How to Build a Deadfall Trap

The deadfall trap has been used for fur taking and survival long before steel traps were invented. A deadfall consists of a heavy object held up by a trigger mechanism in a figure 4 design that can be made from any tree branch material. The trigger consists of three parts, an upright, diagonal and horizontal bait stick, each notched to fit together in such a way that they put pressure on each other to hold the trigger in place. When the animal trips the trigger assembly, it comes apart, dropping the object on the animal.

Things You'll Need

  • Sharp knife
  • Spool of dark thread
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Instructions

    • 1

      Locate an object like a log or large flat rock to use for the deadfall. Small animals are generally the target for deadfalls; therefore a log or rock of 10 to 15 pounds would be sufficient.

    • 2

      Cut two sticks 1 inch in diameter and approximately 12 inches long for the upright and diagonal pieces of the trigger. Cut a third stick of the same diameter, but about 15 inches long, for the bait stick.

    • 3

      Take the bait stick and make a slightly angled 80-degree cut halfway through the stick and 1 inch from the end. From a point 1 inch up the stick from the cut, make a beveled cut from the top side of the stick down to the bottom of the 80-degree cut.

    • 4

      Shave the opposite end of the bait stick into a narrow sharp point, tapering back along the stick 2 to 3 inches.

    • 5

      Select one of the 12-inch sticks for the diagonal piece and, starting 2 inches back on one end, cut a 45-degree bevel to the end of the stick. Leave the end the full width of the stick, but shaved down to a sharp edge. This will be the top side of the diagonal piece.

    • 6

      Keep the opposite end of the diagonal stick square and estimate down from this end a third of the stick’s length. At this point, on the underside of the stick, cut a 45-degree notch 1/2 inch long and halfway through the stick with the straight side of the notch on the shorter end of the stick.

    • 7

      Make the upright stick using the second 12-inch stick by leaving one end perfectly flat, as this is the part that rests on the ground. Trim the other end of the stick on both opposing sides, creating a 1-inch-long bevel on each side, ending in a sharp edge the full width of the stick, like an inverted V.

    • 8

      Lay the three sticks on the ground in the form of a 4. The beveled end of the diagonal stick pokes into the notch at the end of the bait stick. The upright stick’s beveled end pokes into the notch in the upper end of the diagonal stick. Adjust the bait stick so it lies perfectly horizontal across the upright stick.

    • 9

      Cut a flat-bottomed, square-backed notch in the upright stick slightly larger than the bait stick and exactly where the bait stick crosses it.

    • 10

      Trim the bait stick by flattening the bottom and side of the stick that fits into the notch on the upright stick. The two sticks should nest together, but not be snug.

    • 11

      Place bait on the pointed end of the bait stick and hold the three sticks together in the 4 shape, with all the points and notches fitting together. Lift one end of the deadfall object, leaving the opposite end on the ground, and place the trigger assembly under the object with the bait toward the back of the deadfall.

    • 12

      Lower the deadfall object slowly onto the upper end of the diagonal stick. Adjust the deadfall until it balances on the trigger assembly. The pressure of the object pushing down on the diagonal stick exerts pressure to all the connecting points and notches, holding the trigger assembly in place and the deadfall ready for operation.