HOW TO TRAP AND WHY

MANY a man has suffered untold privations, and many more have lost their lives, while surrounded with food and
all the necessities of life, merely through ignorance of the woods and wild life, or through inability to wrest a 
livelihood from nature.

There are few places in the north where a man can not manage to exist for months when deprived of every aid of 
civilization, provided he is skilled in woodcraft, possesses self reliance and determines not to be beaten. Of course 
no one goes into the woods or to camp expecting to be stranded without food, garments or the ordinary necessities
of life, but an upset canoe, a fire, or any one of a dozen other accidents, may leave a camper in such a plight and 
for that reason one should ever be prepared for any eventuality. Not only should you know how to find your way, 
how to signal and follow a trail, how to build a fire without matches and how to make a good camp, but in addition, 
you should be capable of getting a living from the woods and streams; you should know how to trap and fish, how to
tan skins and how to make rude but warm and serviceable garments from the hides of the creatures you kill.

A man or boy who is really skilled in woodcraft should be able to go into the wilderness with nothing but the 
garments he wears, a knife and his brains and yet live safely, even in comparative comfort, for at least a year. 
Several men and a few women have done more than this and have entered the forest naked and without a single 
tool, implement or appliance of any sort and yet have lived for months and have come forth to civilization, well, 
strong, clad in warm garments and armed with effective weapons. 

Few men are proficient enough to accomplish such feats, however, and seldom will it be necessary under ordinary
conditions; but the more you can rely upon yourself and the more capable you are of winning a livelihood from the 
woods the more you will enjoy your camping experiences and the less will be the chances of any serious casuality 
occurring.

One of the first things you should learn is how to trap, for even if you don't expect to kill or trap birds or animals, —
even if you strongly object to the destruction of wild life of any sort, — the time may come when you will be obliged 
to kill and trap in order to keep life in your own body, or you may find yourself reduced to such extremities that you 
are compelled to use the warm skins of animals and birds to prevent yourself from dying of exposure.

Trapping at its best is cruel, but in order to preserve one's life and health cruelty of this sort is excusable; but this 
does not mean that you should disregard the sufferings of wild creatures, and every right minded person who traps 
or hunts should strive to kill his prey as mercifully as possible, whether he takes life through necessity or not.

Hence, if you are obliged to set traps, be sure and use those which cause as little suffering as possible, and be 
careful to visit the traps frequently in order that the captives may not remain in agony for any length of time.

The best and most merciful way of securing game of any sort is to shoot it; but very often this is impossible or, at 
least, it is found impossible to shoot sufficient to furnish food or clothing, or both, even though there may be an 
abundance of wild animals in the vicinity, and under such conditions, it becomes necessary to resort to trapping
or snaring in order to provide your wants.

There is an almost endless number of traps and snares in use, some of which are designed to capture the game 
alive, while others kill the creatures at once. The latter are the more merciful as a rule and are more reliable, for 
even if an animal is caught he may manage to escape by tearing himself free or by gnawing off a leg, if he is not
killed by the trap. Traps of this description are called deadfalls, but many forms of snares also kill the creatures 
which are caught by them and while there is a great variety of each it is not necessary to know how to make and set 
them all and a knowledge of how to prepare and set a few of the more useful and important snares and traps will 
serve all requirements.

Deadfalls are traps in which a heavy weight, usually a stone or log, is arranged to fall upon the back or head of any
animal which springs the trap. They may be used with equal success for the smallest of creatures or for the largest 
and professional trappers use them for everything from bears to weasels.

There are several ways of constructing deadfalls, but they are nearly all very simple and three of the simplest are 
illustrated in Figs, 1 to 5. 

The first is formed of a log with a smooth space cut upon its upper surface and with a slight rise or ridge in the 
centre as shown at A, Another similar log B is placed directly above the first and is held from moving sideways by 
the guide stakes CC driven firmly into the earth. Between the two a trigger is arranged as illustrated at D and to this 
the bait is attached as shown. In order to compel the animal to pass between the two logs to reach the bait a little 
enclosure of sticks is built around the bait on the trigger as shown at E.

