But here are the issues. Most drift fence designs I've read about or seen use pitall traps and funnel traps. The property is about 45 minutes away, so daily checking is not an option for me. I would at most probably be able to visit the location for a couple of hours on a weekend. Secondly, venomous species have been observed here. I'm not even sure I would feel comfortable trying to mess with a rattlesnake in a funnel trap. I would however be fine with using a snake hook to lift it up and over the side of a fence, or re-direct it away from the fence.
I've been reading literature about drift fences, and as far as cost, it seems as though silt fencing is the best option. The question I have is design.
Would simply putting a 100ft of fence in a straight line do anything?
Would using a Y or X pattern be effective w/o traps? How about compared to the straight line?
Is it even worth putting in a drift fence if you can't use traps; that is should I just hike the same area for 2 hours every Saturday morning?
Comments and suggestions welcomed!
I have thought about creating a giant funnel trap, perhaps even with a cover board in the middle, where in this diagram the black is fencing, and green are animals. I'll be turning a lot away, but hopefully a good number of things get lost inside the circle. It is not to scale, as the opening at the Vs would only be a few inches wide, big enough to let in large snakes.
