<<One is a pole with a series of stiff wire snares on top and baited to catch squirrels>><br><br>That works; it takes a lot of snares / more than one pole to be effective day in and day out. Good placement does not require bait. We are talking tree rats here, not those tiny ground-burrowing red squirrels out west / up north - they can be caught easily enough as well, but... This same set-up works for mink. <br><br>Snares that use a trigger to release stored energy (counter-weight, springy pole, etc) are very effective as long as a proper critter pops into it. I well remember learning to make figure 4 triggers and the like when I was a Scout. Years later... I can attest to the higher efficacy of an energy-release snare. But they take a LOT more time and effort to construct, so there is a trade off. Fewer numbers with more critical siting... it's all learnable.<br><br>If your backyard permits... you can learn some valuable things with unbaited live traps. Just don't forget to check them daily and release anything that gets trapped in the cage.