Ojibwa Bird Trap

Written by Zorro Thursday, 03 September 2009 19:44 This is another classic trap in the survival manuals. Ojibwa (canadian) or Chippewa (USA) were native tribes living around the Big Lakes. It's a very simple trap, you only need 1.-a pole, 2.-a survival knife or any other means to make a hole on it's upper end and sharp point lower end to stick it in the ground. 3.-a short wand with some pointed end as thick as the hole you've made in the pole. 4.-a bit of cordage to make a snare and either a little rock or a sapling spring to pull the snare when the bird release the trigger system.

We start by making a hole through the upper part of the pole. The lower end will be sharp pointed to stick it in the ground.

Next pic you can see the pole sticked in the ground.

Now we pass some cordage through the hole and we make a simple knot on it. This knot along with a wand as thick as the hole wil be the stopper of the snare and also will hold in place the wand where the snare lies, placed hopefully where the bird is going to step on it.

In one end of the cordage we tie a rock whose weight is proportional to the weight of the bird we are going to trap... just the size to pull the snare and trap the bird against the hole, without cutting off it's legs. In the pic it is too big, though we will use it for teaching purposes.

Now we make a snare of the apropiate size next to the stopper knot and we engage the wand in the hole. we have to carve the point of the wand so it comes loosely into the hole and get's hold with the knot and tension of the weight of the rock that is pulling the snare.

Another closeup of the trap setup.

Another pic from the rear side... the rock is hanging down the cord

Side view of the trap

We can use a spring sapling instead of the rock weight to pull the snare... just tie the sapling to the pole and give it the appropiate tension to trap the bird, though not too much or it will cut it's legs off.

Paiute Deadfall Trapp

Written by Zorro Thursday, 03 September 2009 19:41 This is sort of a figure "4" deadfall where the horizontal stick has been substituted for a short length of cordage and a little stick. It's very sensible but easy to setup as well. 1st pic shows the materialsfrom left to right: 1.-long stick with a notch for upper end of the vertical stake and a short lenght of cord with a little trigger stick 2.- a stake wich is the vertical stick in figure "4" 3.-little stake to hold the trip wand 4.- survival knife 5.-trip wand

This is a pic of the Paiute deadfall setup, note that the vertical stick is a stake driven into the ground, so it must be placed out of the way of the falling weight. The trigger stick is tied to a cord from the lower end of the big stick which holds the weight of the deadfall and has a notch to rest in the upper end of the vertical stake. The trigger wand goes from the trigger little stick to the little stake. The trap is triggered when the animal trips on the trip wand, so the trip wand has to be placed across an animal path.

Closeup of the trip wand going from the trigger stick to the little stake.

I didn't mentioned the two stakes at the side of the deadfall, they guide the weight down fall so it doesn't tilt to one or another side, this helps a lot in setting any deadfall.

Poacher's Trap
Written by Zorro Thursday, 03 September 2009 19:36 This one is taken from the project Gutemberg E-book "Camp life in the woods and the tricks of trapping and trap making" by William Hamilton Gibson It's a simple trap you can make at home with almost no tools and set out in the field using a sapling as spring. However it's easy to make the trigger mechanism in the wild whittling the pieces of the trap with a knife. Here are the materials from up to down: 1.-stake with a notch for the trigger stick and a plain surface with a hole where the bait stick joint with an axis 2.-bait stick with a hole fot the axis and a notch for the trigger stick. Axis was too thin and got broken when trap was disassembled. Anyway it worked ok. 3.-survival knife 4.- trigger stick and some cordage (not shown in this pic)

This is the setup of the trap, instead of using a sapling as spring , I've used an above branch of a tree to provide the spring force required to pull the snare free

Another front-side view of the trap setup

Snare is tied to a knot on the tension cord which is tied to the trigger stick

Pig Spear Shaft Trap

Last Updated on Thursday, 03 September 2009 19:06 Written by Zorro Thursday, 03 September 2009 18:36 This one is a classic in the survival manuals. It's a flexible shaft with sharp points triggered by a trip wire, the pointed shaft is tied to the tree and spread out so it will hit and stick any animal passing by. Here's a pic with the materials from left to right: 1.-survival knife 2.-some cordage 3.-flexible shaft with sharp points tied in one end 4.-trigger mechanism (short and long wands, cordage loop and little stick tied to the trip rope.) 5.-a stake to hold the trigger system (note that the short wand of the trigger is tied to this stake with a bit of rope.

Close up pic of the triger mechanism as is mounted with the loop cord and the little stick tied to the trip cord.

Spear shaft end, spear points and shaft have plain surfaces against each other so they don't allow rotation and keep firm and straight.

Trap setup may look complicated, but it's fairly simple. Once we've tied the spear shaft upper end to the tree we place the stake that will hold the trigger mechanism at a convenient place. This stake has a bit of rope with the short wand of the trigger tied to it.

This pic shows how the trigger mechanism is set up. Note how the short wand embraces the shaft lower end with it's rope, and how the long wand is placed between the stake and the lower end of the shaft along with the short wand.

Rear view of the trigger mechanism, note how short and long wands are placed and kept in place by the loop cord. This loop cord is taken out by the short stick tied to the trip cord when an animal trip on it, setting free the spear shaft.

