Trapping Food

[keith44]

With respect to those don heath posts about, and many thanks to God that I am not one of them (I am entirely too soft and lazy for that lifestyle)  I have decided that it is high time I learn to trap squirrels and rabbits to add to my food supply.  I am a capable hunter, but the trap line seems more efficient.  I plan to start with box or live traps so I have the option of releasing what I do not want for food.  My plan is to learn to build and set traps triggered by a figure 4 trigger which can be used for dead fall traps later as I learn more.  Aside from the tried and true method of trial and error what is the best way to go about learning this skill??
 
Can anyone offer any advice on how to begin, and what to expect??  For the present time this is simply a learning exercise with rewards for success.
 

[BUGEYE]

rat traps are handy for squirrels.  and that peanut butter in your stash is good bait.

[keith44]

That's one I never thought of even though I call em tree rats
 

[BUGEYE]

That's one I never thought of even though I call em tree rats

the trap has to be in a box, cardboard will do, and hung on a tree so the squirrel approaches from below and not the side.  mmmm, fried squirrel.

[SHOOTALL]

In Va trapping tree rats is a no no. But in a survival situation rat traps with a nail added to the bail is a dandy trap a trick I heard about hear. If this is pure education and for a real survival situation then I would add snares are better to use if you are on the move. Another really crul trap is a fish hook. I was told by an old man who lived in the mts during the depression he would scatter a little corn then place a hook in one and tie the line to a tree and cover it up. A turkey would catch itself. A wine bottle can be pushed open end down into snow , place some corn, grain or bread crumbs around and in the opening made as you remove the bottle. Birds will reach in to get whats in the bottom fall and not having arms and hands are trapped as their wings ar restricted . Hooks baited with meat can be hung high enough off the ground that attracted game will have to stand on hind legs or jump to get , being caught by their own weight.
 If you use a box trap there are many on the market. I have used them to catch racoon, opposum ,cats and dogs ( dogs and cats were not targeted ) ( one dog returned 4 times , we became good friends ) ( neighbor would call and say when you can check the trap my dog is missing again). Racoons like cat food , sardines and such. Opposum also like that stuff and GUMBALLS go figure.
 Snares and hooks make a lot of sense in a survival situation as they transport easy and require less maintance. The hooks can be used to fish an exclent way to get food also.
 Most don't realize that traps with human odor will seldom attract critters . Traps are boiled and dyed etc even snares then human hands should not touch them. Boots that don't leave scent should be worn while setting traps. In the wild the glands etc from the critters you catch can be used to attract or mask odors . A snare set on a deer run may not need as much care as one for a fox but still requires some care .

[reliquary]

For novices, the old standby FM 21-76 (Survival, Oct '57) has a good section on field expedient snares and traps.  The newer one, same #, Survival, Evasion, and Escape, (Mar '69) is better in some regards.  Get a spool of thin braided copper wire or have a stash of smaller electrical motors that can be unwound.  Braided nylon line is good but can be gnawed apart by most mammals.  Heavy monofilament nylon works on birds.  I trapped quite a bit as a youngster but don't relish the idea of doing it out of necessity.  Doing it in the Army survival schools for a short time was fun.
 
Fish traps are productive in lakes and ponds and larger streams.  Simple, directional traps can be made from sticks stuck in the mud.  I kept one for a couple of years in a stocked 5-acre lake near my house; the tops of the sticks were just below the surface of the water in a batch of reeds.  Made quite a few meals from it without the owner's knowledge when times were hard.
 
I have a couple of live traps for pesky critters.  Coons and possums will eat just about any pelletized food or doggie snacks.  The larger rat traps will work on squirrels but need to be secured with some sort of small metal cable.  WTH, rats are edible, as well.

[tacklebury]

Be really careful with snares if you aren't actually in a survival scenerio...  Many state and local agencies have laws or restrictions on their use.  Problem with them is they are indescriminate killers and they wound or maim deer and other larger animals if they are small.  And if they are large they often pose a potential risk to children or even unsuspecting adults.  I've used some in the past and kind of watch where and how closely now. 

[keith44]

from the Ky hunting and trapping guideline booklet:

LEGAL EQUIPMENT FOR
TRAPPING FURBEARERS

Trappers may use lights from boats

or vehicles.

There are no restrictions on traps

used as water sets.

The following equipment is permitted

for dry-land sets, but traps

may NOT be set closer than ten

(10) feet apart, and traps may

NOT be set in trails/paths commonly

used by humans or domestic

animals.

• Deadfalls, wire cages or

box traps.

• Foothold traps with a maximum

inside jaw spread of six (6)

inches measured perpendicular

to the hinges.

• Body-gripping traps with a

maximum inside jaw spread of

seven and one-half (7.5) inches

measured parallel with the trigger

• Snares (see page 65 for
 
 
so the snare is legal, however I have a 12 week old beagle, and a couple yorkies along with the wifes two cats.  Life would be more harmonious with box traps or other live traps.  However the squirrel trap sounds promising

[tacklebury]

That's cool, here in MI you can use only non-lethal cable snares.  There can be no spring action, etc.  Just figured better to find out BEFORE you try something.    hehe  Don't like seeing people get nailed for testing what was once acceptable. 

[bilmac]

Cone traps work well for critters with low mental powers. A minnow trap is an example, the fish goes in , but can't find it's way out because from the inside the entrance is away from any wall. In trying to get out the animal naturally follows walls and can't find the entrance. Lobster traps, crab traps, funnel traps for larger fish all operate the same way.I knew a researcher who caught hundreds of turtles on land with funnel traps.