Rabbit Trapping

By Mike M.

I tried your stove pipe idea on a trip to Vermont awhile back.  We where cleaning out an old camper we had just bought and came across a ten year old can of Shoprite golden kernel corn.  I had a roll of picture wire to make into snares, and a #110 conibear that I had given to my six year old brother for his birthday. When I saw the corn I remembered your article on the stovepipe set.

The next morning while hunting with my pellet gun I kicked up a rabbit in the field. I tried to head it off, but it ran into the thick tree line at the left edge of the field. I ran back to the cabin and grabbed an old stove pipe from underneath it, and the ten year old can of corn. I briskly headed to the exact spot where the rabbit ran into the trees, crushed down one end of the pipe only allowing enough light to a low visibility of the corn, and set the trap. Then very gingerly I opened the can of corn with my Swiss Army knife. Expecting the worst I slowly lifted the lid. To my surprise it was still in solid form and smelled almost normal. I dumped it into the middle of the stove pipe and carefully stabilized the conibear in front of it, wiring it off to a nearby pine tree

I woke the next morning at sunup. Slowly I worked my way around the field until finally I came up to my brothers conibear, still waiting patiently to be sprung. I was mildly disappointed but left the trap to see what else might be in the field. I returned to the cabin tired, and spent the rest of the day playing with my little brothers, and explaining to them where and how I set the trap

The next day I slept late, and walked up to the field at about 9 o'clock. I slowly walked up to the trap expecting it to be empty again. To my great surprise there was A medium sized brown cottontail. I brought it to the cabin and woke up my family to show them, my brothers were excited and amazed by it's soft fur

I dressed it and soaked it in water, saving the pelt. Still tired I went back to bed, leaving the pelt in the smoke of a small fire to keep the flies off. When I awoke I saw the meat soaking in the pot reassuring me it was not just a dream, but when I went to the fire my stepfather informed me that a small scruffy looking black dog stole the hide. No matter, my mom still made the best damn rabbit stew I ever had. And my brother's pride, telling every body what a great rabbit trapper he was

Thank you for showing me this set.