BAITED HOLE NOOSE: This trap is very useful for scavengers, drive 4 sharpened sticks into the pit,

through the edges. Lay a noose across them attached to a peg outside the pit.

Disclaimer: Traps are presented for information purposes only, they are dangerous, some lethally so. Using them is also illegal in all likelihood. Don't use them except in a survival situation.

SPRING SNARE: Game running through the snare disengages the trigger bar, and the prey is flung off the ground. Use on game trails or in gaps through rocks or hedges. Cut a notch in trigger bar (a) to fit upright (b). Drive upright into ground. Attach snare to trigger bar, then trigger bar to sapling.

BAITED SNARE: Construct as for spring snare but using the release mechanism shown. The bait support should be only lightly driven into the ground as it must fly away with the snare.

LEG SNARE: Push a natural fork or two sticks tied together into the ground. The line from a sapling is tied to a wooden toggle and the toggle passed under the fork. When the game takes the bait, attached to a separate stick, it falls away releasing the toggle which flies up taking the snare and the game with it. Large versions are amongst the best snares or heavy game.

PLATFORM TRAP: Site over a small depression on the game trail. Snares on the platforms either side, when the platform is depressed the trigger is released and the game held firmly by the leg. For smaller, lighter game use the mechanism shown in (a), displacing either the bottom bar or the toggle will trigger the trap.

FIGURE 4 DEADFALL: A simple and effective deadfall trap can be made to any

We were curious how well they'd work so we put them to the test. The first trap was a Miwok spring snare. This is how it's depicted in the book:

1. Well, we tried and tried but found there was a problem with the spring pole (in this case some surgical tubing tied to an overhead branch) pulling the snare off the corner supports. No matter how we set it up - nada. So with a bit of modification, we came up with this that did work:

You have to pretend that the little gray rock at the trigger is an acorn.

Moving along, the next trap we tried was the Mohave scissor trap. This worked as

described and is one of our favourites. A view from the side, once again the little gray rock is an acorn.

A view from the front:

Normally, this trap would be built up around the sides and back to force the critter to enter from the front. The purpose of this trap is to catch the critter behind the front legs and "with every exhalation of the critter, the trap tightens its grip, not relaxing what it has gained". .

This size snare is for small game such as rabbits, squirrels and such if you want to go for larger animals. You just need to use larger wire or even aircraft cable for deer or bear or even a moose.

Here's a clear photo of a Paiute deadfall trap. In this case the horizontal trigger stick is being held in place by a small short stick that has been stuck in the ground. Note the "V" point at the top of the vertical stick, fitting into the notch on the underside of the diagonal stick.

Here is an overview of this trap. The heavy weight of the Paiute Deadfall has been replaced with a stick under spring tension. In this photo this is the right-hand diagonal stick. The spring stick has a mini-spear point carved from the stub of a branch. Thus when the trap is sprung, this will impale the animal, hopefully killing it very quickly.

Here is a close-up photo of the mini-spear point on the spring stick. It is being held up by the diagonal stick of the trigger mechanism.

To bait a trap, find the plant that is most heavily browsed upon, collect the upper buds and bait your traps with that. The same principle holds true when baiting traps at any other time of year. Simply find out which plant or plants in the area have been totally eaten, and find out which plants have not. Their favorite plants will always have been eaten first. For instance, if you find that a groundhog has eaten all the alfalfa in an area and is now starting on the clover, you would not attempt to bait your trap with clover because there is too much of it. Instead, bait the trap with alfalfa. Baiting is a science, a combination of tracking, nature observation, knowing the ebb and flow of life of each of the animals, and knowing what foods they eat. Before trapping, you should take careful note of what has and has not been eaten and to what degree this food reserve has been eaten. The one that is always eaten first seems to be the best bait material. One of the baits that seem to attract most herbivores is cooked grain that has been crushed and pounded into a semi-doughy-like mass. This breadstuff, or primitive bread, makes excellent bait for most herbivores.

Here is a diagram of a limp trigger.

A Pencil Snare consists of two sticks pushed vertically into the ground. A stub on each stick facing inward holds the trigger stick in place. A spring stick of some sort is above the whole snare - in this case, the white string leads up to it.The rounded aspect of the sticks helps to make this snare sensitive, allowing the trigger stick to roll out from under the stubs.

yes aknative the purpose is to kill real fast.. i have had many times that it looked like the struggle was real short.. i would think under 30 sec. and maybe even less.i got a yote last year that it looked like it ran to the end of the cable.. triggered the spring and just fell over dead.this is the trigger of the "wolf master" (largest trap) in the set position

and this is what it would look like after it is set off.. that little flat nut is what holds the spring closed.. when the critter pulls on the snare he pulls that nut out.

and on the small ram they have a four way trigger.. very nice and very easy to set..

hard to see how it works in the pic but i will post a vid so you can see

TRAIL SET SNARE.

Many of the boys, writes an Indiana trapper, have come forth with their particular snares and methods of making same, all of which I believe are good, but most of them require to be baited, which is one bad feature as applied to certain districts, for such has been my experience that in many localities it is utterly impossible to get animals to take bait. This snare may be used as a blind or set with bait as your trapping grounds, or rather the animals, may require.

It is very inexpensive and so simple any boy can make it. First get a strip of iron one-eighth inch thick, three-eighths or one-half wide. Cut it in nine inch lengths and bend in the shape of Fig. 2, having drilled a one-fourth inch hole in either end. Next secure some light sheet iron, or heavy tin, cut in pieces 2 3/4 inches by 5 3/4 inches for the pan, and drill a onefourth inch hole in center of same as shown in Fig. 3. It is now a very easy matter to rivet the pan or Fig. 3 to Fig. 2. This done, take some 20 penny spikes and cut off the heads as per Fig. 1.

TRIP PAN OR PLATE.

Now brass, or preferably copper wire, can be had on spools at most any hardware store, which is used for the loops, as it is so pliable yet sufficiently strong to hold any of the small fur bearers, as it is made in many sizes. Use the brass or copper wire only for the loops, as ordinary stove pipe wire is just the article for the finishing of the snare. For a blind set to be placed in the run of the animals, make a double loop, that is, two loops for each snare. Now, take a bunch of these with you and find the runs or follow the ravines and creeks where they feed. If you can find a tree in a favorable spot on their runs, take one of your headless spikes and drive in the base of the tree a few inches from the ground. Now take No. 2 with the pan riveted thereon and hook bent and over spike, driving spike into tree until pan is level and until there is just room enough to hook loop of wire over head of spike. (See illustration.) Dig out under pan so same can fall when stepped upon. Then secure a rock or chunk of sufficient weight and fasten to other end of wire. Throw this over limb of tree and hook loop over head of a spike, having first put No. 2 in place. Put one loop on one side of the pan and the other loop on the other side, so that an animal coming either way will step upon the pan to his sorrow. This done, drive a staple in tree

over wire running from spike to limb, which will prevent the animal being pulled over the limb and escaping.

DOUBLE TRAIL SET.

Having covered everything up with the natural surroundings and left no signs, you may claim the first furrier that happens that way and he will be waiting for you. This snare may also be used with the ordinary spring pole by driving spike in a stake, then the stake in the ground, in which case it is best to make the usual V-shaped pen with stakes or stones, covering same over at top and setting so the pan will be right in the mouth of the pen and the single loop just between pan and bait. In this way they tread upon the pan just before they reach the bait.

You find this snare easily thrown. They will not cost you over three cents a piece, and any man can easily carry one hundred of them and not be half loaded.

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