Another simple form of trigger which may be used with the deadfall is shown in detail in Fig, 2 A and the well known 
"Figure Four" may also be used, as shown in Fig, 3. Oftentimes deadfalls are set without bait, and if you can locate 
a path or runway used by game, or the lair or den of animals you wish to secure, a trap of this sort will prove very 
successful. In Figs, 4 and 5 two forms of deadfalls of this type are illustrated, either one of which will be found very 
satisfactory,  for the least touch on the triggers A A, will dislodge the upper log and cause it to fall upon the back or 
head of the passing animal.

In setting traps with bait, place them near the lair of the creatures or else in some sheltered spot, such as the 
corner of a fence or wall, beside an old stump, log or fallen tree, or close to a ledge or a rock, for a trap set in plain 
view in the open will often arouse the suspicions of wild animals and they will give it a wide berth.

For bait, use something of which the animals are very fond, such as an ear of corn or fresh vegetables for rodents, 
and turkey, chicken or birds' heads for carnivorous animals.

Very different from the deadfalls are the traps designed to capture animals alive. The best of these is the Box Trap, 
two forms of which are illustrated in Figs. 6, 7. In either case the trap itself consists of a box-like affair with the top
and one end fastened together and hinged, or pivoted, to the sides. In the form shown in Fig, 6 the trigger consists 
of a short stick projecting through the top of the trap and fitting loosely in the hole, and to the lower end of this the 
bait is fastened. Across the top of the box is a cleat or "bridge" which should be raised a short distance above the 
trap. To the hinged portion of the top a short stick is attached by means of a cord as shown, and to set the trap this 
is placed over the raised cleat and the free end is then caught under the notch in the upper end of the trigger. The 
least motion of the trigger will spring the trap. 

In the form of box-trap shown in Fig, 7 a different type of trigger is used, but which is just as simple as the first. To 
the spindle A bait is fastened and the other end is then slipped through the hole at C. The trigger B is fastened at 
its centre to a string led over the high notched end of the trap D and the string should be of such a length that when
the top of the trap is raised as shown the trigger B may be caught between the notch in the spindle and the nick in 
the back of the trap as illustrated.

These are both first rate traps for rabbits, squirrels and small animals, as well as for birds; especially grouse, quail 
and other ground-loving species. Moreover, creatures caught in these traps are uninjured and for that reason they 
are the best form of traps for catching animals or birds for pets. It is advisable, however, to have one end, or a 
portion, of the side or bottom, of the trap, made of netting so the interior is visible, for skunks and other unwelcome 
surprises are often found within the sprung trap and it's just as well to be on the safe side and know just what you've
caught before opening the trap.

Another form of trap which captures its victims alive and unharmed is the ''Hen-coop Trap" shown in Fig. 8, This is a 
particularly good trap for grouse, quail, pigeons, etc., and will do very well for small animals. Moreover, it is easily 
and quickly made from materials to be found anywhere in the woods. The trap consists of a box constructed of 
sticks laid crosswise or "log-cabin" fashion and tied together with bark, grass, withes, roots or cord or, if preferred, it
may be made of sticks or lathes nailed together, or a discarded wooden box may be used. The trap is set by some 
form of simple trigger, such as the Figure Four, of the triggers illustrated for deadfalls, while, if intended for birds, 
the trigger shown in Fig. 8 is preferable.

This consists of two forked sticks of unequal length, A, B, and a piece of pliable withe or flexible stick, C. The latter 
is bent in a semicircle a little smaller than the diameter of the coop and the ends are prevented from springing apart 
by means of two sticks or pegs driven into the ground just within the coop as shown at D D. The longest of the 
forked sticks is placed upright outside of the bent withe and with the forked end up. Then the shorter stick is placed 
in the position shown, with one end of its fork resting in the fork A and with its tip supporting the coop, while the
lower end is slipped inside of the withe. The weight of the coop upon the fork forces the lower end against the withe 
and hence the coop cannot fall; but the weight of a bird upon the withe releases the trigger and allows the coop to
drop.

Of all forms of traps the most widely used, the most deadly and the most cruel are the steel traps and unless you 
trap for a livelihood or are compelled to trap for food or garments, or are trying to destroy some dangerous or 
obnoxious creature, you should never use this form of trap. Nearly all wild creatures are suspicious of steel traps 
and if they are set where they can be seen, animals will seldom go near them. As a rule, it is necessary to cover 
steel traps with sand, earth or leaves and they should always be rubbed with grease or smoked over a fire in order 
to destroy all traces of human scent. 

