Pre-Made DF-4 Deadfall Trap That Will Keep You Rockin' With Wild Game

The diminutive DF-4 Deadfall Design is compact enough to stow a few in your Bug-Out Bag or long-term survival kit.

I've had the good fortune of meeting some great folks in my fieldcourses over the years and two of them, Eric and Ed from the DF-4 Company in Cottonwood, Arizona have put out an amazing product for feeding yourself in a wilderness survival situation or if the grocery shelves ever empty during a true grid-down crisis. This design is so simple but reliable it blew me away the first time I set it up (with one-hand such is their design!). As their website indicates, it's an "Innovative Design Based On Traditional Technology."

Set in literally seconds, this deadfall just needs to be baited and it's ready to roll (or rock!). This is the smaller version of deadfall that the DF-4 company makes and is suitable for smaller rodents.

While I teach how to carve the primitive Paiute and Widget Deadfalls in my fieldcourses so students know the skill, this is a carving method that takes time and practice. It's also a very perishable skill set which is why this pre-made deadfall is outstanding. There are no angles to remember when you're belly is rumbling and no elaborate whittling to be done. I've always been a believer in blending the best of both primitive and modern bushcraft techniques and when it comes to long-term living off the land, the DF-4 would free up a lot of time that could be spent on other critical survival skills.

The time-tested Paiute Deadfall was used into contemporary times by Supai, Hopi, Paiute, and other tribes in the Southwest. It can be a frustrating trap to set for the beginner and takes considerable practice under varied field conditions to be succesful with.

Ed and Eric put a lot of thought into the design to make it easy to set, sturdy under pressure, and light enough not to be a burden in one's kit. Get a few dozen of these and spread them around your BOBs and you'll be able to procure meat if a true survival emergency befalls you. Now for the disclaimer-  YOU are responsible for checking into your state's game laws and regulations.

This little beauty is a little larger than a ballpoint pen and about as light as it's made from 6000 series aluminum.

For more info, check out the DF-4 website or, better yet, drop in on the makers at one of the survival expos or sportsmans shows that they frequently attend around the western U.S. Ed is also the designer of an excellent, field-expedient poncho shelter and these guys, with their constant innovation and field-testing, would make even MacGuyver jealous.

The quick-latch trigger system allows you to set the trap with one hand. This frees up your other hand to place the rock or log weight and avoid the notorious School of Crushed Knuckles typical in learning to use deadfalls.

Natural and Improvised Survival Shelter Considerations

 October Survival Tips

In our fieldcourses, we often discuss the importance of the Five "W's" when building a shelter. This applies not only to survival but when car-camping or backpacking. When selecting a campsite or location for a shelter take into account the following factors:

1. Weather. Don't rig up your tarp or lean-to on the edge of a forest and field or other major transition area. The wind will be more pronounced and lightning safety will be an issue during thunderstorms. Setting back your campsite even twenty yards into the forest will help minimize gusty winds. It may seem like common sense but you also want to avoid sleeping at the bottom of a canyon or arroyo not only due to flash flood concerns (yet backpackers still do this ever year in Arizona!) but due to the temperature gradient. These low regions will be much colder at night and are often animal highways.

2. Wood. You are going to need limbs and debris to build a natural shelter and possibly for firewood so make camp in a region with ample resources.

3. Water. This is a survival priority for staying hydrated so set up camp a short walk away from a creek, lake, or waterhole. These areas will also provide opportunities for foraging, fishing, and catching crayfish which all come into play with a longer stay in the wilds or when attempting to live off the land.

4. Widowmakers. Pitch your tent out of reach of those dead standing trees! Enough said.

5. Wigglies. Mice, rats, centipedes, scorpions, fire-ants and other critters like dark, damp places and are often found in rockpiles, thick brush, and boulder fields. In the desert and in the Grand Canyon, the scorpions love hanging out under cowpies and the mule droppings by the corral!  I always avoid downed, rotting logs and clusters of rocks as I've had too many encounters with creepy-crawlies in such places. If you are camping with your kids, tell them to be aware of such spots when gathering firewood and to always wear gloves as a precaution for venomous insects.

Thanks for taking a few minutes out of your day to catch up with us.

Enjoy the Wilds!

Tony Nester