trip wire deadfall trap

[coon4492]

Anyone ever consrtruct one of these before? I'm thinking of trying it out in my woods seems like it could squish multiple small animals or a large one. I'm curious to know how much time and energy it takes to build and set it. I need a new coon hat so I'll see if I can bait a few coons

[Kingoftheflock]

can you lift a log?

[coon4492]

I tried it and it worked but it's very difficult to rig because of the logs weight and the strong cordage necessary to lift it. Also the trigger mechanism is a pain in the ass i like how the diagram shows just two pegs in the tree I guess they assume we have wooden dowels we can somehow pound into the tree. I used a different trigger which worked well enough. I'm going to continue to work with this trap and improve it. It has alot of potential.

[Kingoftheflock]

tie a strong cord around the tree before lifting it up pull the cord over a branch and pull. if that doesnt work try using something that will pull it for you.

[LDS]

Looks like a perfect place for a figure 4. You can add a trip line if needed and avoid all the problems listed.

Deadfalls are a mistery to me. I have seen deer jump out of an arrows path when they hear the string thump! Most animals have reflexes that will beat the deadfall and if it does hit them most are so tough they just get pi$$ed off!

[dixieangler]

Deadfalls are not really practical here in Florida since we have no rocks to speak of unless imported or man-made. Logs are heavy and a pain to set with a deadfall. Deadfalls to me are low percentage traps so you have to set a whole lot to even get one success. Snares would be much more effective here but the same goes, set a whole bunch of them to increase the odds.

[aspen]

hey,

haven´t tested this particular one yet but don´t see any reason why it shouldn´t work. one thing to keep in mind is that this setup seems to be direction-specific.
if the animal comes from the rear (of the picture, where the deadfall weight is located), it will be past the deadfall when it trips the string.

Jon

[dixieangler]

this setup seems to be direction-specific

Yes and most traps are like that. The idea is to create a bottleneck with the surrounding brush so the animal only has one option, to take the path where the trap is set.

[coon4492]

yea your right aspen it wasnt easy to get that log to fall on the animal the moment it trips the wire. I angled it when I set it so either way the animal comes from, the trap is so sensitive that it will squish it before it can run. As far as a survival trap it takes alot of energy to move the log your better off with setting multiple snares. I might set this up in my woods on a path traveled by yotes, coons and groundhogs see if it will actually work. By the way if anyone attempts this trap heres some advice forget the peg in tree idea I used 2 sticks with pegs pointing down from the sticks. I might post pictures of the revised trigger mechanism if anyones interested.

[aspen]

I angled it when I set it so either way the animal comes from, the trap is so sensitive that it will squish it before it can run.

not sure if i follow you there...how did you angle it to get the animal from both sides? wouldn´t it have to fall pretty much on the point where the trip line is?

good idea with the two notched sticks in the ground, i like this more than having to stick something into the tree (for the trees sake and because its harder to do with minimal gear). good to know this type of trap but i´d rather go for something like the trip-stick deadfall.

[coon4492]

not sure if i follow you there...how did you angle it to get the animal from both sides?

Its hard to explain a picture would be better. If the animal comes from either end of the trail the moment it trips the wire the log smashes it. The log itself is very wide so it covers the area where the trip wire was and a little past it. Sensitivity is really important for this one it needs to fall fast the moment that wire is disturbed The heavier the weight the faster it will fall. The log isn't right up against the tree to get both sides of the trail I put the log at an angle so it reaches. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmEgrJrpEGI&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fvideo%2Egoogle%2Ecom%2Fvideosearch%3Fq%3Dtrip%2Bwire%2Bdead%2Bfall%26hl%3Den%26emb%3D0%26aq%3Df&feature=player_embedded check out this video its differnet from what the books say but the trigger is better and the weight is now hanging above the trail so it falls straight down. I would have used several large logs rather than a small one he used. Keep in mind this could probably be converted into a live cage trap just convert the log into a cage or net.

good to know this type of trap but i´d rather go for something like the trip-stick deadfall.

I agree the trap requires alot of energy and time to make one. Its excellent for large game trap but I'd make an easier trap in a survival situation why waste time and energy. Traps like this are just alot of fun to make when your bored