The Mojave Scissor Trap is a spring-loaded trap that is highly effective for catching small game. In fact, it is Shawn Woods' new favorite trap.
Shawn Woods continues his series of illustrating and using primitive-style traps with the Mojave Scissor Trap. This trap utilizes a dynamic spring mechanism that ensures an almost instantaneous kill and that the meat of the animal will remain edible.
This trap has a couple of advantages over the other traps that Woods has demonstrated, and it too can be made to size in order to target animals from the size of mice on up to medium-sized game.
Watch the video below:
Unlike the Figure-Four Deadfall and the Paiute Deadfall, the Mojave Scissor Trap does not work by having a heavy weight crush the animal, and possibly disrupting the innards. A critter that is flattened could potentially have its intestines burst, releasing fecal matter and toxins into part of the meat, making it inedible.
The scissor trap works similarly to the Spanish Windlass Trap in that it engages a dynamic spring component to kill the animal. In the case of the windlass trap a 'hammer' arm comes down that either clubs or stabs the animal upon its release. Death is quick with the windlass trap, but it's even quicker with the scissor trap.
The dynamic component of the trap is a bent tree spring that engages the scissor sticks to lift and crush the neck of the animal, ensuring that the critter is killed cleanly and quickly and stays in the trap for recovery.
Woods gives an excellent tutorial, with multiple camera angles, to illustrate the making of this trap, which can be fashioned with materials taken entirely from the forest.
And again, if you're into eating rats (if that's what you're catching) he's provided a video on how to simply prepare the rodent over an open fire for consumption (this is great for a survival situation, but I think I'd want to season my rat with some herbs and maybe a little basting).
Like what you see here? You can read more great articles by David Smith at his Facebook page, Stumpjack Outdoors.
NEXT: HOW TO MAKE AN ATTRACTIVE AND FUNCTIONAL PRIMITIVE FISH TRAP
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