Tried to make my first figure 4 trap...

You expressed yourself well Stryker...and I think I can see where you are coming from.

I often wrestle with the ethics of killing things. I used to do things like catch sharks and stingrays for sport, but I wouldn't rush to do it now. Nowadays I might even let a fly out through a window instead of swatting it. I don't even like killing a weed unless it is dangerous, or preventing my vegetables from growing. Yet I eat meat and I gladly harvest my own. Maybe even that will change one day.

I'm certainly not a big fan of poisons either.

Thanks for that.
 
I used two opposing square notches for that. It's actually a little less sensitive than I wanted, but with a heavy weight deadfall like that it is hard to make them with a hair trigger. I took a short video of that one falling, absolutely brutal. It snapped the stick I used to set it off. Just for the record I don't ever bait traps out there in the forest reserve (2 years in jail for that) so I don't consider myself a primitive trapper. I do like making them though. Mac
 
I was bored by the campfire the other night so I made the mother of all figure 4 deadfalls.... any unsuspecting grasshoppers will perish under my skillfully constructed deathtrap!!.... moooaaah ha ha ha ha.....

yes... it is made of toothpics.

tinyfig4.jpg
 
Now see, you guys done and got me all wantin' to build these things around my desk at work. Maybe it'll keep people from taking stuff that ain't theirs. haha. Not sure how my boss, the sergeant major, will take it, though. :D:thumbup:

Edited: when used to trap food, how often should you check the trap? What I mean is, if I trap something I plan to eat, how long do I have before it isn't safe to eat any longer? Is it safe to say, set the trap(s) in the morning and then check 'em before sunset (or visa versa)?
 
[
Edited: when used to trap food, how often should you check the trap? What I mean is, if I trap something I plan to eat, how long do I have before it isn't safe to eat any longer? Is it safe to say, set the trap(s) in the morning and then check 'em before sunset (or visa versa)?[/QUOTE]

Unless the bait is stolen or they've gone off they'll stay set. I'd at least check them every morning before the heat of the day gets at 'em. Temperature will be your biggest facter - that and predators.
 
I think it is best to set traps in the evening, then check them as soon as possible the next morning. This is the humane thing to do if there is a live animal in a trap. You may even find that the laws in your area specify a maximum time a trap can be set without checking it.

The animals I trap are generally nocturnal...so that is why I leave them set overnight. If I were trapping an animal that was mainly active during the day (like birds or goats maybe), then I would change accordingly.

The quality of the meat may be heavily affected by the local temperatures. On a hot day the meat might 'go off' in a matter of hours. In shady, snowy conditions it might be OK for a week. And in freezing conditions it might be edible until it thaws.

Down in my area I would be happy about bringing meat home to eat that had been dead for a day and a half in summer.... and during winter I'd sometimes let some of it hang for several days before processing.

It seems that some animals might get 'gut taint' if left dead for a while with the guts in. My brushtail possum pole snares generally result in a dead possum. They may have been dead for 3 to 15 hours before I get to them the next morning, and some of the meat around the gut cavity develops quite a strong 'gamey' smell and flavor which isn't a favorite with everyone. Consequently I generally discard the belly flaps and the meat on the underside of the backbone.
 
Great info, Coote.... others can learn from your experience.:thumbup:
Rick
 
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