"Low-Cost Wooden "Live Traps"

"Low-Cost Wooden "Live Traps" MISCELLANEOUS EQUIPMENT Pest Animals 25-4-18 "Comparable commercial live traps sell for $35 to $40 apiece. I build my own for only about $8," says Dennis Gogerty, Zearing, Iowa. Gogerty's traps measure 12 in. high, 12 in. wide, and consist of wire mesh covering a wood frame. There's a metal sliding door at one end of the trap and a hinged metal "trigger plate" on the floor at the other end. A wire runs from the trigger plate up to a spring on top of the trap and from there to the door. When the animal steps on the trigger plate, the spring pulls the wire back and the door drops down. A latch then slips over the door to keep it in place. "I've built about a dozen of these traps and they work great," says Gogerty, who does some trapping for neighbors. "I use them to catch everything from raccoons to skunks and opposums. I place the traps in the farmer's grove or in barns or next to creeks. They work great around building sites because if I happen to catch a cat or some other pet I can let it go. I use marshmallows or other sweet-smelling bait to lure varmints into the trap. I place metal strips over the wood inside the trap to keep raccoons from chewing the wood. "The only drawback to my wooden traps is that they're heavier than commercial units." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Dennis Gogerty, 68203 130th St., Zearing, Iowa 50278 (ph 641 487-7270).

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