How To Make Sure A Mk6 Fenn Does The Job Right On Bugs?

[saneenchris 0]

Hi could someone please advise me on the best way to set up a mk6 fenn in a rabbit bury whereby i can be sure of it tripping on the correct kill zone.

 

I have no experience with trapping and usually control rabbit numbers with an air rifle but for various reasons i cannot shoot on about 30 acres of my permission anymore but the farmer is still wanting the rabbits controlled.

 

I have tried snares with a lot of conflicting results and thought the mk 6 fenn would be worth a try. The thing i am puzzled about is how do i make sure that i get buggs bunny to step on the trigger plate with its front feet and not stretch over the top of the trap and trigger it with its rear feet, catching it on the hind quarters?

 

As i said i am new to this and was just after some advice.

[IanB 0]

Place your unset trap in the mouth of the hole, does it fit? No........ make it fit, so it has clearance when fired.., set your trap to the setting you prefer light/medium make sure the trap is stable,just bed it in a bit...cover with fine earth, or sieved if you can be arsed, I use peat and its perfect, make sure theres not a mound on the pan a slight depression is better ,take off the safety catch.. If your setting them in numbers its time consuming to start with never mind mucking about with setting sticks and being anal about things..the more you use them better and quicker you will get..The more you use them your going to get the odd foul catch or non target in there, nothing is 100% guaranteed. There not my prefered method with traps but there very effective and in some cases better than other options.

[Bunny Boiler 177]

Have you considered ferreting? Might be much more effective. But as said. Place it in the mouth of a hole. The rabbit shouldn't be able to hop over it if it is in a tunnel, the roof should be too low. But also as said, make sure it has clearance. If you impeed the jaws, you either live catch prey or you miss them completely.

[micky 3,325]

I would not place the trap in the mouth of the hole , I like to get them back a bit as fresh sieved earth or new peat is a magnet for some types of bird also the caught rabbit is very visible at the tunnel mouth and it will not take long for both the trap and rabbit to disappear

[Bunny Boiler 177]

I am talking about a foot into the hole. And if you are checking and pegging your fenns properly, you should never lose one.

[micky 3,325]

well why not say a foot into the hole? and as for checking and pegging your traps correctly, well there is more than foxs and badgers that will take your catch and trap ,some people even go so far as to say that there is a man in the North East of England who will even steal them.

[socks 32,253]

As Ian said the most effective method is placed in the mouth of the hole with a light sprinkling of earth over the top ... And make sure it has room to fire ........

[saneenchris 0]

Place your unset trap in the mouth of the hole, does it fit? No........ make it fit, so it has clearance when fired.., set your trap to the setting you prefer light/medium make sure the trap is stable,just bed it in a bit...cover with fine earth, or sieved if you can be arsed, I use peat and its perfect, make sure theres not a mound on the pan a slight depression is better ,take off the safety catch.. If your setting them in numbers its time consuming to start with never mind mucking about with setting sticks and being anal about things..the more you use them better and quicker you will get..The more you use them your going to get the odd foul catch or non target in there, nothing is 100% guaranteed. There not my prefered method with traps but there very effective and in some cases better than other options.

thanks for the info ian. its good to get advice from people who know what they are talking about.

how do i set the fenn light or fine? all i can see is one notch on the brass trigger catch.

Have you considered ferreting? Might be much more effective. But as said. Place it in the mouth of a hole. The rabbit shouldn't be able to hop over it if it is in a tunnel, the roof should be too low. But also as said, make sure it has clearance. If you impeed the jaws, you either live catch prey or you miss them completely.

I dont have ferrets and the landowner wont let anyone else on the land besides myself and my cousin. hve been thinking about getting a couple of ferrets for a few years though,, but dont think i have enough time to look after them at the mo, maybe in the future when the kids arent such a handful.

[IanB 0]

Place your unset trap in the mouth of the hole, does it fit? No........ make it fit, so it has clearance when fired.., set your trap to the setting you prefer light/medium make sure the trap is stable,just bed it in a bit...cover with fine earth, or sieved if you can be arsed, I use peat and its perfect, make sure theres not a mound on the pan a slight depression is better ,take off the safety catch.. If your setting them in numbers its time consuming to start with never mind mucking about with setting sticks and being anal about things..the more you use them better and quicker you will get..The more you use them your going to get the odd foul catch or non target in there, nothing is 100% guaranteed. There not my prefered method with traps but there very effective and in some cases better than other options.

thanks for the info ian. its good to get advice from people who know what they are talking about.

how do i set the fenn light or fine? all i can see is one notch on the brass trigger catch.

 

Place the safety catch on and set the trigger , set it as light as you want, just push the pan down to adjust, then fit to hole, bed, etc and last thing remove safety.

 

ps I wouldn't be setting traps a foot into a hole, judge by eye, as long as the roof of the hole is over the trap you will be fine, why make more work and hassle.

[moxy 617]

I am talking about a foot into the hole. And if you are checking and pegging your fenns properly, you should never lose one.

 

I'm not sure you know what your talking about. Have you got any pics to show us of the foot deep set of a mk6.

 

That is some excavating of the tube to ensure the trap fires. Time consuming too if your setting a few.

 

But if it works for you? Then fair play

 

 

[Bunny Boiler 177]

I am talking about a foot into the hole. And if you are checking and pegging your fenns properly, you should never lose one.

 

I'm not sure you know what your talking about. Have you got any pics to show us of the foot deep set of a mk6.

 

That is some excavating of the tube to ensure the trap fires. Time consuming too if your setting a few.

 

But if it works for you? Then fair play

Someone above has said judging by eye. Some you can clearly set a bit further in. I won't dig it out and disturb it if I can (and anyway, I would rather ferret). We are surrounded by sandy ground, so the holes tend to be a bit more open than some of the harder clay and rocky ground I have seen rabbits in before. Hope this clears it up. Other techniques I have seen and tried are laying tunnels just outside the mouth of the hole so that it "extends" the rabbit warren tunnel over the Fenn, but I didn't particularly like this method. The chap I saw using it swears by it though. Like you said, if it works, who is to judge?

[saneenchris 0]

Ok I set 5 fenns today for the first time, thanks to all the info here on this forum. Man its bloody hard work, those mk 6 fenns are big when you see them beside a rabbit hole. i'm trapping in a warren that is in an old stone and soil ditch with thorn hedge a'top along the side of a lane, stones are a bit of a pain took me almost 2 hours to set 5 traps. I widened the hole and increased the height where necessary to allow for sprung and unsprung trap and put them as deep into the hole as i could leaving the chain out enough to get the steel pins into the ground, so they are in well enough.

Thinking about what ian said, using peat to cover the trap i used some sieved soil from under a nearby conifer hedge and was very handy considering how wet everything else is at the minute.

Hopefully have a couple of bunnies in the morning.

[heritage 202]

Well done mate......, hopefully you will be rewarded with a couple of nice rabbits.. The time it took you you to set the traps was excessive but this will improve over time. If I were you I'd also look at the trapping tools that your using, a decent hammer & something to aid cutting / bedding will help no end.....Atb

[saneenchris 0]

set 5 fenns on friday and on saturday morning had a big buck rabbit and a dirty rat in two traps. thanks for the help.

[Guest clairian09]

toilet paper over the plate & frame stops the sieved soil dropping under the plate & stopping it triggering." works for me"