While your snares will be set to take furbearing
animals, the possibility exists that larger animals, like deer or livestock could get tangled up in your snare. This usually happens when the animal is walking along and gets its foot through the snare loop.
Some of the Ohio regulations are designed to
deal with this problem. Snares, or any other trap- ping devices, cannot be set in paths commonly used by humans or domestic animals. This means snares cannot be set in active livestock trails. In regards to deer, Ohio snares must employ one of two fea- tures. One option is to install a stop on the cable that prevents the loop from closing past a diameter of 2-1/2 inches. This would allow a deer to shake the snare off its foot. The other option is to use a lock or lock system that will break away from the snare cable at 350 pounds or less. This would allow a deer to break the lock as it pulls against the snare.
These regulations are designed to minimize the
potential for detaining a large animal in your snare. Still the best way to avoid deer and livestock is to avoid setting your snares where these animals are likely to be encountered.
You should not set snares within the confines
of a pasture where livestock is present. Deer are free roaming, wild animals, but you can take mea- sures to avoid catching them in your snares. Do not set snares on trails that show frequent or heavy use by deer.
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There are other instances when you may want
to set a snare on a trail that is not regularly used by deer, but still the possibility exists that a deer might take that trail. In this case, you can con- struct the set to make the deer avoid your snare.
The best way to do this is to place a pole over
your snare. The pole should be about the size of your wrist or larger. You can place the pole hori- zontally over your snare and support it on each end. This gives the appearance of the goal posts on a football field. With the pole just above the snare, the deer will jump or step over the pole, while the target animal will go under the pole and into the snare.
Another option is to use a "leaning" pole to steer
the deer away from your snare. This is best accom- plished where the trail passes close to a tree and the snare is fastened to the tree. Here, you can lean a pole against the tree at an angle with the snare between the pole and the tree. A deer will walk around the outside of the pole and avoid the snare. Make sure there is room on the outside of the pole for the deer to detour around it.
In each of these cases, the pole should be
propped up so that it will not fall down easily. How- ever, the pole should not be wired or permanently fastened in place because it could create an en- tanglement situation for the animal. The animal should be able to knock the pole over if it gets the snare around it.
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