What would make a good snare wire for my PSK?

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keluangus

Joined
Jul 11, 2006
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50
Hi all,

I have been pondering on the choice of material to be used as snare wire, to be packed in a coil(s) in my psk. I know premade snare-wires are possible, but then that could limit the versatility of the wire.

But to use uncut wire means one must be able to cut it to the required length, and, tied/loop it in the field easily and economically. To cut lighter wire (20-30#) with or without a tool is possible - so that's not such a concern. The last factor is important though: if it takes a lot of wire to make a loop, get a grip, etc., then we're wasting a valuable resource.

I like the idea of using hot-weld fishing cable. Its a multistrand (7, I think) cable with a covering of plastic. You can twist two strands together, then heat and melt the covering thereby joining the strands. The 20# or 30# sizes should be enough for small animals - unless I'm gunning for bear, or more like deer. In any case, for those larger critters a good knot or crimp would be preferable.

Any comments or ideas please.
 
Sometimes the type of material permitted for snares is governed by law. But I guess we are talking about a survival situation here where the formal rules are not the biggest consideration.

Wire is good for snares because:
- It is very strong for its size
- It is unlikely to be chewed through by animals
- A snare made from wire holds its shape easily, thus is simple and quick to set
- With a decent eye it can be set up to "fire" quite quickly at the slightest movement. I think by this it is meant that the snare is set in such a way that the weight of the eye and the spring in the wire causes the snare to slide shut quickly when disturbed.

However wire is easily kinked... and it may be too kinked to use after its first catch (I'm talking about cable here). It is also quite hard on the animals compared to a softer cord. It is difficult to work with in a primitive environment compared to fibres you can knot easily and cut with a knife. And it also can be found with a metal detector if that is a problem to you.

Braided cord has a multitude of uses besides making good snares. It is easy to work with and doesn't cost much.

Fishing leader wire cable is a good option for small animals. You could also consider cycle brake cable or aircraft control cable. Ordinary copper, brass, stainless steel or galvanized steel wire would also make a snare, but cable is probably better. Ordinary wire would be easier to work with to make eyes etc (by simple twisting).

I am a fan of synthetic cord. Nylon is good. Recently I bought some stuff which I think has the brand name "Dynex". It has a nominal size of 1.5mm (about sixty thousandths of an inch or a tad under one-sixteenth of an inch), and it has a knotted breaking strain of around 130 kilograms (over 250 pounds) ...it is amazing stuff. Sure, it doesn't hold its shape as well as wire so you have to fiddle around a bit to set it....and something might chew through it, especially if the traps aren't checked often.

A spring-up snare makes it much harder for an animal to chew through the cord.

I live in a coastal area where fishing is quite an industry. Rather than by leader wire or cord from a retail shop, I go to the bulk supplier store that the fishermen go to. It is the best way to buy, even if you have to buy a slightly larger quantity.
 
I use stainless steel leader wire intended for use deep sea fishing. Get it at a marine store.
 
For snaring rabbits and such I use picture hanging wire that is cheap and found at any hardware store. It also has a great "springiness" to it which makes it easy/fast to set up.
 
I have tried the picture wire that is sold around here and don't like it, it kinks really easy and doesn't slide very well. It is made of braided soft steel and will rust like the dickens. I am experimenting with some mono line now that shows some promise and I really want to try some of the high end braided fishing lines on the market now such as spider wire. As soon as fall hits I am going to see how some of this new material works. I have used stainless marine leader material and aircraft cable and both work very well but are hard to work without tools, cutters and crimpers. Chris
 
mogmz said:
For snaring rabbits and such I use picture hanging wire that is cheap and found at any hardware store. It also has a great "springiness" to it which makes it easy/fast to set up.
Click to expand...

A friend of mine grew up on the (Canadian) East Coast, and since he was a kid, snared rabbits to help feed the family. He still goes out every year (57 now). He maintains that picture wire is the best snare wire he ever used. He also says that solid brass wire (the only legal snare wire in Ontario) will get brittle if exposed to below freezing nights and above freezing days and can snap with Mr. Bunny in it.

Doc
 
I think the kinky picture hanging wire is actually a plus - when wire kinks it kinda locks the loop in place around the animal. Sure, some stiffness helps with maintaining the loop in free standing conditions (like a leaning squirrel pole/branch), but it would also allow the main wire to slide, opening the loop and possibly allowing the animal to escape. Squirrel snares which hangs down shouldn't be a problem for that - but ground snares like those for rabbits (without a spring) may be a problem.

I have been thinking about spiderwire too. Wrap that around the scabbard of my knife and there'll be plenty to go round. One problem with braided lines is that they are very limp - freestanding loops are impossible. Secondly, because they are very slippery special knots are required (I have fished with them for the past 10 years or so) - these knots expend more line than normally required for wire multistrand wire and definitely more than singlestrand. To cut them a sharp knife is enough. Third problem is that while their tensile strength/diameter ratio is very high, the abrasion resistance of the line itself is very low. Abraded sections on the line will allow it to break quite easily when snap tension is subjected to it. I would retain spiderwire & etc. for survival cordage use.

Now, what about single strand wire which we use for kingmackerel rigs? These are kinked until they break - no need to cut. One can use his fingers to make haywire twists and barrel rolls and a loop can be formed beautifully. The wire is smooth and slides well. Once closed, it can also kink somewhat to lock the snare. In actual usage, I have found that it can be bent (not sharply kinked like when breaking it on purpose) a lot before it is very weak. Catching 10-15kg kings on them they do get kinked afterwards, but does not break. Whaddyall think?
 
Thanks for the insight on the spiderwire, like I said I realy like the twisted mono so far but I have not actually used it on animals. When doubled and twisted it is stiff enough to hold a loop great, slides good, and locks tight plus you can carry tons of it. I will try it soon as the weather cools and give a report. I am going to use the twisted mono on mostly spring sets but will try some regular sets to see how it holds.

I snared some muskrats that were making a mess out of my mother in laws garden, they were using regular runs nightly and were easy to snare, I set non spring snares on the runs and used picture wire about 1 in 3 kinked it and broke it, I switched to braided stainless leader material and no more broke off.
 
Thank YOU for the report on picture wires' track record. 1 in 3, huh? That's not going to help alot in a survival situation. Can you tell me what kind of stainless braided leader you used? I have seen some called Terminator or something and they are frightfully expensive - BUT these can be knotted just like mono. Don't know how to cut them, though.
 
coote said:
Is that multistrand brass wire Mogmz?

Do the rabbits ever break it?
Click to expand...

It is multistrand, but not brass, looks like steel wire. And Ive yet to have a rabbit break it, Ive actually caught a full size raccoon before (not trying too) and surprisingly it didnt break free.
 
Greasy, and taste a little like pork. I eat a lot of them, coon baked with sweet potatos was a staple in my granpas house.
 
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