Trapping is a survival skill you can't live without

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Survival Trapping - Ultimate Survival Multi-Tasking

During the event of an off the grid survival event, time is your best friend and worst enemy.  There will be more to do than there is time without proper planning and training.  Food procurement is not only a necessity, but can also be one of the most time consuming priorities. There are shelters to be made, perimeters to secure, drinking water to be found and purified, among countless other things.  If you are looking after others that have not prepared for survival situations, the best way to keep up morale and keep people functional and useful is to make things as easy and normal as possible.  The more time everyone has the easier you can make this happen.

This is where trapping comes into play. Think of trapping as automated hunting.  If someone has to sit in a spot all day hoping an animal doesn't see, hear or smell him, so that they may get an opportunity to take a shot, they cannot be useful to the rest of the aspects of survival.  Once traps have been made and set they can be used day after day and only need to be checked once or twice daily.  Not only are you freeing up a person's entire day, but you are also hunting in several different areas and for different species of food.

There are many different types of traps from prebuilt cages and spring loaded traps, to those made from household items, or others can be made from items found in nature.  As time goes we will try to feature articles on different kinds of traps, how to make them and what to expect to find in them.

Along the same lines of trapping are trot lines.  Once again, after they are set, you are free to secure water sources, build shelter or any of the other things that must get done.    You no longer have someone sitting by the water all day, hoping for a bite.  You simply set the line and come back later.

Trapping is the easiest way to secure your protein sources and should be a skill learned sooner than later.

Below is a video with how to make a VERY basic snare...  It's a good intro if you are a beginner.

Survival Trapping - TheDude's two cents

The best thing about trapping is the trap keeps working even when you aren’t. Sometime the critters are easier to trap than they are to shoot. There are several types of traps that can help you produce food when the times are tough. Traps are also good when using a gun isn’t allowed or might give away your location.

There are several types of traps. Pick one that can be used on animals near and around you. If you live in the city grab some rat traps…yeah I said it. Actually, if you live anywhere grab some rat traps if the shit hits the fan b/c the rats and mice will spread disease and you don’t want these rodents anywhere near you or your family. I digress… If you don’t have beaver near your house…don’t get a beaver trap. If you don’t know what wildlife you have near your home…you’re doomed anyways so don’t worry about it.

There are traps for just about any type of animal. You can get traps for critters, birds, fish, crabs, you can even get a snare big enough to grab a deer. Don’t forget you still have to kill the stuff you catch so I would suggest something that doesn’t require ammo like an axe or a bat or if you snared a deer use your bow. The best thing about a trap and hopefully the stuff you use to kill your trappings is that it never runs out. You can use a trap over and over and over again.

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The trouble is...
written by Crazy, July 02, 2011

...with trapping is you are relying on some animal being in that exact spot. Make sure you either identify a trail or an area of high traffic or a bottle neck that forces animal to travel through a small area. Or go land fishing and use some bait to lure them to your trap!

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written by Dave, August 04, 2011

I certainly agree. I think bait is the most viable option to take chance out of the equation, the trick is finding bait that is otherwise not useful for food, such as spoiled meat or things rendered not useful for keeping energy levels up.

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