How to Trap a Weasel? Best Bait and Weasel Trapping Tips

How to Trap a Weasel

Use fresh meat. Place your bait in a way that forces the weasel to enter the trap fully and step on the trigger plate to reach it. Ensure the bait is placed deep in the trap, preventing animals from taking it without entering.

Throughout this article, not only will you learn how to trap a weasel but you’ll also learn the best bait to use to increase your chances of trapping weasels, how dangerous weasels can be as well as other interesting facts that may be helpful to know, especially If you’re a beginner in trapping.

A Step by Step Guide on How to Trap a Weasel

Trapping any type of animal that may be causing you havoc can often appear as a daunting task (especially if you’re a beginner), however, the quicker you familiarise yourself with these 8 simple steps that I have listed below can determine how quickly you’ll be able to get out there and begin your catch! Here is a 8 step guide on how to trap a weasel:

1. Check Your State Laws and Regulations Around Capturing Weasels.

This is the most important step, as it’ll be your guide for understanding what you can and can not do in order to trap a weasel. Contact a local wildlife representative and enquire about your local state rules around the capture and release of weasels, prior your attempt to trap.

2. Purchase a Live Capture Cage Trap.

Use a live capture cage trap to trap the weasel. This type of trap is my preferred choice when attempting to capture any kind of animal (not only weasels), as not only is it a humane method but it’s also easy enough to use. If you have small children or other pets you can rest assured that this trap is also friendly for both. Personally, I don’t mind taking the extra steps required when using a live cage trap as long as it means that I’m not killing an animal.

With a live capture cage trap, you have the option of purchasing either a 1 door or 2 door trap (both have pros & cons). You can purchase these traps from your local garden store or online from Amazon here.

In addition to using a cage trap, you can also opt for using kill traps. Weasel tunnel traps and leg hold traps are all valid alternatives for trapping a weasel, however, you should be mindful of the laws around these methods. In my opinion, using live cage traps are just as effective for removing weasels from your property and should be considered prior to making your final decision.

3. Locate and Set.

Locate the area where you are going to place your trap and set it up. You should place any traps in areas where the weasel is commonly going to or lingers around.

Weasels are active in both the night time and day time, therefore, there is no specific time frame you need to follow when setting your trap.

4. Throw in Some Bait.

Bait truly is a lifesaver when capturing animals, especially weasels! To assist your trapping attempt and increase your chances of capture, you can place meat or other alternatives of bait inside the cage. (Continue reading further below to learn the best bait to use when capturing a weasel).

5. Check Back Later on the Trap.

A good habit to get into when learning how to trap any animal is checking on your traps frequently. Depending on the time you’ve placed your traps, check back within a few hours to see if you’ve caught the weasel you were targeting. At most, check on the trap within the next day. (Don’t leave the trap alone for too long incase you have caught a weasel and it’s trapped inside without food or water).

6. Release the Weasel.

Now that you’ve successfully captured the weasel that was causing you stress and headaches, the last step is to release it!

Considering you’ve followed your state laws, rules and regulations correctly. Release the weasel in an area away from your property or from the property of others.

If you’d prefer to not handle the weasel directly, you should seek someone else to do this for you. When friends or family is not an option, you could consider hiring a professional to release the weasel for you at an extra cost. This can save you additional time needed for travelling, releasing and driving back. Contacting your local wildlife services may also be an option for you.

7. Spray Repellent Around the Area.

This is a good precaution measure to take which will help to prevent anymore weasels from coming back to the area you’ve just targeted.

Simply spray the repellent around the surrounding area as well as any other areas you may think might serve as a haven for similar pests. You can purchase chemical repellent from your local garden store or make your own home-made repellent through the use of natural ingredients you most likely have in your kitchen!

8. Reminder to be Cautious!

If you’ve decided to use a live capture cage trap, you should take caution when directly handling the cage. As a precautionary measure, it may be in your best interest to wear protective gloves to protect your hands from potential weasel bites (as they’re probably very scared and angry).

All in all, trapping a weasel is easy enough to try, however, you must persevere. More often than not, people tend to think that capturing an animal will go smoothly, quickly and will be over and done with on their first go. Unfortunately, this is not always the case and can be a harsh reality check for some. It’s important to continue trying even if it doesn’t work the first time around as eventually you will reap the benefits through your consistent efforts.

Be mindful that any wild animal is just as scared of you as you may be with them, therefore, treating them humanely should be your natural reaction. As previously stated in this article, you should do your own individual research around state laws, rules and regulations around the capture or release of weasels. In some states it is illegal to capture certain animals and as a consequence of illegally capturing banned animals, can result in hefty fines as well as jail time. Be wary of this fact and take caution.

Signs of a Weasel Problem

If you suspect you have an unwanted weasel visitor, look for these common signs that point to a weasel infestation:

Strange animal sounds in walls or attic

Weasels are vocal, especially at night. They make chattering, screeching, or distressed noises. Listen for sounds from the walls, crawl spaces, attic, or other hidden areas in your home.

Musky odor

Weasels release a strong, musky scent from their anal glands. A musky smell in parts of your home may mean a weasel has marked its territory.

Small hole or opening

Weasels can squeeze into very tight spaces with openings as small as 1-2 inches. If you find tiny holes inside or outside your home, a weasel might have made them enter.

Tunnels in yard

Look for small tunnels of pushed-down grass/dirt in your yard, garden, or around the perimeter of your home. Weasels make these tunnels in the yard when they move to and from their dens.

