Hi,
Should I "load" my cable restraints for coyotes, bobcats, and fox? What are your thoughts? How do you "load" a snare? My cable restraints are 7x7 3/32" and they have a very small lock.
Thanks,
AT

YES for coyotes, not necessary for cats but can't hurt.
To load the snare, grab the lock with your left hand and about 7 -8 inches of cable with your right hand. Run this portion of cable, in its natural wire curve, several times over a small round rod or screwdriver that has been clamped in a vise. Do not apply to much pressure on 7X7 cable or the snare will become kinked or twisted. The 1X19 cable will take a lot more pressure but you still need to be careful. Practice will teach you how much pressure is needed to provide either cable with a round loop that will close quickly when little pressure is applied to the bottom of the loop. 1X19 will provide larger round loops than 7X7 cable.

Loading a dispatch snare is very important to having the snare work quick and efficiently. An unloaded snare will require the animal to have to pull the loop down. A loaded snare will jump (close) down on the animal very quickly when they bump the bottom of the snare loop.
An unloaded snare will catch your target animal generally as often as a loaded snare. The difference is that the loaded snares close faster and get a higher neck catch and a quicker dispatch in most cases.

I’m sort of new to snaring too, so I bought a couple dozen of Newt Sterling’s double loaded snares. Holy Buckets, Batman, are they fast.

Next season I’ll probably build my own. But each will be loaded. You can find loading videos on YouTube.

With the snares I make the loading those snares need is to be loaded into the back of the pickup so I can go out to set them .
They fire quick enough to catch any predator that I need to catch, those folks who use them will tell you the same thing .

I load mine twice.

Once into a bucket. Than into the truck.



If you use that junk 1x19 cable, yeah you’ll probably have to load them to make them work right.

If you use good 7x7 cable and have a good mass weight lock, absolutely no need to screw around loading cable.

OP is talking cable restraints so 1X19 might be better for chew offs.

Unless all you think your catching is running coyotes you want loaded snares

If you think any snare “fires” fast enough and closes sufficiently small enough to initially catch and hold a canine “right behind the ears”, I’ve got some ocean front property I’ll sell ya real cheap.

For real snares with real killing locks and 7X7 cable nope, but with 1x19 lame relaxing lock cable restraints yep. Normally the loops ends up at the base of the neck..

just finished up making 100 mink snares I think loading is essential in any case. I like all my cables to fire not droop and drop! Personally I cant see much diference in firing speed between 1x19 or 7x7. I will admit 1x19 is more forgiving for a novice. Only critters I can kill with a snare in misery is beavers

If your Ok with a tear drop shaped loop then don't load your snares.

No they do not initially catch the canine " behind the ears" but, they close higher on the neck thus when the coyote turns to fight the snare they pull it up behind the ears more often than if closing lower on the neck.

The height you set your snare will also have considerable effect on where it closes on the coyotes neck.

Bologna.

As far as loop height, I’ll agree to a point, more so from a duck under/foul catch than where on the neck the loop comes to rest after firing.

“8-12” loop 10-12” off the ground and I catch 12 lb Fox, 25 lb coyotes, 40 lb coyotes, and a wide variety of different sized cats, the vast majority being good, high neck catches.

Loading for “speed” and the perceived benefits of that speed as it pertains to where the cable catches that canine around the neck is a load of hookah.

Have you ever had, or seen pictures of, tracks going past the snare and no catch from the animal backing out? Not all animals will hit a snare at full speed or even trotting speed. Some will feel the snare when it hits the "break point" and stop.

I prefer loaded snares. I disagree with Boone somewhat. It only makes sense that a loop that closes faster will close shut farther up the neck in some cases. Makes no difference on CR's though since they are going to be alive anyway. Mostly chew out too with anything but the biggest toughest cable.

BS ADC once I went to 1x19 on my Crs I had zero chew outs on 56 coyotes.

Put your reading glasses on beav. 1x19 3/32 cable you use IS the biggest toughest cable people use for snares.

I stand corrected.

I load mine. Just makes sense to me. I can see and feel the difference, but I’m by no means a pro.

Here Is WI we are allowed a 12" loop on a Cr so I load my CTs so I can get the full 12". A unloaded CR gives me that tear drop shape and my loop all of a sudden shrinks down to a 8" or 10" loop.