When Should You Go Hunting or Trapping in Survival Mode?

Start trapping immediately on Day 1 (after establishing shelter and fire), but delay active hunting until Day 3 or later. Set multiple traps during the evening of your first day to work overnight while you sleep. Focus your energy on passive food gathering methods like trapping and fishing rather than calorie-intensive active hunting, especially during the first critical week when your body needs to conserve energy for shelter building and staying warm.

Understanding the Survival Timeline: Food Is Actually Your Last Priority

Let’s clear something up right away: food is not your first concern in a survival situation. Most survival experts follow what’s called the “Rule of Threes”:

3 minutes without air
3 hours without shelter (in harsh conditions)
3 days without water
3 weeks without food

This hierarchy matters because your brain, under stress, will naturally fixate on food even when shelter or water should take priority. You can survive for weeks without food, and many people have fasted for over 40 days under favorable circumstances. The mental hunger you feel is often more psychological than physiological in the first few days.

Your Day 1 priorities should be: find or build shelter, locate water, start a fire, and then set traps. Notice that active hunting isn’t even on that list yet.

The Energy Economics: Why Trapping Beats Hunting Every Time

Here’s the uncomfortable truth about survival hunting: you’ll probably burn more calories chasing game than you’ll gain from catching it.

Research on backcountry hunters using advanced measurement techniques showed that hunters can expend around 5,000 calories per day, leaving them with a 1,000-2,000 calorie deficit daily. When you’re already operating on limited reserves, this deficit can be deadly.

Active hunting requires:

Tracking animals (burning 150-500 calories per hour depending on terrain)
Stalking or waiting in uncomfortable positions
Processing and carrying heavy game back to camp
Complete mental focus when you should be working on other survival tasks

Contrast this with trapping: once you set a trap, it works 24/7 without you. Animals tend to forage early in the morning and late evening, which may be optimal times to check your traps. While your traps are working, you can focus on improving your shelter, purifying water, gathering firewood, or making tools.

Sitting still, the average adult can burn thousands of calories just doing nothing, which is why trapping is like setting up a remote hunter to do the work for you.

Day-by-Day Survival Food Strategy

Day 1: Trap Setting and Shelter Priority

Your first day should follow this sequence:

Morning to Afternoon:

Build shelter near a water source
Gather firewood while collecting shelter materials
Start fire using whatever method available
Scout the immediate area for animal signs

Late Afternoon to Evening:

Make simple traps to gather food overnight while you are sleeping
Look for game trails, droppings, tracks, and worn paths
Set 3-5 simple snares along active animal runs
Place traps near water sources where animals drink

Why evening matters: Deer and many game animals are crepuscular, meaning they are naturally most active during low-light periods at dawn and dusk. Setting traps in the evening positions them for maximum effectiveness during peak animal movement overnight.

Day 2: Expansion and Improvement

The second day should almost be completely consumed by shelter improvement and food gathering. Your energy levels are still relatively high, so use this time wisely:

Check morning traps early (before sunrise if possible)
Build more complex trap triggers for larger game
Focus heavily on fish traps if water is nearby – fish are the easiest protein source to catch
Begin foraging for convenient wild edibles
Make multiple additional traps (aim for 10-15 total)

Still no active hunting. Your body is still adjusting, and you need those calories for critical infrastructure.

Day 3 and Beyond: Sustainable Operations

By day three, continue making traps, improving shelter, making cordage and start putting food back if you have any excess.

Now you can consider active hunting IF:

Your shelter is weatherproof and secure
You have clean water secured
You have multiple traps working
You’ve observed game patterns in your area
Weather conditions are favorable

By day four you should be self-sustaining in most climates and producing enough food so that you are not losing any weight.

Best Times to Check Traps and Hunt

Understanding animal behavior gives you a massive advantage.

Dawn (4:30 AM – 7:00 AM)

This is your golden window. Many animals are crepuscular, showing bimodal activity patterns with peaks during both morning and evening twilight.

What to do:

Check all traps before animals retreat to bedding areas
If hunting, position yourself between feeding areas and bedding sites
Move quietly – animals are alert and cautious in early light

Common crepuscular animals include deer, rabbits, bears, coyotes, bobcats, and many birds.

