Hi guys
Just thought I'd give you two great deadfalls to compare.
The first is illustrated by the great late Ron Hood and I've yet to find a better tutorial on the fig 4 - mainly because of his tweaks which make it far more sensitive than it otherwise would be.
Fig 4 Deadfall Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HY-JEctyHOs
Fig 4 Deadfall Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seAevIIfUxY
Again another very good set of tutorials re how to make this more complex trap by MartinSurvival
Paiute Deadfall Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMG6lhQ0Z0s
Paiute Deadfall Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0i3sr_W_R4s
Both these traps should be in your inventory.
The first trap goes together well provided you can accurately produce notches at 90 degrees to one another.
Has variations like the reverse fig 4 asian spring snare trap.
The Paiute Deadfall is Indian engineering elegance but for me it is taking a while to build it so it works well everytime.
Just my lack of skill - no fault of the trap. Points to consider: - if using natural cordage it should be as smooth as possible where it wraps around support post. Obviously same goes for that area of the support post - smoother the grain the better as this will directly affect the sensitivity of the trigger.
In addition the size of animal/weight of deadfall needs to be considered. The heavier the deadfall the more side torque (twist) will need to be absorbed by the mechanism. The lever stick will try to pull away from straight when the weight comes on. This can be counteracted by a deeper more precise groove in the lever stick where it engages with the top of the support post. Similarly, when setting, the weight may try to pull the toggle up to an angle where it tries to dissengage from its slot. Making the slot a little deeper and keepingvto the width of the toggle helps with this effect.
I've found roughing the engaging face of the toggle helps when positioning the bait stick. Also if you can hold both ends of the bait stick when setting, this greatly helps when finding the stable resting point for both ends at once - sometimes a tricky task!!
Just a few observations. Its an amazing trap. All that weight can be held in check by little more than a strong blade of grass and hence can be made acutely sensitive - hence its fame I guess.
Just thought I'd give you two great deadfalls to compare.
The first is illustrated by the great late Ron Hood and I've yet to find a better tutorial on the fig 4 - mainly because of his tweaks which make it far more sensitive than it otherwise would be.
Fig 4 Deadfall Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HY-JEctyHOs
Fig 4 Deadfall Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seAevIIfUxY
Again another very good set of tutorials re how to make this more complex trap by MartinSurvival
Paiute Deadfall Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMG6lhQ0Z0s
Paiute Deadfall Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0i3sr_W_R4s
Both these traps should be in your inventory.
The first trap goes together well provided you can accurately produce notches at 90 degrees to one another.
Has variations like the reverse fig 4 asian spring snare trap.
The Paiute Deadfall is Indian engineering elegance but for me it is taking a while to build it so it works well everytime.
Just my lack of skill - no fault of the trap. Points to consider: - if using natural cordage it should be as smooth as possible where it wraps around support post. Obviously same goes for that area of the support post - smoother the grain the better as this will directly affect the sensitivity of the trigger.
In addition the size of animal/weight of deadfall needs to be considered. The heavier the deadfall the more side torque (twist) will need to be absorbed by the mechanism. The lever stick will try to pull away from straight when the weight comes on. This can be counteracted by a deeper more precise groove in the lever stick where it engages with the top of the support post. Similarly, when setting, the weight may try to pull the toggle up to an angle where it tries to dissengage from its slot. Making the slot a little deeper and keepingvto the width of the toggle helps with this effect.
I've found roughing the engaging face of the toggle helps when positioning the bait stick. Also if you can hold both ends of the bait stick when setting, this greatly helps when finding the stable resting point for both ends at once - sometimes a tricky task!!
Just a few observations. Its an amazing trap. All that weight can be held in check by little more than a strong blade of grass and hence can be made acutely sensitive - hence its fame I guess.
