How to catch wild game without a gun?

Question

There are many rabbits near where I live and also squirrels. I would like to catch a rabbit ideally, or any kind of bird. How can I make a trap that doesn't involve carpentry- hole in the ground, box, wire or rope sort of thing?

I want to eat it, not relocate or keep it in captivity. I find it a more honest way of eating meat since I had the guts and tenacity to work for it, and look it in the face before killing/eating it.
It also had a good life free from the torture of factory farming.

When I said trap- I meant humane traps. I would NEVER buy anything barbaric.
I want to capture the rabbit, then I'll kill it myself my I get there.

Answer 1

Box traps and snares for rabbits, snares for squirrels. Wire snares are effective for a lot of game but you must check them often. Usually in morning and evening. If you leave them, predators will come by and get your catch. Also, you don't want to leave your catch long because if the weather is not cold enough, they may begin to spoil.

A good way to snare squirrels it to lean a single pole against a tree at a 45 deg angle. Place to loop of the snare along the top of the pole. Squirrels will like to follow a ramp rather than climb straight up.

Answer 2

Are your parents opposed to guns? Do you live in a city? If either of those is yes a slingshot like a pocket rocket is your best bet. I had one with a 22 lb. draw and it would bring down small game animals like a rabbit or squirrel just fine. I will say that it took a lot of practice to get good with it. I must have shot about 3000 times be fore I could hit with any reliability. I used standard glass marbles as my ammo because they tend to be cheap and almost always flew true. If it is somewhere you can shoot a gun then I recommend a 20 gauge shotgun. You should be able to find a good used one for well under $200.

Answer 3

You can't catch rabbits without the use of a noose, boxtrap, or dog, in the absence of a gun that is!
For birds, the only bird I have experience of catching are pheasants, it's quite simple! Pheasant roost in trees, they usually go to roost at early dusk, so keep an eye on them and watch to see where they go. They tend to flock together in the same tree, and once it goes dark nothing will make them leave the tree! So it's dark, and you know what tree the birds are roosting in, get a load of preferably dry leaves and kindling, put it all around the base of the tree, then cover with damp leaves, and set it alight, now stand back, if you have done it properly, and the smoke is thick enough, it will only take a couple of minutes, the birds just fall out of the tree!
Pick them up and when you have enough, remember to put the fire out!
Job done!!

Answer 4

Sometimes I use an ATV, a length of chain with a extra large Master lock attached to the end. Ride around in the field until you see a rabbit or whatever. Then speed up going at it quickly. Once you are right on top of it use the chain and swing the lock at the rabbit with great strength. A good hit should insure a clean kill. If you miss you can simply run it over. Or you could just beat the hell out of it with a bat, or a stick. You want the animal to be as scared as possible before it's death, that way the meat is more tender . Shooting it in the head causing instant death, unbeknownsed to him is just not humane enough. Good luck you brave hunter.

Answer 5

I think you confused people by not not ending your sentence with a period after carpentry. I can only speak from experience on box traps. Yes they do work both setting it to trigger it's self or as I prefer running a long string and triggering it myself. It works just like in the Bugs Bunny Cartoons, the hard part is to then get a hold of it and well, shall we say, send it to Bunny Heaven. I usually use this method (catch & release) to harass the ground squirrels while camping sort of a pay back for the time they chewed a hole in my $150.00 tent for a cherry chapstick.

Answer 6

There are all kinds of traps you can use.

I enjoy stalking and catching swamp rabbits with my bare hands. Might be a bit tricky with a cotton or a jack but it could be done. You can quickly kill them with your hands.


Let me inform you of a few things. The mythical "factory farms" the animal rights websites speak of are almost non existent in the U.S. The largest producer of meat in the U.S "Tyson" buys from thousands of small family owned and operated farms.

87% of all farms in America are family owned and operated. Most of the propaganda the animal rights groups sling are lies.

One of the most obvious lies is as follows. "it takes 2,500 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef". REALLY? Gee, if you do the math with those numbers it would take 2.5 million gallons for a single angus.. totally a lie.

Also keep in mind that NATURE is far more cruel than any farm could ever be. In NATURE prey animals live every second of every day in fear of being eaten. They constinatly have to avoid danger, scavenge for food, ect, ect.

In nature a animals death is usually by predation or starvation. Imagine a deer being ripped apart alive by a pack of coyotes, or a rabbit slowly starving over a period of months.

Yes farms are FAR more humane that NATURE

Answer 7

When I was a child my grandmother always told me to sprinkle salt on a birds tail to catch it. Problem is I never could get that close.

Answer 8

Look up ''figure 4 deadfall".

Answer 9

As you have excluded all methods of trapping, I am having problems believing that this is a serious question.
If you intend to kill and eat it , why is the method of capture so important?
Maybe you should try trapping trolls?

Answer 10

Why would you want to do this in the first place? Your profile states you love animals of all kinds. You must know that wild animals don't do well in captivity so why would you do this? Just curious