A good method is to wash the traps in weak lye or wood ashes and water and then rub them with chicken or other 
animal fat. After being washed, the traps should never be handled with bare hands and gloves or mittens should
always be worn when setting the traps, as there is nothing which so fills wild creatures with fear and suspicion as the
smell of human beings. Very often, ashes or charred wood, manure or some other strong scented material, if 
scattered about the trap, will serve to destroy all the odor of man and will also attract the animals. And don't forget 
that the chain must be washed and concealed as well as the trap itself. 

When setting a steel trap for mink, muskrats or other water-loving animals the best plan is to attach the trap chain to
a stout wire. One end of this should be fastened to a heavy stone, or a stake, in the bottom of the brook or pond, 
and the other end should be attached to some object on shore. Then, when an animal is caught, his struggles will 
cause the chain to run down the wire and the creature will be drowned.

Meat, chicken or turkey heads, offal, small animals or birds, fish heads, etc., are all good bait for steel traps or 
deadfalls, but with a steel trap the bait should never be placed on the trap itself. Instead, it should be hung over the 
trap so that the animal, in striving to reach the bait, will step upon the trap. When setting traps for otter, muskrat or 
mink it is a good plan to place the traps on stones or logs close to the edge of the water, or to place them in the 
water itself near shore, if thus placed and if a fowl's head is suspended above the trap, mink and otter may often be
taken when all other means fail.

Another important matter when using steel traps, — or for that matter any form of trap for carnivorous animal, — is 
to make a "scent" or trail. This is done by attaching a piece of bloody meat or a freshly-severed head to the end of 
a stick, and after smearing it with fish oil, anise or some other strong oil, it should be dragged over the ground in 
various directions from the trap. This scent attracts the animals in the vicinity and lures them to the trap.

Sometimes, when there is a regular animal runway or trail, a steel trap may be set without bait of any sort, the trap 
and chain being carefully concealed by leaves, etc. Oftentimes, too, animals may be induced to step upon the 
hidden trap by building a little enclosure behind it, as described for deadfalls, and placing the bait within the pen so 
that any animal must step upon the trap in order to reach the bait. When steel traps are set for large animals they 
never should be chained to an immovable object, but should be fastened to a heavy log or stick known as a "drag." 
If attached to a tree or stump the captive will frequently break loose by pulling his leg from the trap or by biting or 
gnawing it off. The drag will allow the captured creature to move about, but will prevent him from travelling rapidly
or far and will make a plain, easily followed trail. But it will not afford enough resistance to enable the creature to 
tear his limb free.

Very often the camper may find himself in a district where game is scarce or lacking, but there is scarcely any 
locality where frogs, turtles and other edible forms of wild life do not occur and the camper should know how to avail
himself of these. Frogs may usually be obtained by shooting with a rifle, pistol or bow and arrow or by spearing, but 
turtles are more difficult to capture and in order to secure enough for a meal one must trap them. It is a very easy 
matter to trap turtles and the traps used are most simple in construction.

In Figs. 9, 10 two forms of turtle traps are shown. The better of the two is probably that illustrated in Fig, 9, This 
consists of a box with perforated sides and with the top formed of two hinged or pivoted pieces, A.A, so arranged 
that they can tip down, but are prevented from tipping up by the cleats B.B, and which are held in their normal 
position by the weights C.C. When the trap is ready it should be weighed with stones placed within and should be 
sunk to the bottom of the water at such a depth that an inch or two of its top projects above the surface.

When a turtle crawls up on the box his weight tips down the pivoted trap door and the turtle slides into the trap. The 
weights C.C then pull the door into horizontal position and the trap becomes ready for the next turtle. The only care
necessary is to get the weights just heavy enough to swing the door shut for if too heavy the turtles' weight will not 
tip the door and if too light the doors will not swing back quickly and the turtles in the trap may crawl out before the 
door shuts.

No bait is required for the trap as the turtles are attracted to it merely as a good spot on which to sun themselves. It 
is not unusual to catch frogs as well as turtles with this trap and fifty turtles in a day is not a remarkably big catch.

The other form of turtle trap (Fig. 10) operates on a very different principle. This trap consists of a perforated box 
fitted with a swinging door at one or both ends and so arranged that they swing inwards but not outwards, as shown.
A piece of iron or lead should be attached to the lower edges of the doors to prevent them from floating open or 
swinging to and fro, and an opening of about half an inch should be left between the bottom of the door and the 
bottom of the trap.

