Trapping. Or the silent methods for taking game and fish

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Mountain trapper

Mountain trapper

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I've been thinking that there should be a thread here about the taking of game and fish silently. Many people think that taking game can only be done with a firearm or archery. Thats fine if you have time and your not worried about the report giving away your location. Not a problem now, but it could be an issue after SHTF. Theres nowhere in the US that I'm aware of that a few traps or snares wouldn't provide all the game needed for survival. I personally have traps for everything from weasel to wolf and deer. And snares from rabbit up to wolf, deer, bear and elk.
I'd like to hear some thoughts and ideas from others on this subject.
 
Probably the best chance of getting enough meat with a trap at the BOL is beaver. Since they make their presence and activities quite obvious, it's easier to find a good location, especially near a dam. Just break the dam and they'll be there that night to fix it. They used to build their hutches in places that were accessible, but they've learned not to do that, LOL. Now I don't even know where they build their hutches, but the dams are a different story.

But honest, the chances of someone elsewhere hearing gunfire coming from the BOL are slim as it is. Flat land heavily forested. It's not like a gunshot from a mountaintop which can carry for miles and miles. Under certain atmospheric conditions (cold and dry with no wind) you can hear a gunshot from a mile away (The nearest public road is farther than that). But most times you can't. Nobody will ever hear a bow or crossbow. Or suppressed subsonic gunfire.
 
Proud Prepper said:
I have snares and cage traps for rabbits, opposum, raccoons, nutria and squirles, I have bow and crossbow for dear and larger critters.
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I think bows and crossbows are going to be an important tool for securing game. In many parts of the country its easy to get within range to stick a deer with an arrow. Out west not so much. Traps and snares can easily be placed in game trails and just checked once a day or so. I think in your part of the country PP you can just leave your back door open and you'd get a kinds of critters coming in.
 
DrHenley said:
Probably the best chance of getting enough meat with a trap at the BOL is beaver. Since they make their presence and activities quite obvious, it's easier to find a good location, especially near a dam. Just break the dam and they'll be there that night to fix it. They used to build their hutches in places that were accessible, but they've learned not to do that, LOL. Now I don't even know where they build their hutches, but the dams are a different story.

But honest, the chances of someone elsewhere hearing gunfire coming from the BOL are slim as it is. Flat land heavily forested. It's not like a gunshot from a mountaintop which can carry for miles and miles. Under certain atmospheric conditions (cold and dry with no wind) you can hear a gunshot from a mile away (The nearest public road is farther than that). But most times you can't. Nobody will ever hear a bow or crossbow. Or suppressed subsonic gunfire.
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Whenever possible beaver will excavate bank dens underwater, similar to muskrat only much larger. When I was a kid I'd swim up in to some of these underwater bank dens. Beaver do not have a sense of humor, still have the scars. Breaking a dam is a good option. Just be sure to place the trap deep enough to catch a hind leg. Otherwise they can push sticks in to your trap while repairing their dam. And always use a drowning wire on beaver, or a conibear trap.
BTW, beaver are very good eatting.
 
Arcticdude said:
Whenever possible beaver will excavate bank dens underwater, similar to muskrat only much larger. When I was a kid I'd swim up in to some of these underwater bank dens. Beaver do not have a sense of humor, still have the scars. Breaking a dam is a good option. Just be sure to place the trap deep enough to catch a hind leg. Otherwise they can push sticks in to your trap while repairing their dam. And always use a drowning wire on beaver, or a conibear trap.
BTW, beaver are very good eatting.
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I wish I had known beaver was good eating when I was slaying them regularly a number of years ago. They had a hutch right by a levee, and every time I drove by they would be out sunning themselves on the hutch. I could shoot them out the window of the truck with a 22. I've killed a bunch hiding in culverts too. Now I don't see the beavers, just their handiwork. Their hutches are deep in the swamp where no man treads.
 
