How to Build a Rabbit Trap

How to Make a Self-Setting Rabbit Trap

Secure a good-sized box, say, 1 ft. high, 1-1/2 ft. wide, and 3 ft. long; and to the bottom, about 10 in. from one end, fasten a 2-in. square piece, A, Fig. 1, extending the width of the box. Place a 10-in. board sloping from the end of the box to the cleat A.

Self-Setting Trap

The swing door B, Fig. 1, is made as shown in Fig. 2, which represents the back side of the door. Sheet metal or tin is cut to the proper size and tacked around the edge of the hole. This prevents the animal from gnawing its way out, also provides a way to make the hole of different sizes for squirrels or other animals. The hole in the door should be about 2 in. wide and 4 in. high for rabbits. The door is made to swing freely on two large nails driven through the sides of the box. The hole in the door being only large enough to admit a small portion of the rabbit's head, the rabbit will push its way through to the bait, causing the door to swing back and up, and it will close by its own weight when the animal is inside. A small door is provided in the other end to remove the animals caught.

The advantage of this trap is that where one animal is caught others are liable to follow, and several rabbits will be trapped at a time. Then, too, the rabbits are not harmed in any way as they would be if caught in an ordinary trap.

—Contributed by H. F. Church, Alexandria, Va.

Excerpt from the book:
THE BOY MECHANIC
VOLUME I
700 THINGS FOR BOYS TO DO
WITH 800 ILLUSTRATIONS
1913, BY H. H. WINDSOR CHICAGO
POPULAR MECHANICS CO. PUBLISHERS