As I continue my quest to build my own personal survival tin, I found some info on snares. Commercial snares come with a swivel loop on one end that is attached to another swivel or loop on the cord/wire that's tied up or staked down.<br><br>A drawing of a survival type snare shows this being done by twisting loops in the interlocking wire. It would seem to me that the wire loops could be snapped by a spinning animal as it struggles.<br><br>1. Could a fishing swivel work better in this situation? Or is it too weak?<br><br>2. What's the biggest animal one should try to snare using the brass wire in the kit? Squirrel & rabbit only?<br><br>Thanks<br><br>Willie Vannerson<br>McHenry, IL

Put your brass wire in a warm oven for a few hours.This will give it a natural tarnish to reduce visibility. Brass is ok for rabbits and squirrels. We used it in Arctic Survival School up in Alaska at Elmendorf AFB.There inevitably will be a few snares broken. Thats one of the reasons you want to set out a good dozen, and eventually upgrade to S/S .Ive never used a fishing swivel,it should work , given the similar weights of the animals.there is a wealth of material on trapping online and in print. Just remember,a person existing solely on rabbit will starve.the meat is extremely lean,so utilize other resources.<br><br>

A prefab snare that might be of interest comes from WSI. The school sells a 7 stranded SS nylon coated wire with a swivel attached to prevent twisting and rated to 27lbs. I know that's one big rabbit, but it gives you peace of mind knowing it will hold up. Also they offer excellent quality flint and steel sets amongst other small items.<br><br>WWW.wildernesssurvival.com<br><br><br><br>

I found the WSI snares (thanks). Unfortunately, there are no photos of them. My first thought is that they would be unsuitable for a pocket tin kit because of size. A spool of brass wire can be used to make several snares, while several premade snares would likely take up too much room. They might be better in a larger kit.<br><br>Does that seem like a fair assesment or am I off the mark?<br><br>Willie Vannerson<br>McHenry, IL

I had considered putting one pre-fab snare in my larger kits along with more snare wire, and including in my contents and instructions cheat sheet the advice to just use the one pre-fab as a model for making more primitive (swivel-free, lock-free) versions if snares are desired. If I'm the one who's injured or unconscious, and someone else is relying on the instructions and contents in my kit, then they would likely benefit from being able to see a "real" snare before trying to make their own. Other pre-fab snares I had seen prior to the WSI ones were mostly all so large that I didn't ever consider this feasible except for the largest kits. Now, I think I might do this with any but my smallest tins. They're so small that they don't take up much space at all, and I think that having a model would inspire confidence and help the beginner know what a snare "should" look like.<br><br>Stay safe,<br>J.T.

Hi Chris,<br><br>I had no clue that someone would eventually starve eating only rabbit meat. I have heard of another danger of some kinds of meat having too much iron (Deer) or vitamin A. I think I need to learn much more about survival nutrition. The problem is, most of the sources I have leave out a lot or pass the entire subject up. For example, many books will talk about what plants are edible, but not how to prepare them or what nutrients they have (same for animal products). Any suggestions on a good learning resource?<br><br>Thanks in advance<br><br>Peace and God Bless America<br><br>Chris

Nutrition is a big subject. My own academic background led me to a treasure trove of information; native peoples.Many a successfull exploration came through by listening to what native peoples said. Of course, they have dietary restrictions based on beliefs, much like Jews avoiding pork and shellfish. If you are looking for local information, find your State University book press. Somewhere, sometime a ethnologist/anthropologist wrote a ethnobotany for his dissertation. Of course, when I asked an Apache cowboy about a plant, he shrugged his shoulders. " Gee Chris, nobody eats that old stuff anymore, and went back to his balony , cheese and mustard on white bread sandwich. To eat well in the wilderness, think like a bear. If it's edible and nutritous down it goes. There are traps. In the 60's several campers at a rockconcert ate poisonous frogs and died. A scout troop had a marshmellow roast using poisonous plants for skewers with equally deadly results.there are suprises. A conquistador was lost in the jungle and resolved to commit suicide. he boiled a pudding from a highly poisonous plant. tohis suprise, he lived, and ate it for sustenance walking back to his comrades. He invented that mainstay of cafeteria and hospital food; Tapioca pudding. Ill work up a bibliography for the forum.<br><br>

http://www.buckshotscamp.com/<br><br>This is a great trapping and supplies site. Buckshot is also a heck of a nice guy.<br><br>

Will someone please explain to me why one couldn't / shouldn't use high strength (50lb +) fishing line as snare wire?<br><br>

I'm no trapper, but if you are talking about monofilament fishing line, wouldn't the snared animal be able to chew through it (assuming the animal wasn't killed immediately by springing the trap)?<br><br>

Monofilament line is SLIPPERY.What makes for a superb material on a reel is a detriment as a snare. The loop can often open back up. Brass, Stainless Steel and even braided line will drag against itself.<br><br>

Monofilament will work as a last result, although the 200 lb. line will probably hold a loop better. Mono. line will cut itself very fast if not tied properly, but on the other hand will cut the snared subject just as quick. Pre-made snares are too reasonable in cost to pass up. In an emergency situation I would rather have a proven design than my own homemade unit unless well tested beforehand. But in an emergency situation even vines could be used. (I guess the subject could chew through if fast enough.)<br><br>Regards<br>Hunter<br><br>