I just wanted to say thanks again for all the replies. <br><br>Chris.

Another thing that nobody mentioned (although Max said something close) is that you can't jury-rig an antenna from parachute cord. (Well, actually, you might be able to - there's a Ham in England who successfully made contact using a cotton string soaked in salt water as an end-fed antenna. Fresh water didn't work, but salt water did. But I'd rather use a length of snare wire if I had to. :-)

Doc,<br><br>I tend to agree with you, despite having no problem snaring small game myself. In my experience, it takes several sets to reliably produce something everyday. And they really should be checked everyday, of course. There are many variables... it is just a method of trapping.<br><br>IMHO, minks are pretty easy to catch in snares, the little bloodthirsty things - but yeeech! Nasty to eat. Most of the predators can be readily baited, all things remaining equal. Herbivores can take a lot more thinking, as placement is EVERYTHING. Rabbits are trivial IF you are snaring the edges of a brushpile and take a lot of snares to be productive in you're not... etc. It's not a skill one lucks into from reading about it, I think. Spending a month or a season with a trapper would be a pretty good "undergraduate course", but who has the time?<br><br>Interesting paths this conversation leads me on. But I keep wire in my repair kit / PSK anyway - it has too many uses, snares or not.<br><br>Regards,<br><br>Tom<br><br>

Basically, that's why I took the snare diagrams out of my cheat sheet. But I still have the wire in my kit, mostly becasue it can used for other things (like a bail handle for an an aluminum foil pot ).<br><br>I have never set a snare in my life (although I did manage to trap a few chipmonks once, but that's another story), but her's my take on survival snaring.<br><br>Knowledge of setting snares is not a function of how to tie the larkshead knot or how to carve a trigger out of a stick. It requires an true understanding of the prey you seek, where to find them and how to trap them.<br><br>For example, you won't find many rabbits in a mature stand of Sugar Maples or Oaks because the dense canopy prohibits growth of underbrush that rabbits use for food and shelter. You will find squirrel though. But that doesn't mean you'll be able to snare them. You still need to apply your knowledge of prey with the snaring skills with a good deal of practice. <br><br>We often preach on this forum that all survival skills, such as fire lighting, should be practiced before you find yourself in a survival situation. I would suggest snaring would be no different.<br><br>That being said, how would one go about "practicing" snaring? I know trappers get licenses, would the casual "trapper" need o do the same? (I would guess the answer is yes) And remember, that you should also dress and cook the meat.<br><br>If one doesn't have the knowedge and skill, then you should have the expectation of being able to trap food in a survival situation. Hence, you should stock your PSK in accordance to reality and perhaps place snare wire as a low priority if you need more room to make space for higher priority items, like water purification tablets or personal medications.

Most of the small game where I live can be caught with the hands.Just wait for them to come out of their holes. With squirels one will run the opposite direction of the rest to confuse the predator.<br><br>As far as snares, they just need to be placed so that the game will stick their heads through. Thats the difficult part. Most more often a squirrel will walk through pushing the snare out of the way.

I feel the biggest hurdle in securing wild food is not procurement, so much as cultural bias. I was in a poultry production class ( using up my G.I. bill after securing my degree). Several people were incapable of slaughtering their animals. I find insects and grubs palatable, but I like escargo, an excellent primer meal ( overlooking french waiters who make faces at your wine selection). After one dead seagull in survival school and a balut in the Phillipines it's all good LOL.

Very well said.

Thanks.<br><br>BTW, of the snares I've seen diagramed, two outwardly seem to be more sutable to novices. One is a pole with a series of stiff wire snares on top and baited to catch squirrels. Ive seen enough of them to know how they could get caught in the snare. The second, a bent sapling bird snare, is more complex but I suspect I could locate suitabl locations with bird populations much easier han finding a fresh rabbit run.

<<One is a pole with a series of stiff wire snares on top and baited to catch squirrels>><br><br>That works; it takes a lot of snares / more than one pole to be effective day in and day out. Good placement does not require bait. We are talking tree rats here, not those tiny ground-burrowing red squirrels out west / up north - they can be caught easily enough as well, but... This same set-up works for mink. <br><br>Snares that use a trigger to release stored energy (counter-weight, springy pole, etc) are very effective as long as a proper critter pops into it. I well remember learning to make figure 4 triggers and the like when I was a Scout. Years later... I can attest to the higher efficacy of an energy-release snare. But they take a LOT more time and effort to construct, so there is a trade off. Fewer numbers with more critical siting... it's all learnable.<br><br>If your backyard permits... you can learn some valuable things with unbaited live traps. Just don't forget to check them daily and release anything that gets trapped in the cage.