The pitfalls of using Ram power snares

[Tfng]

I recently ordered a dozen #1 power snares for coyotes. I normally use 1/16 triggered Senneker snares both magnum and regular. I wanted to try the Rams myself and see how well they work.

I thought I might start a thread on their use and things to watch for. Any tips or tricks are appreciated.

[philintheblank]

I started using a deer stick, just a long stick leaning over the snare so a deer will jump over the set rather than walk through it and a fox or coyote will duck under the stick. I have had 2 rams bent out of wack buy deer before they snapped the 1x19 snare cable.

ryan5911 mentions using them in one of his videos

[5911ryan]

If you tether the anchor cable through the eye of the spring you will never have any Rams destroyed or bent.

[philintheblank]

I set my snares up the way you showed in you youtube video. Not sure why the steel bent before the cable broke but it has happened twice. I just chaulk it up to bad luck and when i jave some free time i will see what can be done to bend them back. Another person on AO gave me some ideas om how to bemd them back.

[Powder monkey]

I would say using a stick over the snare to prevent a deer from going under is 50/50 at best. Fawns almost always go under in my experience and usually does do too.

[coyote_man]

I have a breakaway in mine and have had no issues with limited experience.

[Tfng]

Are most using the support stand to stabilize the Rams? How well does this work once the snow gets deeper?

[Tfng]

I watched some of Ryan5911's videos and see he just lightly wires it to a tree. I could see the stand being useful in tall grass though.

[Daslogster]

X2 on Breakaways, As I showed in a thread from last year, deer strong enough to tear loose from a 265#BAD were going under a bottom strand of barb wire that I blocked, leaving just about 9" (nine inches) of space and still I had one go through a snare and pull out. I stay off anything looking like a deer trail now (open trails or funnels that are too short like a fence crawl under with deer hair or tracks).

[Tfng]

Well I've caught 7 coyotes in Rams so far and I must say I'm very impressed. All of the coyotes have been off the trail with little to no disturbance. They made me a little nervous at first but seem to be safe enough if you respect them at all times.

It's nice to set a snare virtually anywhere and know any coyote caught will be dispatched quickly.

I'm already considering doubling the number of Rams I own. It's early in the season and time will tell if they are as effective as they seem but so far I'm very impressed.

I built my snares with Senneker elite 265 BADS and had one deer released.

Edit- Turns out I've already tripled the number of Rams I own since I started this thread but I'm considering doubling up again lol.

[Daslogster]

I have a few rams for setting in hay and like them for certain sets, they get the job done for sure, I also am heavy on the senneker kill systems, of which I have a few hundred for fox to wolf. I am torn myself about one way or another. After watching Ryan5911 using them exclusively (setting with bare hands and smoking!) I have to think you can't go wrong, but that would be the case with any properly used equipment.

[Newellknik]

I am missing something here . I have watched a few videos of Ram
Snares in action . Am I to understand that the snare cable can be
Broken by a larger animal after it is sprung . Looks to me if a human
Stepped thru this would cause a lot of damage . I've talked to a few
Bird dog guys and they are staying home in the extended season .
I understand the need to suspend suffering of a trapped animal but
Not pets . How long have Ram snares been in use ?

[bill9044]

Originally Posted by Newellknik

I am missing something here . I have watched a few videos of Ram
Snares in action . Am I to understand that the snare cable can be
Broken by a larger animal after it is sprung . Looks to me if a human
Stepped thru this would cause a lot of damage . I've talked to a few
Bird dog guys and they are staying home in the extended season .
I understand the need to suspend suffering of a trapped animal but
Not pets . How long have Ram snares been in use ?

I'm not sure where you hunt your birds but I trap on private farm land if any bird hunter is concerned about trapping activity ask the land owner they have to sign the wa19 for giving the trapper permission to use snares. A trapper I know down south kicked some bird hunters and thier dog off his property. The hunter was trespassing. Boy that hunter would be pretty unhappy if my friend had snares in the grass there which would be on his own property. I'm not saying every hunter trespasses. The responsible trapper get the proper forms signed then sets traps. The responsible hunter gains access permission before hunting. I am very confident that land owners would say hey they is a guy trapping coyotes over there so i wouldnt take your dog over there. Most trappers will not set anywhere close to an acreage or town limits as to not have any issues. As for a person in a ram most trappers put out flag tape to mark their snares. When a fellow hunts and walks/stalks they don't do an army March down the trail. You could walk at a reasonable pace down a trail and the snare would either get knocked down or push aside by your shin or knee. I wouldn't be worried about having the ram catch you it is more dangerous taking the safety off then anything on those things.
Why this topic comes up so often about snares and dogs beats me.
Here is a fun fact Saskatchewan has banned all snares except power rams. There are people in this province trying to keep cam lock snares from being banned. Maybe the bird hunters out there could help keep cam lock snares viable in this province. If your so worried about snares and dogs go to Saskatchewan where all they have is rams.

Back to the OP. Only pit fall I have found is they are bulky and you need set up time I can lay out 3 cam lock snares to one ram. That is a concervative number. I do use rams in an area I don't want tore up like some tall grass area buck brush.

