Trapping and Snaring

[BlackCat]

I don't even know enough to know what I don't know about trapping and snaring anything.
I do realize that if you were forced to wander the woods with a .22 and a fishing pole it would be pretty easy to get hungry faster than you were getting fed.
So before I go buying another .22, let's all settle in for a chat about snaring.

*I do know that there's a way to snare fish.
*Snaring deer, while massively illegal now- would be vastly preferable to hunting them if I (or you, for that matter) really needed to eat. It's a simple matter of energy expended VS energy gleaned from what you're hunting for. Not to mention the time saved that could be used for any number of other tinfoil-wearing-FAL-toting activities.
*Setting snares in game trails and other likely spots can yield daily catches of squirrels/rabbits/rats/etc. That's not too shabby. If a guy had a small garden, some goats or chickens, and a good set of snares he'd be far less likely of getting hungry than the dedicated forager.

I'd love to hear what I should look for, where I should get it, and once I have it what I should practice doing with it.
After this,maybe we could mull over some of the better ways to trap larger things with pitfalls, deadfalls, etc.

[Da Nerd]

At what point in survival times are we looking here? Total national collapse, small area, what?
Trapping, shooting and living off the land will be short lived I am afraid.
With 220 million hungry mouths to feed, deer, elk bear populations wont last long.
Fur Fish and Game Magazine has good articles about trapping,
Frugal Squirrels forum also has a trapping expert.
Lots of places to learn.
Trapping is much more than just putting out traps and snares and expecting to find supper waiting.

[BlackCat]

That makes sense.

I've done "small area" SHTF before- several times- and nobody needed to resort to snaring.
I was thinking a"leave town because the lights aren't coming back on until further notice" sort of scenario. Getting out of town and into areas where there aren't that many people to compete with seems the only viable answer unless you're rolling with your particular state's Nat'l Guard unit for some reason.

I can hang out at the MOUT facility and run six miles a day, but unless I've got some background in unconventional "soft" survivalist skills, I doubt it does much good. Ya know?
I have family that traps in the area- I'll try to link up with them. If I learn anything sage and mind-blowing from the experience I'll post it.

[ONG]

Found at SurvivalBlog (http://www.survivalblog.com/) supplied by Buck Shot's Camp (http://www.buckshotscamp.com/)


Using Lure and How to Set Snares, by Buckshot (SAs: Trapping, Buckshot's Camp, Provisioning, Wilderness Survival, Traps, Scent Lures, Snares)
A fast moving storm moved across the mountains, dumping heavy wet snow. The eight Mountain Men had made an almost fatal error. They stayed too long in the high country. Now cut off from retreating from the mountains they must survive and winter in this valley high in the mountains in what is today Wyoming. The pass was filled with eight feet of wind drift snow that no man or beast could enter or leave until the Spring thaw. The eight men decide to spend the week hunting for food to store for winter. At the end of the week only one small deer was taken. All the hunting parties reported the same thing, the valley was empty of large game. At the end of the second week there food was completely out and the men were hungry and cold. Finally one man suggest that they trap the beaver for food. Throughout the winter they caught enough to survive. Not enough to make and easy living but enough to pull through the brutal winter. A early spring thaw in March open the pass and a small of herd of 11 buffalo enter the valley. Soon the buffalo were turned into steaks and roasts. The men had survived the winter of 1804-05.

I read this account years ago and it has effect my life in many ways. Many lessons are taught in this short story. The unprepared can die. Counting on harvesting large game is not always possible. When hunting fails their traps saved their lives. Today we have more modern equipment lightweight snares that can catch and hold the animals. How to set these snares is simple. First you need to understand the basic parts. On one end is swivel. This so the animal can twist without breaking the cable. The next part is called a support collar it looks like a small piece of spring. The support collar job is to hook on to the support wire to hold the snare at the correct height. Next is the self-locking snare lock. There are different types of snare locks. Some such as the cam lock are designed to kill the animal. Others are designed to relax once the animal is caught, like a choke collar.

