Traps for small game

This makes fishy stuff a terrific bait for racoon traps. Another herbivore, groundhogs are attracted to sweets. Apples, cantaloupe, sweet corn, and peaches are all good baits for groundhogs. Peas, green beans and broccoli also attract groundhogs. Muskrats and nutria live in similar habitats along the edge of ponds and creeks.

They also have similar diets, so the same baits work for both. Apples, cantaloupe, carrots, and parsnips work for these critters. Bait for beavers is a little different than for other species. Apples will sometimes work, but not always.

The best bait for beavers is beaver castor, from glands near the base of their tails. It can be hard for a new trapper to DIY beaver bait, because you have to catch a beaver to get the bait needed to catch a beaver. Beaver castor is commercially available, however. If you are trying to learn trapping skills, commercial baits are available. These are usually species-specific and contain a wide array of ingredients. Professional trappers often sell baits as a sideline to their trapping business.

These baits are good at attracting animals, but you should also learn how to bait traps with materials on hand. It is also possible to catch animals in unbaited traps. Snares, body-grip traps, and sometimes box traps can be used without bait.

Trappers usually place a few sticks on either side of the trap just to make sure. These traps are set so that the animal places its head in the trap and springs it by traveling through. If you know what you are doing, unbaited sets can be good producers. There are two approaches to trapping small game: store-bought traps or DIY survival traps. Both have advantages and disadvantages. When things get bad, the more ways you know to catch food, the better off you will be.

Store-bought traps include leg-catch traps, box traps, body-grip traps, and steel cable snares. Check your local laws before you start trapping to make sure that you are in season and the trap you are using is legal in your area. Commercial traps let you focus on finding game and placing traps rather than building traps and hoping they will work. You can practice your skills before things get bad so that you are ready in a survival situation.

They are a good place to start learning to trap. There are four main styles of manufactured traps: leg-hold traps; box traps; body-grip traps also called Conibear traps after the inventor ; and steel wire or cable snares. Each has advantages and disadvantages. These traps are the classic snap traps that you see in cartoons minus the teeth — those are illegal now.

Leg-hold traps come in a wide variety of sizes depending on the game you are targeting. For beavers, use a 3, 4, or 5 size. The classic leg-hold set is the flat set. To build a flat set:. Box traps are wooden or wire boxes with a trigger inside. These traps have a door that snaps closed after the animal enters. Quick disclosure: If you visit a link in this article and then you buy something, I may earn a commission.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. You can read my full disclosure here. The steps to setting a box trap are:. Body-grip traps look like two squares of steel rod held together by a pair of springs.

Body-grip traps require the prey animal to place its head into the trap to trigger it. The standard sizes for body-grip traps are , for rabbits, squirrels, and muskrats; , for racoons, opossums, and groundhogs; and for beaver and other large furbearers. To set body-grip traps, place the trap in a constricted place along the trail where the animal will have to pass through the trap.

Among the oldest types of traps are snares. Snares are just loops of cord or cable suspended in a place where the animal will put its head through the loop.

Some snare sets use tension from a bent tree or branch, while modern snares use a locking mechanism that slides only one direction. Commercial snares are made with steel wire or cable now, but they have been made from all kinds of rope and twine throughout history. A snare with a notched trigger survivopedia. Detail of what the notched trigger should look like wikihow. Deadfalls are traps that make use of hefty items, such as large rocks or logs, to crush an animal.

A classic example is the Figure-Four Deadfall. The horizontal stick supports the rock or log while also holding the bait, thereby acting as a weight trigger. For more detailed instructions on how to make an effective deadfall trap, read this.

Parts of an effective Figure-4 Deadfall from Wikipedia commons. While Deadfalls can catch birds, one type of trap is specifically made for winged game: the Pine Pitch Bird Cup. Note that you should only use this in a survival situation, as it is considered an illegal and cruel method of trapping.

For this trap, all you need is an empty coffee or dixie cup, some bait like bird seed and sticky pine sap or pitch. The original native version uses a small cone of Birch tree bark, stitched to form a cone. The inside is coated with sticky pine sap or pitch mixed with the bait. When a bird is attracted by the bait, its feathers get stuck in the pitch, holding it immobile until the trapper can collect it.

