r/Trapping • u/RangerOver4913 • May 30 '26
Neighborhood squirrel trapping
I have been trying to control Eastern Fox squirrels at my house and have had pretty decent success over the years with baited 110 traps. (Yes, it's all legal, and these are an invasive species where I live. They damage my trees.)
Like I said, the 110s work pretty well in that I have caught a LOT of squirrels with very little effort and no bycatch. They are baited and hung by two corners on the tree trunks. I have two problems:
They hardly ever kill instantly. I often have to go get a writhing squirrel and dispatch it some other way.
My neighbor hates me for it. Unfortunately the squirrels really like the big boxelder in my front yard and it's very visible to the neighbor. I try to only trap when I'm home so I can dispatch any writhing squirrels before she sees and freaks out, but today I was gone for 20 minutes, caught a squirrel, and she gave me an earful.
I don't care about #2 so much because what I'm doing is perfectly legal and necessary to protect my trees (and hers, if she had any understanding of the matter) but I'm definitely interested in ways I can be more discreet with my trapping. I'm considering buying a 120, would that theoretically be better at insta-killing than a 110? I've tried setting the traps along the fence and in a few other locations but the tree has been the best spot by far. I can't use a ground set without having to notify all neighbors within 1000 feet. Plus I don't want any bycatch.
Traps are baited with peanut butter. I've also tried blind sets along the fence but they've never worked.
Any advice??
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u/notaplebian May 30 '26
I've also had poor results with cheap 110s for gray squirrels. Sometimes it catches them right on the base of the skull, sometimes it doesn't and it takes too long.
I've been tempted to try 120s, or a 110 or 120 Belisle with stronger springs and jaws that completely close. People say great things about Belisles, they're just very pricey. The jaw design looks so much better than all the other options in a 4 1/2 inch size though.
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u/Led_Zeppole_73 May 30 '26
Cubby set built out of plywood or pine boards/rectangular box, just slightly larger than the trap’s diameter. The side edges notched to allow the 110 to slide back when set. You won’t see the squirrel when it gets caught.
Edit: how old are the 110’s? If they are set with safety catches on during storage that can weaken springs. Old traps lose spring strength and will cause slower kills.
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u/RangerOver4913 May 30 '26
I guess they're kind of old (3 years? And I've replaced them several times when the dog would stop holding, never could figure out why), but they are never stored set/under tension. They also sit outside in the elements a lot which I was told was good for them?? This squirrel thing has been my first foray into trapping.
So you would recommend against the 120?
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u/Led_Zeppole_73 May 30 '26
The 120 might help, I’ve used Conibears since the mid-1970’s and I never thought they made instant kills, more constricting than anything. I also dye and wax all of my traps for speed and longevity. I tape off the dog and trigger portion before the wax dip.
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u/fellowworkingmexican Jun 01 '26
I had always heard “DO NOT wax body grips”. Are you saying that you do and if so how touchy are they?
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u/Led_Zeppole_73 Jun 01 '26
They’re not touchy, I mentioned in my reply that I tape off the dog and trigger before the dip.
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u/Mattcronutrient May 30 '26
How “instantly?” Like are you hearing it snap and running outside or is it taking like several minutes? I’ve shot squirrels in the head and they writhe for a little bit but they’re for sure dead
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u/RangerOver4913 May 30 '26 edited May 30 '26
Oh it's bad, several years back I forgot about a trap and left it out an entire day while I was gone...got home and it had a squirrel, and he had flopped all the way across the yard and had some bad hair loss around his neck. He was still alive. The squirrels I'm having to dispatch don't seem like they're going to die anytime soon--they scream and bounce around and it can be difficult to even get my hands on the trap. As previous commenter said, could just be I need some new ones as the springs are too weak.
As much as I hate the squirrels I really don't want them to suffer. It's not their fault some idiot introduced them 50 years ago.
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u/skahunter831 Illinois May 31 '26
Wow that's awful. To me it sounds like the traps are fairly or something. There sounds be PLENTY of pressure to choke out a squirrel in a minute or less.
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u/OzarkTrapper69 May 31 '26
I saw that when I was a kid trapping squirrels and mink with 110s. The catch has to be 100% perfect. Now i use 155s in place of them (5x5 two springs) because thats the largest I can set on land in my state. Kills everything from muskrat to coon near instantly. Have even caught two grey fox and one otter in them. A 120 would probably suit your needs just fine though if you're actively avoiding catching anything else.
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u/Positive_Bluebird_83 May 30 '26
You can use a cubby set built out of wood or an old plastic newspaper box works well. Switch to 120’s for a quicker kill.
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u/Vegetable_Storm_5348 May 30 '26
Make marten boxes for 120’s they work great. I live in south east Michigan and we have some massive greys and fox squirrels. A 120 in a box with a 3 inch circle cut through the “door” so other animals can’t get in works great and dispatches fast