I love snares after this experiment

[Guest]

I became curious about snares. Curious as to why I see a small number of players utilizing them, and larger number saying they are useless. My previous experience was no different from most. Catch a rabbit or two and then move onto bigger things like crafting a bow, or seeing how far I can throw a rock off a cliff. 

With my current Interloper run (around Day 23). Let's try 16 snares!  gulp...

Things I've Discovered with this Snare Experiment.

1. 16 snares, I would catch 8-10 rabbits per day. I would check 3 to 4 times a day, and reset the snares after each catch.
2. Times I would check is morning, noon, and night. I found that with timing your checks consistently, you can get rabbits that are only 1% frozen. It almost felt like every 3 hours in-game time there would be something new to harvest.
2. The setup is easy to maintain. After harvesting the broken snare, you receive 1 reclaimed wood back. It only takes 1 cured gut to replace a destroyed one. After a few days of doing this, you are swimming in the curing gut and becoming the efficient machine.
3. A snares weight is the same as reclaimed wood. Which means it's transportable to other locations. Just imagine you are carrying reclaimed wood and you have a fridge of food on your back.
4. Condition with snares are bool - 100% or destroyed.
5. Great way to level up harvesting skill quickly.
6. Snow Shelters are awesome for fighting cabin fever and protecting you from wild life! With the amount of harvesting of rabbits you catch, and avoiding cold while harvesting, you will find yourself fighting cabin fever constantly. I built a snow shelter near the snares where the rocks were blocking the wind. At Trapper's Cabin, I cannot find another way to keep up with the harvesting without the snow shelter. This is because Cabin Fever would consume me, and on Interloper it's been too risky to harvest directly at a fire due to inconsistent weather.

7. When harvesting, always keep in mind of your smell and inventory. When are where. Drop the rabbit if you're not doing anything with it in a safe place. I've noticed that harvesting rabbits in a snow shelter brings the big bear fast! These dead rabbits in your inventory are super magnets for bears and wolves!

Snow shelter protection from bear when harvesting rabbit

 

From the wiki

Quote

Setting up many snares in a rabbit grove often has high yields, however catching too many rabbits will reduce their respawn rate in that area. Waiting several days will restore the rate.

After 5 days I haven't noticed a reduction yet. To be continued.

Today I learned that snares are rad, no matter what others tell you.

[Kauffy]

I had never used them very much, either, but I have been getting back to sandbox the past week or two, for the first time since Wintermute was released-- and I'm a believer.

I used to find them almost without value, because before, they would break too easily (literally, I feel like they'd catch one rabbit, and have a 50/50 to break), and given that rabbits don't have much meat on them, it seemed like only useful to get material for gloves.

Anyway, I did like you've done, at Trapper's cabin, and I've put out 8-10 snares, I will typically wind up with 4 rabbits several times a day. It's unfortunate that there really isn't a use for the rabbit pelts once you've got some gloves and can maintain them, because I've got a legit bun-o-cide on my hands.

I also have not noticed any "overfishing" problem-- I put the snares back immediately.

This may be something to do with Voyageur, also, but it seems like it doesn't matter when I actually go to the trap, the rabbits are almost never more than 2% frozen when I fetch them from the snare.

I've taken to just leaving them outside by the front door of Trapper's-- either there's no animal pathing to the front door there, or Voyageur just doesn't let animals come to your door, because I haven't seen a wolf or a bear visible from anywhere on the Trapper's plateau. As an experiment, I dropped a line of decoys (like 15) across the field in front of Trapper's, and they're all still there, and not a single wolf or bear has turned up.

[Doc Feral]

"Die-die, man things! Horned Rat will rule-rule!"
Gulping a smoking piece of warpstone the mighty Grey Seer unleashed his foul magic, summoning a great Vermintide. A boiling writhing wave of bloodthirsty rodents charged at the massed ranks of Altdorf halberdiers. The imperial troops steeled their resolve, bracing themselves for the horrifying attack. Then the unbelievable happened. The squeaking mass of plague infected beasts ground to a halt. A hidden wall of cleverly disguised snares stopped their advance, necks snapped and paws maimed. The obscene sorcery binding their will faded away and the surviving rats scattered in panic.
A roaring command echoed from the imperial general.
"Charge! For our homes! For mankind! FOR SIGMAR!!"
The shocked Grey Seer wasn't fast enough.
The courage of Men didn't falter that day. The few surviving skaven fled deep into their filthy tunnels, cursing the Day of trap-field for many years.

Edited September 21, 2018 by Doc Feral

[Argentex]

I agree! Snaring USED to b a waste of time. Not anymore! I use 2 snares 10 ft from Trapper's cabin by a small patch of grass and a rock. I put 1 horizonally and 1 vertically and catch them constantly. I sometimes look fwd to a ruin snare cause the meat starts piling up. 

