North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Lucky Pittman <lucky.pittman@murraystate.edu>]

At 08:04 PM 4/4/2005, you wrote:
> CHARLIE,
> A #1 CONNIBEAR TRAP IS USED MAINLY TO CATCH MUSKRATS AND MINK. . THE
> ANIMAL PASSES THROUGH, OR CAN BE BAITED. WHEN THE TRAP IS SPRUNG IT
> BREAKS THE ANIMAL'S NECK. THESE ARE EFFECTIVE FOR SQUIRREL  RUNWAYS
> .

My dad used to use  big Conibear traps for beaver.  Very effective, and, I'd say pretty humane - if that's a concern for you.
Don't know that I could identify a squirrel 'runway', but one  strategy I've seen recommended, but never tried was to fasten two boards together at right angles, and affix to the tree, with one 'leg' of this "L"-shaped apparatus sticking out 3 ft or so from the tree trunk, with a big Victor type rat trap fastened out at the end.  A squirrel evidently can't resist running down the tree(in this case, a big tree, like the oaks/maples in your yard or adjacent woods) and out to the end of the plank, to see what's out there.  A baited trap would catch them, but I suppose if you had some way of positioning the Conibear so that Brer Bushytail had to pass through it in order to get to the bait out at the far end of the plank, you'd be assured of eliminating him.

Lucky Pittman
USDA Cold Zone 6
AHS Heat Zone 7
Hopkinsville, KY