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Overview of snares:
The main purpose of snares is to capture animals for the
purpose of food. Of course, all parts of a captured animal should be utilized.
A snare consists of a loop (noose) of cordage placed across
an animal trail or other place where an animal is likely to walk through,
a trigger mechanism, and a spring stick of some sort that will quickly
jerk the animal up into the air when triggered.
The noose is placed at such a level above the ground that
when the target animal walks into it, only its head will go through the
noose. As the rest of the animal's body follows as it continues to walk
through the noose area, its shoulders or other body parts will contact the
rest of the noose, pulling it forward and releasing the trigger.
When the trigger is released, a stick or tree branch that has
been bent down and is under tension springs back up, pulling the animal
suddenly up with it. This accomplishes two things. First, the spring
should be under enough tension to snap up quickly, killing the animal
instantly by breaking its neck. Secondly, it elevates the dead animal up
in the air, away from other ground predators who would also enjoy the
meal.
Properly built and set, a snare is an effective and humane
way to kill an animal for food in a survival situation.
If you wish to practice with snares in a real-life situation,
replace the noose string with thin, easily broken thread. Part of the
challenge of setting snares is placing them in the right location. This
way you will be able to know if the snare got triggered, but will not
injure any animals needlessly.
In a real-life situation, all parts of the snare should be camouflaged
and de-scented.
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