Scouting Traps

[Jolyon]

HI All,

Looking of doing Traps as a incident at scouts. Thinking simple snare, and figure 4 dead drop....

Any ideas that have worked before?

Cheers

[The Lord Poncho]

With our Explorers we have demonstrated a simple snare, sprung snare, platform snare, deadful, spear trap and bow trap. I usually set them all up first on a trail through the woods, and talk them through each starting off with the simplest. As we go through the woods i point out good locations to site them, animal runs, badger sets etc. At the end of the session they have about 20 mins to work in pairs and set up a sprung snare. If time is pressing, you can pre carve the trigger mechanisms etc, or at least put the saw cuts in for them to carve up to.

You may find that the figure 4 is a little fiddely for demo purposes.

[grumit]

I do miniature traps on plywood bases to demonstrate then go outand teach them how to make them in the woods and where to set them only thing is it is only practise as they are elegal here even the humble rabbit snare can teach them but not allowed to use tm

[bushwacker bob]

Cant you get them interested in attending under their own steam? Our local scouts are voluntary. I dont think they have to trap them.

[MalIrl]

I've done Fig 4 deadfall and Fig 4 Paiute with them, they all thought it was great. Worked them in teams so each scout had a part of the trap to make. Did the F4 deadfall in the den first, and then again on a woods day where they also learned that you can make the F4 Paiute without needing a knife. Also demo'ed a spring snare, will leave the trigger making to another time.
To test the traps we hung sweets on string loops off the triggers, and the scouts had to try to get the sweets using a small cuddly toy stuck to the end of a bamboo.
And of course, as other posters have already noted, repeatedly pointed out that they are not legal to use other than in a genuine survival situation.

[Jolyon]

Thanks All this is great!.. a little dark to do the walk through the woods.. will set up a few and then maybe revisit later in the year.... will let you know how it goes`!

[sargey]

i realise this might be a little out of date but.....

for the younger'uns, we started with the build a better mousetrap challenge, a remote control trap, using a bucket, small stick and a piece of string. then moved on to promontory peg dead falls, before progeessing to paiute traps, fig 4s and stuff.

cheers, and.