Building a Figure 4 Deadfall

Building a figure 4 deadfall can really open your eyes to the past.

Primitive skills are really catching people’s attention right now in the modern world. Perhaps it’s because our 21st-century lives are so digital that we yearn for something more natural we can actually manipulate in real life. Perhaps it’s because we want to be the link in the chain that extends primitive knowledge into the future. Maybe it’s because we just feel something inside of us that calls to the outdoors? Whatever the reason, primitive skills seem to be of growing interest.

From an educational view, primitive skills are a great approach to learning about history. By actually getting your hands on primitive technology you can gain a much better appreciation for the past. One fun living history activity is building primitive traps. For likely tens of thousands of years, people around the world used primitive traps as one means of staying alive. The neat thing is that no matter how much the world changes, these simple traps remain the same.

If you are reading History of the West with Jemmey Fletcher: Shinin’ Times, and want to get a better understanding of the trap Jemmey makes, check out this tutorial video showing how to make a figure 4 deadfall.

Anyone interested in the study of the American frontier, primitive skills, living history, or the Stone Age can benefit from this living history exercise. One fascinating thing about the American frontier is that it was the place where modern technology was meeting traditional primitive skills. Frontiersmen were often trappers, and there are records indicating that primitive traps were used as late as the early 20th century. In fact, there there are still places in Russia where primitive traps are still widely used to catch sable in the Taiga. Although illegal to use in many states in America, building a figure 4 deadfall is still a valuable living history exercise that can teach you about the past.

If you enjoyed this post and video you might like my new book History of the West with Jemmey Fletcher; Shinin’ Times. Sign up below to receive new blog posts as they are released.