In this article I’m going to discuss some of the best methods for creating Survival Hunting Traps to passively attract sources of food. In other words, how you procure food while not actively pursuing it yourself.
There are many hunting methods that will allow you to trap food while you are doing other things like building a shelter, cutting wood and making a fire.
The debate for food sourcing in survival will always rage on. And this is because there are so many types of tools and equipment that can be used. For example, just take a look at the list below:
Rifles, Shotguns, Handguns, Compound & Traditional Bows, Crossbows, Slingshots & Atlatls
That is definitely a lot of options, however they are all active methods of getting food. In other words, you have to actively be pursuing that food to get it. There is also no guarantee that you are going to be successful. Now, if you have a high-powered scoped rifle then you will have the best chance of success because of the distance you can put between yourself and the animal. That is of course assuming you know how to find an animal. But if want to take a more passive approach, here’s some survival hunting traps to try out on your next camping trip.
3 Easy Survival Hunting Traps To Try Out
1. Nets
One of the very first methods for gathering fish from the seas and rivers by man was using nets. Back then these nets were used actively. However, you can create a net that hooks to either side of a stream or one that floats and is attached to the bank. This creates a very passive fishing net trap. Additionally, if you are a seasoned outdoorsman then you will likely have some cordage with you. Adding some good quality and strong cordage to your fishing net will ensure you catch something. It does take a little bet extra time to create but is truly worth it. Here’s a in-depth video on creating your own paracord net.
2. Fish Traps
The fish weir a great method for catching fish in a way that is completely passive. You don’t use hooks and you don’t use spears to get them into the trap. Instead, it’s the tide or the flow of the river that will rush the fish into the trap. Once inside they won’t be able to get offshore and they wont be able to find their way out of that trap.
There are a number of more intricate traps that can be created, like crayfish baskets. These do take time thought. A simple fish dam or fish weir can be made of rocks or sticks. This is talked about more in this article about Survival Fishing Techniques.
3. Deadfall Trap
What I love about the deadfall trap is that it can be made 100% from natural materials. If you have a survival knife, which you should, you are going to be able to pull this off with only a little practice. These survival hunting traps are basically trigger traps created using sticks. A large rock is balanced on that trigger and when an animal engages it (moves it) the rock crushes or traps them. Once you set a deadfall trap you can leave it be and return to it later in the hope that you attracted an animal.
Even better than creating your own deadfall trap is to use the BattlBox DF-4 Deadfall Trap. These lightweight aluminum triggers can be set up in seconds and will hold larger rocks. This means you can trap larger animals when you need to feed a group of hungry survivors.
Picking The Right Location
Before you go setting up your passive survival hunting traps, have you considered your location? There are all sorts of things that come to mind when choosing a campsite or even a bug out location. Do you ever consider things like passive food sources at this location?
Safety and security often top the list when it comes to choosing a location. This is for good reasons! Still, setting up camp near a thicket of blackberries or near that bunch of persimmon trees is not a bad idea either. Maybe you could even position yourself in the middle of a few different food sources.
Acorns are easy to find and you could likely setup near a bunch of them. Also consider edible roots like dock, cattail or even dandelion. Don’t forget to look for easily pickable fruits and berries.
Combine Your Active And Passive Food Sourcing Skills
Survival and bushcraft skills goes hand in hand. You can’t have one without the other. While it can be fun to hash out things like traditional bow hunting versus compound bow hunting or any number of other arguments that will come up on bushcrafting sites and forums. To source your best hunting yield, you are going to want to combine your passive and active food sourcing methods.
While your traps are set you can head out and fish upstream or you can build a hunting blind and sit there for a few hours after sunrise. The semantics are not important. The point is you should not be trying to choose which is better or singular resources that you will or will not use. Take full advantage of the land around you and use it to your best advantage.
Survival Hunting Traps Conclusion
Knowing how to passively attract food by building some successful survival hunting traps will give you the edge out in the wild. Being able to yield even a small prey will change your whole outlook on what it takes to survive by your own hands. Stay on track as a prepper and keep reading up on prepper skills to learn today.
Great article. One thing I have not seen is positive feedback on the DF-4 machined traps. But I’d be willing to try it! Time is valuable and to have such a reusable item would most definitely save time, so you can be putting your efforts in for a bigger harvest for your (and your group’s) survival. Respectfully, The Breakaway Homesteader