Instructions for Solway Fox Trap
Instructions for use
The Solway fox trap arrives ready to use. To set the trap, lift the door with one hand and put the lever under the door. Keep holding the lever under the door and set the treadle plate lever end. This is quite a tricky operation and will take a few practice runs so that you will get used to the action. You can adjust the treadle plate end by screwing up the nut tighter to make it harder to spring.
The small door on the top of the trap is for putting the bait in. Always remember to tie it shut with wire.
Tips for success:
Catching foxes in a cage trap is by no means easy. Unlike other fox traps which have an end entry system, the Solway trap has a unique side entry. Curiosity is an over-riding instinct in all predatory animals, the fox being no exception. The side entry system relies on this curiosity as well as hunger to tempt the fox inside.
When setting the trap, completely cover the floor with whatever material the trap sits on. For instance if the ground is covered in pine needles, then cover the trap floor similarly; any wire showing will put the fox off entering. Cover the outside of the cage with branches to break up its outline and to stop the fox pawing at the cage walls trying to get at the bait from outside. Remember it will also probably try to jump up onto the roof, so cover that as well. A good technique is to push it into an existing bush. The object is to achieve a natural effect with no wire showing on the floor or treadle plate, so that the fox can circle round until it finds the entrance, through which it will be drawn by a mixture of curiosity and hunger.
Put the trap somewhere where you can see it from at least thirty yards. Visit the trap every day, but if it has not gone off then do not go near it. It can take up to a fortnight before the trap has 'naturalised' and lost any traces of human scent.
When you catch a fox, kill it cleanly with a rifle. Any badgers, domestic cats and dogs can be released unharmed. After catching anything, thoroughly check the trap for damage. The wire clips around the edges may need to be either tightened or replaced. If a fox gets out of the trap once it has sprung, you will never catch it again.
Bait:
Live bait is illegal and unnecessary. Everybody has different ideas about bait but the general method is to use something really smelly such as dead fish, rabbits, hares or chickens. Remember that foxes prefer the guts and offal. Some people like to bury the bait in a shallow hole just forward of the treadle plate or even hang it from a hook.
Pick up any fox droppings that you find and put them into the cage. If you catch a vixen in December or January when she is in season, squeeze out her urine into the cage. This will draw the dog foxes like a magnet.
Where a fox has broken into a release pen or chicken run, set the trap inside the pen up against the wire fence. Place the trap so that the open door coincides with the break-in and make it look as natural as possible. This way the fox, when patrolling the outside of the pen, will enter through the hole, thinking that he is getting in.
Good luck! You need patience to catch foxes, but fox traps are an effective means of fox control where other methods cannot be used. We are always on the lookout for more tips for the successful use of fox traps. If you feel that you have some helpful hints which we could include in these instructions, and pass on to future customers, then please get in touch.
