Chapter 1
Why trap
Trapping is food that catches itself. No gun, no noise, no bullets. Just patience.
A trap is a box or a snare with bait inside. You place it in the right spot. You leave. While you are away, the game rolls dice every hour. Win the roll and an animal is inside when you return.
Rabbits
The main prize. Good meat and a small hide. Night catches only.
Squirrels
Smaller meat. Night catches only. Only exist in traps, never on the map.
Small birds
Stick traps only. Any hour of the day.
Mice and rats
Mouse traps only. Any hour. Emergency food, or pets.
Raccoons have a trap entry too, but the official wiki lists the trapping system as mice, rats, rabbits, birds and squirrels. Treat raccoons as a lucky extra.
The whole loop in 6 steps
- LearnGet a trap recipe from a job, trait or magazine.
- CraftMake several traps, not one.
- PlaceSet them in the right zone at sunset.
- BaitFresh food the animal actually eats.
- LeaveAt least 80 tiles away. Sleep.
- CollectCheck at sunrise. Re-bait. Repeat.
Why it matters
Trapping runs while you sleep, loot or build. It is the only food source that costs zero of your time once set up.
Chapter 2
Build your trapper
The Trapping skill does 2 things. It raises your catch odds, and it unlocks better traps.
Best picks on the character screen
Park Ranger (job)
+1 Trapping and every trap recipe already known. Plus Foraging, Carving and Knapping. The complete outdoors package.
Hunter (trait, 8 points)
Knows every trap recipe. Also gives Tracking, Sneaking, Aiming and Butchering. Pair it with any job.
Hiker (trait)
+1 Trapping. Knows the snare, stick and crate trap recipes. A cheaper start.
Fast Learner (trait)
130% XP in every skill, including Trapping.
Watch out: point costs change
The game makers still tune traits and jobs. Always read the numbers on your own character screen.
Books and TV
Trapping is a normal skill, so its 5 books give the full boost: 3, 5, 8, 12 and 16 times XP.
| Show or tape | Gives |
|---|---|
| Exposure Survival on Life and Living, day 6 at 6 in the evening | +100 Trapping XP and the Trap Crate recipe |
| Exposure Survival Episode 6: Trapping (VHS tape) | +125 Trapping XP and the Box Trap recipe |
Secret: only YOUR traps teach you
You earn Trapping XP when you collect an animal from a trap you placed. The skill of the person who set the trap is what counts for the catch rolls, too.
Chapter 3
The 6 traps
Each trap has a strength number. Higher strength means more catches and fewer breaks.
| Trap | Catches | Strength | How you get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mouse Trap | Mice, rats | 50 | Loot only. Cannot be crafted. |
| Stick Trap | Small birds | 15 | Craft. No skill needed once learned. |
| Trap Crate | Rabbits, squirrels | 15 | Craft. No skill needed once learned. |
| Snare Trap | Rabbits, squirrels | 10 | Craft. Trapping 1. Plank, 2 twine and a saw. |
| Box Trap | Rabbits, squirrels | 15 | Craft. Trapping 2 and Carpentry 1. |
| Cage Trap | Rabbits, squirrels. The best. | 20 | Craft. Trapping 3. 5 wire and pliers. |
Secret: the crate beats the box
The official wiki says the Trap Crate is simply better than the Box Trap. It needs no skill, costs less, and is better at squirrels. Skip the box.
Secret: mouse traps are the strongest trap in the game
Strength 50 is more than double a cage. They almost never break. Grab every one you see in kitchens and garages.
Watch out: skill does not make a trap stronger
Trap strength is fixed. Your Trapping and Carpentry levels do not change it. Skill helps the catch roll instead.
Chapter 4
Learning trap recipes
You cannot craft a trap you have not learned. There are 4 ways to learn.
1. A job or trait
Park Ranger and Hunter know all of them. Hiker knows snare, stick and crate.
2. Magazines
The Hunter Magazine volumes 1, 2 and 3, and Wildlife Preserve. Look in bookstores, libraries, and on shelves in cabins.
3. Skill levels
Reach a high enough Trapping level and the recipe unlocks on its own. Players report: Stick at 2, Crate at 4, Cage at 5, Snare at 6, Box at 8.
4. TV and tapes
Day 6 TV teaches the crate. The Episode 6 tape teaches the box.
| Trap | Magazine that teaches it |
|---|---|
| Snare Trap | The Hunter Magazine Vol. 1 |
| Stick Trap, Trap Crate | The Hunter Magazine Vol. 2 |
| Cage Trap | The Hunter Magazine Vol. 3 |
| Box Trap | The Hunter Magazine Vol. 3 or Wildlife Preserve |
Watch out: magazine names vary
Some sources call the trapping magazines "Small Game Hunting" and "The Hunter". Read every hunting or wildlife magazine you find. They are all worth it.
