A survival item seldom mentioned

I added something to my BOBs today which, interestingly enough, I don't ever recall seeing mentioned on anyone's list before. I bought a couple 4 packs of Victor rat traps (the old fashioned snap traps). They're very easy to fit into your gear, taking up minimal space and being very light. I also added a simple 3-foot long wire trace fishing leader for each trap to provide an anchor, ensuring the prey doesn't 'steal' the trap.

I figure since my bug out area is loaded with squirrels, chipmunks, and even rabbits these traps should be just as effective as any snare or deadfall trap, only quicker to setup and more mobile. For bait I can always slap some peanut butter from one of my many little PB pouches I started buying for the BOB last year when I first saw them in the store.

Hell, in a life or death situation, one might even be thrilled to catch an actual rat in one.

reply to post by burdman30ott6


I have a few of them in my BOB, on the survival forums I frequent they are pretty much a need in your BOB.

Now a seldom mentioned item you SHOULD pack is Salt. MMMM salt.

Its got one of the most important uses: preserving your food.

Not to mention salt is needed in your diet no matter how much you might or might not know about it.

That's actually a really good idea, i don't eat meat so i won't be adding them just yet but in an emergency i'll remember them

I would make sure to stake them to the ground because if you get a larger mammal like a squirrel the bar might manage to break a bone but probably won't kill it.

I'm not sure they'd be effective against squirrels - chipmunks, definitely rats/mice, as well as snakes, lizards, frogs...

They would probably injure squirrels, but I doubt they'd hold fast. I could be wrong, but squirrels are pretty tough. You're better off with a snare pole if you're trying to catch squirrels.

Still, they're useful for sure, I have a three pack in my go bag.

I like them for another reason though - they make excellent pre-built trap triggers. It's vital to know how to fashion your own, but there's nothing like a head start to take the pressure off.

They actually are great as a trigger for a larger set trap or other trap. In the Army, we were taught to set it with a string in the trip. Connect the string to a loop around a grenade spoon (or in case of a trap, use it to hold the tensioned limb) and when the trap is sprung by trip wire, the entire thing activates. In reality, you could eat rat, or you could eat venison.

Originally posted by exfed
They actually are great as a trigger for a larger set trap or other trap. In the Army, we were taught to set it with a string in the trip. Connect the string to a loop around a grenade spoon (or in case of a trap, use it to hold the tensioned limb) and when the trap is sprung by trip wire, the entire thing activates. In reality, you could eat rat, or you could eat venison.

I think I found a picture of you using the TRAP in the army.You can catch bear with this one.

Nice

I was actually being serious. You can find the specs in some survival manuals like the Poor Mans James Bond

Originally posted by WyrdeOne
I'm not sure they'd be effective against squirrels - chipmunks, definitely rats/mice, as well as snakes, lizards, frogs...

They would probably injure squirrels, but I doubt they'd hold fast. I could be wrong, but squirrels are pretty tough. You're better off with a snare pole if you're trying to catch squirrels.

The two main squirrels up here (western WA) are douglas and greys. Douglases are very small and I'd not eat one unless I was in need of food. Greys are a little bigger, but ignoring tail lengths, their bodies aren't much different from a standard barn rat's. We've got reds and tassel eared squirrels, but outside of parks and developed areas where they steal food, I can't recall seeing many out and about away from civilization.

I will be looking for some specs on using these as triggers for larger traps now, though. I hadn't thought of that before, but sounds brilliant.

Oh wow, rat traps thats a good idea! I am damn glad you thought of that. The even have delux sized ones at walmart, I'm sure thats enough to kill any squirrel in Texas! Think it will work on birds too? We have alot of pheasants and quail in texas, wouldn't make bad eating in sitx.

reply to post by LeTan


The benefit is that mouse traps are small and lightweight and relatively good at what they do. They're also cheap.

The downside is that they're not durable - they're intended for one-time use, at best to be used a few times in the confines of a basement - they're not meant for constant duty, outside, in the elements. They will fall apart QUICKLY, I guarantee. The metal will rust, but not before the wood splinters and falls apart.

Bite the bullet and buy real traps, that's my advice. They're really not expensive. A dozen or so locking snares will function as intended for many, many seasons, in all weather. The ones sold now come with these dinky little 'deer stops' which prevent the loop from closing too tightly (so a deer won't be accidentally foot-trapped when you're targetting bobcat or whatever).

I am NOT advocating that anyone break the law, but in a survival situation those little pieces need to be snipped off - this will allow you to use your snares for every animal in North America (provided you don't purchase wire of a miniscule gauge intended solely for squirrels). I will say though, anything sold to snare a beaver will, in a survival situation, hold a bear..almost certainly.

They can attach securely to a tree, and can hold even large animals for extended periods of time without breaking - get the ones with swivels, otherwise your cables might get twisted by the struggling animal and bent all out of shape.

The modern ones are made of aircraft cable. They're tough. Get some - you won't regret it. They're not that expensive, but you can make your own for practically nothing if you do a little research.

