Preparing snares

One item on the agenda was preparing snares for the upcoming season. These are all 3/32 airline cable used for coyote and wolf. There are several ways to prepare a snare, but I prefer just making a good old-fashioned home brew. Mainly just stuff from the area - bark, grasses, pine needles and cones, some spruce boughs etc. The first step is to get a big cauldron of water boiling and then add the ingredients. I like to boil the brew until the water is the colour of tea, usually about 45 minutes. Keep a lid on it so it doesn't boil down too much.


The home brew just starting to boil.

Dad checks the colour of the brew.

 Once the brew looks like tea, scoop out all the ingredients and then add your snares. Bring the snares to a boil for about a 1/2 hour and then remove them. Hang them up away from any foreign odors (make sure you don't touch them with your hands), and let them dry. Once they are dry, I bag each one individually with a fresh piece of spruce or pine bough in the bag. I like to keep them in individual packages because I find it easier to just grab one when I need it, but you can put as many in a bag as you want.

Here the snares have been added and are about to boil.

A finished snare. Notice the difference in colour.

Ready to be put away until December.

 In the Wildlife Management Unit (WMU) my trapline resides, the use of snares is not allowed for wolf and coyote until the grizzly bears are denned. This is generally in December. Grizzly bears in Alberta are considered a threatened species, however, many question the estimated number of grizzly bears in the province.