Say that you want to snare the raccoon that is coming into a corn field. You walk the edge of the woods and find the trail entering the field. Normally the coons will leave sign on what trail they are using like pieces of corn stalk and if you follow the trail in sometimes you find a pile of rocks or log with pile of corn cobs around it. The coons do this a lot in coyote areas. They are vulnerable to coyote attacks in the open so they learn to grab a corn cob and enter the woods climbing on a rock pile so they can watch for coyotes as they eat. On this trail you will find a place to set the snare where the trail is narrow down. Like between two small trees or under a fallen branch, limb, or tree. You can anchor the snare with 1/2" steel rebar stake. Or go around a tree feeding the snare lock through the snare swivel. Open the snare to an 8 inch loop and set it three inches off the ground. You can use light wire like 14 gauge wrap around the tree with a small piece coming off. Bend this over at the end and feed it into the support collar. That is it. When the coons comes down the trail he walks into the snare and is caught.

Snaring is literally that simple. No big secret trick to it. Now using scent lure to help increase your odds of catching animals. Lure are designed to attract the animal to the snare or trap. Normally lures are made out of 4-to-6 different ingredients. The difference between us and animals is that animals smell so much better, so they can tell each different part of the lure. Animals just like people have different taste. You might like Pizza Hut and your friend would prefer McDonalds. By having the different ingredients you cover a wider choice for the animals. Basically you cover something that will cause the vast majority of the animals to come visit the set. The lures are high concentration and designed to last for years and years. When using snares it is a good idea to place a small amount on a cotton ball on each side of the snare. Not real close to the snare about 2-3 feet on either side of the snare. This increases the odds that the animal will take the trail your snare is on.

Now when using a conibear trap you normally want the lure on the other side or behind the trap so the animal is trying to pass through the trap to get to the lure. My bucket set (as seen in my Beginning Trapping DVD) and some raccoon lure placed on a cotton ball. Toss the cotton ball behind the trap. This has caught thousands of coons for my students. One real good friend caught a 39 pound coon using this system. When other folks ask what he uses for bait and lure, he says that he "...can't remember." Like a fishermen, he told me, he has kept his lure secret so he could catch more animals. :-)

Just like any fast moving storm you too may be caught in a life or death struggle. Remember the old Mountain Man story the traps are why they survived the winter. Today, other factors can be just as fatal as being trapped in a mountain valley for the winter. Today it could be the Bird Flu, terrorist attack, economic collapse, etc. The old Boy Scout motto applies: always be prepared because as we have seen, being unprepared could be a fatal mistake. - Buckshot (Of Buckshot's camp)

[bausch]

Great little book called Ragnars best traps it will show you how its done

[Maine1]

look for raymond thompsons stuff- he modernized snaring in the 1920's. RT snares use double twist wire- the only ones made that way that i know of.

I have done my share of snaring ant it works if you learn to use them correctly. most people get a few "misses" and quit, assuming that it -trapping in general-is BS.
On buckshots sight the book- 6 ways in and 12 ways out- mentions trapping more seriously than most survival literature.
also, Ron Hood-hoods woods, survival.com- does a pretty good vid on snaring. I'd like to recommend buckshots stuff, but his DVD quit on me after two or so viewings.
Light SS wire- aircraft safety wire- works well for smaller stuff.

as for going to a rural area- well, the people that live there may not accept you. You mentioned relatives -stay on good terms.

I like trapping for this reason- animals have mastered their enviroment, at least to a point where most people cannot compete with their speed, mobility in brush, camoflage, or stealth. Trapping negates that. snares hunt while you sleep. a dozen or more set will feed you regularly.

if there are the proverbial"waves of urban refugees" moving into the country from urban areas- they will kill a few animals, like cows or horses in the feilds- animals who will not flee and hide upon seeing a man, or group of people.

said hungry 220 million people will get educated in hard times property rights very quickly if things are truly that bad. Most of your city folk will be looking for easier food, and will not know what a snare is, or how to gut a deer, ect. those that DO and can make themselves useful and prove themselves trustworthy may get a place to stay, and some work.
If you are military, and have these skills, you have a good chance of this, if you do not hook up with rural relatives.

regadless, even if you think me a fool, learn snaring and trapping, it is a lesser known art, and is fun and effective.

