# Self Sufficiency/Living off the Land or Off the Grid > Hunting & Trapping >  "Arapuca" Live Bird Trap

## Pict

Hi,

I'm new here.  I live in Central Brazil, but I am an American.  I am pretty serious about wilderness survival and have recently been uploading some of the things I do down here on Youtube.

The *Arapuca* is the most common trap encountered here in Brazil.  It is an old Indian design and it is so simple you can make it without any tools.  All you need are sticks a bit of string.  The trigger parts can be made without a knife, but a knife speeds it up.  The guy who taught me how to make this trap used a sharp rock to grind the trigger notch.




Mac

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## crashdive123

Interesting.  Is that you in the video?

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## Pict

Yes, those are my arms, etc.  Mac

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## hoosierarcher

I subscribed to your vids. Thanks for the heads up.

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## Rick

That is pretty neat. Simple and effective. It doesn't get much better than that.

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## Ole WV Coot

Looks better than the old figure 4, will have to try it out.

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## Pict

Thanks for having a look and giving me some feedback.  I'm new to this video making thing but I really enjoy it.  The area I live in affords some great opportunities for wilderness survival and bushcraft.  It is so unlike Pennsylvania.

I have a place here about 1.5 hours from home that covers about 150 square kilometers of lowland forest, mid elevation scrub, and a mountain range that reaches about 6000 feet.  It is mostly foot travel only , thought there are a few dirts roads in the area around the edges.  It is a great place to train as the elevation and seasonal cycles make it seem like everything from rainforest to desert.

I hope to get more how-to videos up as soon as I get my learn-how fixed.  Mac

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## Runs With Beer

I tried Making  one of these yesterday, and it keeped racking out of square while it was set. I made it out of river cane, And I think being round, that the sticks are rolling.I am going to try it again this afternoon. I will get it!

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## sh4d0wm4573ri7

Nice trap good vid man thx for the info

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## Pict

That video has been my most popular by far with 15,000+ hits so far.  Once you build it a few times you'll have it down.  It's an easy one to remember.  Mac

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## pgvoutdoors

I like your video's, good stuff!

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## Runs With Beer

Still working on it, I WILL  GET IT!

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## crashdive123

If you're still using the river cane, try using your knife to peel or split off an edge so that you have a flat surface.

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## Runs With Beer

HEY, I can dig it, Its funny how stupid I can beeeeeeeee!

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## crashdive123

Nah....sometimes you just need to step back and look at it a bit different.

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## Pict

I've run into problems making them with bamboo.  Now I use thicker bamboo and split it into square sections that hold in place much better.  If using other hardwood sticks leave the bark on to increase the friction of bark on bark.  Smooth wood like river cane would be very slippery.  The other thing you can do is to wind a length of string back and forth across the end stubs of the sticks poking out on the four corners to help hold them in place.  Mac

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## Runs With Beer

Thanks for the info Pict.Im going to try it again this afternoon.

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## Runs With Beer

Hey, I got it. I made the trap from Dog Fennel. Worked like a charm. Kinda hard to set the trigger but that was the first time. I have it set , Hope tomarrow Ill have a catch, Ill let it go of course, Unless its something good to eat!

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## crashdive123

Congratulations.

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## Runs With Beer

Thanks, After 6 tries you would think, But its harder than it looks. Thanks for all the help. I got it down now.

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## Pict

Catching stuff with them is just a matter of placement and bait like any other trap.  Mammals will mess with them.  Mice will drop the trap and then leave.  

There are certain clues as to what is messing around with your trap...

Trap fallen over bait that is still there = wind or rain.

Trap fallen over bait that is gone = mice or rats.

Trap fallen over bait that is gone and trap is moved or disturbed = larger rodent

Trap that is totally destroyed, bait still there = a predator got your bird, especially if there are feathers/blood around.

Trap that is totally destroyed, no feathers/blood, bait gone = horse, goat, deer etc.

Trap gone totally missing, bootmarks around trap = someone stole your trap.

Mac

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## Rick

That's funny. I was actually thinking the very same thing as I read through your post then I saw your last line. I chortled when I read it and I don't chortle often. :Stick Out Tongue:

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## Pict

Rick,

It takes a big man to admit to chortling.    Mac

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## RangerXanatos

Thanks for the video!  I am just now getting to watch it.  It's something I would have never thought of.  Just goes to show you that there is so much that we can learn from other cultures.

