Snare Traps
Part of Hunting and Trapping
The snare is the single most important survival trap. It works silently, requires minimal materials, and catches food while you sleep. Master this one skill and you can feed yourself indefinitely.
Why Snares Are Your Best Survival Tool
In a survival situation, you cannot afford to spend all day hunting. You need shelter, water, fire, and a dozen other tasks competing for daylight. The snare solves this problem by working 24 hours a day without you. A line of 12-20 snares set across animal trails produces food with near certainty within 48 hours, while you spend your time on everything else that keeps you alive.
The mechanics are simple: a loop of cordage or wire sits in an animal’s path. The animal walks through, the loop tightens around its neck or body, and the animal cannot back out. There are no moving parts to fail, no complex triggers to carve, and the materials are available almost everywhere.
Materials
| Material | Best For | Availability | Durability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snare wire (brass/steel) | All game up to fox-sized | Salvage from fences, cables, picture frames | Excellent — holds shape, resists chewing |
| Paracord inner strands | Rabbits, squirrels | Paracord, cordage stashes | Good — strong but animals can chew through |
| Plant-fiber cordage | Small game only | Made from nettles, dogbane, inner bark | Fair — weakens when wet, breaks under strain |
| Fishing line (heavy) | Rabbits, birds | Tackle boxes, sporting goods | Good — nearly invisible but slippery knots |
| Electrical wire | All small game | Buildings, vehicles, appliances | Excellent — copper or aluminum holds shape well |
Wire vs. Cordage
Wire is always superior to cordage for snares. Wire holds its loop shape without support sticks, resists chewing, and tightens under tension without loosening. If you find any wire during scavenging, save it for snares before anything else.
Types of Snares
The Simple Ground Snare (Passive)
This is the most basic snare — a loop anchored to a stake or fixed object. No springs, no triggers. The animal runs through, the loop tightens, and the animal is held in place.
Step 1. Cut wire or cordage 60-90 cm (2-3 feet) long for rabbit-sized game. For larger animals like foxes or raccoons, use 90-120 cm (3-4 feet).
Step 2. Form a small fixed loop at one end. For wire, twist the end around itself 3-4 times to create a permanent eye. For cordage, tie a small overhand loop or bowline.
Step 3. Thread the free end through the fixed loop to create the running noose. Pull it through — the noose should slide freely and tighten smoothly.
Step 4. Size the noose opening:
- Rabbit: 10 cm (4 inches) diameter — about fist-width
- Squirrel: 6-7 cm (2.5 inches) diameter
- Fox/raccoon: 18-20 cm (7-8 inches) diameter
- General rule: The noose should be slightly larger than the target animal’s head
Step 5. Anchor the free end securely. Drive a stout wooden stake deep into the ground and tie or twist the wire around it. Alternatively, tie to a heavy log or fixed root. The anchor must hold against panicked pulling — a rabbit pulls with surprising force.
Step 6. Set the noose at the correct height on the trail. The bottom edge of the loop should be:
- Rabbit: 4 finger-widths (7-8 cm) above the ground
- Squirrel: 3 finger-widths (5-6 cm) above the ground
- Fox/raccoon: One hand-width (10-12 cm) above the ground
Step 7. Support the loop in position. Wire holds its shape naturally. For cordage snares, push two small twigs into the ground on either side of the trail to hold the loop upright and open.
The Drag Snare
A variation where instead of staking the snare firmly, you tie it to a heavy branch or drag log. When the animal is caught, it pulls the branch along but cannot run far. The dragging branch catches on undergrowth and holds the animal.
When to use this: When you cannot drive stakes (frozen ground, rock) or when you want the animal to move away from the trail so other game is not spooked from the area.
Step 1. Follow Steps 1-6 above for the loop.
Step 2. Instead of staking, tie the free end to a branch roughly 3-4 times the animal’s weight. Too light and the animal drags it away entirely. Too heavy and it functions as a fixed snare.
Step 3. Place the drag branch loosely beside the trail.
The Squirrel Pole Snare
Squirrels are abundant in forested areas and represent reliable calories. The squirrel pole exploits their habit of running along horizontal branches and logs.
Step 1. Find or cut a pole 2-3 meters (6-10 feet) long. Lean it against a tree where you see squirrel activity (chewed nuts, bark stripping, chattering).
Step 2. Set 4-6 small wire snares along the pole’s length. Loop them around the pole so they stand upright, perpendicular to the pole surface. Size: 6-7 cm (2.5 inches) diameter.
Step 3. A squirrel running up or down the pole puts its head through a loop. It panics, falls off, and the noose tightens. The wire wraps around the pole and holds the squirrel suspended.
Check Squirrel Poles Frequently
Squirrels caught on poles are visible and attract raptors, foxes, and other predators. Check every few hours if possible.
Setting Multiple Snares Efficiently
Trapping is a numbers game. A single snare has roughly a 10-20% chance of catching something on any given day. Twelve snares give you near certainty within 2 days.
The circuit approach:
- Scout a large area (500m radius from camp) for trails, runs, and feeding signs
- Set snares along a walking loop you can check efficiently
- Number your snare sites mentally or mark them with small stone cairns
- Walk the circuit twice daily — dawn and dusk
- Reset sprung snares, replace damaged ones, relocate empty ones after 3 days
| Number of Snares | Expected Daily Catch (Rabbit) | Daily Caloric Yield |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | 0.5-1.0 animals | 250-500 kcal |
| 10 | 1-2 animals | 500-1,000 kcal |
| 20 | 2-4 animals | 1,000-2,000 kcal |
Common Mistakes
- Loop too large. The animal passes through without triggering, or the noose catches the body instead of the neck. A body-caught animal can often chew free.
- Loop too high. The animal walks under it. Get down on the ground and look along the trail from the animal’s perspective.
- Weak anchor. The animal pulls the stake out and drags the snare away. Bury stakes deep and pack the soil firmly.
- Human scent. Handle snares with gloves or muddy hands. Rub snares with local vegetation before setting. Approach trails from downwind.
- Setting on human trails. Animals use narrow, low paths — tunnels through brush, runs along fence lines, paths between burrow and water. These are not the same as human footpaths.
Maintenance and Reuse
Wire snares can be reused 5-10 times before the wire work-hardens and becomes brittle at bend points. Inspect the wire after each catch — if you see kinks or cracks, discard that section and make a new loop. Cordage snares typically survive one catch and need to be replaced.
After catching an animal, blood scent on the snare can actually attract other animals. Do not clean the wire unless the smell is attracting predators to your trap line.
Key Takeaways
- Wire is always better than cordage — salvage and save any wire you find
- Size the loop to the target animal’s head: fist-width for rabbits, slightly smaller for squirrels
- Set the bottom of the loop at the animal’s head height, not ground level
- Quantity matters: 12-20 snares across a circuit gives near-certain daily catches
- Check twice daily at dawn and dusk — a caught animal attracts predators
- The squirrel pole is the most efficient multi-snare setup for forested environments