Midday (10:00 AM – 3:00 PM)

Skip active hunting during these hours unless specific conditions apply. Use this time for:

Trap maintenance and resetting
Shelter improvements
Tool making
Resting (conserve calories)
Scouting new trap locations

Exceptions: Midday hunting can work during the rut (breeding season) when animals are more active, or during overcast days when temperatures are moderate.

Dusk (5:00 PM – 7:30 PM)

Second golden window. Deer start moving out of their bedding areas in the late afternoon, heading toward fields, food plots, or natural food sources.

What to do:

Position traps on paths leading to feeding areas
If hunting, set up near water sources or food-rich areas
Check dawn traps that may have caught something during the day

Night

Unless you have specialized equipment, avoid moving around at night. This is when your traps do the heavy lifting while you rest and conserve energy.

Types of Traps to Prioritize (In Order)

1. Simple Snares (Days 1-2)

Snares are simple traps that can capture animals by tightening around their necks or limbs, extremely advantageous for small game like rabbits, squirrels, and even larger animals if rigged correctly.

Best locations:

Game trails with clear animal tracks
Narrow passages between obstacles
Fence lines or natural funnels
Just outside burrow entrances

2. Fish Traps (Day 2 Priority)

If there is fish nearby then immediately begin making fish traps because they are the easiest prey to catch.

Fish provide:

Consistent protein with minimal effort
Less energy expenditure than hunting
Multiple catches from one trap
Easier processing than large game

3. Deadfall Traps (Days 2-3)

The figure 4 deadfall is ideal for trapping small prey such as squirrels, chipmunks, and mice, and when properly constructed, it kills prey with a swift blow.

The advantage: instant kill means less suffering and no chance for the animal to escape or spoil.

4. Tension/Spring Snares (Days 3+)

These require more complex construction but offer better results for medium game. The spring mechanism actively tightens when triggered, preventing escape.

The Cold Reality of Primitive Trapping

Let’s be honest about success rates. Primitive trapping is never truly easy. You’ll always be better off using modern purpose-built traps, as these spring-loaded devices have a much higher success rate than anything you can build with sticks and stones.

At first you will probably notice that traps will be tripped, but with no catch. This is very common and means that you need to adjust your design and how you are setting your trap.

This is why you need multiple traps working simultaneously. If you set 10 traps and only 2 catch something, that’s still 2 meals you wouldn’t have otherwise. In a survival situation, the more traps you set, the greater your chances are of capturing food.

Why You Shouldn’t Hunt Early (Unless You Have No Choice)

Active hunting in the first 72 hours of a survival situation is usually a mistake for these reasons:

1. Calorie Deficit Spiral

You could spend 6 hours tracking deer through rough terrain, burning 2,500 calories, and return with nothing. Those calories are now gone forever. In survival mode, you can’t just grab a protein bar to make up the deficit.

2. Injury Risk

Tromping through the woods all day burns a huge number of calories, takes up all of your time, and risks injury from the terrain or the animal itself. A twisted ankle or deep cut on Day 2 could be a death sentence.

3. Time Waste

Every hour spent hunting is an hour not spent on shelter, fire, water, or trap maintenance. In the first days, these infrastructure tasks have exponentially higher survival value.

4. Low Success Rate

Hunting with a spear or makeshift bow is what we all envision ourselves doing, but in most cases, it is not a good idea. Your odds of success are very low, especially without modern equipment and when animals are spooked by your presence.

5. Noise and Smell

Active hunting makes you visible and alerts all nearby animals to human presence. This can actually decrease your trapping success in the same area.

When Active Hunting Makes Sense

There ARE situations where immediate hunting is justified:

Large Game Opportunity

If you spot a deer or similar animal within easy range on Day 1 and you have proper tools, take the shot. One deer provides 40-60 pounds of meat – potentially 40,000-80,000 calories that could sustain you for weeks.

Abundant Small Game

If you’re in an area with dense rabbit or squirrel populations and you’re confident in your skills, opportunistic hunting while setting traps can work.

