These survival snare traps will help you hunt for food and set up your own perimeter defense in the wild!
Survival Snare Traps Ultimate Guide
How to Set Up Hunting and Survival Snares
When SHTF, your supplies will only get you so far. So, what do you do when your stockpile is dwindling? Mother Nature always has an answer.
Knowing how to make these simple yet dangerous snares and traps for survival – using just what's around you – can literally save your life in an emergency situation.
It's easier said than done, so you've got to do your homework before anything else.
Figuring out how to successfully use a primitive survival snare trap can be a bit tricky. You don't want to jeopardize your chances of survival by being underprepared.
Keep reading to learn the ins and outs of traps from survival experts.
Snare Trap Location
You can save a lot of energy by making strategically placed traps. Like a good hunting technique, it's important to position your trap not too close to your bug out area.
This way, when things become too dangerous, you'll be far enough to risk your protected location. Look for places near:
- known game trails and runs
- known watering holes and feeding sites
- animal trackings and droppings
- chewed vegetation
- nesting sites and den holes
Snare Trap Types
You can't afford to use up needed calories when hunting, making it important to learn some hunting traps to do the work for you.
There are so many different kinds of survival traps to use in a survival situation. These traps are made to hang, choke, and crush wild animals. These skills are essential for someone to survive longer in the wild.
5 Sneaky Survival Snare Traps
1. Tension Trap
This spring snare-loaded survival trap is pretty dangerous for humans and animals alike.
The choice of wood is important because the bait stick has to impale the wild animal (or intruder) so they cannot escape.
Watch this video for 3 easy snare trap ideas:
2. Survival Spear
I would not want to be caught on the other end of this guy. Although typically used as a fishing spear, you can also rig this into a nasty survival snare trap.
Check out Reality Survival for full instructions on how to make this survival spear.
RELATED: Sneaky Hunting Traps For The Stealthy Hunter
3. Bow Trap
One of the deadliest survival snare traps for man and animal is the bow trap. To make this trap, use pegs to anchor a bow to the ground as you choose your point of aim.
Lash a toggle stick to activate the trigger. The trigger stick must be supported by two upright sticks with a toggle stick that will activate the pulled bowstring.
Create a trip wire across the game trail that goes around the stakes. When the prey trips the snare wire, the bow releases the arrow. Tap the video above to watch how to make one by Clan Gunn Bushcraft.
4. Paiute Deadfall Trap
The Paiute deadfall trap may be one of the most classic of primitive traps for catching small game.
The rock is propped up, the animal crawls underneath it to take the bait and SNAP, you've got dinner. Watch the video above for the dirty details.
5. Apache Foot Trap
An apache foot trap may be the most foreboding in appearance, so be sure to cover it up with leaves and brush. Otherwise, animals will see the trap and won't fall for it.
This trap is essentially a hole with wooden spikes that will cave in and grab the animal's legs, locking them in place.
No matter how hard the animal fights to get loose, the leg-hold trap will only tighten its grip. Watch the video for full instructions on making an apache foot trap.
Snare Trap Field Guides
Be very cautious about these survival snare traps, and use them only in a survival situation. Snare traps aren't just useful in keeping your property safe from critters and intruders.
In a survival situation, snares and traps like these might be all that stands between you and starvation. That's why you need to know how to “Trap For Your Life.”
For more information on snare traps and how and when to use them, check out the following:
Tracker's Field Guide: A Comprehensive Manual for Animal Tracking
Check out this tracking guide for training from tracking expert Jim Lowery. He shares illustrations, track measurements, a glossary of tracking terms and more from his intensive research experience.
Mammal Tracks & Sign: A Guide to North American Species
This guide shares all you need to know about tracking mammals to find the best location for your snare traps.
From anecdotes to track and trail illustrations, you'll be prepared to head out on your own to track mammals in North America.
Cabela's
Outsmart your prey with traps and snares from Cabela's. Their wide selection of trapping supplies includes traps and snares designed for trapping predators or small animals.
With these survival snare traps, you'll definitely cheat dangerously. There are tons of things you can do in the wilderness if you only know how to maximize your resources in making these traps.
As long as you know how to set them up and you know your target, everything will go as planned, or at least closer to it. So, start prepping your snare traps now and make your prey shiver with fear!
What other survival snare traps would you like to share with us? Leave them in the comments section below!
Up Next: Simple Survival Hacks Using Household Items
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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on March 26, 2018, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.
I’m surprised you didn’t show a simple “deadfall” trap or a spring snare. Also, when I learned your “tension trap”, it was called a “bamboo whip” and more than one spike was mounted on the spring stick.
How many of my fellow prep peers ,ever think about this situation the Ebola virus has hit the Americas hard over 50 million people get sick half of that pass away from the virus ,god I hope this never happens.at the same time the dollar collapses everything sky rockets in price every thing is pure chaos the unemployment numbers hits at about 50 -75 % .the government is running at a limited capacity , but is still there in place! war is in coming but not yet?we have saved food and water and other supplies for this very moment and it’s here the sh$T has hit the fan so we all start to bunker down to out last this horrorible event and one day theirs a banging at your door it’s the law to enforce a eviction notice from the banks of non payment of rent or mortgage your not working theirs no unemployment checks or social program like ssi, ssd,no ebt no welfare what do you and your family do now.this is the worst case and point. Will the bankers and lenders want their payments still in a situation like this,I hate to say it but I think yes they would. My opinion is this wouldn’t happen only if the government no longer existed and it was just a survival issue. What’s your opinion????
In a worse case scenario you described, what makes you think that the banks will even be able to do any foreclosures or repos, lol! I doubt the mail will even be working for you to get the legal ‘notice’. So they couldn’t ‘legally’ foreclose anyway. And you can bet the ‘summons serving’ business will be ‘DOA’ with all the people bunkered up in active armed defense mode.
As far as government checks and pensions, well, yeah, those would stop. but you have to ‘prepare’ for that also.
I agree if it collapses, that means everything..no mail, no banks, no police..utter chaos….may have to make for the woods til the waves escaping from the cities finish killing each other for what little they will know how to use…got everything I need..just need to find someone with a lot of wooded property to let me practice
not as crowded as the inner cities.
Damm you really put down. That’s real! Guess we’re going to have to eat the bankers.
All of my 21 years in the Air Force were spent in the audio visual fields. One of the tricks we used to eliminate wind noise was to put a non-lubricated condom over the microphone. Every time the president steps up to a mic outside, their is a condom under the the wind hood. I hope this helps you and others improve sound quality.
I would like to purchase a book or whatever to show me how to make a remote detonator explosive. I have roots of trees to remove and have no idea how to work on explosive material
Thank you, Kevin Van Winkle.
If you would like my number just email me a request. Thanks again
Anarchists cookbook online about 25 dollars US Amazon.
this is by far the best instructional video I have seen!! how to make everything needed, put it together and use it. very well done sir. well spoken and no BS. totally impressed and I watch a lot of these.
Somewhere on one of your webpages I saw a black metal mousetrap, but now I can’t find it. We live on a Puget Sound island with 4 deer, 3 cats, 3 dogs, an occasional chipmunk and lots of voles. If/when volcanic Mt. Rainier blows or the Juan de la Fuca Subduction Zone earthquake hits, there is about a 50% chance we will survive, and we have lots of preparations for enduring. We have snares, but that vole or mouse trap would be our best bet for obtaining meat. So where can I find it again? Thanks.
Seems real “Brave” to “sneak” up and kill something.
It puts fear in others not knowing how they will die if caught. They were guerrilla fighters; there was nothing fair about it. As I recall, the VC did that too.