[TheEldritchGod]

Few more facts:

1. It takes about 12 hours from when you place the trap to when it is triggered. However, only up to 3 traps will be checked at a time. So, it is best to stagger putting down your traps. In theory, you could have 36 traps down, 3 for every hour of a 12 hour period. If you checked every hour, you could, theoretically get 72 rabbits a day.

2. In practice, considering harvest time, 12 traps is the best ratio or traps to check times. Checking every 3 hours seems to be about right.

3. The traps are checked automatically 12 hours after you place them. You can watch the rabbit carcass spawn if you are sitting there watching it. However, it will not check traps if you are off the map. Placing a bunch of traps, then leaving the map, will result in the traps being checked when you return. This includes entering a building.

[Guest]

Curious as to why the bear turned away when using the snow shelter in the GIF above. Does anyone know if the game change and the wiki is outdated?

http://thelongdark.wikia.com/wiki/Snow_shelter

Quote

The player is vulnerable to animal attack while using the snow shelter. 

 

[Drifter Man]

Some excellent info here - thanks.

I gave up snares after I couldn't catch nearly anything except the first day I placed them. Next day, and on the following days, they'd be no rabbits anywhere (hopping or caught).

I'll give them another try.

Edited September 22, 2018 by Drifter Man

[Guest]

Returning after a 2 day trip to the Ravine.

[Doc Feral]

7 hours ago, Drifter Man said:

Some excellent info here - thanks.

I gave up snares after I couldn't catch nearly anything except the first day I placed them. Next day, and on the following days, they'd be no rabbits anywhere (hopping or caught).

I'll give them another try.

I don't remember how they're called, but rabbit spawning areas are marked on maps, and new rabbits appear daily to replace dead ones. There are other places which may have rabbits but they are random, and may have deer or wolves as well.

[stratvox]

If you're talking about the Whiteberry maps, they're referred to as "Rabbit Groves", IIRC.

 

[Doc Feral]

Thanks, reverse translation can be bothersome.

[BareSkin]

I can confirm this, in my current Loper I put 3 snares out of a snow shelter on JackRabbits (CH), it fed me easily for days. The spot you place them seems important, I always choose a place where I killed rabbits.

Second thing, the snares don't "decay", or at least it's not shown. I had two of these three brake from 100% to "Ruined" at one day interval, I craft them all the same day and used them concomitantly. IMO since they are so easy to  make and provide you with guts, they should brake more often. The only downside is Scent while picking up the rabbits.

[BareSkin]

17 hours ago, Drifter Man said:

Some excellent info here - thanks.

I gave up snares after I couldn't catch nearly anything except the first day I placed them. Next day, and on the following days, they'd be no rabbits anywhere (hopping or caught).

I'll give them another try.

Pretty sure it could help a lot in a DeadMan anytime you stop somewhere since calories are golden, but that's a rare scenario. At a Forge or workbench maybe?

[Guest]

On 9/22/2018 at 10:49 AM, Vonwoah said:

Curious as to why the bear turned away when using the snow shelter in the GIF above. Does anyone know if the game change and the wiki is outdated?

http://thelongdark.wikia.com/wiki/Snow_shelter

I don't know if anyone has an answer or if this was just buried in the thread. Does anyone know if a snow shelter protects you from wild life? Wiki says different. Evidence that says otherwise.

[Hotzn]

I have always used snares and never understood why they are so underrated by many players. Especially since they - once made - hardly require any costs to operate. They practically give you free (almost - there are still the crafting costs) meat on top of food you procure otherwise (eg by hunting or fishing). My favourite base is Jackrabbit Island, where you can place the snares right outside your door. You can harvest them inside or - if you will - on the veranda. The latter may attract wolves, but their pathfinding won't allow them to enter the veranda. The only downside is that you need to make occasional trips to the Fishing Camp or Coastal Wolfsite to craft snare which have broken.

I have never noticed the snares having any effect neither on the 'spawning' of dead rabbits in the snares nor on the 'respawning' of live rabbits in the vicinity. Which is a weakness in the game's concept. It might be possible to do an endless cycle of rabbit-snaring and travelling the triangle Jackrabbit - Fishing Camp - Log Sort, and back. Travelling the triangle allows you to craft new snares and refill sticks. Have a mag lens for permanent fire and I don't see the limit. Not on Deadman of course, because the rabbit yield will likely not suffice. But looking at @TheEldritchGod's observations above, maybe it will?

[Drifter Man]

17 hours ago, BareSkin said:

Pretty sure it could help a lot in a DeadMan anytime you stop somewhere since calories are golden, but that's a rare scenario. At a Forge or workbench maybe?

I'm thinking about it

40 minutes ago, Hotzn said:

I have never noticed the snares having any effect neither on the 'spawning' of dead rabbits in the snares nor on the 'respawning' of live rabbits in the vicinity.

