Snare Trap - Where and When to Use Snares and Wire Traps

Learning how to set a snare trap could mean the difference between life and death in an apocalyptic scenario. Snaring animals will allow you to generate a constant food supply without having to go out and spend time and energy hunting and fishing. 

This time and energy can then be better spent on longer term survival projects like construction and water purification. However, setting a good snare is an art form, so you'll want to start practicing ahead of time in the area around your home.

Finding the Right Spot

The key to setting a good snare trap is to find the right spot. You need a place that will be popular with your chosen target animal, most likely a rabbit or other small mammal, without being out in the open as predators will often get to your food before you do.

Good places to set snares include:

• Game trails - setting a snare trap or two on any game trails near your home will guarantee success. However, it can be difficult to work out where the game trails are. Key clues to look for are paths through tall vegetation, trampled grass and lines of animal droppings. You'll want to look out for signs of predators such as large droppings and paths that run at odd angles to the main path. The easiest way to identify a game trail is to go out and watch, but be careful to position yourself upwind to avoid being detected.
  

• Water - watering holes will always be popular with both prey and predators alike, and the soft ground makes for a perfect snare setting. However, it can be hard to work out exactly where the animals will come from, as the prey will always be wary of going to the same place on numerous occasions for fear of predators. Again, the only way to be perfectly sure is to conduct observations, but unlike game trails, you could set up a game camera as you'll just be focusing on one area.
  
• Near nesting sites - when an animal nests, it will make frequent trips to and from the nesting site bringing food back to its young. Placing a snare trap near a nesting site gives you an added advantage that you can then take the young animals and either hand rear them until they're ready to eat or use them for food straight away. This will be the hardest place to find as naturally animals find hidden areas for their nests. Look for pathways off the main game trails and listen out for loud youngsters.
  

Types of Snare Trap

Once you've settled on the best locations for your snare, you'll then need to decide on the type of snare that you're going to make. The most common types of snare include:

• Basic - this is simply a noose tied to a stake or tree that dangles down over a nesting hole or part of the game trail. The idea is that the animal will run through, putting its neck through the snare which will only get tighter as it struggles.
  

• Drag - you'll need to construct two perpendicular lines of stakes with a cross piece towards the middle of the two lines. Dangle a noose from the cross piece. The idea here is that the animal will run through the noose, pulling the cross piece off which will then drop down and get stuck in the stakes on either side.
  
• Twitch - the trap that most people think of when they think of a snare. You'll need a green sapling that will bend and snap for this to work. Tie a noose around the end and pull it down to the ground. Secure it with your bait and when your victim comes through, the sapling should pull the animal up into the air.
  

Each snare trap type comes with its advantages and disadvantages. Your choice will be dictated by your skill level, the type of landscape you live in and the number and types of predators that live near by.

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