Watch out: you cannot learn from a found trap
Picking up a trap does not teach its recipe. Only jobs, traits, magazines, skill levels and TV do.
Chapter 5
Bait: the right snack for the right animal
A trap with the wrong bait is a decoration. Match the food to the animal.
The 3 bait rules
- It must be fresh. Fruit and vegetables must say "(Fresh)". Rotten bait catches nothing. Frozen bait is fine. No need to thaw it.
- It must be on the animal's list. Rabbits ignore cheese. Mice ignore carrots.
- Higher bait score means better odds. Carrots are the best rabbit bait. Cheese is the best rodent bait.
| Animal | Best bait | Also works |
|---|---|---|
| Rabbit | Carrot (45) | Cabbage, lettuce, bell pepper (40). Potato, tomato, corn, apple, banana, peach (35). |
| Squirrel | Peanut butter, cereal (45) | Peanuts, popcorn, lettuce, corn, fruit. |
| Small bird | Bread, worms (50) | Crickets, cockroaches, grasshoppers, corn, cereal. |
| Mouse and rat | Cheese (60) | Peanut butter, chocolate, bacon bits, fruit, tomato. |
The numbers are bait scores, not catch chances. Chapter 7 explains how they are used.
Secret: one carrot baits 2 traps
Baiting takes a bite out of the food. A carrot has enough for about 2 traps. A cabbage stretches to about 4. Grow carrots and you never buy bait again.
Secret: shared baits catch more kinds
Corn, lettuce and peanut butter are on more than one list. One trap baited with corn can roll for rabbits, squirrels and birds in the same hour.
Chapter 6
Zones: where to set traps
The ground under the trap matters as much as the bait. The map is split into zones, and each animal has favorite zones.
Turn on Search Mode and hover over the picture to see your zone. The same zones you learned in the Foraging guide apply here.
| Zone | Rabbits and squirrels | Mice and rats | Birds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deep Forest | Best (15) | Poor | Fine |
| Forest | Great (12) | Poor | Fine |
| Vegetation | Good (10) | Poor | Fine |
| Farmland | Weak | Good | Good |
| Town | Very weak (2) | Good | Fine |
| Trailer Park | Very weak (2) | Best | Fine |
Watch out: a trap on Main Street catches nothing
Rabbits do roll in town, but with a zone score of 2 the odds are tiny. Walk to the trees.
Watch out: walls and windows next to traps
Players report that traps placed beside odd wall or window spots can lose bait and animals. Put traps on open ground.
Chapter 7
How a catch really happens
Every hour, each trap rolls 2 dice. Both must win. Understand this and empty traps stop being a mystery.
Roll 1: the trap and the bait
Trap score + bait score + (Trapping × 1.5). That is the chance, out of 100.
Roll 2: the zone
Zone score + (Trapping × 1.5). That is the chance, out of 100.
Win both and the animal is caught. Lose either and nothing happens that hour. If several animals win both rolls, the game picks one at random.
Rabbit odds calculator
Uses the scores from the game files as reported by fan sites. Rabbits only roll from 19:00 to 05:00, so a full night is 10 rolls.
Secret: the zone is the bottleneck
Roll 1 is easy to max out. Roll 2 is where traps fail. A carrot in a cage in town rolls only 2% on the zone. The same trap in deep forest rolls 15% plus your skill. That is why location beats gear.
Secret: bait can vanish with no catch
Each hour there is also a small chance the trap loses its bait or breaks without catching. Empty bait is not proof you got unlucky on the dice. Re-bait and set more traps.
Chapter 8
Setting and checking traps
The steps are simple. Skipping one is why traps stay empty.
Put the trap in your main inventory
Not in a bag. The place option only appears for traps in your main inventory.
Place it
Stand in a good zone. Right-click the ground. Choose Place Trap, then the trap.
Bait it
Right-click the placed trap. Choose the bait. The trap now shows as baited. Do this at sunset for rabbits and squirrels.
Leave
Walk at least 80 tiles away and sleep or work elsewhere. Chapter 9 explains why.
Check at sunrise
A closed or changed trap means a catch. Right-click to collect the animal. Then re-bait.
Secret: sunset to sunrise is the whole rhythm
Set at dusk, collect at dawn. That covers the full rabbit window and keeps traps deployed the shortest time, so they break less.
Watch out: traps break
A broken wooden trap may leave scrap wood or nails. Run 4 or 5 traps so one break does not stop your food. Pick traps up when you are done for the season.
