Wall-less trap systems and methods

One embodiment is a wall-less trap that includes a base, vertical supports, an upper cage, one or more guides connected to the upper cage, and a trigger. The base is positioned on a horizontal surface. The vertical supports extend upward from the base. The upper cage is movable between a raised position, in which the upper cage is suspended above the base, and a lowered position, in which the upper cage rests on the base or the horizontal surface. The guides are connected to the upper cage and slide on the vertical supports to guide vertical travel of the upper cage. The trigger can be either engaged to hold the upper cage in the raised position, or disengaged to allow the upper cage to fall downward from the raised position. The trigger is movable from the engaged position to the disengaged position by an animal positioned under the upper cage.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates generally to animal trapping hunting, and more particularly to systems and methods for trapping wild animals using a wall-less trap that facilitates luring the animals into the proper position to close the trap and capture the animals.

2. Related Art

Feral hogs can cause a great deal of damage to crops, eating some and simply destroying others. The hogs can ruin springs and ponds by creating mud wallows, thereby affecting wildlife habitats. Still further, feral hogs are predators, and may kill deer fawns, goat kids and other small animals. They may even attack humans. The problems caused by feral hogs are increasing because the number of hogs is increasing (they are prolific breeders), and because feral hogs are relatively intelligent and consequently difficult to trap.

Traps that are used to capture feral hogs are conventionally completely enclosed except for one (or sometimes two) trap doors. The hogs are expected to enter the enclosure and trigger a release mechanism that closes the door(s), trapping the animal inside the enclosure. These traps may be difficult to set because the trigger mechanisms for the door(s) of the trap are often either too sensitive or not sensitive enough. Additionally, feral hogs typically are wary of the enclosures and will simply refuse to go inside. Obviously, if the hogs do not enter these traps, they cannot be captured in the traps.

Even when a hog is captured in a conventional trap, the design of the trap may present some difficulties. For example, when a hog or other animal is captured in the trap, it may necessary to transport the animal type location and release it, but it may be difficult and dangerous to release the animal because this may place the trapper in close proximity to the animal. It is also sometimes necessary for the trapper to actually crawl into the enclosure to retrieve an animal that has died in the trap, or has been injured and cannot or will not exit the trap on its own. Occasionally, a dead or injured animal will fall against the door, making it even more difficult for the trapper to retrieve the animal from the enclosure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This disclosure is directed to systems and methods that solve one or more of the problems discussed above. The present systems and methods provide improved means to trap animals such as feral hogs. These systems and methods use wall-less traps that are less likely to alert a wild animal to their presence, and are more easily accessed to retrieve or release a captured animal.

One embodiment comprises a wall-less trap. This trap includes a base, one or more vertical supports, an upper cage, one or more guides connected to the upper cage, and a trigger. The base is designed to be positioned on a horizontal surface such as the ground. The vertical supports are connected to the base and extend upward from the base. The upper cage is movable between raised and lowered positions. In the raised position, the upper cage is suspended above the base, providing a wall-less area below it. In the lowered position, the upper cage rests on the base or the horizontal surface, forming a closed cage. The guides are connected to the upper cage, and are configured to slide on the vertical supports to guide the vertical travel of the upper cage. The trigger can be either engaged or disengaged. When the trigger is in the engaged position, the trigger holds the upper cage in the raised position. When the trigger is in the disengaged position, the upper cage is allowed to fall downward from the raised position. The trigger is movable from the engaged position to the disengaged position by an animal positioned under the upper cage.

The trap may include an upper structure connected to the vertical supports, where when the upper cage is in the raised position, the upper cage is suspended from this upper structure. In one embodiment, a first, latch portion of the trigger is connected to a center portion of the upper structure and a second, hook portion of the trigger is connected to a center portion of the upper cage. The trigger may utilize bearings to minimize friction and increase the sensitivity of the trigger. The trap may include a winch which is releasably connected to the upper cage, so that the winch can raise the upper cage to be engaged by the trigger, and then be released so that the upper cage can fall when the trigger is disengaged. The guides may comprise tubes that are positioned around corresponding ones of the vertical supports. The guides may be configured to be prevented from sliding on the vertical support when the guides and vertical supports are misaligned, in order to prevent the upper cage from being raised by an off-center force. The trap may include a safety to prevent the upper cage from falling when the safety is engaged.