Unfortunately trapping in Europe is widely forbidden, Bow/Crossbow hunting also. Evidently the idiots here who call themselves "hunters" are incapable of hunting with such ancient tools. I think you can still bowhunt in Scandinavia/Northern Europe.
I have a series of traps stored in my head for anything from all small animals and rodents, ducks and other birds, squirrels or chipmunks and with the right materials up to wild pig and deer. Larger animals like Elk or bear are no longer living anywhere around me. A few hundred miles into Rumania maybe or up in Chech/Poland areas where I will never be...
I have also an array of trapping tubes and fishing tricks for the catfish near me to get food regularly. Need more arrows if the SHTF tho...I make my own arrowheads from cheap balancing weights from car and truck tires, heavy and hard enough to work but low cost and easy to work with and make.
We only have wild pigs, small deer and assorted small birds to hunt for and not many of them anyway...We will probably breed and keep rabbits or chickens if needed to keep us alive post SHTF.
 
My air rifle doesn’t seem to bother rabbits or turkey too much. They stick around long enough to reload. Turkey are really stupid around here, but I could get a couple meals of of 1. Quail not so much
 
nobody is going to have the time for pole fishing either - going to have to use time & effort savings here also >>> methods will depend on the conditions involved - could be the best steady supply of protein for many ....
 
Illini Warrior said:
nobody is going to have the time for pole fishing either - going to have to use time & effort savings here also >>> methods will depend on the conditions involved - could be the best steady supply of protein for many ....
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That was the point of this thread. Ammo isn't going to last forever after SHTF and time will be in short supply. With growing gardens and foraging for wild edibles there may not be a lot of time for hunting. If your a member of a large group a hunter can be designated. But for individuals and small groups, traps and snares work 24 hours a day. The furs and hides can be tanned and made in to clothing or blankets too, and used for trade.
I think these are skills that should be learned by every serious prepper and passed down to future generations. Ive been teaching my grand kids about trapping since they were 3 years old. They even got their picture in a national trapping publication when they were "helping" me on the trap line.
 
Arcticdude said:
That was the point of this thread. Ammo isn't going to last forever after SHTF and time will be in short supply. With growing gardens and foraging for wild edibles there may not be a lot of time for hunting. If your a member of a large group a hunter can be designated. But for individuals and small groups, traps and snares work 24 hours a day. The furs and hides can be tanned and made in to clothing or blankets too, and used for trade.
I think these are skills that should be learned by every serious prepper and passed down to future generations. Ive been teaching my grand kids about trapping since they were 3 years old. They even got their picture in a national trapping publication when they were "helping" me on the trap line.
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As I am looking at my trail cam photos of my driveway while I was gone, I am seeing your point.
Alot of food going up and down that superhighway I call a driveway.
 
I have been told even the best hunter can have "off" days and come back empty handed.
we dont have the large animals you have in USA but we have plenty of small game and Red and Roe deer
 
Right now I guess I am just not hungry enough to want to kill an animal anymore. I’d rather watch the deer and rabbits here than shoot them. But if hungry I could forget how beautiful a deer is in a heartbeat. I’m sure a roast with vegetables is beautiful too. I’ve always thought snares and traps were cruel as they don’t kill quickly like a bullet or arrow. But in a real survival situation I can’t think of a more productive or effective way to get food than trapping. I would love to see designs here of traps that can be homemade to add to my mental skills if ever needed.
 
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Brent S said:
Right now I guess I am just not hungry enough to want to kill an animal anymore. I’d rather watch the deer and rabbits here than shoot them. But if hungry I could forget how beautiful a deer is in a heartbeat. I’m sure a roast with vegetables is beautiful too. I’ve always thought snares and traps were cruel as they don’t kill quickly like a bullet or arrow. But in a real survival situation I can’t think of a more productive or effective way to get food than trapping. I would love to see designs here of traps that can be homemade to add to my mental skills if ever needed.
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The point of this thread wasn't so much about using these skills today but more for after a real SHTF event.
If done properly trapping does not cause any suffering. There are body grip traps that kill immediately, methods for drowning the catch if near water and foot traps that just restrains the animal. Its not uncommon for me to come up on a bobcat, coyote or fox in one of my traps that's laying there sleeping. Quit listening to the anti-everything group.
Also many deer and elk wander off to die after getting stuck with an arrow or shot with a bullet from some POS hunter that doesn't know what he's doing. My neighbor had several cows shot with arrows that wandered around for days, weeks before finally dieing.
 