Chapter 9
The 80-tile rule
This one rule explains most empty traps. Read it twice.
The game only rolls for a catch when the trap's piece of the map is unloaded. That means no player is close enough for the game to be drawing it. If you stand and watch a trap, it will never catch anything.
The wiki gives a safe number: 80 tiles in a straight line, north, south, east or west. Only distance along one axis counts. Being 79 tiles east and 79 tiles south may still leave the trap loaded.
Secret: sleep is the best distance
Place traps a good walk from your base. Then go home and sleep. Your base is far away, the hours tick past, and the traps roll all night.
Watch out: in multiplayer, any player counts
A friend camping next to your traps blocks the rolls just like you would. Spread trap lines away from everyone's base.
Chapter 10
Live animals from traps
Build 42 traps do not only kill. Rabbits, mice, rats and raccoons can come out alive.
The game files give rabbits, mice, rats and raccoons a live-capture setting. Birds and squirrels have none. A live catch is an animal you can keep.
Pick it up
The moment you pick up a wild animal, it stops being wild. Carry it home.
Give it a pen
Make a livestock zone with food, water and shelter. Release the animal inside. Two rabbits of different sexes will have babies. That is unlimited rabbit meat with no more trapping.
Secret: traps are the only source of rabbits in a dead world
In sandbox settings where all the farm animals are dead, live-trapped rabbits are still available. They can be the only livestock you ever own.
Watch out: raccoons climb
Players report raccoons climb out of fences. They also may not be fully finished as trap animals. Enjoy one if you get it. Do not plan a farm around it.
Chapter 11
From trap to table
A rabbit in the trap is not a meal yet.
- Butcher it. Small animals do not need a butcher hook. Right-click the animal with a sharp knife, or use the crafting menu. You get meat and a small hide. Butchering XP too.
- Cook it. Raw meat is a gamble. Fry it or drop it in a stew.
- Keep the hide. Rabbit hides go through the softening beam and tanning bucket like any hide. They dry on a small leather rack.
- Store the extra. Freeze it the same day.
Secret: a bird is bait too
Worms and insects catch birds. Birds and their leftovers feed you. Any leftover fillet from fishing or hunting can become bait for something else. Nothing is wasted.
Chapter 12
Training plan: 0 to 10
Each collection from your own trap gives XP. More traps and more nights mean more levels.
Levels 0 to 2: mouse traps and crates
Read Trapping I. Loot every mouse trap you see. Bait them with cheese near your base in town. They roll all day. Learn the crate from day 6 TV. Set crates with carrots at a forest edge each night.
Levels 3 to 5: build cages
Read Trapping II. At level 3 you can craft cages. Collect 5 wire per cage from electrical junk. Run 5 cages in deep forest with carrots. Each level adds 1.5 to both rolls.
Levels 6 to 10: the trap line
Read the next books as you reach them. Run a long line of cages along a forest path. Set them all at dusk, walk the line at dawn. Every collection is XP.
Secret: your first 3 levels can come from the couch
TV and the Episode 6 tape together give 225 Trapping XP. That is most of the way to level 2 before you set a single trap.
Level by level: Trapping
The best single thing to do at each level. Read the matching book first when one exists.
| Level | Do this for most of your XP | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 1 | Read Trapping I. Set stick and box traps with carrots | Loot traps, cheap bait, fast first XP |
| 1 to 2 | Snares from a plank and 2 twine. 6 traps out | Snare unlocks at 1. More traps, more checks |
| 2 to 3 | Move traps to the forest and grass zones | Zone matters as much as bait |
| 3 to 4 | Read Trapping II. Cage traps from 5 wire and pliers | Cage is strength 20, the best trap |
| 4 to 5 | Crate traps over box traps, always | Crate is strictly better |
| 5 to 6 | Read Trapping III. Check traps at dawn after being 80 tiles away | Traps only catch when the chunk is unloaded |
| 6 to 7 | A trap line of 10 cages checked daily | Volume is the grind now |
| 7 to 8 | Read Trapping IV. Rabbits at night, 19:00 to 05:00 | Match the animal clock |
| 8 to 9 | Keep the line. Pick up live rabbits to tame them | Bonus: a breeding pair for the ranch |
| 9 to 10 | Read Trapping V. Same line, more months | Slow and safe to the end |
Trap line checklist
Before you set
After you set
Your ticks are saved in this browser, on this device only.
Chapter 13
Tips, tricks and fixes
20 tips from the trap line
Getting started
- Take Park Ranger or Hunter. Every recipe on day 1.
