Author Institution: National Parks Service, Pictured Rocks Science CenterWe developed two types of snares incorporating barbed wire for obtaining hair samples from raccoons (Procyon lotor) suitable for DNA analyses. The hair snares were a wood box with a single strand of barbed wire positioned 20 cm above the lower
edge of the entrance and a 5 gallon bucket with 2 strands of barbed wire in an inverted ‘V’ position. Snares were placed from August to November 2005 along forested roads in the central Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Both hair snares collected samples suitable for DNA analyses; however, the number of hair samples collected/100 snare nights was greater (P < 0.001) for bucket snares (n = 36) than for wood box snares (n = 5). Capture efficacy was also greater (P = 0.013) for bucket snares (91%, n = 35) than for box snares (68%, n = 44). The overall number of hairs collected at bucket snares was greater (P = 0.021) than the number of hairs collected at wood box snares. Barbed wire was an effective medium for obtaining hair samples from free-ranging raccoons. Because of greater performance, low cost, and ease of construction, we recommend use of bucket snares over wood box snares