Arcticdude said:
The point of this thread wasn't so much about using these skills today but more for after a real SHTF event.
If done properly trapping does not cause any suffering. There are body grip traps that kill immediately, methods for drowning the catch if near water and foot traps that just restrains the animal. Its not uncommon for me to come up on a bobcat, coyote or fox in one of my traps that's laying there sleeping. Quit listening to the anti-everything group.
Also many deer and elk wander off to die after getting stuck with an arrow or shot with a bullet from some POS hunter that doesn't know what he's doing. My neighbor had several cows shot with arrows that wandered around for days, weeks before finally dieing.
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I wasn’t judging about trapping. As for me hunting now I’m just not hungry enough to do it currently. If pressed with tough times I’d be the first to sign up. I am sure many animals run off to die later on after being shot with bullets and arrows too. As far as snares and traps go, I never heard of any with quick kill before, but really would like to see some of what you’ve used or are out there, just in case we ever get to the point of economically needing to make them. I’ve always thought traps were the most efficient/intelligent way to provide food. But I also have that image in my mind of the wolf chewing it’s leg off to get out of a trap.
 
I don't kill many deer anymore, but I still get out in the woods and go hunting to keep those skills intact. Something about staying all day long out in the elements freezing your buns off that makes you appreciate life.
And then walking back to camp in the dark and hearing the coyotes strike up one of their hellish choruses a hundred yards from you making your blood run cold. LOL.
 
Brent S said:
I wasn’t judging about trapping. As for me hunting now I’m just not hungry enough to do it currently. If pressed with tough times I’d be the first to sign up. I am sure many animals run off to die later on after being shot with bullets and arrows too. As far as snares and traps go, I never heard of any with quick kill before, but really would like to see some of what you’ve used or are out there, just in case we ever get to the point of economically needing to make them. I’ve always thought traps were the most efficient/intelligent way to provide food. But I also have that image in my mind of the wolf chewing it’s leg off to get out of a trap.
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The type of killer trap, aka body grip, that I use is called Conibear. They're made in size for weasel up to beaver. Most times when I catch something in a Conibear the animal never moves.
Contrary to the animal "rights" nutjobs animals don't chew their legs off. However, some inexperienced people will use a trap that's too strong for the target animal and they could break a leg. In some cases, rarely, a coon will chew on his toes because they've become numb. Now they have "dog proof" traps available that will only catch coons, and an occasional skunk. With the DP trap a coon can't reach his foot.
 
jontte said:
Arctic,could you or do you have any vids for someone like me how to make snares and what to make them from?
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Just yesterday I received my trapping supply catalog from Cumberlands Northwest Trapping Supply, www.nwtrappers.com. They have everything needed for making snares. Plus they have books and DVD's for making and using snares.
I'm not pushing Cumberlands, its just one outfit that I use and have been very happy with.
I like snares, but usually they're only good for catching 1 or 2 animals, depending on the size of animal, before they need replacing. Foot hold traps can last for generations. Some of the traps I use are over 100 years old.
 
Brent S said:
Right now I guess I am just not hungry enough to want to kill an animal anymore. I’d rather watch the deer and rabbits here than shoot them. But if hungry I could forget how beautiful a deer is in a heartbeat. I’m sure a roast with vegetables is beautiful too. I’ve always thought snares and traps were cruel as they don’t kill quickly like a bullet or arrow. But in a real survival situation I can’t think of a more productive or effective way to get food than trapping. I would love to see designs here of traps that can be homemade to add to my mental skills if ever needed.
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Ok you can do that. Hunting is is more time consuming than it sounds. It’s knowing the animals. I am happy I know what’s around me. Deer, elk, turkey,quail.and maybe even a pig.

Secondary Food sources in SHTF- freerange cattle

i know that if I go out for a couple hours, I may not be successful. It’s just relaxing for me.

