Most traps are forbidden here in Germany. For this reason it is impossible to gain practical experience using them.
But I have a keen interesst in understandig the details of how different animal traps work.

Currently I am into snares and came across kill springs.

There seem to be two main typs of them, coil springs and torque (torsion) springs.
Torque springs can be preloaded with a trigger.

Which advantages and disadvantages do you see in this two kinds of springs?
Are there more than this two different kill spring mechanisms?

Not knowing anything about the spring loaded snares, just a welcome from Pennsylvania. We all would like to hear about what you have done so far. and some photos too.......jk

In our open areas here in Manitoba we have to use these power rams. They work great, but will knock your teeth out or worse of not shown respect and they big so tougher to carry a whole bunch.

This year, apparently we might be able to use these for coyote from Lightsout or Senneker, but not wolf. Haven’t been tested yet on wolf. But will find out more in a few weeks when the regs come out…
Can carry lots in your pockets, won’t knock you out, but there’s more stuff going on with the snare as you can see.

I have used dispatch springs on wolf snares since the mid 90s.
They also work well on coyotes but are not necessary on smaller animals like fox and lynx,rabbits squirrells etc.

A short vita then. I am not a hunter by now. It is an expensive hobby here. You are not allowed to go to hunting school before you are 15 and the minimum age for the licence is 16 (More infos in the Germany-thread in the international forum). As a kid growing up in a poor small farm environment, I never had the money for hunting school and I had no hunters in my family. What time I could spare I spent fishing, exloring the woods and reading, reading, reading. As young boy I trapped mice and rats for some pocket money.
During studies I spent what I could branch of on travling home and help keeping the family farm alive.
Than I worked my (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman) of for 25 years, first empoyed, than self-employed plus moonlighting the farm.
Now the boys are old enough to take over part of my businesses and I have more time to follow other pursuits.
Therefore unfortunately no trapping pics from me. Perhaps in the future.

These are impressive. I had not seen them by now.
Do such heavy springs close to the trap not scare away some of the prey?
Some safety device for setting them would be helpful.



Plausible points. Thank you for your insight.

You mean they help to avoid larger animals breaking off by killing them faster?
I guess they would help to kill the smaller animals faster (more humanely?), too? That is if you can get a spring small enough so they can load or trigger it.

I set them against trees, Hanging from a branch or in the willows. Some use them in tall grass anchored into the soil somewhere. They kind of blend in with the brush. There is a safety tool for them, but I stopped using it after a while. Once the factory safety is off and the spring pressure is resting on the snare stop I just be careful. Always mindful of the "bite zone". I've had the odd one go off while setting with just my palm getting wacked. Just stay out of the danger zone.

Regarding the small kill springs:

Do you use unloaded oder preloaded springs?
What are the advantages and disadvantages?

If you catch smaller animals, they might not be able to trigger a preloaded spring?

You mean the little ones Boco can use or the smaller ones I posted? The smaller ones in my pic take about 25lbs to fire, that weight makes sure the snare is getting tight and the spring cinches it another 3” or so. The big ram just fire when the stop slides out of the notch on the spring, sometimes relatively easily…lol. I don’t use a lock on my rams, but I believe some do.

The ones you posted.




I am not sure what Boco's springs look like.
Spiral springs like these?
https://www.snareshop.com/prodinfo.asp?number=SPSPRING

Are there solutions to preload spiral springs for snares?

I use the spiral springs like you posted Manfred,there is no way to pre load them that I know of.
The newer type springs that can be pre loaded are a more advanced design.
Snaring is an art,both lethal snaring and live hold snaring depend greatly on the location where you set the snare.Any snare without the bells and whistles can be set to either hold the animal alive or to kill it
I dont use the springs on all my lethal set wolfsnares,only if the location is not conducive to a sustained force applied to the wire by gravity will I use a spring to accomplish the sustained force.

The more you explain the better I understand how little I know.
With 'by gravity' you mean the snare is anchored high, for example at a tree, or you have steep terrain were the animal likely pulls downhill?

I would not have expected 'live hold snaring' to be on somebodys bag, at least not with snares that are desigend to catch around the neck.
Guess quite a view of the animals caught still strangulate themselfs, it just takes them longer than in snares desgined to kill fast?
Now I read, in Europa, in the UK, only free running snares are legal, no snare locks and no kill springs allowed.
In Germany the Nazis have banned snares and foodhold traps with the 1934 Reichsjagdgesetz (Reich hunting law). And it seems our occupiers saw no need to change this after the war.

Gravity comes into play with entanglement.Proper high neck catch is a must to kill with snares.
Once the animal tangles,and passes out from carotid occlusion,gravity provides the constant pressure on the cable.
It is the same way a person can hang themselves from a 2 foot high bedpost.
You can use natural brush that is present at the set or you can provide a kill stick.
An animal caught by the neck in a snare set without a kill spring or a kill stick will not kill itself.A snarelock does not provide any sustained force on the cable it just prevents the loop from opening.When the animal stops pulling the snare relaxes a bit no matter how agressive the lock is.Like a chokechain on a dog,the dog will quit pulling when it gets tight.
Dogs have been killed with chokechains if they entangle.

What state allows you to legally snare squirrels?

Check the archives for the running pole set at the middens.

[/quote]
Check the archives for the running pole set at the middens.[/quote]

I’ve seen that clip. The dude stresses “survival” situation, and doesn’t offer a clue what state or country he is in. So again, I ask, is anywhere in the United States, legal to snare squirrels? I’ve lived in several states and ate a lot of squirrel, but I bet the guy and his “midden” isn’t in the United States.

Who cares if you can do it in the states or not.You think everybody on here is from the states?
You cant even use snares for anything in some places,who cares?
The OP is from germany.
And red squirrels are furbearers and can be harvested like any other furbearer in season.

Alaska Department of Fish and Game writes about snaring suirrels on their website:
https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=wildlifenews.view_article&articles_id=833
Don´t know how old the article is, but perhaps it is still legal there?


I have seen some videos about snaring rabbits in Britain.
They use free running snares made from brass wire (usually 6 strand) pegged to the ground.
Some of the rabbits seam to be stiff already when they collect them. But that could be caused by preadators like weasels, too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TkqColuhvI

Here is how they make these snares:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4afKTDlUupo

Where does it say in the Regs where it's illegal to snare squirrels and rabbits? It's not even addressed. Talks about certain requirements for snares certain distances off the ground that aren't required if they are below that. The Regs don't address coon, possum or skunk snareing either. But it's Legal with written permission.