survival traps #1 - Deadfall trap

[zorro]

two years ago i started the project of building some survival traps and triggers, just wanted to try how difficult or easy were to build and set. Also i wanted to try a legendary spanish survival knife, most of the traps are built only using this knife, so it appears in most of the pics i took. Survival traps and triggers were taken from survival books, internet sites and some survival and travel videos, some are well known and others are a bit odd but all are fairly simple and effective.
i used white 2mm polipropilene cordage so pics can show where the snares and knots and trip lines goes...
Here goe's #1, a deadfall with a spring trigger, i found this in a drawing at Field & Stream online magazine... they called it "Mc Pherson's trigger deadfall"
It'a just a deadfall where the weight is held in place with a stick...
it has a baited trigger wich releases a spring that takes away the weight support and so the animal is caught under the deadfall.
this are the elements of the trap from left to right...
1.-little loop of string
2.-pointed stick wich is driven in the ground and hold the bait stick
3.- bait stick with a notch to engage the ground stick and a point tip to hold the bait.
4.-survival knife
5.-two big stakes to guide the deadfall down and avoid it may tilt right or left... (this also make very easy setup in any deadfall trap)
6.-two medium stakes to hold the spring wand
7.-stick to hold the deadfall in place.
8.-a flexible wand who acts like a spring and will set off the deadfall.
9.-a big branchor log used as deadfall itself.


Next pic is self explanatory, it shows the deadfall setup. basicly is a weight held in place with a stick. this stick is conected to the spring wand on it's lower part, and the spring wand is held in place with the trigger system.


Next pic shows the two strings tied to the spring wand... the tension string is tied to the trigger bait stick. the other string lying in the ground is tied to the base of the stick who hold the weight in place


Here you can see a closeup of the trigger system it has a little stake driven in the ground, the bait stick with a little notch who is leaned on the ground stake and a string loop wich hold the two pieces in balance.
Supposedly the bait goes on the sharp tip


Here you can see the deadfall setup from the other side, note how the spring wand is mounted with the two medium stakes driven in the ground.


closeup of the end of the spring wand, note the two strings, the tensioned straight one at the left goes to the baited trigger, the other laying in the ground is tied to the base of the stick who hold the weight... you have to allow some lenght so the wand can take speed and get enough inertia to pull off the stick that holds the weight.



Back side view


one tip about this setup... if soil is soft or deadfall is too heavy you can put a plain rock on the base of the stick wich holds the weight, so it doesn't sink in the ground.

[david]

Hi Zorro, what can I say thats great just one of the many things I joined to learn . Can you please post the links to these sites you mention. Iam also thinking about a new larger knife, can you give some information on yours.

[zorro]

Hi David, some of the links...
Field & Stream online mag.
http://www.fieldandstream.com/

book: Camp Life in the Woods and the Tricks of Trapping and Trap Making

Author: William Hamilton Gibson

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/17093...-h/17093-h.htm
here's the US Army Survival Manual (FM21-76) on line and also downloadable in .pdf format
US Army Survival Manual FM 21-76

check also outdoors magazine, lots of interesting articles and reviews, diy, books, gear. etc...
http://outdoors-magazine.com/spip.php?page=accueil

Knife used in the trap construction is a "villegas" knife named after it's designer Capt. Diaz de Villegas... it was used in special operations survival training. Now is made by different spanish knife factory brands, this is from Cudeman

[riley]

Very nice I've never seen a deadfall like that before....Probably easier to make than a figure 4 if your hands are cold or injured also...I guess I know what I'll be trying this weekend

[zorro]

does this mean i have to pile all traps in a single biiiiiiiiiiig post?

[JP]

You can do seperate posts for discriptions of each trap if you like, a how to type of thing that would be good

[zorro]

Originally Posted by JP

You can do seperate posts for discriptions of each trap if you like, a how to type of thing that would be good

Hi JP, i did separate posts for each kind of trap, (survival traps #1, #2 and #3) but someone moved them together in a single post

[JP]

............................oi !!!!!! lol

[Scotty]

Sorry that was me, quickly glanced at it and thought it was all one tutorial, doh . I've separated it out again now.

[zorro]

Originally Posted by Scott

Sorry that was me, quickly glanced at it and thought it was all one tutorial, doh . I've separated it out again now.

thank you very much Scott...