Outdoor Reliance

One hollow reed with bait. The two bigger sticks are placed in the ground to form an upside down V. Pine pitch glue and Yucca cordage are used to connect the bigger sticks to attain the upside down V. The three pegs make a triangle with the hollow reed in the middle. The string holds a small wooden toggle tied in the middle to provide leverage for the hollow reed to spring the trap. 

Note that the bait stick is made from a hollow reed. The penny is laid out to show scale. That hole on the left is designed for the hollow reed to be staked into the ground. Another reason to have the reed hollow is that the middle can be carved out and fitted with bait (seeds in this case). This one is glued together with pine pitch glue. The idea is to get the bird to peck at the bait and that first peck is what springs the trap.

In the picture below shows a small triangular setup with the bait stick in the middle of the triangle. Three pegs provide the three points. One peg goes through the hollow bait stick and is staked into the ground. Notice how the hoop of cordage is lax in the picture? That is because of the small wooden peg in the middle of the string provides a tight grip on one side of the string and this allows the other side to be loose.

This trap is spring loaded. Note how small the triangle is. The other end of the string is tight with tension while the triangle bit is loose. An important tip is that the string must be slightly angled in towards the sapling and not running straight up and down or angled outward. This added tension makes the trap more effective in making the snare work properly.

Is a slight tap on the bait stick and the trap is sprung. It is very important to see that the noose line lays across the bait stick and not across the toggle. Otherwise the toggle will stop the noose from tightening.

This one is designed for birds but can be used for other small game. In a survival situation, this trap can be time consuming to make. This is designed to be used in such a way you will carry it with you and it is not recommended that you make these when you get lost. Make them before you trek into the woods. They weigh next to nothing and have a pre-baited bait stick.