It's a trap!

[Arugela]

Boredom post again. Saw this guys trap video. He say's it would be convenient to hold in the ground. This is potentially true. But I imagine that is even more difficult and a simpler solution is possible.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mQQ688csuw

Something even simpler and elegant is that is it light enough for the animal to walk but not enough to run from weight and size. This also makes materials easier to find and the design simpler. If you simply stick it in the snow or on the snow like the picture he only needs to get his foot in a little bit. This means it could be setup in multiple ways also. Over a hole, like he said, maybe with leaves. Possibly weight down or loose with a closed setup. Or it could be spring fed to need less space meaning it gets trapped and held on the foot enough to make walking annoying by shape and other aspects. In a snow environment it would leave much bigger tracks in the snow making it easier to hunt. So would any encumbrance to it's running. As it it long and thin it could start to rotate if running getting in the way of the animals stride etc. And with the spiky thing it could cause pen further making the animal not struggle and break or loosen from the trap. This could also slowly or quickly rub against it flesh causing bleeding that in a snowy environment could make things easier to spot. Although I suspect the light and not breakable may be one of it's best uses as it could hang from one leg and not let the animal destroy it for multiple uses.

 Looking at it again, the illustration is not in the snow. But the logic could still apply. I think he's right about the way the trap was used basically and how it only needs minimal reinforcement to hold onto the animal. This means a simple twig could be used to hold the trap open and easily replenish-able if the mechanism is not attached. If facing the direction of the two other parts it can use it's own weight to hold on and the deer would have a hard time removing it. And if the hole it cut to not rotate it could still easily hold on to the foot and make him easier to hunt down. Mabe even wear him out over time if it stops him from resting. They could be making him not be able to sleep and then slowly hunt him down after he is exhausted. Think how most 4 legged creatures sit. They have to bend their front legs in a certain direction. Just stopping that forward motion,which those spikes aid in preventing psychologically if not physically. Will keep the trap alive and slow the animal down in the long run. Then they just need to find him. If it makes him bleed that may help also, unless it makes it more likely for other animals to find him first. Don't know anything about hunting so I have no idea.

Long design would also be convenient because wooden planks on the ground may conveniently be in this form making maknig it easy to make out of random debri and not need as many tools in case of a need or desire to make the traps out in the woods. And if making out of wood and debri it might not be good to require it to take a lot of force as it might break. This could make a looser design superior as it's more versatile and can be make of more materials. Structural strength requires materials to accomplish and may make it more difficult to make the trap.

If the trap is dangling it may also make extra noise helping the hunter track down the animal faster to get to it(or track it until it's tired) before other animals can get it.

Also, if it's not weighed down it's quicker to set and place meaning it can be used in more ways. Say you know where the animals will go or you will make them go over it to see if you can get them to step in it. This is better the less you have to do potentially.

Edited September 9, 2018 by Arugela

[Reactordrone]

 

This one? I think there's some extra at the end of your link.

 

 

[Arugela]

I can't see embedded videos.(BTW, does anyone know who to get mozilla in firefox to show embedded videos. it's been wonky lately.)

It's this one: Tread Traps

It's part of a video list. That might be the extra.

Edited September 9, 2018 by Arugela

[Green Baron]

For me it is the other way round. I have a link on ma desktop to cut network connection when a site starts to play videos ...

A user friendly browser does not exist (off topic, i know).

[Arugela]

Here is it without the video list: Tread Trap

 

[kerbiloid]

The youtube comment is nice:

Quote

been a cow farmer myself. I seriously doubt it was set immovably in the ground at all, because of how immensely strong herbivores legs are. Instead, i think it works like a hobble, you go check your trap line, and somewhere not too far from where you set it, is a deer which you can run up to and stab with your spear because it is dragging bout your trap.

 

[Scotius]

I've read about similiar trap used by some African tribes to hunt rhinos, elephants and hippos. They dug a hole in the ground near a trail of their prey, and inside it hunters installed a heavy wooden ring with sharpened spikes placed inside. There was a rope tied to the ring, and other end was tied to a piece of log (preferably with branch stumps still on it). When animal stepped into the trap, wooden spikes would get embedded in the leg, keeping the prey trapped. Even if animal was able to pull the ring out of the ground, its weight and the log snagging on every bush and rock would work to slow it down and weaken it for the hunters to kill easily.

Cruel, i know - and my modern environmentally conscious self is cringing at the though. But hunters\gatherers without firearms would still have to somehow secure food for themselves and their families. It is not our place to judge people fighting for survival in harsh conditions.

[Arugela]

I was just thinking about something else about it. The length could be purposely designed. If the trap is carefully cut to not turn on the hoof it then coudl be designed to purposely interrupt the front to back leg movements. This would potentially stop it from running. If it can turn on the hoof it could snag in all directions if done long enough. If the wholes are cut purposely small enough it could be custom made to animal leg length, which people hunting and eating on a regular occurrence, let alone wearing as clothing/jewelery, would be intimately familiar with those lengths and sizes. They may even use them as standards for clothing and whatnot. They would basically be taking the most efficient part of the animal and then throwing a wrench in that part as efficiently and simply as possible. That would be a very good trap on that grounds alone I would imagine. Unless that is not why it's good.

I would think the easiest way for the animal to minimize the trap is for the back to go slightly outwards. The trap could then be designed around how the animal walks to hit the other leg depending on the stride of the deer. If not it would hang but risk getting in the way of limbs on any side and still make it harder to walk gapping the distance it and the hunter can move in a given period. If not the whole or other parts could be specialized to control the movement to make something more likely to happen. Maybe that trap design can be modified to different animals that way.

I wonder if anyone has compared the traps lengths and stuff to the way the animal walks to see what they specifically focused on in the trap design. It could probably reveal a lot.

I also don't think the fresh trap(the recreation) is realistic unless it's design to be shaped with use against the hooves of the animal. The real trap looksl ike it's custom fit to dangle as low on the hoof as possible by dangling out and is slightly cone shaped. I wonder if this is to be on the stronger part of the animal to cause less pain. And or to also potentially hand on the lowest center of gravity to mess with the individual foot as well. I could imagine they carve it specially or they could hypothetically let it's wear and tear carve it out a bit. But the pre coned/shaped hole could be useful. They would probably have a hoof around as a mold or shape to follow. The rest depends on the individual knowledge about the animal. And if they hunt it to survive I imagine that is pretty thorough.

I also doubt the wood would be finished and polished that way. I would think that might make it look too man made. Unless the prey goes for that sort of thing.

Although if it was set in a whole all they have to do is set the resistance of the trap not to break the trap and lift out if needed. Then it acts as described as they move. They would have to know how to do that fairly easily as that is the basics of how the rest of the trap would already have to work.

If it was in a hole it was probably to hide it and or get the foot far enough in and go down the leg to trap it. And then hidden just enough that if it gets out it doesn't remove the trap and is auto resettable which is actually a really good thing potentially as it gives more chances. If it gets trapped it could hypothetically be held light enough to then pull ou and stay on the animal unless it's easy enough for the trap to hold it there. I guess you could play with the hole design to limit the animals pull force if it forces the leg be bent in an inefficient way or something. It would depend on how each trap was made and the limits of the design. It seems interesting though. I wonder if the museum people went over it thoroughly enough to get potentialy structural limits or tested designs to see how it may work in practice per it's intended prey.

I'm virtually repeating what the guy in the video said though.

Edited September 10, 2018 by Arugela