If you think you can go out and get a weeks worth a meat in a couple hours, good luck to your prepping strategy.

I know what I can do, and what to do tomorrow If I need to.
 
EastenerWesterner said:
My air rifle doesn’t seem to bother rabbits or turkey too much. They stick around long enough to reload. Turkey are really stupid around here, but I could get a couple meals of of 1. Quail not so much
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We had a rat problem one year. The .22 air rifle made quick and easy work of them.
One winter, we had a flock of turkeys hanging out around the property. Even got a picture of them gathered around the wife's bird feeders.
The dogs and I came up over the hill in the spring and, well, lets just say the turkeys did not come back.

To the OP: I have considered traps, namely in the winter. But based off the tracks I see, unless I want field mouse (rat with a small tail) for dinner, not much in the way of rabbits/hares. Occasional squirrel, but not enough to sustain us on.
The back 40 might be different.
 
EastenerWesterner said:
Ok you can do that. Hunting is is more time consuming than it sounds. It’s knowing the animals. I am happy I know what’s around me. Deer, elk, turkey,quail.and maybe even a pig.

Secondary Food sources in SHTF- freerange cattle

i know that if I go out for a couple hours, I may not be successful. It’s just relaxing for me.

If you think you can go out and get a weeks worth a meat in a couple hours, good luck to your prepping strategy.

I know what I can do, and what to do tomorrow If I need to.
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Yes, I know of more than a few guys who think exactly that.
 
MOS0231 said:
We had a rat problem one year. The .22 air rifle made quick and easy work of them.
One winter, we had a flock of turkeys hanging out around the property. Even got a picture of them gathered around the wife's bird feeders.
The dogs and I came up over the hill in the spring and, well, lets just say the turkeys did not come back.

To the OP: I have considered traps, namely in the winter. But based off the tracks I see, unless I want field mouse (rat with a small tail) for dinner, not much in the way of rabbits/hares. Occasional squirrel, but not enough to sustain us on.
The back 40 might be different.
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You must have Easterns, because the Merriam/Rio crossbreed I have here are pests and the easiest birds I have ever hunted. Picture as evidence.
447F076B-2605-48F9-8371-D2055EAAC86A.jpeg


I had a large colony of ground squirrel here when I first moved in. Got rid of the destructive little POS. Air rifle was fun for a while. Also the rattlers are few and far between now. They say the squirrels are immune to the venom, but getting rid of them got rid of the rattlers.
 
EastenerWesterner said:
You must have Easterns, because the Merriam/Rio crossbreed I have here are pests and the easiest birds I have ever hunted. Picture as evidence.View attachment 13143

I had a large colony of ground squirrel here when I first moved in. Got rid of the destructive little POS. Air rifle was fun for a while. Also the rattlers are few and far between now. They say the squirrels are immune to the venom, but getting rid of them got rid of the rattlers.
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During winter we'll see hundreds of turkeys on the road going in to town. Sometimes we have to stop and wait for them to get off the road.
We also have problems with ground squirrels. This summer I shot and trapped probably 200 of the little bastards. Right now because of the heat they're hibernating. So far this summer I haven't seen a single rattlesnake around the house. Normally I kill 10 - 12 rattlers each year, just around the house. We see a lot of them on the road to town.
 
People that lived here before told me rattlers were a year round problem. But they had wild oats growing 5 ft from the house.
I keep clearing back to the pasture fences. No more smaller rodent problems inside, no more food supply for the rattlers. Pasture that had the squirrel colony, they haven’t come back to.
I have seen 1 rattler in 2 years compared to the 5 I got the first year. But it was a big one, close to 4ft.
 
I have enough issues with vermin, I do not need to add rattlers to the mix.

BTW, we got, so far, 0.12 inches of rain today. We are just over 10 inches for this month alone.
 
MOS0231 said:
I have enough issues with vermin, I do not need to add rattlers to the mix.

BTW, we got, so far, 0.12 inches of rain today. We are just over 10 inches for this month alone.
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So far for July we've got .02" of rain. Since April we've got almost 1" of rain. We usually never get any rain during August, September and most of October.
 
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