Numerous other embodiments are also possible.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As described herein, various embodiments of the invention comprise systems and methods for trapping wild animals using a wall-less trap that facilitates luring the animals into the proper position to close the trap and capture the animals.

Referring toFIGS. 1-5, an exemplary embodiment of a wall-less trap that is suitable for capturing feral hogs and other wild animals is illustrated. The primary components of the trap are an upper cage or bottomless enclosure, and a guide structure that guides the vertical travel of the upper cage and supports the upper cage in a raised position until it is released to trap the animal.FIG. 1is a diagram illustrating a front view of a trap in accordance with one embodiment, where an upper cage portion of the trap is partially raised.FIG. 2is a diagram illustrating a top view of the upper cage of the embodiment ofFIG. 1.FIG. 3is a diagram illustrating a front view of the embodiment ofFIG. 1, where the upper cage portion of the trap is completely raised and latched.FIGS. 4 and 5are perspective views of the frame portion of the trap, where the upper cage is in a lowered position inFIG. 4and a raised position inFIG. 5.

In the embodiment ofFIGS. 1-5, upper cage110is generally square. Upper cage110has four sides and a top, but no bottom. Upper cage110has a welded steel frame112with heavy gauge wire114welded to the frame. When upper cage110is sitting on the ground or a cage base, a completely enclosed cage is formed (i.e., by the five walls of the cage and the ground or base). The open base of the upper cage enclosure allows the raised to be dropped when an animal is below it, thereby trapping the animal within the enclosure. This is particularly advantageous when dealing with relatively intelligent animals such as feral hogs, which are often wary of closed spaces such as conventional trap enclosures and will refuse to enter such enclosures. When using the present system, the walls of the trap are above the animal and out of its sight, so the animal is more likely to come within the area below the upper cage, where it can be captured.

It should be noted that upper cage110may have any suitable shape, and need not be square, as shown inFIGS. 1-5. In one alternate embodiment, upper cage110has a cylindrical shape, with a circular wall and flat top. In fact, such a shape may increase the ease of construction of the upper cage, as it may require less welding than a square shape or other shapes that have corners.

Upper cage110has a pair of guides (120,121) that are attached to the outside of frame112. In this embodiment, guides120and121are simply tubes that are welded onto the frame. Guides120and121are vertically oriented so that when they are positioned on corresponding vertical supports, they constrain upper cage110to travel vertically along the supports.

In addition to the movable upper cage, the trap ofFIGS. 1-5also includes a stationary structure. This structure includes a base130, vertical supports140and141, and an upper support150. Base130is a flat frame that sits on the ground. Because the base130is on the ground, it may not be necessary to have the same heavy wire mesh that is on upper cage110. If, however, it is desired to be able to pick up the trap and transport it with an animal inside, the wire mesh or some other floor will be required on the base. Vertical supports140and141are welded to base130, and extend upward through guides120and121. The upper ends of vertical supports140and141are connected to an upper support150.

It should be noted that, while the embodiment ofFIGS. 1-5uses two vertical supports, alternative embodiments may use a different number. The two supports shown in the figures provide sufficient support for the raised upper cage, but also minimize the appearance of the trap to animals on the ground, which is important when trapping cautious animals such as feral hogs.

Upper support150stabilizes the vertical supports and provides means to raise and support upper cage110. A winch160is connected to vertical support140. Winch160is connected via cables162and172to the top of upper cage110. A user can crank winch160to wind cable162onto the winch. Table162passes through pulley164and terminates at hook166. When hook166is connected to loop168, cable162pulls cable172through pulleys174and176, thereby pulling upper cage110upward.

The embodiment ofFIGS. 1-5includes a hook-and-latch mechanism to secure upper cage110and to trigger release of the upper cage. A hook180is connected to the top of upper cage110. A latch182is connected to upper support150. When upper cage110is raised to the top of vertical supports140and141, hook180engages latch182as shown inFIG. 3.