Established Camp (Day 7+)

Once you have shelter, water, fire, and multiple traps producing results, hunting becomes a supplement rather than a desperate gamble.

Proper Equipment

If you have a firearm, bow with multiple arrows, or other effective hunting tools, the energy equation shifts significantly in your favor.

Group Situation

With multiple people, you can divide tasks. While some build shelter, others can hunt without sacrificing infrastructure development.

Legal and Ethical Considerations (Yes, Even in Survival)

Here’s something many survival guides ignore: hunting and trapping laws still apply, even in emergencies, in most jurisdictions.

Hunters must follow state laws and regulations pertaining to hunting, including seasons, dates and licensing. In a true life-or-death emergency, survival takes precedence, but understand the legal landscape.

Before any survival situation:

Research local hunting and trapping regulations in areas you frequent
Understand which animals are protected
Know seasonal restrictions
Learn about required licenses and permits

Traps should be checked regularly to minimize suffering and ensure ethical trapping practices. Even in survival scenarios, minimizing animal suffering should be a priority when possible.

Ethical trapping means:

Making kills as quick and humane as possible
Checking traps at dawn and dusk minimum
Not wasting any part of harvested animals
Taking only what you need

Reading the Land: Finding the Right Trap Locations

Figuring out where to set your traps is probably the most challenging part of the equation, especially if you don’t have a good grasp on animal behaviors and tracking.

What to Look For:

Game Trails

Worn paths through vegetation
Consistent width (shows regular use)
Fresh tracks and droppings
Broken twigs at consistent height

Water Sources

Ponds, streams, rivers
Tracks leading to water
Muddy banks with prints
Bedding areas nearby

Feeding Sites

Areas with abundant nuts, berries, or vegetation
Scattered shells or partially eaten plants
Fresh digging or rooting
Scat containing seeds or plant material

Natural Funnels

Gaps in fences or fallen trees
Narrow passages between rocks
Valleys between hills
Areas where terrain forces animals into specific paths

Signs of Activity

Fresh droppings (still moist and dark)
Tracks in mud or soft ground
Chewed vegetation
Rubbed bark on trees
Nesting sites and den holes

Understanding when certain animals are most active can help us plan our hunts accordingly. Some animals are more active during specific times of day or night, so knowing their patterns can give us an advantage.

The Fishing Advantage

If you’re near any body of water, fishing should be your primary protein strategy alongside trapping.

Why fishing wins:

Passive methods (traps, trotlines) work 24/7
Lower energy expenditure than hunting
Fish populations are often dense
Easier to process than large game
Can be done while doing other tasks

Early morning and evening are ideal for food gathering, especially fishing. Fish are more active during these times.

Types of passive fishing:

Fish traps in shallow water
Trotlines with multiple hooks
Gill nets (if legal/available)
Fish weirs in streams

Mental Game: Managing Hunger and Expectations

The hardest part of survival isn’t physical – it’s mental. Your brain will scream at you to find food immediately, especially if you’re used to eating regularly.

Hunger is mostly a mental issue. The first few days without food, your body is actually fine. It’s your mind that struggles.

Managing the mental aspect:

Remind yourself of the Rule of Threes
Stay busy with critical tasks (shelter, water, firewood)
Drink plenty of water (helps with hunger pangs)
Focus on long-term survival, not immediate comfort
Celebrate small wins (each trap set, each improvement made)

Remember: A British Medical Journal Study found that once individuals lost 10% of their body weight, symptoms such as fainting and dizziness occurred, with some becoming almost bedbound. This takes weeks to reach, not days. You have time to build a sustainable food procurement system.

Common Mistakes That Kill Survival Chances

1. Obsessing Over Food Too Early

Countless survival situations have ended badly because people neglected shelter to hunt on Day 1. Hypothermia kills in hours; starvation takes weeks.

2. Active Hunting Without Energy Reserves

Hunting is a labor-intensive activity. It expends calories in the effort to find them. Depending on hunting alone for protein and materials for survival is not a wise decision.

3. Setting Too Few Traps

One or two traps won’t cut it. You need 10-15+ working simultaneously to have consistent success.