[Tfng]

I've certainly noticed they take longer to set up but I'm getting faster the more I set them. The bulk and weight isn't a huge concern for me because I can get my truck within 100 yards of anywhere I want to set.

The main thing is they are expensive but it's a one time cost for the most part. I've decided to order another two dozen #1's and I'm going to try two dozen wolf masters as well.

Newellknick- You'll never find yourself in one of my Rams unless you go where you don't have permission. I believe Rams have been around for thirty years or so. The breakaway can be an s hook or the cable, I use s hooks.

If you see dozens of Ravens and a bush that looks like a Christmas tree with flagging tape there's a good chance there's snares in that bush. Not everyone flags their sets because theft seems to be a problem in some areas.

[coyoteskinner]

How to set Rams quick;

Set Rams prior, week or so before setting, wrapping the anchor cable around the top of spring. When ready to set, unravel anchor cable throw abound tree slip Ram through end of anchor cable, place a snare in the eye/trigger, unlock safety lean against branch and good to go.

Takes 10 minutes to set a dozen Rams. All correct height. Have learned to stay away from breakaways with 1/16 cable. You get big yotes some will break out. A lot of guys I know have switched to Rams, tripled/quadrupled the number they had in the first year and never looked back.

Have never been whacked by a Ram thus far.....water heads are virtually never seen. Always amazes me catching 3+ coyotes out of the same set in a grass trail, no messing up the area, dead laying to the side of the trail.

[Tfng]

Originally Posted by coyoteskinner

How to set Rams quick;

Set Rams prior, week or so before setting, wrapping the anchor cable around the top of spring. When ready to set, unravel anchor cable throw abound tree slip Ram through end of anchor cable, place a snare in the eye/trigger, unlock safety lean against branch and good to go.

Takes 10 minutes to set a dozen Rams. All correct height. Have learned to stay away from breakaways with 1/16 cable. You get big yotes some will break out. A lot of guys I know have switched to Rams, tripled/quadrupled the number they had in the first year and never looked back.

Have never been whacked by a Ram thus far.....water heads are virtually never seen. Always amazes me catching 3+ coyotes out of the same set in a grass trail, no messing up the area, dead laying to the side of the trail.

Thanks for the input coyote skinner. Am I understanding correctly you do not add a piece of light wire as a snare support?

When I got the Rams I also got some snares. It didn't seem right at the time that the snares would spring back to the open position. I loaded all the snares and they are much faster now.

The drawback is knocked down snares and also the loading raises the bottom of the loop. I've never heard anyone recommend loading ram snares. I'm wondering now if it was a mistake to load them? I'm expecting another 4 dozen this week and should start making snares for them.

[Marty S]

In step with the title of this thread...

The biggest pitfall of the device is personal safety, next is public safety.















I think you get the jist of these photos. The story behind them is a guy cut the cable on the ram to take a lynx out from the device. He was bent over just right and the ram spring flew up and hit him in the mouth. I would imagine that he got some implants or a bridge to correct his problem. Sure nice of his friend to stop him during his anguish and suffering to take pictures of him, eh? What are friends for anyways?

Honestly, it wasn't me with the camera!!!

A number of years ago, I was told that the Alberta Research Council had been approached to test the Ram. They flat out refused due to safety concerns.

I remember once having snares on the river locally, about 20 years ago, good tracking snow on the ground, and my location received some visitors, there were big boot tracks and little boot tracks. Some guy showed up, noticed the snare location and started walking around my snare patch with a small child. I did have a bunch of rams on that location and this child was brushing right past all these loaded springs. Snares are hard to see, I'm sure they noticed some but did they see them all, did they act with caution? The potential for disaster exists with these devices.

A word of advice to all users of the ram, do be careful with where you set these things. We are 4.5 million people in Alberta and the vast majority live in the coyote belt in the south half of the province.

[shakeyleg02]

Dang thats goin to leave a mark hey .. imagine what it would do to a child if hit square in the head definately potencial for disaster ..great post marty thanx for sharing

[Marty S]

Very good device, just some drawbacks.

[Trappingman]

Originally Posted by Marty S

In step with the title of this thread...

The biggest pitfall of the device is personal safety, next is public safety.















I think you get the jist of these photos. The story behind them is a guy cut the cable on the ram to take a lynx out from the device. He was bent over just right and the ram spring flew up and hit him in the mouth. I would imagine that he got some implants or a bridge to correct his problem. Sure nice of his friend to stop him during his anguish and suffering to take pictures of him, eh? What are friends for anyways?

Honestly, it wasn't me with the camera!!!

A number of years ago, I was told that the Alberta Research Council had been approached to test the Ram. They flat out refused due to safety concerns.

I remember once having snares on the river locally, about 20 years ago, good tracking snow on the ground, and my location received some visitors, there were big boot tracks and little boot tracks. Some guy showed up, noticed the snare location and started walking around my snare patch with a small child. I did have a bunch of rams on that location and this child was brushing right past all these loaded springs. Snares are hard to see, I'm sure they noticed some but did they see them all, did they act with caution? The potential for disaster exists with these devices.

