Unless you are an experienced hunter, hunting animals for meat is inadvisable in a wilderness survival situation. Hunting is difficult and you will expend a lot of energy to get your survival food. Instead of hunting consider trapping.
Trapping requires less skill and leaves you free to spend time looking for other survival food sources. The wilderness survivor needs simple traps that are easy to remember an easy to construct.
Simple ways to trap animals
To trap animals, or trapping, is a skill that takes practice. If you are a beginner to trapping, use the information on this page as a starter. Also consider a trapping course, or maybe you know a hunter or trapper that can teach you how to trap animals.
* The primitive trapping techniques described on this site is only for wilderness survival situations. - Obey the rules and trapping regulations of the area you are visiting. *
Working around the clock
As a trapper you can set many traps and snares, all working for you simultaneously and for 24 h every day. But regular checking of traps is very important to minimize any suffering to the animal. Go for small prey and specially birds. All birds are edible, but some taste better than others.
Trails
Trails are excellent places to set snares or traps. Following these trails in your search for survival food will often lead to water-holes and feeding places. Study your surroundings and the tracks. The tracks can give you indication what type of animal, its size and the direction it was headed. Animal tracks, and tracking in general, is fascinating.
Prey
You must determine what you are trying to catch and set your survival traps specifically with those animals in mind. Look for any natural bottleneck along the track where you may use your traps or snares. Position your traps and snares where that animals pass through.
Hide your presence
Avoid disturbing the area as much as possible. Don’t alarm the prey by leaving signs of your presence. Animals avoid humans and are very suspicious. Hide your scent.
If possible wear gloves when you handle the trap or hold the snaring material over smoke or underwater for a couple of minutes.
Deadfall trap
A simple and effective way to trap animals is to use the deadfall trap.
Box trap
A box trap is a very good trap for small game and birds.
To construct a box trap assemble a box from sticks tied together or whatever appropriate material that’s available. Make it big enough to hold the game you intend to catch.
Take time to make a trigger that fits well. A good choice is the figure-four trigger. Bait the survival trap. Make sure that the bait is secured and that movement on it will trigger the trap.
How to make a snare trap
Using snares to trap animals is a simple method. Especially if you want to catch rabbits and small animals. Snare wire should be part of your survival kit. If not you can improvised from rope, twine or string.
Make sure the noose is large enough to pass freely over the animal’s head. Set it at a height that’s equal to the height of the animals head and a hand’s width from an obstruction. Anchor securely.
Don’t forget! :
To be able to trap animals and build effective traps you need to practice
