How to Build a Snare for Trapping Small Food Animals for Survival

Learning how to build a snare is going to be one of the first skills you will need when faced with a worldwide economic collapse. When paper money becomes valueless you’re going to have to find other ways of supporting yourself. One of your first concerns is going to be how to get food and water. If you don’t have access to firearms, you’re going to have to learn another way of putting food on the table.

The Time is Now

Now is the time to learn how to build a snare, not when your family is going hungry and it is becoming increasingly hard to concentrate. Take the time to educate yourself on what kinds of materials you’re going to need and for what type of game you are hunting. Find out what kind of viable animals live in your area so that you can build the right kind of snare for the critters you are seeking.

How to Build a Snare: What You’ll Need

Most basic snares consist of wire or string and branches. In order to catch larger animals you may need heavier gauges of wire and washers as well as materials like a vice, pliers and wire cutters. Of course, to create most types of snares you will need a sharp survival knife, which should be the first thing you buy when you are starting to equip yourself to survive any kind of disaster.

The Right Spot

After you have learned how to build a snare, you have to make sure you put it in the right spot. If you’ve build a rabbit snare, it does little good if you put it somewhere that rabbits don’t frequent. You’ll need to search around until you find a game trail. It also helps if the path is currently in use.

Some signs to look for are tufts of rabbit hair and droppings. Since rabbits are so soft footed you probably won’t see any prints unless it has just rained or there is snow on the ground. Fur however, easily snags on twigs as the rabbit passes by.

If you’re able to find some droppings, that’s great. If you can find some that are still moist you know you’ve found a game trail that is still being used. This would be a great place to put your device.

It Takes Time

Don’t wait until your food supply has run low before laying your snares. Catching rabbits in snares is a little like fishing. You have to be patient. Just because your worm is in the right spot doesn’t guarantee a bite. Even if you get a bite you still have to set the hook.

You may have your trap in the right spot but that doesn’t mean you’ll catch one. You have to have your trap in place when the trail is likely to be used. It will probably take more than one time before you finally catch one.

• Move your trap around.
• Look for signs that the trail that your trap is on is still being used.
• Keep track of the signs you find. If you find hair in one place note it so you’ll know if the next clump of hair you find was there last time or is a new sign.
• Experiment with the position of your snare. You might have to tweak it before you find the right size of loop or how high off the ground for example. Maybe your loop is too small for a rabbit to fit through or maybe it’s so big your prey can easily slip through without triggering it.

Patience is the key when you’re learning how to build a snare and successfully using it to put food on the table.

One Last Tip

People have many different tricks when it comes to how to build a snare and how to use it to catch your food. Give yourself the best advantage by setting your trap on a landing zone. Find a set of footprints and put your trap about 6 inches above the ground. If you set your trap mid stride – during a hop – your likelihood of snaring a rabbit decreases dramatically.