Daniel

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## Gray Wolf

Shows what we can learn from each other here!

In the immortal words of Sarge, "gotta love the wolf pack"!!!

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## DOGMAN

Cool, I am going to have to check out all your videos

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## Runs With Beer

Today when I got home, Something had gotin in my trap. Im sure it was a squirrel because the trap was torn apart, Im pretty sure it was not a bird. It was in a pile, But it caught what ever it was, So sound tech.

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## Pict

My first attempt with an arapuca caught a horse.  I had used cracked corn for bait.  

I have another video on my page in which we caught two dove and my son got to them first and they ended up getting away.  At home I set them on the floor of the dog kennel and then close it off to our dogs (5) and goat.  The goat will actually try to eat the trap itself.  Mac

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## Runs With Beer

I saw you video about the doves and the goat, Haaaa Haaaaaaa.Ican see that this is a bird trap , not for Squirrels, But it do work. Thanks for your sopport.

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## Runs With Beer

Well I finely caut a bird, Too cool. Was a no target catch, Let go.Going to try to take it a little More. If Id hade out more traps this works. Dont expect to get a catch a day on one trap. Thanks Pict!

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## Pict

> Well I finely caut a bird, Too cool. Was a no target catch, Let go.Going to try to take it a little More. If Id hade out more traps this works. Dont expect to get a catch a day on one trap. Thanks Pict!


Way to go!  What were you using for bait?

In order to eat every day with the arapuca you need to set about 10 of them to catch between 1 and 3 birds a day.  It all depends on placement.  In my area of Brazil rural farm workers would set them along their walk to work and check them morning and evening.  Exotic birds would be sold as pets and game birds like pigeons would wind up in the pot. Somewhere I have a series of photos of two old bird trappers I knew (they have passed away).  I'll try to locate them and make a post.  Mac

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## JoelD311

Very nice. I'm impressed. I used to love love love survival techniques etc when I was a little boy and now that obama's (i refuse to capitolize his name) our pres I'm starting to wonder if I should brush up on my skills  :Smile:

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## crashdive123

Joel - I know that you're new.  One of the rules of this forum is no politics.

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## Gray Wolf

Joel, if you don't believe crash, ask Bragg... oh wait, you can't....

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## Pict

As an aside, in Brazil the term "Arapuca" is also used for sting operations mounted by police and hidden camera type attacks by the press.  So if the bait is right you can catch a crooked politician or bad cop in an arapuca.  The idea is that the one caught always looks kind of foolish.  Birds caught in an arapuca are always extremely embarrassed so be gentle. 

There is no such thing as a bad reason to brush up on your skills, but keeping politics off the board is a good idea.  Mac

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## italia

huh. thats ironic. i just watched your video on this last week. never seen this thread either. i thought the video was very good and its a trap that i will use.

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## italia

> Joel - I know that you're new.  One of the rules of this forum is no politics.


yeah joel. theres no such thing as freedom of speech

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## crashdive123

Yep - no freedom of speech - that way we don't have to suffer azzhats lightly.

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## nell67

itailia,whats up?? no such thing,eh? first off,whether or not people actually read the rules and TOS when signing up,they did agree to abide by the rules of the forum when they joined.

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## Pict

Of course there's freedom of speech.  Part of that freedom is to establish your own board where you can determine what is or is not off limits.

Personally I like the limits placed on politics and religion on most boards, and I have very strong opinions/beliefs regarding both subjects.  I also feel I have something to say about wilderness survival/bushcraft and that's why I post here.  I say keep the board on track.  Nobody is stomping on anyone's right to free speech, there are plenty of political boards, we don't need another good wilderness board getting dragged into the political arena.

Now, where politics touches on wilderness subjects, like regulations for public land use, especially at a federal level I feel the topic should be discussed in places like this.  That of course is subject to the people that are paying to make this place happen.  Mac

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## HOP

Political bird trap, I like it . I think that people who can't discus politics or religion without getting ugly and rude probably couldn't discus the weather without getting the same way, so restrictions  on subject matter as well as social board behavior is probably a good Idea although I try to be careful about what things I set aside. 
Pict these traps for politicians are they large enough for a deer or pig?

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## Pict

They usually bait them with women or money.  I have one of the first and none of the other so I'm the wrong guy to ask.  Mac

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