4. Ignoring Small Game

People fixate on deer and large animals while ignoring abundant rabbits, squirrels, and birds. Small game adds up quickly and requires less processing.

5. Not Checking Traps Regularly

Trapped animals can escape, die and spoil, or attract predators. Check at minimum twice daily – dawn and dusk.

6. Poor Trap Placement

A good trap in the wrong location is a bad trap. Spend time scouting rather than randomly placing traps.

7. Giving Up Too Soon

Trapping requires persistence. Primitive trapping takes a great deal of practice to get it right. Don’t expect immediate success.

Special Circumstances: When to Adjust the Timeline

Cold Weather Survival

In freezing conditions, shelter and fire jump to absolute priority. You can develop hypothermia in temperatures as warm as 60 degrees if you are soaking wet. Get warm and dry before anything else.

Delay all food procurement (including trapping) until you’re no longer at immediate risk from cold.

Desert Environments

In the desert, it can be as short as 3 hours without water, even in the shade. Water becomes equal priority with shelter. Trap setting should wait until late evening when temperatures drop.

Coastal Areas

If you’re near the ocean, tidal pools, shellfish, and seaweed offer easy calories. These should be harvested before building complex land traps.

Known Rescue Timeline

If you know rescue is coming within 72 hours, skip food procurement entirely. Focus on shelter, signaling, and staying in one location.

Injury or Illness

If you’re injured or sick, energy conservation becomes paramount. Set only the simplest traps or skip food procurement entirely and focus on medical care and rest.

Advanced Trap Strategy: The Trapline System

Once you’re past Day 3 and have basic needs met, implement a proper trapline system:

Morning Route (Dawn):

Check all snares and deadfalls
Reset triggered traps
Add bait where needed
Note which locations are producing

Evening Route (Dusk):

Check fish traps and water-based snares
Set new traps in promising locations
Remove traps from unproductive areas
Process any caught game

Always be gathering materials when they become available. Don’t wait and come back later only to waste more calories.

Building Your Primitive Hunting Arsenal (Days 5-7)

Only after your trap system is working should you consider building hunting tools:

Priority Order:

Fish spears (easiest, highest success rate)
Throwing sticks for birds
Slingshots for small game
Atlatl or simple bow (most complex)

Each of these takes time and materials. Don’t sacrifice trap maintenance to build elaborate hunting weapons early on.

The Psychological Value of Food Success

There’s an underappreciated aspect of getting food: morale.

Successfully trapping your first animal or catching a fish provides a massive psychological boost. It proves you can do this. It validates your efforts and gives you confidence to continue.

This is why setting traps on Day 1 is so important. Even if they don’t catch anything immediately, checking them gives you a routine and purpose. When one finally produces, the mental lift can be as valuable as the calories.

Putting It All Together: Your Survival Food Timeline

Day 1:

Morning/Afternoon: Shelter, fire, water
Evening: Set 5-7 simple snares on game trails
Night: Rest, conserve energy

Day 2:

Dawn: Check all traps
Morning: Build fish traps if water nearby
Afternoon: Make 5-10 additional snares and deadfalls
Evening: Set new traps, check earlier ones

Day 3:

Dawn: Check entire trapline
Day: Continue trap expansion, begin foraging
Make cordage and improve shelter between checks
Consider opportunistic hunting if large game appears

Day 4+:

Established trapline producing results
Active hunting now justified if conditions are right
Focus on food preservation and storage
Build long-term food infrastructure

Day 7:

You should be self sustaining in most climates by this time
Regular trapline routine established
Hunting as supplement, not primary source
Begin thinking about long-term sustainability

Final Thoughts: Patience Wins

The key to successful survival hunting and trapping is patience and systematic approach. Fight every instinct to immediately chase game.

Build your infrastructure first. Let passive methods work for you. Only hunt actively when it makes strategic sense.

The people who survive longest in the wilderness aren’t the best hunters – they’re the best planners. They understand that survival is about efficiency, not heroics.

Set your traps on Day 1. Check them religiously. Expand your system daily. By Week 2, you’ll have a functioning food procurement system that requires minimal daily energy while producing consistent results.

That’s when you’ve truly mastered survival mode.