If you're really hooked on the idea of mousetraps, get a bag of them, pull off the mechanism, and re-attach that to a piece of strong, thick, impact-resistant plastic. The plastic will hold up much better in the outdoors. Then, coat the mechanism in an all-weather rust-prevention treatment, rustoleum or some similar product. This will at least prolong the effective life of your traps.

reply to post by burdman30ott6

For bait I can always slap some peanut butter from one of my many little PB pouches I started buying for the BOB last year when I first saw them in the store.

Skip the trap and just buy some of the recalled peanut butter products that contain salmonella. That'll do the trick.

Originally posted by ProfEmeritus
Skip the trap and just buy some of the recalled peanut butter products that contain salmonella. That'll do the trick.

Tell me about it. I already had to toss 2 boxes of Cliff Builder bars today because of that recall. The wife & I have even decided to put a moratorium down on feeding any peanut butter products of any brand to the kids until this gets ironed out. She prefers to give them almond butter for sandwiches anyway, so at least it won't cause any huge mealtime changes for them.

BTW: Wyrde, I appreciate all the information on the trap subject. Capturing any medium to large game with a trap or snare is really a last resort for me. I'm pretty well set as far as hunting supplies go, with everything from modern rifles & shotguns to blackpowder to a multipurpose bow. I certainly can see the benefit to knowing how to setup some of these larger snares, though. If for no other reason than perimeter defense.

Another one that is overlooked, easy to carry and is extremely useful in quite a few situations are pantyhose.

Don't laugh. You would be surprised at the uses for this handy little item.

I had an experience a few years ago with a guy who used to use rolled up hand warmers as bait on a rat trap. He used them when he saw a rattlesnake in his barn but it got under some equipment. (I think his barn was the only one I ever saw without cats. He hated cats. )

He rolled the hand warmer up and tied it with string to keep it in a tube about the size of a mouse. Then he put his daughters pet hamster in a empty cage (no bedding) next to the trap. The hamsters movement attracts the snake and the hot baited rat trap provides a target that the rattler can't pass up.
He put it out just at sundown and caught a 2 foot rattler.

Note to dads, put your kids hamster/gerbil/mouse in a STURDY cage.

Anyhow, the rat trap as snare is a great cost effective idea.

Add a mouse trap as well.
Mice in a shelter keep you up at night. They also eat your food.
They actually make good bait for other animals if you are desperate enough to eat scavengers.
Catfish and large bass will eat mice as well.

Originally posted by badgerprints

Note to dads, put your kids hamster/gerbil/mouse in a STURDY cage.

While we're on the subject of little-mentioned items I noted someone refer to condom.

Watchrider, (for it was you), thank you.

I did come across this fairly old thread while I was searching.

I dunno, i can whip up all sorts of traps very quickly. Not as quickly as a ready made rat trap of course but fast enough that it isn't a major problem. I like snares for small animals and ground feeding birds, they're really quick and for the amount of space the traps take up i could put a ton of brass wire in my BOB.

Still if it works and you like it then stick with it

Don't forget one of those little emergency sewing kits and it might come in handy to add a sturdier darning needle to that pack.

reply to post by burdman30ott6


Well, compared to trapping, hunting is pretty inefficient. In terms of time spent - the traps work while you do other things, more than anything they're a time saver.

Anyone who spends a lot of time in the woods knows that animals often have a knack for waiting until you're gone before they come out. Spend a night in camp, go out the next day, and you'll see signs of their passing all around - foxes, deer, muskrats, possums, rabbits, all manner of creature. Better to take advantage of their passing, isn't it?

The traps keep working, day and night. For the same reason nets are more efficient than fishing poles, traps are more efficient than rifles. You can be the best shot in the world, you still can't hit an animal you can't see, and you can't stalk out multiple game trails at the same time - the traps have no such limitation.

reply to post by WyrdeOne


This is the basis of my entire survival kit. As i live in the UK i can't really get a hold of firearms without a good reason. I have shot deer but that was with a friends rifle under his supervision as he is a game keeper. I myself cannot get rifles or even shotguns as i have no real reason to own them.

Trapping and snaring is something i have learnt a great deal about. Deadfall traps can be set up in multiple locations and catch large game. As you said the advantage is that a trap can be ready 24/7 but a hunter has to sleep and rest and often won't get their pray.

I could set up 4 large deadfalls, tons of snares, fishing lines and various other traps in a day and use minimal energy. A hunter on the other hand would have to stalk pray all day and may not get anything. If they sat in a hide all day they might also not get anything.

The rat traps aren't a bad idea but they have minimal uses compared to a well built, custom trap.

Something else I see rarely mentioned...

Protection from others.

Rat traps, carefully rigged with "caps" (the rolls of paper to go in toy guns) and a bit of line, can be rigged up as a trip around a camp very easily.

I had considered a system using just clothes pegs, but I guess a rat trap would double for this purpose too