Droppings

Weasel droppings are dark and thin with twists at each end. Finding any of these droppings could confirm weasel activity:

  • In attic insulation
  • Along baseboards
  • In crawl spaces or garages
  • Near holes or burrows outside

Damage to stored food

Weasels may chew into boxes, bags, or containers to eat packaged human or pet food. Look for torn packaging, chew marks, and food spilled in strange places.

Pets behaving oddly

If you have a weasel issue, your pets may seem scared or behave as if they see something invisible. Pay attention to any unusual behavior in dogs or cats.

Best Baits for Weasels

To trap a weasel, start by choosing the right bait to lure it. As curious carnivores and opportunistic eaters, weasels are drawn to various foods with strong smells. Consider these top baits to tempt a weasel:

Meat

Weasels love fresh, raw meats. Try small pieces of:

  • Chicken
  • Bacon
  • Beef or steak
  • Fish

Raw chicken and bacon are especially enticing to weasels due to their strong scent.

Eggs

Scrambled, hard-boiled, or raw – all forms of egg make an appealing weasel bait.

Cheese

Small chunks of pungent cheese can also attract a weasel, such as:

  • Limburger
  • Gouda
  • Cheddar

Pet food

A bit of wet cat or dog food, or a spoonful of kibble doused in fish oil, draws in weasels with its meaty aroma.

Fish oil

The strong, fishy scent of fish oil or salmon oil is irresistible to weasels. Drip or spray it over your bait.

Anise oil

This pungent oil mimics the natural scent glands of weasels, intriguing them to investigate further.

Nesting materials

Cotton balls, dental floss, or natural fibers like wool provide nest-making material a weasel finds hard to resist.

Weasel Trapping Tips

To trap a weasel, plan carefully and place traps intelligently.

Place traps near dens

Concentrate your trapping near areas where you suspect weasels live or are often active. Prime locations include:

  • Attic openings
  • Crawl spaces
  • Under porches or sheds
  • Corners of barns, garages, etc.
  • Along foundations and baseboards
  • Near holes or burrows outside

Use multiple traps

Use more than one trap. Set up several traps in different locations to cover more ground and increase the odds of capture.

Camouflage traps

Cover traps with leaves, dirt, or other natural things to make them blend in. A concealed trap won’t raise the weasel’s suspicions.

Channel traps

Guide the weasel to the traps by using boards, rocks, or fences to block some areas.

Secure traps

Tie the traps to a solid surface to stop a caught weasel from dragging them away. Also, prevent non-targets like pets from disturbing traps.

Check traps frequently

Inspect traps daily at minimum, and rebait as needed. The sooner you catch the weasel, the better.

Release safely

After trapping, take the weasel at least 5 miles away from your home and release it in a forest.

Are Weasels Dangerous?

Weasels are only as dangerous as any other wild animal. They’re significantly known for their bold and brave attitude and aggressive nature which means that weasels can be dangerous towards humans or pets and should be dealt with cautiously.

Just like most wild animals, if you provoke, cause stress, corner or implement signs of danger towards the weasel, the likely outcome will be that they will attack you out of a state of defense.

If you’re ever attacked by a weasel, you should seek immediate medical attention incase the animal was a carrier of diseases.

Remember to always take caution when trapping a weasel. It can be easy to undermine a weasels ability due to their size and sometimes “cute appearance”, however, they’re ruthless for their aggression and be dangerous at times.

Are Weasels Aggressive?

Small in size but aggressive in nature. That is the best way to describe a weasel and their aggression. Although they’re significantly small in size (compared to other pests that may linger around our property), weasels sure can put up a front if necessary.

In general, a weasel enjoys hunting alone and will hunt for prey that are not only similar to their size but also prey that are twice their size! (Bold and brave creatures I tell you). They’re known for over-killing and saving their kills for consumption at a later time. They’ll use their fierce aggression to their benefit and will attack prey through the use of their sharp claws and teeth.

A weasel will also become aggressive if provoked which will cause them to attack (no matter what size you are), therefore you should remember to take caution when trapping weasels or doing any direct handling.

Do Weasels Smell?

It’s safe to say that a weasel isn’t the nicest smelling animal in the books, but then again, what animal is right?

Similar to other animals that possess this type mechanism, a weasel has the ability to release a foul smelling odor from their anal glands as a sign of defense or when they are trying to mark their territory.

The smell is often referred to as a similar smell of a skunk or opossum. (YIKES!)

Can a Weasel Kill a Dog?

In my opinion, a weasel is not capable of killing a dog (so don’t worry pet owners, you can bring your pets back out again), however, a weasel is more than capable of biting your dog along with other pets!

Similar to most animal instincts, if a weasel feels threatened, scared or anxious by your dog then the chances are pretty high for the weasel to attack your dog. They’ll usually try to bite behind the neck of an animal they’re attacking, therefore, if you have a small dog I would take caution.

As long as your dog is fully vaccinated, then there shouldn’t be any problems. If anything, your household animal may see a “weasel attack” as a game to them considering how small in size weasels are.

If you have a small size dog however or are still concerned about the wellbeing of your household animal you should consider dealing with the weasel problem at hand. Sometimes this can mean spending the extra cash with hiring someone to rid the problem for you.

It is also important to note, if your dog or similar animal has been bitten by a weasel and they’re becoming noticeably unwell you should seek a VET as soon as possible.

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