Unlike domesticated rabbits, wild rabbits are notoriously difficult to catch, and you can spend a better part of the day running around trying to catch them the old-fashioned way – with your bare hands.
Fortunately, there are a lot of relatively modern and practical approaches you can take in this regard.
Using a Live Trap
One of the easiest and most convenient methods is using a live trap. Live traps are the cost-effective, elegant way to trap a rabbit. You can buy them online for only $20-50, they don’t have an overly complex structure, and they’ll work precisely as you need them to.
Live traps use several pulleys to activate a basic trap mechanism, and you have the option to buy either a single or double door live trap. If you plan to use it on a trail, get a trap with two trap doors. However, if you want to support it against a wall, a single trap door will be enough.
Setting Your Trap
Wild rabbits are hard enough to spot, let alone catch. However, if you observe their tracks or rabbit scat, you might find they follow the same trails in most cases. Spotting the trail they use more frequently can be tricky, however, you’ll find that the most common rabbit trails are found near fences or high brush – typically areas that can offer good camouflage and aren’t out in the open.
You can set up the trap either on the trail, or against a tree or a bush, depending on the type of trap you use. Once you’re done, set up some common branches, sticks or leaves to create a guiding “tunnel” around the trap that will lead any rabbits from the area to not stray from the rabbit trail.
After setting the trap, choose an adequate bait to entice the rabbit to approach. Vegetables, such as Brussels sprouts, carrots and cabbage are some of your best choices. Alternatively, you can also use corn or clover in the winter, if nothing better is available.
Make sure the bait is set up directly on the trapping mechanism. This will ensure that the rabbit will trigger the trap without any chance of escape. After you’re done, leave the trap and check back in a few hours to see if your efforts paid off.
The Need for Rabbit Control
If you’re trying to grow vegetables in a remote area, and wild rabbits keep eating your best batches, you can also try a few rabbit control methods that will certainly work as advertised. The following methods are especially advised if rabbits tend to be a recurring problem in these cases:
- Get some chicken wire and attach it to your fence. A height of about 3 feet should suffice. You can use basic metal or wooden stakes to secure the fence in place.
- Try building a rabbit fence especially for your garden.
- Liquid Fence Rabbit Repellent, Plantskydd Animal repellent and products from several other brands can also be effective when it comes to eliminating your rabbit problem.
Whether your goal is to keep rabbits away or capture them, the tips above should be able to help you out. With most traps and rabbit control products at your disposal, you should have an easy task ahead.
