, 2005 16:11:22 GMT -6
Thanks, DJ! Not only are you helpful, you're also real quick!
As you can see there isn't much to it. A snare with a support wire tied onto lots of chain equiped with a grapple. It works great but it's heavy and a hassle to tote.
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Post by Dusty on Apr 19, 2005 0:24:08 GMT -6
A #3 Thompson lock with a split breaks consistently at 780lb. Lots of testing with S-hooks and AC aluminum rivets in CamLocks and just about everything else you can think of, all tested on a hydraulic tester with a peak-recording digital scale, produce inconsistent results. Field results are about the same, with the couple hundred wolves I know of that've been caught in one sort or another of breakaway. I'd sure be interested in trying a few if someone knows something I don't.
Maybe 5-10% of wolves will open a 780lb breakaway if it's tied solid (ie, to a good-sized tree). Tying to something springy will hold most all wolves, but maybe 1/2 the moose.
Nose-caught moose generally don't get out. Leg-caught generally do. Calves don't. Moose calves are bigger than most caribou, so I doubt there's anything that'll let any ungulates other than moose go and hold wolves (22-250?).
50-some of about 130 wolves escaped in one project using 3/32 7x7 cable. I've yet to lose one in 1/8. I wouldn't hang 5/64 on a bet. Chit happens - I've seen adults leg-held in fox snares with a light (100lb?) breakaway. Just don't count on that if you are trying to kill wolves.
I built a few wolf snares with choke springs, but I haven't really put them to use yet. I have hopes that a choke spring will allow using a lighter breakaway, letting more moose go and allowing me to tie to willows. I do like the looks of that spring. I'll have to try it out.
Gunny - if your cats are like my cats, you shouldn't have a problem. I've killed lynx with picture wire bunny snares.
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Post by Stef on Apr 19, 2005 9:08:54 GMT -6
I'm sure that eastern timber wolves can be killed with 5/64 cable.
Most guys here use 3/32 cable for them
I caught wolves before in 1/16 cable by the neck... maybe lucky yes but I "skun" them! ;D
With all the pics of your western monsters I've seen... I would be scared to install 5/64 cable snare for alaskan-Yukon etc.. Wolves.
Stef
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Post by Dusty on Apr 19, 2005 10:14:31 GMT -6
Stef - like I said, chit happens but you can't rely on it if you want to kill a lot of wolves.
That's the problem with most trappers - we don't catch enough wolves to get a decent sample size and figure out what's going on - you get one here, one there, one a month later, one in the spruce, the next one in the brush, and the season's over and you have to wait 7 months to do it again.
The project I mentioned caught a lot of wolves in a couple months (lots of air support). It's the only time I know of when well over 100 wolves were caught in similar conditions by one project in one year.
The small cable failed miserably there. It's worked for me, but I've had a couple times it wouldn't have worked much longer. I've had a grand total of ONE wolf refusal, ever, where they walked up to the snare, backed up, and went around, and I can't blame cable diameter for that one. I see absolutely no reason to use the smaller cable, and lots of good reasons to use the larger.
Our wolves aren't as big as the rumors might make them out to be. 80-90lb might be a good average.
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