How to Trap With Deadfalls
- 1). Find three straight sticks that are each approximately 1 foot long. Ensure that the sticks are not rotten or easily broken. Ideally, your sticks should measure one-half to three-quarters of an inch across.
- 2). Find a large rock with a contoured surface. It is imperative that your rock has small notches or indentations to prevent the support stick from slipping out of place. For this reason, smooth rocks will not do. Your rock should weigh at least 20 pounds, and wider, flatter rocks are ideal.
- 3). Locate a game trail, which are usually found near water or feed plots. Clear a workspace for your deadfall trap beside the trail.
- 4). Take one stick (henceforth the "vertical" stick) and sharpen one end into a wide, flat tip, much like that of a calligraphy pen. Cut a small, square notch into the center of the vertical stick approximately one-half inch wide and one-quarter inch deep.
- 5). Take another stick (henceforth the "horizontal" stick) and sharpen one end into a point. Create a notch on the opposite end. Cut another small, square notch into the center of the horizontal stick, measuring the same dimensions as the first. Place the notches of your vertical and horizontal sticks together in a perpendicular fashion to ensure proper sizing.
- 6). Take your final stick (henceforth the "diagonal" stick) and sharpen both ends into wide, flat tips. Cut a small notch in the center of the diagonal stick.
- 7). Assemble your figure-4 deadfall. Place the vertical stick under the raised rock with the carved end facing upward. Place the horizontal stick across the vertical stick, using the square notches to secure the sticks together. Place one notched end of the diagonal stick into the end notch of the horizontal stick, and the other notched end against the rock's underside. Carefully release pressure on the rock until the assembly holds up the rock's weight.
- 8). Carefully add your bait to the pointed end of the horizontal stick. Your bait might consist of fruit, animal meat or nuts. Check your deadfall trap every four or five hours. If an animal budges the bait stick, the trap will collapse and the rock will crush the animal.