During the course of history, the American Indian has taught white settlers a great deal about surviving in a new land, and one of the most useful lessons was the sharing of the Apache foothold trap. A very basic way to catch animals for food, the Apache foothold trap requires a minimum of materials to create, and is so simple in it's design that anyone can have success in making one. While designed for larger animals like deer, the Apache foothold trap can easily be modified to the size of any animal that is abundant in a given location. In a survival situation for those in dire need of sustenance, an Apache foothold trap can be a true life-saver, providing a much needed source of food with very little effort or energy expended.

To build an Apache foothold trap all that is necessary in the way of materials is a rope, a knife and some sticks. Dig a hole about twenty inches deep and about a foot in diameter, and gather about a dozen one-inch thick sticks. At about 9 inches from the bottom of the hole you have dug, pound the sticks into the side of the hole horizontally to form a circle, with the opening about 5 inches in diameter at the ends of the sticks. Take a knife and shave a point onto the end of each stick. At about 18 inches from the bottom of the hole, repeat the procedure with a new set of sticks. Take a very sturdy piece of rope and tie one end to a tree, and on the other end tie a slipknot to the size of the circumference of the hole, and place it on top of the higher set of pointed sticks, Cover the hole with leaves or grass to disguise the trap, and cover the rope running from the hole to the tree with leaves as well.

The basic idea is that an animal will step through the slipknot in the trap, and as it struggles to get loose from the sticks in the hole the slipknot will tighten around the animal's leg, thus trapping it. The size and depth of the hole should match the size of the prey, and it will work on just about any animal. It is best to place an Apache foothold trap near water sources where animals go to drink or near other locations where there are signs of frequent activity. The main benefits of an Apache foothold trap is that they can be made relatively quickly and in decent numbers if enough rope is available. They can even work using strong vines for smaller animals in a survival situation. The use of Apache foothold traps in extreme circumstances allows an individual to utilize time and energies to address other issues like gaining shelter, fire and water while having a possibility of getting food at the same time.