How To Make A T-Bar Snare For Animals
To construct a T-Bar Trap you will need two sticks about 2 to 3 feet long, fairly straight and not to brittle and a horizontal crossbar about 20 inches long. The vertical sticks should be as big around as your thumb or bigger and the crossbar stick should be a little smaller in diameter than the vertical sticks.
You will also need a trigger stick about three inches long and it should also be slightly larger in diameter than the crossbar.
Once you have the sticks ready you will need to find a sapling to act as a spring that is strong enough and flexible enough to lift the prey off of the ground. So, if the sapling can be climbed by the prey and the sapling bends over to the ground then the sapling is not strong enough for that prey. Selecting a strong sapling is critical to making the T-bar trap work properly. When the trap is set the sapling is bent over by you and secured in the bent position. Usually a live sapling is used for this purpose and it is best to remove all leaves and branches from the sapling because those will slow the speed of it snapping back up when released from the doubled-over position.
The vertical sticks are driven into the ground far enough apart to allow the target prey enough room to walk between them and deep enough into the ground so that they can't be dislodged by the power of the snare pole. A notch is cut in the vertical (upright) sticks. The notches must be cut high enough up the vertical sticks so that the prey can easily walk beneath the notches. The notches will hold the crossbar stick.
The notches in the vertical sticks should be just big enough so that the crossbar fits loosely. When the crossbar is set in the notch it should not entirely fit within the notch it should be big enough to protrude to the outside of the notch.
Two cuts are made on the 3 inch trigger stick. One is a simple groove a 1/2 inch from on end of the trigger stick. We will call this the top of the trigger stick. The groove is where you will attach your snare cordage to the trigger stick. The second cut is to cut into the trigger stick about 1/2 inch from the bottom of the trigger stick. This cut is straight in. Now take your knife about halfway between the cuts and cut in at an angle so that when this cut and the bottom cut meet you will be able to remove a wedge of wood from the trigger stick. The cut will resemble and upside down 7. This upside down 7 notch is what will hold the snare pole down when connected to the crossbar stick.
Now tie your cordage of wire to the snare pole. Next, tie your cordage to the top circular notch of the trigger stick, hopefully leaving a long tagline that can be tied into a noose via a slip knot. Here is a link to one such knot. Care must be taken not to tighten the slip knot too much as it must remain loose enough to slide freely and tighten around the prey when the snare pole pulls upwards. Care must be taken not to tighten the slip knot to much as it must remain loose enough to slide freely and tighten around the prey when snare pole pulls upwards.
Setting The Trap
Set the slip not so that it basically forms a circle that conforms to the dimensions of the hole formed by the 2 vertical sticks and the crossbar. You can use weak twigs to help hold the slip knot open. I like to use a piece of grass to tie it to the vertical sticks. If you use wire then this could be unnecessary as wire holds its shape pretty well. Funnel the prey between the vertical sticks by blocking the path around the opening with obstacles such as driving vegetation into the ground or placing sticks or placing logs to each side of the snare.
When the animal moves through the snare it will dislodge the trigger stick which is holding the snare pole doubled over under tension. Once released the snare pole snaps up straight and pulls the slip knot tight around the animal and lifts the animal off of the ground. Depending on where the slip knot catches the animal and what type of cordage you use the animal might be killed or probably not. This is why it is important that the snare pole be strong enough to hold the animal off the ground. If the animal is not lifted off the ground it will surely eventually escape.
The T-Bar Snare trap is often illegal to use in non-survival scenarios. Regardless of when this trap is used it is important to check all traps first thing in the morning to prevent any unnecessary suffering that they will inflict on the prey. You will and should do what you must in a survival situation be respect for nature is something that all primitive cultures shared. If you want to be successful like they were then adopting a love and a caring attitude towards the ecosystem that will support you is very important.
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You will also need a trigger stick about three inches long and it should also be slightly larger in diameter than the crossbar.
Once you have the sticks ready you will need to find a sapling to act as a spring that is strong enough and flexible enough to lift the prey off of the ground. So, if the sapling can be climbed by the prey and the sapling bends over to the ground then the sapling is not strong enough for that prey. Selecting a strong sapling is critical to making the T-bar trap work properly. When the trap is set the sapling is bent over by you and secured in the bent position. Usually a live sapling is used for this purpose and it is best to remove all leaves and branches from the sapling because those will slow the speed of it snapping back up when released from the doubled-over position.
The vertical sticks are driven into the ground far enough apart to allow the target prey enough room to walk between them and deep enough into the ground so that they can't be dislodged by the power of the snare pole. A notch is cut in the vertical (upright) sticks. The notches must be cut high enough up the vertical sticks so that the prey can easily walk beneath the notches. The notches will hold the crossbar stick.
The notches in the vertical sticks should be just big enough so that the crossbar fits loosely. When the crossbar is set in the notch it should not entirely fit within the notch it should be big enough to protrude to the outside of the notch.
Two cuts are made on the 3 inch trigger stick. One is a simple groove a 1/2 inch from on end of the trigger stick. We will call this the top of the trigger stick. The groove is where you will attach your snare cordage to the trigger stick. The second cut is to cut into the trigger stick about 1/2 inch from the bottom of the trigger stick. This cut is straight in. Now take your knife about halfway between the cuts and cut in at an angle so that when this cut and the bottom cut meet you will be able to remove a wedge of wood from the trigger stick. The cut will resemble and upside down 7. This upside down 7 notch is what will hold the snare pole down when connected to the crossbar stick.
Setting The Trap
Set the slip not so that it basically forms a circle that conforms to the dimensions of the hole formed by the 2 vertical sticks and the crossbar. You can use weak twigs to help hold the slip knot open. I like to use a piece of grass to tie it to the vertical sticks. If you use wire then this could be unnecessary as wire holds its shape pretty well. Funnel the prey between the vertical sticks by blocking the path around the opening with obstacles such as driving vegetation into the ground or placing sticks or placing logs to each side of the snare.
When the animal moves through the snare it will dislodge the trigger stick which is holding the snare pole doubled over under tension. Once released the snare pole snaps up straight and pulls the slip knot tight around the animal and lifts the animal off of the ground. Depending on where the slip knot catches the animal and what type of cordage you use the animal might be killed or probably not. This is why it is important that the snare pole be strong enough to hold the animal off the ground. If the animal is not lifted off the ground it will surely eventually escape.
The T-Bar Snare trap is often illegal to use in non-survival scenarios. Regardless of when this trap is used it is important to check all traps first thing in the morning to prevent any unnecessary suffering that they will inflict on the prey. You will and should do what you must in a survival situation be respect for nature is something that all primitive cultures shared. If you want to be successful like they were then adopting a love and a caring attitude towards the ecosystem that will support you is very important.
Back To Traps
