Trapping Term “Nose Cone” Explained
Here is some great trapping advice: In order to make a positive set with a cage trap, you should use a nose cone.
Does that make any sense to you?
Sometimes, we have to step back and realize we use our own industry jargon too often. This is one of those times.
Today, we explain and show the terms “nose cone” and “positive set”. You’ll see a truly effective way of catching raccoons, squirrels, and groundhogs.
So if you want to catch one of these animals quickly, practice what is in this post. You’ll never go back to baited live traps again.
Cage Trap + Nose Cone = Positive Set
Putting a trap on the travel path of a nuisance animal just makes sense. You’ve got to catch them in the areas they frequent. Entrances into buildings and other holes they use are some of the best places to catch them.
When you incorporate a trap into the travel path and make sure the animal only has one path of travel through the trap(the nose cone), you’ve just made a positive set.
It is really effective.
In order to make a positive set, you should be aware of the following necessities:
- A clearly defined path of travel. Exits and entrance holes are great. Finding them around foundations isn’t too bad. Locating them on the roof presents certain challenges. In the pictures above, an inspection showed that ridge vent was the spot. Any movement in or out and the raccoon would go through that hole.
- A trap that can be incorporated into the travel path. For this, we recommend double door traps for the bigger animals and repeater traps for squirrels. Most of our double door traps have spring loaded doors that fire when an animal brushes by wire in the middle of the trap. A very thorough trap description is in this blog post about positive sets for groundhogs. The double doors catch the animals coming or going.
- Blocking Material. In order to get the animal to go through the trap, it can’t have any other options. This blocking of other possible travel paths calls for creativity. The material can be anything. We use a lot of wire and purchase blocking aids that are sold by trap manufacturers. In the middle picture of the slide show, you can see the wire that blocks everything except the path through the trap.
In trapping lingo, the blocking material utilize in step three is referred to as a “nose cone”.
Watch this video and it will make sense quickly.
When you put all these things together, you are certain to capture an animal that moves through that spot.
Works for Raccoons, Squirrels & Groundhogs
Since you’ve seen how this set-up works for raccoons going through a roof edge, you might be asking yourself if it works for other species. The answer to that is a definitive yes.
In fact, anywhere there is a defined path of travel the technique can be used.
We use it for multiple species that are going in and out of structures at specific points: squirrels, groundhogs, skunks, raccoons, etc.
As the video mentioned, creativity is the only limit on nose cone creation. Most materials can be used and sometimes the best are materials already on site.
Trap manufacturers do sell commercially available nose cone that fit directly over their traps. Here are a couple of examples.
These manufactured nose cones are helpful for sure. But, directing an animal into a trap can be done a variety of ways. This video shows some good, creative directing at a groundhog job.
This shed was being used by woodchucks. The same idea of a positive set works for them too.
There is no bait in the trap and the trap isn’t in a random spot in the yard. The traps are right in front of the travel paths. Once it is all set up, there is no way around the traps because of blocking.
If a groundhog wants to come in or out of one of those holes it will go through the trap and trip the trigger.
Animal Removal & Control | Stark, Summit, Portage County
Positive sets are an efficient way to trap in many instances. And we hope this post has steered you in a positive way, too.
If you can identify where the animal is going and put the right kind of trap in its path, you are well on your way to success.
Understanding what a nose cone is will help make you direct the target animal into the trap quickly. Good luck.
And if you live in the Canton, Kent, Akron area and need assistance, you can always give us a call.
We’ve got the experience and traps to solve your nuisance animal removal issue.
