Snares.

[puddle jumper]

I've watched a few survival programs where people are stranded in the wilderness with minimal training and they always try and set up snares to catch little critters for food. I have yet to see anyone catch anything with one. Is this really an optimal way to catch a meal?

 

[Bobby]

If you know how to rig them, they work well. Most of those shows involve people who have been left without supplies, so they don't have the option of fancier traps or weapons. Personally, I think I'd try to make a spear.

 

[BigBear]

I know what you're saying about those shows. The latest one that I watched was The Colony and they were left in a deserted part of the Louisiana bayou. They set up some snares and couldn't catch a thing. I can't imagine it being the most efficient method of catching game.

 

[dinosaur]

True, snares will work on heavily traveled game paths but are not that efficient. Small game is the easiest to catch using deadfalls or a simple noose.

 

[Drewglynn]

A good light and cheap thing to pack to trap some meat is a 50 cent rat trap.... Be surprised what u can catch in those things tied off to a tree..

 

[sh4d0wm4573ri7]

Is all about location and yes they really work

 

[oldsarge]

Never thought of using a rat trap before, nice to know when preparing for those "what if's"! I would think that when using snares, the key would be to saturate an area to increase your odds of hitting something. Which may be difficult when your limited on materials.

 

[Grandpa]

How to catch a bear; cut a hole in the ice, puts some peas in the hole.....when the bear goes to take a pea, kick him in the ice hole.

Fish traps out of willows has worked for me, but never caught anything with a snare. However, the fishtraps take too long to fashion if your on the move. I've had better luck with tickleing a fish out of the water.

I like the rat trap idea though, thanks for that one.

 

[GROUNDpounder]

Les Stroud caught a snow shoe hair with one on the show 'survivorman'. Its possible you just need a bit of luck and a dash of skill. Personally the first thing I would make is a shelter then scout out the area for game trails and make a snare or dead fall.

 

[Michael]

I have no clue how to fashion a trap to catch animals. I mean, I have a very basic idea of using sticks to make a trigger for either a snare or a dead fall, but I have no clue how to make it effective.

I think I'd be better off sharpening a stick into a spear.

 

[GROUNDpounder]

I have no clue how to fashion a trap to catch animals. I mean, I have a very basic idea of using sticks to make a trigger for either a snare or a dead fall, but I have no clue how to make it effective.

I think I'd be better off sharpening a stick into a spear.

Youtube (deadfall trap)

YouTube - Making a Figure 4 Deadfall Trap - (Nuisance Squirrel = Dead Squirrel)

 

[Michael]

Hm. I'll have to try that out the next time I'm out in the woods with some spare time. I'm not going to actually trap anything with it, but just see if I can manage one that works.

On a slight tangent, I like the knife he uses in that video. It's a more robust Swiss army. My brother has one like it, and it's really cool.

 

[oldsarge]

How to catch a bear; cut a hole in the ice, puts some peas in the hole.....when the bear goes to take a pea, kick him in the ice hole.

Doesn't this belong in another thread Grandpa? Good one!

 

[ChadTower]

Snares are effective if you set them in the right spot. The key is that it can sit there indefinitely until an animal comes along. You don't have to bait it and it takes a couple minutes at the most to set. Set them all over the place and you're going to eventually get something. It's all about setting up traps that work while you are doing something else. Trust me, if the experts on TV planned on sticking around more than a couple days, they'd be putting snares all over the forest.

 

[Michael]

Snares are effective if you set them in the right spot.

This begs the question: What is the right spot?

 

[oldsarge]

This begs the question: What is the right spot?

Right in front of the rabbit! DUHHHH! Just kidding Michael, I ask the same thing? I've heard about putting it on the game trails...but I also heard not to get your scent on anything or the game won't come through....How do I do that? I'm sure there's a lot of trial and error for us guys who don't have the good old country boy skills of a seasoned hunter or trapper. When I was attending SERE course's in Panama, I had to set up traps and snares and maintain them. I didn't catch anything at all!

 

[GROUNDpounder]

This begs the question: What is the right spot?

Natural choke points where the TRAIL leads. Normally 'choked' by vegetation, place the trap in this area and you just increased your chances, the heavier the traffic the more defined the trail will be, normally a choke point is spotted by following multiple trails that merge in to one trail.

That would be a merger, usually just before a natural choke point.

Go watch 'survivorman' and search for the episode 'plane crash' where he is in the snow and sets up a snare, he explains it better.

 

[ChadTower]

Yeah, that, and at the end of a trail leading to water. For whatever reason they don't just go around them to get to the water.

 

[oldsarge]

How much does your scent come into play? Is it something that's an issue when trapping? I've heard that using ashes from a fire would cover your scent.

 

[Cliff Stockton]

Indigenous peoples used traps and snares, they just made hundreds of them. Paiute children caught more protien with their traps than the adults did with bows. Take a look at Margeret Wheat's book "Survival Arts of the Primitive Piautes" for good ideas, including making rabbit nets out of dog bane. I have caught many a small critter with piaute deadfall and good figure 4. You just have to put lots of em out there.