How To Make A Deadfall Trap Even With Natural Materials?

When hunting or hiking, one of the most difficult challenges we face is procuring food to eat. Consuming sufficient amount of protein and fat is essential to get enough calories in your system. And let’s not forget the fact that hunting and hiking require large amounts of effort and energy, right?

So you need to consume more calories not just to survive but also to be able to hunt. And what does this mean?

It means that you should know the basics to hunting and hiking. Every part of this experience must be carried out properly if you want your wild journey to be fun and productive. And that is exactly why you should know how to make a deadfall trap. Having this skill can help you during the most distressing survival situations.

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How to use deadfall traps to ambush wild animals

There are many different survival trap variations that you can work with to procure food in the wild. But there are only two that are most commonly used; figure 4 deadfall trap and Paiute deadfall trap.

If you want to learn how to make a simple deadfall trap, then you must know how to make these two traps. They are pretty simple and basic to construct. And the best part about them is that you only need natural materials to make them.

What these deadfall traps do is crush, choke, entangle, or hang wild game. And if you’re going to be spending a lot of time doing what you do, then you’re better off learning to make a deadfall trap. Especially if your survival moments depend on them.

How to make a figure 4 deadfall trap?

What You Will Need:

  • 3 sticks of the same size and shape
  • Knife

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Method:

How to make a deadfall trap

Credit: smartbushcraft.com

1.The First Stick

Use your knife to flatten just one end of the first stick. This is the stick that will be placed vertically from the ground. So to simplify it even further, the first stick will make up the height of your deadfall trap.

2.The Second Stick

Learning how to make a figure 4 deadfall trap is an easy procedure. And that is pretty evident in these basic instructions. The second simple step involves the second stick. This stick acts as the main release.

What you have to do is create a notch at the top of the stick. The notch helps the second stick fit onto the flattened end of the first stick. Use your knife again to flatten the opposite end of the second stick.

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3.The Third Stick

Do the same with the third stick. Create a notch at the top of this stick as well. The notch will help the third stick fit onto the flattened end of the second stick.

This is the spot where the vertical bar and bait bar meet. Then create a notch in both the bars so they properly fit together.

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4.The Final Act

If you’re making using of bait, then it’s time to place it on the stick. Once all the cutting is over with, take the three sticks and put them together. Don’t forget to lower the deadfall gently on top of the second stick, also known as the release stick.

The force that is generated through this figure 4 deadfall trap is enough to ensure that the sticks stay in place.

Wasn’t that simple? Now you’ve finally learned how to make a deadfall trap. 

How to Make a Figure 4 Deadfall Trap. Deadfall Trap in Action Killing Mice?

How to make a Paiute deadfall trap?

What You Will Need:

No tools required for this procedure.

Method:

1.Build a natural cordage

When learning to make a deadfall trap with natural materials, it is important to avoid using products from hardware stores. So keeping this mind, create your own natural cordage.

Take fibers from individual plants like cedar bark, stinging bane, or dogbane. Now all you have to do is twist these fibers together using the method of the two-ply twist. And there, you have your natural cordage ready!

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2.Select the deadfall rock

The next step is to choose a rock. Look for a rock that is a little large but flat. The ultimate requirement is that it be heavier than the wild animal you’re preparing to trap.

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3.Build a natural blade

You can create your own natural blade too. The thing about living in the wild is that you get the opportunity, especially due to survival instincts, to create a lot of useful stuff to keep you going. These are the things that one would normally and quite easily find in a local hardware store.

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So anyway, you can build your own natural blade from flint flakes. Just take any stone and strike a flint piece to get sharp flakes of flint.

4.Do the sticks

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Take a stick that has a diameter of the same size as your thumb. The first step that you need to take is to cut a short post stick vertically. Cut it about three inches and make sure that it has a V-shape point at the top.

The second step is to cut a long stick of not more than six inches. This stick is also known as the longer angled stick. Mainly because it acts as a support for the deadfall weight or the large, flat rock.

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Then you need to cut a notch at the end of the angled stick. Just make sure that the notch of the longer stick fits into the vertical post of the shorter stick.

5.Create the trigger component

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When learning to make a deadfall trap, it is very important to make the trigger component in the most efficient manner. All you have to do is cut out a flat piece of wood. Then using the naturally constructed flint flake, drill a hole through the flat piece of wood.

What this does is enable you to trigger your natural cordage through the hole in the wood. Then simply just secure the cordage by tying a knot or placing a stick at the end of the loop.

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To complete the trigger component, tie the other end of your cordage to the angled stick’s lower end.

6. Carve a little more

To secure your cordage to the angled stick properly, it is important to carve a “V” at stick’s end and knot the cordage around that.

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You can make another carving create a notch at end of the vertical post stick. This helps in keeping the trigger component in place. It also helps in preventing the trap from turning and twisting when you keep your deadfall rock on top of it.

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7. Set the deadfall trap

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But before you do that, take a small twig so it can serve as the trigger stick for setting off the trap. Now you can set the Paiute deadfall trap. Simply take the vertical post stick and balance the angled stick on top of it. Then place your deadfall rock on the edge.

Remember to bind the trigger component around the vertical post stick’s notch at the base. Then you can finally set your Paiute deadfall trap with the help of the trigger stick.

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At this point remember that your trigger stick should be wedged between the deadfall rock and the trigger component.

And that’s about it! It may seem a tad complicated at first but it’s not. This is exactly how to make a simple deadfall trap. Just don’t forget to put that bait under the rock!

Paiute Deadfall Trap in Action! Killing Rats and Mice. Bushcraft Survival Skills.

Conclusion

The figure 4 deadfall trap and Paiute deadfall trap are both very capable systems to use in survival situations. And you don’t need to have access to a local hardware store to procure materials to build them. The supplies are found abundantly in nature so you can make the most out of the whole experience.

I hope that now you not only understand but also know how to make a deadfall trap for your wild hunting or hiking expeditions. Please remember that these kinds of survival traps are used for survival only. And building them might be a little dangerous if you don’t know how to do it right. So follow the instructions and you’ll be doing it the right way.

Have you tried building any one of these deadfall traps?

Did you find the article useful?

Please let me know in the comments section below.

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