Figure 4 Deadfall

[Durlaburban]

im having trouble makng one sensitive enough for squirrles... any tips?

[pgvoutdoors]

Check out these PDF files:
http://www.pdfgeni.com/ref/traps-and-snares-pdf.html

[Fletcher]

im having trouble makng one sensitive enough for squirrles... any tips?

Practice then do it again then practice some more.

[snakeman]

Try a paiute deadfall. You can adjust their sensitivity better.

[SARKY]

use a squirrel pole, it is much more productive.

[vthompson]

Don't feel bad, I can't seem to make them work either. I tried until I was blue in the face one day and finally gave up.

[Stairman]

I agree the squirrel pole is almost foolproof with good results.

[crashdive123]

Did you watch that video that Red Lake posted? Now that's a deadfall - got a 400 pound bear with it.

[Stairman]

I think the figure 4 is easier if you drive the vertical stick in the ground a bit.You then have to make sure the end of your log drops shy of the stake/stick.

[Durlaburban]

Wait i got it now. i used a saw to get exact cuts. its really sensative. not practical though for a survival situation. so im gunna pratica alot with my knife to carve one. oh and anyone have any tips on squirrel pole? like what to use for wire and everything. plus is there any bait involved with them?

[SARKY]

go and get yourself a Victorinox "Hunter" model. It has a saw blade that is sharp and useful.

[Rick]

A sensitive trap will never catch a squirrel. You need a manly, tough to the bone, kinda trap that doesn't care who it catches or if it mangles it in the process. Oh, wait. By sensitive you did mean caring and kind, right?

[huskymill]

i have never used one of these before. i stick to snares. one question ive always had about these is how does the weight from the trap not rupture the internal organs, contaminating the meat in the process?

[crashdive123]

Hey there Huskymill. How about trapping your way on over to the Introduction section and tell us a bit about yourself. Thanks. http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...ead.php?t=8560

[hunter63]

i have never used one of these before. i stick to snares. one question ive always had about these is how does the weight from the trap not rupture the internal organs, contaminating the meat in the process?

Just make sure you hit it in the head..... and the main question,
"How hungry are you?"

[Old GI]

Hell, I thought Dur.... was talking about a wrasslin' move.

[Bladen]

if youre going to go out and buy snare wire for a pole you might want to think about just picking up a few rat traps.

nail/screw/wedge it in a tree and youre all set. maybe a peanut or something for bait.

this works really great.

special thanks to owl_girl for the idea.

[Coote]

I'm a bit late with my contribution, but here it is anyway.

It is possible to make a sensitive, reliable figure-4 trigger. Using a wooden nail box partly filled with nails as the weight, I used a figure-4 trigger to catch a mouse on a flat concrete floor. The mouse was squashed so flat I could have just about inserted it into a bank card slot.

There are two main factors affecting sensitivity. One is the angle and smoothness of the mating trigger surfaces, the other is all about leverage. If the weight sits on a short lever and the bait-stick is a long lever, then a heavy weight can be triggered to fall with very little force applied to the bait stick.

One thing I do to help ensure that the critter pushes against the bait stick, is to split the end of the bait stick and push the bait right into it. The animal really has to wrestle with the bait stick to get the bait out of the crack.

In the sketch below, you can see that the weight is sitting on a very short lever. But the bait stick is comparatively long. So a small critter is more likely to be able to spring this trigger.

I generally do not insert the vertical prop stick into the ground. If the weight wants to move around, then I may drive some pegs into the ground behind it, or sit a heavy rock against the base to help stop the movement.

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We don't have squirrels down here, but I have set similar snares on sloping poles for our Australian brushtailed opossums. They are very effective. Here is a picture showing a pole snare sitting on my kitchen table. This snare is made from thin wire cable and is held in place by a bit of thin steel wire. I have also made pole snares using nylon cord... and actually I prefer cord snares. The pole could be an existing tree branch, or it could be a separate pole laid up against a tree trunk at an angle.

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