How to Make Homemade Hunting Traps

Homemade hunting traps can work just as well as commercially made ones.

There are essentially two types of homemade hunting traps. Box-style traps capture animals alive and have the advantage of allowing it to be released unharmed. Snares catch the animal through the use of a noose. A snare can either catch and hold the animal by the leg or around its neck, suffocating it. oth types are best constructed from wire; the larger the intended species, the heavier the required gauge of wire. Both types of traps can be constructed to capture animals of any size from birds, squirrels and rabbits to wild hogs and even bears.

Things You'll Need

• Flat metal fence posts
• Hammer
• Heavy gauge wire fencing
• Cable cutters
• Ring fasteners
• Needle-nose pliers
• Cordless drill
• 3/8-inch metal drill bit
• 4 1-inch-by-3/8-inch bolts
• 4 1-inch U-clamps
• Adjustable wrench
• 1/8 aircraft cable
• 1/8-inch heavy-duty wire lock
• Bolt cutters
• 2 single-ferrule cable-stops
• 1 double-ferrule cable-stop

Instructions

Box Traps

1. Chose a spot where there are signs of recent game activity. Determine the size of your trap. The larger the trap, the more animals it will hold. For animals the size of hogs, drive metal posts at least a foot into the ground with the hammer.

2. String heavy gauge wire fencing around the posts. Use the wire cutters to cut wire to cover the top and bottom of the trap. Use pliers and ring fasteners to securely connect all the seams. Using a few too many fasteners is better than not enough as the animals will look for weak points to make an escape.

3. Cut a door opening of the desired size at a lower corner next to a post. Drive a fencepost in the ground next to the opening opposite the corner post so both sides of the door opening will be supported. Cut pieces from the metal fence posts with the hacksaw to make the door frame. The door frame will need to be one and a half times as tall a the door opening so it will sit at a approximately a 45-degree angle on the inside of the trap. This will prevent the animals from being able to push it open in from the inside.

4. Drill 3/8-inch holes 1/2 inch from in the ends of the cut pieces of fence posts and bolt the door frame together. Cut a piece of fencing wire to fit the door frame and attach it with the ring fasteners. Place the door on the inside of the trap and hang it by fastening the top of the door frame to the top of the door opening with the U-clamps.

5. Bait the trap with an appropriate food source.

Snares

1. Unwrap about 10 feet of cable and sever with the cable cutters. Slide a wire lock on the cable to prevent it from working loose. This will only allow the noose to become tighter as the animal struggles. Place a single-ferrule cable-stop on the end of the cable and secure by striking it with the hammer.

2. Grasp the cable about a half-inch from the stop and make a reverse bend in the cable. This will allow the cable to slip all the way through the cable lock and firmly grasp the animal.

3. Stretch, or load, the cable. Loading is a process where the wire is stretched to hold a certain shape. In this case you want to remove the wire's natural tendency to become oval-shaped when it becomes doubled over. Work with the memory of the cable (the way it was wound in the spool) while loading, or it will want to flip over on itself in a figure-eight shape.

4. Construct an anchor loop at the end opposite of the cable from the snare loop. Slip the cable through one side of the double-ferrule cable-stop and back through the other. Secure the loose end of the cable with the other single-ferrule cable-stop.

5. Place the snare on a game trail or feeding area and secure in place by driving a stake in the ground though the anchor loop.

Tips & Warnings

• For box traps, be sure the size of the wire mesh is small enough to not allow the intended species to squeeze through and escape.

• Wear gloves to keep human scent to a minimum when you bait the trap.

• If you are having animals escape from the box trap, you can weld a strip of metal across the bottom of the door to prevent them from being able to pry it open with their nose.

• For smaller animals like rabbits you can use the same basic designs with lighter gauge wire.

• Be sure to check local laws, as it is illegal to trap game animals in some jurisdictions.

References

• Hog Hunting Guide: How to Build Hog Traps
• The Hunting Life: How to Make a Live Catch Rabbit Trap
• Boar Masters: Making Hog Snares
• Off Grid Survival: Survivalists Guide to Survival Traps and Snares

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Field and Steam: Traps for Catching Food in the Woods