[gunseller]

Most brands of snares use double twist wire. It is small cable example 7x7 3/64. Check with your state trapping assocation. Your local game warden should be able to help you contact them. Your county extention office should also be of some assistance. When using snares they usually can only be used once. The anamial will twist the cable making it unusable. Foot traps can be used many time before they need to be worked on. I am in Iowa PM me if you need an address. The National Trappers Assocation can also provide information.
Gunseller

[Cummins_4x4]

For an TEOTWAWKI situation it is always helpful to have several large Havahart type traps. These are best set in "pinch points" like say culverts under roads. Dry creekbeds with open fields on both sides. They can supply many animals evety evening in an as needed basis. A good holding pen made from sheep panel will hold the animals until needed. Plain corn is a good feed for most of your detainees. Our climates precludes snaring in all but the coolest weather here. It is also better to have your animal in a live state when refrigiration may be iffy. In a truley bad situation, any animal that would fit would be a welcome addition to the beans. Save the offal for your trapping. They are best set at night, and secured with a chain as well as somewhat camoed. You'll retain more traps that way.

[owlcreekok]

WOW ! Lotsa reading there. Good stuff too !

Immediately following a SHTF event, tape a few big pasteboard boxes together and paint them with with red and silver stripes. Paint a couple of fruit jars red and place them on top. Paint in gold or silver the letters E.M.S. on each side.

Hide in the weeds and wait for a nice car to park within sight of your decoy. Run over and remove the entrails (they will resemble a lawyer) and cruise away in yer new blingmobile.


I figgered a little stupid Owl humor was okay,????!!!???

[gunsmoke]

Originally posted by owlcreekok
WOW ! Lotsa reading there. Good stuff too !

Immediately following a SHTF event, tape a few big pasteboard boxes together and paint them with with red and silver stripes. Paint a couple of fruit jars red and place them on top. Paint in gold or silver the letters E.M.S. on each side.

Hide in the weeds and wait for a nice car to park within sight of your decoy. Run over and remove the entrails (they will resemble a lawyer) and cruise away in yer new blingmobile.


I figgered a little stupid Owl humor was okay,????!!!???

Sounds way too complicated for me, too much work too!

I plan on making a fold up sign that says:

FEMA

FREE MREs

Free water

FREE DEBIT CARDS!!!

Bringing along a big supply of Charcoal, a BBQ grill and bonesaws and butcher knives......

:wink:

[Para Driver]

the locals in Zimbabwe and Mozambique were quite proficient, with very few resources.. some fence wire, some corn and falling a few trees to make a funnel if there was no natural landscape to work with..

[Maine1]

Gunseller,
Do you mean double twist as in -first 3 strands in the lay twisted clockwise, next four counterclockwise, in order to tighten the cable when twisted in either direction?
If so-this is cool- I was under the impression that RT was the only one- but it HAS been a few years since i have had to buy snares.

[Rawles]

In case you folks aren't familiar with him, "Buckshot" Bruce Hemming has some fantastic DVDs on trapping and snaring. He also sells traps, snares, and lure scent mixtures at very competitive prices. See: http://www.buckshotscamp.com/

His prices are fair, his knowledge on the subject is unsurpassed, and he is a very reputable dealer. I bought my first set of connibear type traps from him back around 1997.

Also see the articles on trapping and snaring that Buckshot has written for my blog (http://www.SurvivalBlog.com)

[gunseller]

Maine 1
There are many people building snares from every type of wire and cable that you can think of. The Snare Shop in Carrol, Iowa is a very good place to start. The man that owns it traps using mostly snares. They can answer questions and custom build anything you want in snares.
Gunseller

[Maine1]

Gunseller
Yup- I have used various materials in the past. I was just wondering if the double twist stuff had become the profesional standard, so to speak, of snares.

[cabofdoom]

Originally posted by gunseller
Maine 1
There are many people building snares from every type of wire and cable that you can think of. The Snare Shop in Carrol, Iowa is a very good place to start. The man that owns it traps using mostly snares. They can answer questions and custom build anything you want in snares.
Gunseller

http://www.snareshop.com/

Seems to have quite a selection


COD

[gunseller]

I did not intend this to be an ad for Neil and Ronda. I have know them for around 30 years and they are very good people to do business with.
Gunseller