In this embodiment, latch182has a bearing183which contacts hook180. Bearing183is provided to minimize the friction between the hook and the latch. Because the weight of upper cage110is supported by latch182, there would be a great deal of friction between hook180and the latch if the latch were stationary. The use of bearing183allows hook180to roll off the latch with very little friction. This allows the hook-and-latch mechanism to engage and disengage very easily.

Hook180also employs a bearing181at the point at which the hook pivots. This bearing minimizes the friction with which hook180pivots, allowing the hook-and-latch mechanism to engage and disengage very easily. Hook180also has a trigger arm184and a counterbalance arm185.

Trigger arm184is connected to one end of a trigger cable186. The other end of trigger cable186is connected to an attachment point187in the middle of base130. It can be seen that the length of trigger cable186is adjusted so that the trigger cable is slack when upper cage110is not fully raised (FIG. 1) and is tight when upper cage110is fully raised (FIG. 3). When upper cage110has been completely raised and the latch has been engaged, bait is placed around attachment point187. When an animal enters the area below upper cage110and eats the bait, the animal will bump into trigger cable186. This will pull trigger arm184downward, disengaging hook180from latch182and allowing upper cage110to fall, trapping the animal.

Counterbalance arm185provides sufficient weight to counterbalance the weight of trigger arm184and provide a very small amount of force to urge hook180toward a vertical position. Thus, as upper cage is raised, the top of hook180contacts bearing183and is pushed to the left. When upper cage110has been raised enough for hook180to be above bearing183, the weight of counterbalance arm185pushes the hook to the right to engage the latch (on top of bearing183). The use of counterbalance arm185eliminates some of the problems associated with springs that are conventionally used for this purpose, such as rusting or stretching, which can change the amount of force applied by the spring.

It should be noted that the use of two cables (162,172) to raise upper cage110provides a safety mechanism for the trap. Winch160is a ratcheting type winch. When the ratchet is engaged, the winch can only be turned in the direction that winds cable162and raises upper cage110. When upper cage110is resting on base130, cable162is connected to cable172by placing hook166through loop168. Winch160is then cranked (with the ratchet engaged) to raise upper cage110. When upper cage160is raised sufficiently high for hook180to engage latch182, the upper cage can be supported by the hook and latch, but cables162and172can remain connected as a safety. A person can then move under upper cage110to place bait around attachment point187without any danger of the upper cage falling and injuring the person if trigger cable186is accidentally bumped. After the bait has been positioned, and the user has moved out from under upper cage110, and the cables (162,172) can be disconnected from each other. At this point, the trap is set and ready for use.

As shown inFIGS. 1 and 3, cable172is connected to the top of upper cage110at its center. This arrangement maintains upper cage110in a balanced position in which guides120and121remain in alignment with vertical supports140and141. This minimizes friction between the guides and the vertical supports and consequently minimizes the effort required to raise upper cage110.

It should be noted that, when guides120and121are misaligned with vertical supports140and141, there may be substantial friction between the guides and the vertical supports. This may be advantageous because a captured animal may be able to get underneath one of the outer edges of the upper cage and attempt to push it up far enough to escape. Since lifting an outer edge of the upper cage will misalign the guides and vertical supports and thereby increase the friction between them, it would be difficult, if not impossible, to raise the upper cage in this manner. It is therefore very difficult for animals to escape from the trap.

Because the animals that are desired to be trapped may be very cautious, it is desirable to deemphasize the appearance of the trap. A cover may be placed over the upper cage to camouflage the trap. This cover may, for example, use the same materials and designs as other camouflage devices (e.g., deer blinds).

Alternative embodiments of the invention may have numerous variations from the embodiments described above. For example, as noted above, the shape of the upper cage may vary in the different embodiments, and the number of vertical supports may vary. Likewise, the types of materials (e.g., steel, heavy gauge wire, cable, etc.) used in the construction of the trap, the specific mechanisms used to provide the described functions (e.g., hook-and-latch trigger, releasable cable safety, etc.) and other specifics of the described embodiment may be replaced with suitable materials and mechanisms in alternative embodiments. Still further, it should be noted that a number of the features described herein are optional, and many alternative embodiments omit one or more of these features.

While the present disclosure is directed primarily to the system set forth above, it should be noted that alternative embodiments include methods for use of this system, in addition to various alternative configurations of the system.