PLATFORM TRAP
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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. |
DEADFALL TRAP
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A simple and effective deadfall trap, can be made to any size. A horizontal bait bar is is balanced at right angles to an upright with a lock bar, which supports a rock or other heavy weight pivoting around the tip of the upright. |
TRIPWIRE DEADFALL TRAP
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A heavy log is suspended over a busy game trail, trips the wire and pulls a retaining bar from under two short pegs secured in a tree trunk. Keep the pegs as short as possible so that the bar will disengage easily. |
SPEAR DEADFALL TRAP
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Same as tripwire deadfall but utilizing rocks to add weight and sharpened sticks to add trauma to the crushing blow. |
SPRUNG SPEAR TRAP
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This is a VERY dangerous trap, it should always be constructed and approached from behind the spring of the trap, only attempt if you are confident that your cordage and other materials are strong enough. A springy shat with spear attached is suspended over a trail. A slip ring made of SMOOTH material is attached to a trip wire and acts as a release mechanism. A toggle (a) and short line to a fixed upright hold the sprung shaft in tension. A further rod through the ring is tensed between the near side of the sprung shaft and the far face of the upright, securing until tripped. |
BAITED HOLE NOOSE
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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. |
FISH TRAP
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After dark, fish often cruise the shorelines of a lake or the shallow inside bend of a stream—ideal places for a trap.
(1) Build it as shown with the materials at hand: logs, rocks, or stakes driven into the bottom.
(2) The diversion arm of the trap directs fish into the V entrance. Most won’t be able to find their way out. Close the entrance and net the fish with a seine made by tying a shirt between two poles. This is much more effective than trying to spear fish or catch them with your hands. |
SQUIRREL SNARE
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Squirrels taste like chicken, except a bit darker and chewier. Squirrels are all over Florida and can be a readily available source of food.
(1) Make a small loop by wrapping the snare wire around a pencil-diameter stick twice, then turning the stick to twist the wire strands together.
(2) Pass the long wire end through the loop to form the snare.
(3) To build a squirrel snare, attach a series of small wire snares around a long stick propped against a tree. You can catch several at a time with this setup. |
OJIBWAY BIRD TRAP
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All birds are edible. This makes them a valuable food source.
This works best when set in a clearing where the trigger stick offers a handy perch. The slightest weight on the trigger should cause it to fall and the noose to catch the bird by its feet.
(1) Cut a 1/4-inch-diameter hole through one end of a stout 3-foot-long pole with a knife. If necessary, shave the sides of the pole to make it thin enough to make the hole. Sharpen the bottom end of the pole and drive it into the ground.
(2) Whittle the end of the trigger stick so that it resembles a pencil with the point cut off. This end should fit loosely inside the hole in the pole.
(3) Insert thin cord or fishing line through the hole and tie an overhand knot. Beyond the knot, form a noose. Tie the other end of the cord to a rock.
(4) Drape the noose over both sides of the trigger and insert it into the pole (if it’s breezy, wet the cord with saliva to help it stay put). Draw the cord until the knot catches at the point where the trigger fits into the hole, to keep it from falling back through--until a bird alights on the small stick. |
