How to Make a Tripwire Trap

In a survival situation, animal traps can mean the difference between dinner and starvation, confidence and an empty stomach, life and death. One of the most simple and effective animal traps is the deadfall trap. Put simply, the animal triggers a tripwire, which releases a heavy log that falls and crushes the game. As with all animal traps, you should practice the construction of your trap in a backyard or nearby wooded area long before being forced to use it in a survival situation.

Things You'll Need

  • Stout tree with low limbs
  • Heavy log
  • Knife
  • 4-inch wooden stake
  • Two 2-inch wooden pegs
  • 1-foot wooden pole
  • Cordage
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Instructions

    • 1

      Locate a well-traveled game trail in your area. Game trails are often found near water sources or along low valleys or dells in the terrain. Walk along the game trail until you find a stout tree with low branches on the edge of the trail.

    • 2

      Locate a heavy log that is at least one foot wide and eight feet long. If possible, find a log leaning against another tree or sapling. Avoid rotting, wet logs lying flush with the ground.

    • 3

      Fashion a four-inch wooden stake with a sharp point on one end. Drive the stake into the ground on the opposite side of the game trail from the stout tree.

    • 4

      Fashion two, two-inch wooden pegs with a sharpened point on one end. Drive the wooden pegs into the trail-side base of the stout tree approximately eight inches apart. You may need to first drill holes into the tree using a forceful, twisting motion with your knife.

    • 5

      Fashion a wooden pole measuring one foot long out of a sturdy tree branch. If possible, locate a branch on the ground, rather than cutting away fresh wood from a green tree.

    • 6

      Tie one end of your cordage to the heavy log 10 to 12 inches from the end. Position your log beside your stout tree at a 20-degree angle to the ground so that the tied end hangs several feet above the game trail. Loop the cordage over a low tree limb and run it down the length of the tree trunk.

    • 7

      Place the wooden pole just below the wooden pegs, thereby sandwiching the cordage between the tree trunk and the wooden pole. Run the cordage horizontally across the game trail and tie it to the wooden stake.

    • 8

      Slowly release your grip on the cordage to see if your trap holds securely. Ideally, an animal walking along the game trail will pull the tripwire, thereby freeing the wooden pole from beneath the tree pegs and freeing up the cordage slack. The extra slack allows the heavy log to fall onto the animal.