Hunting with a Snare This boy hopes that he's well-hidden; look closely and you'll see why.  There’s a male turkey headed straight for the boy's trap.  The bent pole is the most visible part of this trap, called a springpole snare. The pole is attached to a cord, and if you look carefully on the ground, you'll see a loop of cord, about 18 inches in diameter, staked into the ground with pegs. The turkey doesn't notice any of this; he sees only the dried corn that's one of his preferred foods. But when he tries to get it, his foot trips the cord and releases it from the pegs. The bent pole then acts like a spring, snapping straight up and pulling with it the loop of cord on the ground, which is actually a noose. Before that turkey has a chance to run or fly, he's caught; the noose has tightened, and the bird is dangling in the air. Now all the boy has to do is take the turkey home, and his family will have a fine meal. His mother will also save the feathers, which can be used in making arrows, hair ornaments, and even woven feather capes.  Behind the Scenes with Curator Steve Cook For the amount of energy you expend, a snare is probably the single most efficient way to hunt. Hunting with a bow and arrow is a very active process. You may spend hours stalking a deer in a certain area, and you basically get one shot for each opportunity that comes your way. And then you have to track the wounded animal and find out where he went; this sort of big game hunting can go on and on. With a snare, on the other hand, you don't have to be there. You set up the trap and you leave. Which means you can set up a couple dozen traps in a one-or-two-square-mile area, and you just go back the next day, and you check them. And if you really knew what you were doing because you'd  been doing this all your life, like these guys had, chances are you're going to get something in your snare.