If this is true, then the potential could be great. I placed snares once during my Snowball days in TWM. First day, 3 out of 4 caught a rabbit. Afterwards, no rabbits, at most one per several days. It wasn't worth running in the cold to place them and check them, so I gave up and never used them since.

If @Vonwoah can get 11 rabbits in 2 days (ok, say 3 days) from a single zone, think of the three (or four) zones in the Ravine. That would be roughly 5000 calories per day. OMG.

[BareSkin]

My 3 snares on JackRabbit produced 3 rabbits every morning for a week. I didn't need more on Loper, but I guess a deadman could live very long there, with the nearby fishut. Fuel would be the main problem, not calories.

Edited September 24, 2018 by BareSkin

[Drifter Man]

23 hours ago, BareSkin said:

My 3 snares on JackRabbit produced 3 rabbits every morning for a week. I didn't need more on Loper, but I guess a deadman could live very long there, with the nearby fishut. Fuel would be the main problem, not calories.

Thanks for the info!

[Kauffy]

While it does "feel a bit broken" to be able to continuously farm rabbits in a given location, we're no-longer playing the game we started playing three years ago and now, a 70-day run isn't as much of a feat. So, there are other "drop-outs" that occur further along the timeline. Those kinds of things used to be gotchas for me like almost feeling bored about how the game was going-- like, I was surviving too long, but then, I'd suddenly realize I'd worn out my last whetstone, and not quite realize that I can't cut up firewood, therefore, I can't make water, and... I'mma dry out to death.

In my current Sandbox, I'm around day 75, and it does seem fairly self-sustaining that I can maintain snares without a loss, as each snare's lifespan could easily harvest more than 10 times what it needs in gut, and the reclaimed wood can be, well, reclaimed 100%-- probably more. In fact, the greater danger is that I can't be arsed to harvest the gut or the hide when I just want the meat, and then eventually, the remaining rabbit carcass is "ruined". So, rather than 9,483 guts, I have 2,337. Y'know.. pret'ty precarious.

 

 

[Jolan]

5 hours ago, Kauffy said:

a 70-day run isn't as much of a feat.

Ha! Speak for yourself I've managed the feat of surviving only 19 days! oh, wait.....

[Doc Feral]

On 24/9/2018 at 7:08 AM, Vonwoah said:

I don't know if anyone has an answer or if this was just buried in the thread. Does anyone know if a snow shelter protects you from wild life? Wiki says different. Evidence that says otherwise.

Just trying to apply logic, since it never happened to me, and if someone has direct experience to report it will be greatly appreciated. The snow shelter is not a physical protection. I guess if a bear is chasing you and you dive into a snow shelter the bear will just pull you out and abuse you as usual. But it makes you harder to detect. The bear in the gif is calmly approaching a bunch of interesting pieces of meat and it almost scorches itself on a fire, so it gets startled and runs away, still unaware of the survivor's presence. If a bear is charging you then hiding behind a campfire is useless (and I personally experienced it), but a calm bear won't walk into the flames just for the hell of it.

Or so I think.

Edited September 26, 2018 by Doc Feral

[Looper]

On 24/9/2018 at 12:15 PM, Hotzn said:

I have always used snares and never understood why they are so underrated by many players.

I like the trapping too - and it's not the snare mechanics fault. I think the main reason many players avoid snares is the low calorie yield pr. harvested rabbit (time+tool use) compared to simply shooting a dear.  Deadman challenge aside - it's primarily early game you are in any calorie need in interloper and in the early game cattails and carcass' does the trick easily (plus found food).  It's simply inefficient.

[Blinkin]

I remember playing a sandbox game with around 10-15 snares in the same flied in ML near the camp office.
It was taking so much time to harvest everything but indeed loads of guts haha. Interesting to see this being put to the test.

[Pillock]

3 hours ago, Looper said:

I like the trapping too - and it's not the snare mechanics fault. I think the main reason many players avoid snares is the low calorie yield pr. harvested rabbit (time+tool use) compared to simply shooting a dear.  Deadman challenge aside - it's primarily early game you are in any calorie need in interloper and in the early game cattails and carcass' does the trick easily (plus found food).  It's simply inefficient.

You can make it quite efficient now, with the new cooking system.

Collect your dead rabbits and reset the traps (I've been getting 4 or 5 at a time from the same area in my recent game), take them to place where you can build a sheltered fire (I'm using the cave at ML Overlook) and get it burning. You then harvest a bit of meat from the first rabbit and put it on to cook, then harvest the rest  as you're cooking the meat in sequence. You can harvest the pelts and guts after that if you need them, and make water at the same time, or just leave them. You can get a day's worth of calories and hydration like that, and it only takes you a couple of hours.

It's a damn sight easier than hunting, in my opinion.

[greatwhitegamer]

Catching 8 rabbits a day in a grove of 4 rabbits. Hmmm. Rabbits really DO breed fast.