Easy Bunny Trap!

Have you ever wanted to catch a bunny? Maybe you've chased them around your yard, or just watched them solemnly tear your garden to shreds. Whether you are the peaceful nature watcher or the animal enthusiast, or maybe both, this trap is sure to afford you a close up look at these cute creatures!

Please look at all the pictures and videos provided to get the best idea of how to build your own trap. The text offers suggestions and tips, but the details are in the visuals.

My heavy inspiration for this instructable was the 'Most Unique Rabbit Trap' video by Creative Traps over on Youtube. I highly suggest watching this video. Make sure to check out his channel for cool vids about trapping almost anything and everything in the wild.

Observe your local laws for trapping and detaining animals. You can search on Google for 'local laws concerning bunny trapping in my area'.

Note that this instructable is NOT meant under ANY circumstances to be used as instruction for the hunting of wild animals for food. This is meant to be a humane trap for observation of wildlife only.

You will need:

1. A rectangular cardboard box, about 1 ft by 1 ft by 1+ ft
2. Sturdy, straight sticks from your backyard (not too thick)
3. 20 Standard Rubber Bands
4. 6, 7 Camping Stakes
5. 20oz Plastic Bottle
6. 10 Craft Sticks
7. Knife that can cut cardboard (to be used only for cutting cardboard and piercing the bottle)
8. Hammer or mallet
9. Long length of string (I used twine)

First of all, you will need to cut out a wide opening in the side of the box, a little bit down one end. Make sure to make the cut look like picture 1 above. Once you're done cutting, fold the flap down, and look inside the box. This is the hole through which the bunny will enter.

Next, reach your hand with the knife into the entrance and line up a cut along the left side of the entrance. Cut a small, 1x1 inch hole (pictures 3-4).

1. Place a stick (#0) in the box and stake it down (picture 1).
2. Add stick #1 protruding on its side an inch from the 1x1 inch hole (picture 2).
3. Add stick #2 at the end of the first, stuck straight down into the ground as shown above in picture 2.
4. Tie the two sticks together with a rubber band as shown in picture 3. Put one end of the band around stick #3, and move stick #1 up on the stick #3. Wrap the band around both of the sticks until it gets tight, and then loop the other end around stick #2 (above, picture 3).

Note: stick #1 will be the trigger of the trap.

Next, travel to the back of your bunny trap and place the bottle with its nozzle facing the tiny 1x1in hole.

Make sure that there is about an inch of space between the bottle and the box. Grab two of the sticks and snap them down to about half a foot long, and then drive them into the earth on either side of the bottle (pictures 1-2).

1. Pierce two holes, one on either side of the bottom of the bottle.
2. Put a stick through (pictures 1-2).
3. Place the bottle between the sticks again.
4. Secure the bottle's stick to the sticks on either side by tying both sides with rubber band, making sure that the bottle can rotate back and forth freely.

Above, picture 3 demonstrates how to properly tie two sticks together with rubber band.

This is the step in which you create the energy potential of the bunny trap.

1. Create a hole in the bottom of the bottle, between two of the ridges, and push a long, skinny stick through, as shown above in picture 1.
2. Next, in between and a little bit in front of the two sticks supporting the bottle, thread three rubber bands onto a stake, and drive the stake into the ground facing away from the bottle contraption.
3. Then, take the rubber bands, and loop their ends around the end of the stick protruding from the back of the bottle (above, picture 2).
4. Grab another rubber band, and put it over the top of the bottle, one end looped around the protruding stick, and the other wrapped around the bottle's nozzle and cap (above, picture 3).

1. Take the cap off of the bottle and pierce a hole through the center of it.
2. Push one end of the string through and then tie as many knots as you need to keep the string from coming back out of the bottle cap. It doesn't matter what kind of knots you use as long as they are big enough to stay inside the bottle (picture 1). Screw the cap back on once you're done.

1. Knot the string to a short stick (the anchor stick) a few inches away from the bottle. This stick will react to changes in the trigger stick's position by loosing its grip and flying upward as a result of the rubber band's energy.
2. Secure some sticks right next to the hole in the box, and stake them down. Fiddle and twiddle with them, with the anchor stick, and with the trigger stick, until everything stays in place nicely until being triggered.

Take a nice long look at picture 1 above to get a general idea of how your trigger contraption should be set up.

Take the other end of the string and push it through the hole in the side of the box on the side with the bottle. Travel around to the other side of your trap and pull the rest of the string through (pictures 1-2).

Make a hole in the end of the door, to the left, and stick the string through. Tie it to a small section of twig.

Put some craft sticks on top of the trigger inside your trap. Test it out by touching them and make sure it works as shown in picture 1 above. If everything went well, you should now have a fully functioning bunny trap.

If not, there are some problems that you'll need to solve. First, make sure that you followed all the directions, and ask someone you know for help. Watch the video linked to above (in the intro) by Creative Traps (you should watch this anyway). Feel free to ask questions below if you need to.

Now it's time to attract the bunnies with lettuce, carrots or whatever yummy veggies you have on hand for them to munch on. Place some veggies in front of the trap, not on the door, but to the side. Place some more around the trigger stick and the rest behind in the depths of the box so that the bunny will want to climb over the trigger to get it. Have fun and be creative: your only requirement is to make the bunnies come and get 'free lettuce'.

I'll try to explain

1. You build a bunny trap by following this instructable
2. You leave the scene
3. The bunny smells veggies, and hops over to your trap
4. It begins to munch on the food next to the trigger
5. It hops over the trigger stick, causing the stick to change positions
6. The trigger stick causes the anchor stick to shift off of it, and free itself
7. The bottle is no longer anchored down
8. The potential energy of the rubber bands is suddenly released as kinetic energy, causing the bottle to violently jerk back from the box, pulling the string along with it
9. The string in turn pulls the door of the trap tightly shut
10. The bunny responds to this sudden change of events by hopping upwards, but it is too late
11. The bunny sulks around eating lettuce until you gently release it
12. The bunny is suddenly famous and receives a lot of attention from your family as you observe it leaping its way back into the wild
13. You press the 'I Made This!' button on this instructable

Now all you have to do is wait till a hungry bunny comes across your trap. Again, remember to follow the laws that apply to your area.

I hope you enjoyed this instructable and are able to catch a bunny! This was put together in less than two days, so if I missed anything, feel free to reach out in the comments below and let me know.