How to Build Wooden Turtle Traps

Turtles can be a fantastic pet for children, or a royal pain in your pond. If you'd like to get rid of them, or if you'd like to catch one for a family pet, a good way to go about it is to build your own wooden turtle trap. Building a turtle trap takes a little work but is almost certain to show results.

Things You'll Need

  • 4 2x6 pieces of wood, 2 foot long
  • 1 1x6 piece of wood, 18 inches
  • 1 1x6 piece of wood, 8 inches
  • Hammer
  • Nails
  • Staple gun and staples
  • Chicken wire
  • 26 inch metal rod
  • Safety wire
  • Drill
  • Marking pencil
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Instructions

    • 1

      Create a wooden frame for your trap. Use the four two-foot long wood pieces and lay them out to make a square. Nail them together with the hammer and nails so that you have a two x two foot, six-inch high, hollow box.

    • 2

      Cut and attach chicken wire to the wooden frame. Cut the chicken wire to be a square of about 2.25 feet on each side. You want the chicken wire to overlap the frame slightly so that the turtles can't escape because of holes between the wire and wood. Lay the wire on the frame and connect it to the wood with the staple gun.

    • 3

      Flip the frame over and drill two holes into the side of the frame. The first hole should be one inch from the top and six inches in from any corner. The second hole should be directly across from that on the opposite side of the frame. Use a drill bit that is slightly larger in diameter than the metal rod you've chosen to use, as you will slide the rod through the holes.

    • 4

      Slide the metal rod through the holes. Make sure that it is loose enough to turn freely, as that is the key to the turtle trap.

    • 5

      Nail the 18-inch long board to the wooden frame. It will go onto the side of the frame that is the closest to the metal bar, but not actually on either side where you've previously drilled holes. Place the 18-inch piece of wood to act as a ramp for the turtles--laying one edge on the ground, and the other on the top of the wooden frame--place it in the center of the side of the frame. Nail it in place.

    • 6

      Take the eight-inch piece of wood and lay it over the metal bar so that it rests on the bar, and the wooden frame where the ramp ends. You want to create a sort of walkway for the turtle to climb to enter the trap.

    • 7

      Mark with a pencil on the top of the eight-inch board where the metal bar is positioned. Remove the piece of wood, and put four more markings on the piece of wood. These markings will be holes that will eventually be drilled out. Mark two holes 0.25 inches in from the side of the board on both sides of the metal rod marking. Mark the last two marks on the other side of the board, on both sides of the metal rod.

    • 8

      Drill out the holes that you have just marked so that they are big enough to string safety wire through.

    • 9

      Place the board back onto the trap (on top of the metal rod) and secure it with the safety wire. String the wire down through one hole on one side, under the bar, and up through the adjacent hole, tying it off or securing it so that the metal bar doesn't shift in relation to the board. Do the same thing with the other set of holes in the eight-nch board with more safety wire.

    • 10

      Secure the trap to a rock or log in a nearby pond and wait for the turtles to come. Add a piece of meat into the trap to lure them in. The turtle should smell the meat, go up the ramp, walk onto the eight-inch board, and, once its weight disturbs the board, topple into the trap.