Breakaway Wolf Snares

In Alaska, snares which were intended to catch wolves can sometimes catch other species. For many years, trappers have been devising techniques to minimize this problem. In recent years, Craig Gardner (Fairbanks office of the Alaska Department of Fish & Game) has spent countless hours developing a snare for this purpose. This new snare system incorporates two modifications:

1. so-called 'diverter wires' which discourage a large ungulate from getting its head in the snare loop, and
2. a 'break-away' device inside the snare loop which separates when force of a certain magnitude is applied.

These new developments will both prevent most large ungulates from getting caught and also release those few that do get caught.

ATA supports use of this snare by wolf trappers who operate in areas where large ungulates also occur. The accompanying display represents a brochure developed by ADF&G and ATA to promote use of Gardner's snare system.

See also:

• Breakaway Wolf Snares brochure
• Article and photos in Alaska Trapper: "Fish & Game News February 2007"
• Technique Development: "Development and Testing of Breakaway Snares" 2005
• Technique Development: "Development and Testing of Breakaway Snares" 2004
• Snare Building School