Another rear side view

Closeup of the cord loop withthe trip cord and the stick that pulls out the loop cord setting off the spear shaft.

Closeup of the trigger showing cord loop cord and trip cord with the stick

Another front-side view.

Trap setup seen from the animal path

Step on Snare Trap

Written by Zorro Thursday, 03 September 2009 18:33 This is a step on snare trap. Materials from left to right: 1.-string with a snare and a little release stick 2.-forked stake. Long arm is driven into the ground, fork and short arm makes part of the trigger. 3.-another stake to hold the press platform. 4.-thin stick to hold the snare wide open 5.-press platform made with a forked branch tied with some cordage. note the trigger notch on the tip of the thicker fork arm 6.-knife 7.-you also need a flexible branch above the trap to use it as spring

Next pic shows the trap set up. At the left side there is the simple stake driven into the ground to hold one side of the press platform, on the right side you can see the forked stake driven into the ground which forms part of the trigger system. In the middle of the press platform you can see the snare and the thin stick to spread it.

This pic is a closeup of the trigger system... in the upper part of the pic you can see where the snare meets the tension cord which goes from the release stick to the spring branch. Also note how the release stick is held between the forked stake and the notch on the press platform end.

Trap setup seen from above

Simple stake closeup... you can make a notch on the stake where the press platform meets it to ensure that the trigger side of the platform will go down on presure while this side stays put

Trigger closeup, when the press platform goes down, the release stick gets free and springs up with the snare

Sapling Spring Trap

Written by Zorro Thursday, 03 September 2009 18:27 I saw this one in a TV travel documentary from Polynesia and Papua New Guinea... natives use it to trap possums and rats. In the documentary natives set the trap on a fallen log across one little river... the flexible saplings forming two arches were tied over and under the log... also you can drive the tips of the saplings into the ground to form two arches. Materials: 1.- two flexible saplings to form the arches the size of the animal body 2.- one little stick wich is tied to the snare and the spring 3.- one bigger stick wich makes the triger in combination with the little stick 4.- knife 5.-spring branch above the trap to pull the snare up and trap the animal between the sapling arches and the snare.

Next pic you can see the trap setup... the vertical stick makes the trigger along with the horizontal longer stick. when the animal gets through the arches it presses down the horizontal stick releasing the vertical one with the snare. Animal gets trapped between the arches fixed to the ground and the snare pulls it up off the ground.

Side view of the trap showing the two arches and the trigger system with the snare.

Trigger system back view, snare and trigger goes between the two sapling arches

Front-side view. In order to work properly you have to carve a little notch where the horizontal stick joins the front arch at the left side of the pic... in this way when an animal touches the stick it only can move down from the trigger end, thus releasing the vertical stick and the snare snaps up.

Closeup of same view

Deadfall Trap
Last Updated on Thursday, 03 September 2009 18:33 Written by Zorro Thursday, 03 September 2009 18:26 Two years ago I started the project of building some survival traps and triggers, just wanted to try how difficult or easy they were to build and set. Also I wanted to try a legendary spanish survival knife, most of the traps are built only using this knife, so it appears in most of the pics I took. Survival traps and triggers were taken from survival books, internet sites and some survival and travel videos, some are well known and others are a bit odd but all are fairly simple and effective. I used white 2mm polypropelene cordage so pics can show where the snares and knots and trip lines goes... Here goe's #1, a deadfall with a spring trigger, I found this in a drawing at Field & Stream online magazine... they called it "Mc Pherson's trigger deadfall" It's just a deadfall where the weight is held in place with a stick... It has a baited trigger wich releases a spring that takes away the weight support and so the animal is caught under the deadfall. this are the elements of the trap from left to right... 1.-little loop of string 2.-pointed stick wich is driven in the ground and hold the bait stick 3.- bait stick with a notch to engage the ground stick and a point tip to hold the bait. 4.-survival knife 5.-two big stakes to guide the deadfall down and avoid it may tilt right or left... (this also make very easy setup in any deadfall trap) 6.-two medium stakes to hold the spring wand 7.-stick to hold the deadfall in place. 8.-a flexible wand who acts like a spring and will set off the deadfall. 9.-a big branchor log used as deadfall itself.

Next pic is self explanatory, it shows the deadfall setup. basically this is a weight held in place with a stick. This stick is connected to the spring wand on it's lower part, and the spring wand is held in place with the trigger system.

Next pic shows the two strings tied to the spring wand... the tension string is tied to the trigger bait stick. The other string lying in the ground is tied to the base of the stick which holds the weight in place

Here you can see a closeup of the trigger system it has a little stake driven in the ground, the bait stick with a little notch which is leaned on the ground stake and a string loop wich hold the two pieces in balance. The bait goes on the sharp tip

Here you can see the deadfall setup from the other side, note how the spring wand is mounted with the two medium stakes driven in the ground.

Closeup of the end of the spring wand, note the two strings, the tensioned straight one at the left goes to the baited trigger, the other laying in the ground is tied to the base of the stick who hold the weight...

you have to allow some length so the wand can take speed and get enough inertia to pull off the stick that holds the weight.

Back side view

One tip about this setup... if soil is soft or deadfall is too heavy you can put a plain rock on the base of the stick wich holds the weight, so it doesn't sink in the ground.