Deadfalls & Snares

In his 1935 book Deadfalls & Snares, A.R. Harding wrote: “In my opinion trapping is an art and any trapper that is not able to make and set a deadfall, when occasion demands, does not belong to the profession… Trappers always have the necessary outfit (axe and knife) with them to make and set a deadfall that will kill the largest animals… It is a safe proposition, however, that not one-half of the trappers of today can build a deadfall properly or know how to make snares and many of them have not so much as seen one.”

Many survival manuals include illustrations and descriptions of improvised traps, but unless one has practiced constructing these traps in advance, the likelihood of successfully using them to catch game whilst attempting to survive in darkling wilderness is at best low. I have included some of these illustrations here, and while they show the basic design of each trap you must practice constructing them if you hope to be a successful trapper.








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