A word of advice to all users of the ram, do be careful with where you set these things. We are 4.5 million people in Alberta and the vast majority live in the coyote belt in the south half of the province.

What a surprise Marty doesn't like rams, at least your coyote will be dead waiting for you instead of breaking one of your lightening locks and running off.

[Newellknik]

My argument with the ESRD is that the Bird season is too long .
Upland till November 30 is plenty . The bird populations in the
200, 300 WMU s do not support an extension . Typical ESRD
Unilateral decision on the extended season .

May be I miss read but do not see RAM snares on the certified
Trap list . I did see that it is illegal to use non certified traps .

http://albertaregulations.ca/Trapping-Regs-2014-15.pdf

I trapped for a number of years in Manitoba , and might want to
Start again as a retirement hobby . But I would not want to break
Any laws .

[Tfng]

Originally Posted by TFNG

Thanks for the input coyote skinner. Am I understanding correctly you do not add a piece of light wire as a snare support?

When I got the Rams I also got some snares. It didn't seem right at the time that the snares would spring back to the open position. I loaded all the snares and they are much faster now.

The drawback is knocked down snares and also the loading raises the bottom of the loop. I've never heard anyone recommend loading ram snares. I'm wondering now if it was a mistake to load them? I'm expecting another 4 dozen this week and should start making snares for them.

I'm going to bump this so it doesn't get lost in the gory pics. I will respond to Marty and Nik when I'm not at work.

[Tfng]

Newelknik- Rams are certainly legal. The answer you seek is on page 11. An interesting fact is that in Sask and Manitoba Rams are the only legal snare (without obtaining special permits) for use outside Rfma's.

Marty- You're right safety is one of the pitfalls of Rams. I very nearly went off on a large rant but have been doing my best to behave around here. I would suggest that the gentleman in the pics is a suitable candidate for a Darwin Award if he cut the cable with his face close enough to be struck by a mostly relaxed ram.

I will not argue that Rams are not more dangerous to the trapper. The most dangerous time to me would be while loading the ram, after that it should always have a safety on it. I will say that there is zero danger to the public by Rams set by myself, if the Public would learn the difference between public and private land there should be no issue. A magnum 330 set on land is just as dangerous as a ram.

I encourage anyone who wants to try Rams to do so. They do an amazing job of putting coyotes down. Get a Ram foot for setting them, it really helps. Use your knee to protect your face in case it does slip. Buy two ram lock safeties and put one in your pocket and one in whatever mode of transportation you're using. Use the safeties!!!

[catnthehat]

I see rams being no more dangerous than a 330 connibear being set by hand without a rope or other device, or a #4 jump, or a knife being handled improperly for that matter - SAFETY FIRST!!

As for dog safety and snares, it has already been covered.
when the heck did bird dogs take precedent over trapping ??

If I know a trapper is working the area I am hunting on crown and, I'll hunt without the dog, pretty simple.
If I am not sure there are ways to find out.
I always carry cutters just in case, and rope as well.
Cat

[Hydro1]

I'm unsure why safety of these and the extended bird season keep being brought up.Use your head. The guy missing a few teeth didn't.
Rather than get rude, I'll just throw a big X2 at what Cat said.

[Tfng]

My limited experience with Rams has been night and day compared to Senneker snares. DRT Dave.

Easier for a rookie to use I think.

It was a large chunk of change to spend for sure but make hay while the sun shines right? Coyote prices are good and I've been reinvesting in trapping supplies.

[crazyfish]

I think with more entanglement where I trap the waterhead isn't an issue . But in other areas I think they have merit ! I will be using some next year in a few prime areas in order to avoid it being tore up by a catch circle. I do see the cost as a deterrent

[Marty S]

I like Rams just fine. A very good tool. The thread title was/is pitfalls of using ram powersnares. I just hope we don't see the day that we are forced to use them like in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. I'm also an arthritic and due to that I have had my moments with the device, especially being an arthritic, setting Rams in the dark on icy ground!

I do like the wolf master better than the coyote model, so before you load up on the things, you may want to try the larger device.

The public saftey thing... Plus the rule of trapping... "What can happen will happen"...

[Tfng]

I'm in no way saying there should be a Ram only rule. I think everyone should be able to use what works best for them in their circumstances.

I did agree safety was a concern Marty, and no I don't want the public wandering around my Rams without being aware they are there. I flag my sets to the point a blind man could see them.

I did order some wolf masters as well to try Why do you prefer the wolf master?

[Powder monkey]

Hey fellas you should be thankful you have a trappers association that works for you. We don't. We have one set of rules for northern trappers where you can use pretty much what you like and another set of rules for southern where we are legally only allowed to use the Rams.
I agree that the ram is a great snaring device. I've caught a bunch of coyotes with them.
In the present time though when we are placing such an emphasis on safety in almost every industry the southern Sask. trapper is being forced to use a device which is much more dangerous than other tools that are now available.
My kid is just learning this game and he understands how dangerous Rams are but I won't let him handle them by himself yet. Shouldn't I be able to show him all there is to snaring and a safe way to do it?