Weights should be fastened inside to sink the trap and a few pieces of meat, fish or some similar bait should also be
placed within and the whole sunk to the bottom of the water. The turtles will smell the bait, and in trying to reach it, 
will push in the doors which they cannot open from the inside.

This is a particularly good trap for snapping turtles and terrapin, but is not so good for small turtles as the one 
already described. Moreover, you must visit and examine this trap frequently if set under water as otherwise the
captives will drown, but by placing it in shallow water with an inch or so of the top above the surface, this will be 
avoided. Mink, muskrats, frogs, fish and even alligators are often captured accidentally in this form of trap.

For many purposes snares are often more useful than traps and are more quickly and more easily made. Broadly 
speaking, all snares consist of slip nooses of wire, cord, horsehair or other material so arranged as to catch the feet
or neck of any creature which enters them. There is, however, a vast number of snares of distinct styles, forms and
types, each adapted to a certain use or condition, although many of them may be used in a variety of places and for
various kinds of game. 

In the north, snares are never used for taking large animals, but in many parts of the tropics they are made of rope 
or strong vines and are successfully employed in taking lions, tigers and the largest and most powerful of beasts.

To the camper, snares are of the greatest value for catching birds, especially ground-feeding species, such as 
partridge, quail, grouse, etc., as well as the smaller mammals, such as rabbits and squirrels. The simplest form of 
snare consists of a noose of fine wire, cord or horsehair, stretched in an opening, or spread upon the ground, in 
such a way that it is likely to entangle the feet or head of any bird or mammal walking over or through it. Two such 
snares are shown in Figs, 15 and 16, but an equally simple form, and a much more efficient type, is that illustrated in 
Fig. 11. 

In Fig, 11 A, the noose is attached to a pole lashed loosely to a tree in such a manner that the heavier or butt end of
the pole will pull the lighter end into the air when released. In Fig. 11 B a similar snare is shown, but in this case a 
flexible sapling is bent over to take the place of the pole. In both of these snares the noose is held in place and the 
pole is prevented from swinging, or the sapling from springing up, by catching the cord above the noose in a notch 
on a stake, or stick in the earth. When any creature pokes its head into the noose its struggles release the cord and
the sapling, or balanced pole, jerks the captive into the air, breaking its neck or choking it to death. Of course there 
would be little chance of any creature entering the noose if it was placed in this way in the open, and in order to 
insure game entering the noose, the snares must either be baited or else placed in a runway and must be so 
arranged that a creature must enter the noose to secure the bait or to follow its accustomed path. Such an 
arrangement is shown in Fig. 12, in which the noose is adjusted in a little opening, or gate, in a wall of twigs or brush
which may be placed across a runway, or may be carried around as a circular enclosure in which bait is placed.

In the illustration, the spring pole is held down by a simple trigger consisting of a short piece of wood held in notches
between two upright stakes. This form of snare is known as a ''twitch up"; another form of which is shown in Fig. 13, 
In this case the noose is spread around the top of a circle of sticks and the trigger used is the ''Figure Four'' already
described. In Fig. 14 still another form is shown in which the noose is spread around a frame made of a flexible stick.
This is specially designed to catch small birds and, within the oval, grain is scattered, and the birds, by alighting on 
the frame, dislodge the trigger and are snared by the noose as it flies into the air. The more simple form shown in 
Fig. 15 is merely a cord stretched between two stakes and with individual snares attached to it. In this case no
twitch-up is used, the success of the snare depending upon birds entangling their feet in the nooses as they hop 
about picking up the scattered bait.

Another snare without a twitch-up is shown in Fig. 16 and which is very useful for catching rabbits, grouse, quail, etc.
The noose is spread between the sides of a little arch, made of a bent twig, which forms the gate to a fence of sticks
which is usually erected in a runway. But the same method may be followed with a wall enclosing a little space in 
which bait is scattered. In this case a number of openings should be left in the fence and in each of these a snare 
should be set.

These are but a few of the more common and practical forms of snares but they will serve all ordinary requirements 
for the camper who may be compelled to capture birds or mammals for many purposes.

End of Excerpt.
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