Ojibway Bird Trap
Ojibway Bird Trap
The Ojibway uses a weighted snare to trap catch birds alive. The snare when triggered holds the bird firmly against a pole awaiting your retrieval. The trap is rather simple, yet it does take some time to make unlike quicker dead fall traps and other low percentage traps.
An Ojibway trap consists of only four parts, a pole, a trigger stick, a snare and a stone or weight of some sort. That is it. This is a great trap to learn because not only does it provide food, but it catches the prey alive and holding live prey for later consumption can be a great way to ride out lean times.
The first part of the trap is a pole. The pole is nothing more than a strong piece of wood that is fairly tall; six feet will do. Both ends are traditionally pointed. One end is pointed so you can drive it into the ground and the other (top) end is pointed so that the birds will land where you want them to instead of on the top of the pole.
Just below the point at the top of the pole you must drill a hole through the post. The hole must be smooth. Why, because the stick and cord must travel through this hole with little resistance from jagged edges. How you cut the hole is up to you, modern drills or cutting away with a knife. Regardless, the finished product needs to smooth.
The next part of the Ojibway bird trap is the trigger stick. The stick must be long enough to entice a bird to land on it. Seven inches or so is about right. The trigger stick is mounted to the top of the pole by inserting it into the drilled/cut hole of the pole. The stick must have a snug fit, but not be so tight that the weight of a bird can be supported. The idea is that when a bird tries to land on the stick that it will drop away due to the weight of the bird.
The next component is the actual snare part of the trap. The snare should be string or small cordage of some sort. Wire doesn't work really well. The snare must be light and wispy, not stiff.
The last part of this Ojibway bird trap is a weight. The weight is usually nothing more than a rock tied to one end of the snare/cordage. The cordage must be strong enough to support the dangling of the weight and the weight must be heavy enough to overcome any resistance cordage produced while being pulled through the hole. Heavier is better, but not because it will fall faster when the trap is triggered as you might think. The heavy weights are better because they are able to more easily overcome any resistance that is experienced when pulling the snare through the hole in the top of the log.
To set up the trap. Dig a small hole and drive one end of the pole into the ground firmly enough so that it will not easily fall over. Next tie the snare material around the rock or weight so that the rock can be suspended without the weight coming free. Now tie the other end of the line to the rock as well. This will form a circle of string with a rock tied to it. While holding the rock pull the string through the hole in the top of the pole and insert the trigger stick in the hole on the opposite side from the rock. The loop pulled through the hole should be just pulled through so that you have just enough string to make a loop that reaches the end of the trigger stick. Drape this loop on the end of the trigger stick so that it hangs down slightly on either side of the trigger stick. Place the rock on something that will hold it a couple of feet off of the ground so that the trigger is not under tension.
Now the tricky part, with the trigger held firmly with one hand remove the support for the rock so that it is pulling down on the string. What you want is the trigger to pinch the string so that it can't be pulled through the hole. BUT and it is a big but. However, it must not be so strongly and securely held that the weight of a bird can't dislodge it thereby releasing the string.
That is it. In theory when a bird lands on the stick the stick will dislodge and the loop will be pulled through the hole by the rock. Hopefully the loop will encompass the bird's feet and hold the bird securely to the pole until it can be retrieved.
This is a very popular bird trap on the internet, but in my opinion it actually sucks compared to other traps because it is fairly limited in what it can catch. Very small birds will not be caught and even if they are, then that isn't much meat anyway. I list it here because although not as valuable as some other traps it can be useful at times. The trap is best suited for catching doves or pigeons. These birds are somewhat predictable in their habits and this trap can be used when the situation presents itself.
There are variations of this trap and mine isn't the norm. Most people make their traps so that the string goes through the hole with a knot to prevent it from being pulled back through until the trigger is dislodged. This method is easier to set, however the knot can slow the speed of the snare.
Other variations use a bent sapling to pull the lie through the hole. Use a little ingenuity and what you have available to make use of this trap. Good luck!
The Ojibway uses a weighted snare to trap catch birds alive. The snare when triggered holds the bird firmly against a pole awaiting your retrieval. The trap is rather simple, yet it does take some time to make unlike quicker dead fall traps and other low percentage traps.
An Ojibway trap consists of only four parts, a pole, a trigger stick, a snare and a stone or weight of some sort. That is it. This is a great trap to learn because not only does it provide food, but it catches the prey alive and holding live prey for later consumption can be a great way to ride out lean times.
The first part of the trap is a pole. The pole is nothing more than a strong piece of wood that is fairly tall; six feet will do. Both ends are traditionally pointed. One end is pointed so you can drive it into the ground and the other (top) end is pointed so that the birds will land where you want them to instead of on the top of the pole.
Just below the point at the top of the pole you must drill a hole through the post. The hole must be smooth. Why, because the stick and cord must travel through this hole with little resistance from jagged edges. How you cut the hole is up to you, modern drills or cutting away with a knife. Regardless, the finished product needs to smooth.
The next part of the Ojibway bird trap is the trigger stick. The stick must be long enough to entice a bird to land on it. Seven inches or so is about right. The trigger stick is mounted to the top of the pole by inserting it into the drilled/cut hole of the pole. The stick must have a snug fit, but not be so tight that the weight of a bird can be supported. The idea is that when a bird tries to land on the stick that it will drop away due to the weight of the bird.
The last part of this Ojibway bird trap is a weight. The weight is usually nothing more than a rock tied to one end of the snare/cordage. The cordage must be strong enough to support the dangling of the weight and the weight must be heavy enough to overcome any resistance cordage produced while being pulled through the hole. Heavier is better, but not because it will fall faster when the trap is triggered as you might think. The heavy weights are better because they are able to more easily overcome any resistance that is experienced when pulling the snare through the hole in the top of the log.
To set up the trap. Dig a small hole and drive one end of the pole into the ground firmly enough so that it will not easily fall over. Next tie the snare material around the rock or weight so that the rock can be suspended without the weight coming free. Now tie the other end of the line to the rock as well. This will form a circle of string with a rock tied to it. While holding the rock pull the string through the hole in the top of the pole and insert the trigger stick in the hole on the opposite side from the rock. The loop pulled through the hole should be just pulled through so that you have just enough string to make a loop that reaches the end of the trigger stick. Drape this loop on the end of the trigger stick so that it hangs down slightly on either side of the trigger stick. Place the rock on something that will hold it a couple of feet off of the ground so that the trigger is not under tension.
Now the tricky part, with the trigger held firmly with one hand remove the support for the rock so that it is pulling down on the string. What you want is the trigger to pinch the string so that it can't be pulled through the hole. BUT and it is a big but. However, it must not be so strongly and securely held that the weight of a bird can't dislodge it thereby releasing the string.
That is it. In theory when a bird lands on the stick the stick will dislodge and the loop will be pulled through the hole by the rock. Hopefully the loop will encompass the bird's feet and hold the bird securely to the pole until it can be retrieved.
This is a very popular bird trap on the internet, but in my opinion it actually sucks compared to other traps because it is fairly limited in what it can catch. Very small birds will not be caught and even if they are, then that isn't much meat anyway. I list it here because although not as valuable as some other traps it can be useful at times. The trap is best suited for catching doves or pigeons. These birds are somewhat predictable in their habits and this trap can be used when the situation presents itself.
There are variations of this trap and mine isn't the norm. Most people make their traps so that the string goes through the hole with a knot to prevent it from being pulled back through until the trigger is dislodged. This method is easier to set, however the knot can slow the speed of the snare.
Other variations use a bent sapling to pull the lie through the hole. Use a little ingenuity and what you have available to make use of this trap. Good luck!