- Watch the day 6 evening TV show for the crate recipe.
- Loot every mouse trap. Strength 50 and almost unbreakable.
- Skip the Box Trap. The Crate is better and cheaper.
- Save wire for cages. 5 per cage.
Setting traps
- Deep forest for rabbits. Trailer parks for rats.
- Carrots for rabbits. Cheese for rodents. Bread for birds.
- Fresh only. Frozen is fine. Rotten never.
- Open ground, away from walls and windows.
- Set at dusk, collect at dawn.
- Run 4 or 5 traps, never just 1.
- Use corn or lettuce to roll for several animals at once.
The waiting game
- Go 80 tiles away in one direction. Then sleep.
- Never stand near your traps. They cannot catch while loaded.
- In multiplayer, keep trap lines away from everyone's base.
- Empty bait does not mean bad luck. Re-bait and move on.
After the catch
- Collect only your own traps for XP.
- Keep live rabbits. Two make a farm.
- Butcher small animals without a hook.
- Pick traps up in winter. Fewer animals, same breakage.
Fix-it table
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| My traps never catch anything. | You stayed too close. | Go 80 tiles away in a straight line. Sleep. |
| Still nothing, even far away. | Wrong zone or wrong bait. | Forest for rabbits. Match bait to the animal. Check it says Fresh. |
| I cannot place the trap. | Trap is in a bag, or the ground is not a trapping zone. | Move it to main inventory. Move to a valid zone. |
| The bait is gone but the trap is empty. | Bait can vanish without a catch. | Re-bait. Run more traps. |
| My trap broke. | Normal wear. | Use cages and mouse traps. Deploy for shorter periods. |
| I cannot craft any trap. | Recipe not learned. | Read a Hunter magazine, or level up, or watch day 6 TV. |
| I have the recipe but cannot craft a cage. | Trapping below 3, or no wire and pliers. | Level up. Strip wire from electrical junk. |
| Only birds and rats get caught. | Daytime checks, or a town zone. | Leave traps overnight in forest. |
| I got no XP. | You collected someone else's trap. | Only your own traps give Trapping XP. |
| My raccoon escaped the pen. | Raccoons climb. | Keep rabbits instead. |
Chapter 14
Trapper's test
7 questions. Get them all right and the woods will feed you.
Chapter 15
Words and sources
Trapper's word list
- Bait
- Food placed in a trap to tempt an animal.
- Bait score
- A number that says how tempting a bait is. Higher is better.
- Trap strength
- A number that says how good a trap is and how rarely it breaks.
- Zone
- The type of ground, like Forest or Trailer Park. Each animal has favorite zones.
- Roll
- A dice throw the game makes every hour to decide if an animal is caught.
- Loaded
- A piece of the map that the game is currently drawing because a player is near. Traps do not catch while loaded.
- Snare
- A loop of twine that catches an animal by the leg.
- Live capture
- When the animal in the trap is still alive and can be kept.
- Livestock zone
- A fenced area you mark out for keeping animals.
- Wire
- Metal wire, needed to make cage traps. Comes from electrical junk.
How sure are we?
Every fact here was checked in September 2026 for game version 42.20.4. The official wiki's Trapping page was updated within the last week, which makes this one of the best-sourced guides in the series.
Things that may differ in your game:
- Exact scores. Trap, bait and zone numbers come from fan sites that read the game files for version 42.19. The two-roll formula is confirmed by 2 independent fan sources.
- Auto-learn levels. The list (Stick 2, Crate 4, Cage 5, Snare 6, Box 8) comes from fan data. The official wiki pages give lower craft levels, like Cage at 3. Both may be true: one is the level to craft, the other is the level that unlocks the recipe for free.
- Magazine names. The official wiki uses "The Hunter Magazine Vol. 1 to 3". Fan sites use other names for the same items.
- Materials. Only the snare and cage recipes are listed with materials here. Check your crafting menu for the rest.
- Raccoons. The official wiki does not list them as a trapping animal. Fan data shows an incomplete entry.
- Trait and job costs. These may change.
Sources
- PZwiki (the official wiki): Trapping (updated September 2026), Trap Crate, Cage Trap, Box Trap, Snare Trap, Stick Trap, Rabbit, Animal
- The Indie Stone, official patch notes for 42.8.0 (animals become domesticated when picked up)
- PZfans trapping guides for 42.19 (two-roll formula, scores, auto-learn levels, hours)
- Bamboo Gaming trapping database (trap strength, recipes, live-capture flags)
- Build42guide.wiki hunting and trapping page (zone weights, bait scores)
- Steam Community discussions (bait per carrot, wall placement, raccoon behavior)