by Woodsbum
This last weekend, I attended our annual bowhunting instructor’s in service training. It seems that every year there is some subject about bushcrafting that crops up and this year was no different. Amazingly it was all about simple snares and carrying snare wire in your PSK (personal survival kit).
There are many thoughts about this subject, albeit not nearly as debated as batoning your knife or whether the 9 mm, .45 acp or .40 cal is the better defensive round. Many people think that setting snare is all fine and dandy, but a problem arises in the fact that you have to leave your snare up for long periods of time to be effective. The more you visit your snares to check them and the less time you leave them up, the less chance of catching something you have. It also ties you down to a single area of operations because you can’t just leave your snares set and then leave. The good thing that snares do is allow you to expend very little energy in the hopes of gaining a meal. The gear is very lightweight, easy to carry, and are extremely easy to set. These reasons make the use of snares in a survival situation a great resource.
I have included the following video that I found to explain the use and setting of snares out of 24 gauge wire. I personally use the stainless steel wire that comes in a roll that can be purchased at Home Depot. It is great stuff and can also be used as cordage if the need crops up.