The size of animals this trap can catch is limited only by how big you make it. The only drawbacks to this trap are that it takes a lot of energy to craft, and it must be placed close to a game trail. This will be your diagonal stick. Carve a notch at one end of the third stick, and make a point with the opposite end to receive bait. Now comes the tricky carpentry.

Square up the vertical post and cut a notch on the horizontal bait stick so that it catches the square edge you carved on the post. Now try to put all three sticks together so that the notches catch each other and hold up the deadfall weight. If it does work, bait the trap and put it to work.

Survive any wilderness situation with these critical tips. The figure 4 snare combines the sensitive leverage trigger of the figure 4 deadfall, with the snagging capability of a spring pole snare. Get started by tying the snare line to the end of your spring pole. Make sure the pole has enough lifting power. Then drive the vertical piece of the figure 4 deep into the ground. This member is holding the energy of the spring pole, so drive it a foot deep to keep it from being pulled up out of the ground.

Assemble the figure 4 by notching the vertical and horizontal pieces to receive the diagonal. Bait the trap, tie on the trigger line, and suspend the noose with a pair of twigs. The traditional native version involved a small cone of birch bark, stitched together so it looks like an ice cream cone. The interior is smeared with sticky pine pitch, with bird seed stuck inside the cone. The cone is placed on its side, and additional seed is scattered around the cone to entice the birds.

When the bird finishes eating the seeds outside of the cone, it should start pecking at the seed inside. With pitch on its head and feathers, the bird becomes disoriented and unable to fly away.

Dixie cups and other small cups can replace the traditional bark cone for emergency trapping today. Not legal—and very messy—this method is still something to consider in a severe emergency. This Native American trap is fast-acting when set correctly. To set it all up, take your nine-inch straight stick the lever and tie one end of the string to it. Tie the other end of the string to the two-inch stick the toggle. Square knots are fine for each end of the string.

Wipe or skewer the bait on one end of the inch bait stick. Now you are ready to set it all up. Put the string-less end of the lever in the fork of the post, with about 1 inch sticking out toward the rock. Lift up the rock and place it on the tip of the Lever. Now you should be able to hold up the rock by just holding the toggle. The final step is to place the baited end of the inch bait stick between a rough spot under the stone and the tip of the toggle.

For millennia, our ancestors have trapped with very little gear. This bait driven is the least complicated trap in the gallery, consisting of a forked stick, a deadfall weight, a length of thin twine and some bait. The forked stick will work best if the forks end up parallel, with one long fork leg and a shorter one. The twine could be hand woven in the field, or you could use a piece of jute.

The bait is mushed into the twine, and if all goes right, the animal will be under the deadfall chewing on the twine when it breaks. To make this trap, tie one end of the twine to a root, sapling trunk or peg in the ground; and tie the other end of twine to the shorter fork of the forked stick.

Place the deadfall weight in position so you can determine where to place the bait. The other will act as your trigger. They will need to be able to hold together under tension. Carving two notches that look something like a crochet hook works pretty well.

You will set your ground peg first. You can use the stump of a small bush or thing tree to make it extremely stable. Knot your snare line around the trigger peg. Be sure to put your cord on the same side of the peg as the notch.

This keeps the pegs straight so you can set the trap. Knot the snare line to your spring pole. Place some bait on the trigger peg before arranging the noose around it. This quick killing trap is best for game trails beside still water. You will need a heavy rock, a float of some sort and a sturdy prop stick to hold your rock up. The idea is fairly simple, your dinner steps in the noose, triggers the trap and is kept fresh in the water for you.

Securely attach your snare line to the rock. Use a length of cord to attach a float to the rock as well. The float can be a stick or anything else that will float. Prop your rock up with the stick. You want it to quickly fall into the water to drown your dinner. You may want to wrap your snare line around the stick to quickly trigger the dead fall.

Try it out to make sure it works. Set your snare up with just a little slack over the game trail. I love a good squirrel stew. This snare trap is a great way to catch these tasty game animals without using ammo. Begin by cutting a nice rough-looking branch or tree that is about five feet long and maybe six inches in diameter.

Cut off the branches. You can leave stumps, you want it to look natural.