Deadfalls and Snares: A Book of Instruction for Trappers About These and Other Home-Made Traps

This 1907 manual preserves a vanishing American craft: the art of building effective traps from whatever the forest provides. A.R. Harding gathered wisdom from working trappers across North America, assembling instructions for deadfalls fashioned from fallen logs, snares woven from wire and cord, and ingenious contraptions that harness gravity, tension, and animal instinct. The book covers traps for over a dozen species, from common raccoon and opossum to mink, marten, and bear. What elevates this beyond mere instruction is its window into a world where self-reliance meant survival. Harding includes practical guidance on skinning, stretching, and grading pelts a skill set that once put food on tables and money in pockets across rural America. The trap designs reveal a satisfying ingenuity, using leverage and balance to do the work of expensive metal equipment. Whether you're a modern survivalist, a historical reenactor, or simply curious about how people once lived directly from the land, this book offers genuine insight into traditional wilderness skills that have largely faded from practice.