General

The trapping techniques described here are only for wilderness survival situations. Please obey all rules and regulations in the area you are visiting.  Always be respectful and responsible. 

Where to Find Game

Consider the following:

• Game trails and tracks – most animals are creatures of habit, using regular routes between their favourite feeding, water and sleeping spots. 
• Feeding – look for signs of feeding – the way an animal eats reveals the species, size, number and timing, 
• Droppings – may reveal the species, size, number and timing.  

Strategy  

Set survival traps for the animals you intend to catch. Birds are easier to trap than mammals. Set traps around natural bottlenecks on game trails. Position traps where animals will pass. Leave no signs of your presence. When handling traps use gloves, or mask your scent by exposing it to smoke or dirt. Make the trap strong or the animal will escape. Peanut butter, salt or meat makes good bait. 

Snares

A snare is a sliding noose made from strands of animal tendon, fishing line, string or wire. Snares are ideal for small animals. All snares can be baited.

Consider the following snares:

• Ground – Position the noose over a trail or den hole at head height and tie off to a tree, stake, or a log. If needed, use small twigs or blades of grass to hold up the noose. The noose should be large enough to pass over the animal’s head.  As the animal continues to move, the noose tightens around its neck, trapping the animal.
• Spring – They bend over a sapling and secure with a triggering device.  When the noose is triggered, the meal will be snatched into the air. 

Traps

Consider the following traps:

• Deadfall – They use logs or rocks to crush the prey. Triggers are baited and set off by a tripwire. The trigger is connected to a notched stick holding up the rock or log. When an animal disturbs the trigger, the weight falls and crushes the prey.
• Box – Make a box trap from sticks tied together. Use similar triggers as deadfall traps. 
• Ojibwa Bird Pole – Set up the trap in a large clearing where birds are likely to land or perch. Sharpen both ends of a 2-metre pole and drill a small hole near one end. Drive the other end into the ground. Cut a 15 cm stick, referred to as the perch, that will loosely fit into the hole. Tie a rock on one end of a thin cord and pass the cord through the hole in the pole. On the other end, make a sliding noose that drapes over the perch. Tie an overhand knot in the cord about 5 cm back of the slip noose and place the perch against the hole, holding the perch in position. When a bird perches, the stick collapses, releasing the overhand knot, dropping the rock and catching its feet in the loop as it slides through the hole.