Dont understand how trapping fence works

[werepacman]

As I understand trap fence can protect you from animal entering your location.

Other suggestion of fence location would be near the water with tracks of animals.

But what are other cases? Does just simple fence line in the middle of the map helps to catch an animal?
Or you need to find a place to block passage?

[PALU]

A fence keeps large animals (elks, reindeer, bear) from passing through the tile with a fence (although bears can smash fences if trying to get at prey), forcing them to go around to either side. Wolves can jump fences, but unless there's prey, they go around. "Going around" a trap fence means going through the gap, where your trap is (one of multiple traps, typically).

Blocking off a passage (such as e.g. an isthmus) ought to be the most effective trap fence, but even a line in the middle of nowhere should catch things occasionally. The longer the fence, the more wildlife you reroute, so the more you catch.

I used to surround a single tile lake with a trap fence, and that worked well. Currently I've surrounded my farm plot area with one, and it catches things occasionally, but I complement that with active hunting.

[werepacman]

I found an answer how to build fence.

It should be along water, animals often walk on river and lake banks. Open area is easy to check. Half or third of a tile in the place where tracks most visible is enough.

It is better to have small fences in different spots than large in few. If the animal is there, sooner or later it will step on the trap. You rise your chances if you trapping more animals, han putting all effort to catch one. I have never caught bear or deer. Most of the time it is moose. So I guess animals are inhabit certain areas.

[caius]

I like to build trap fences along the borders between forests and open terrain types (i.e. fields, roads, meadows, and clearings).  You can often find these near agricultural villages.  I don't surround a village directly, but make sure my trap fences are a few tiles away on the borders.  It is easy then to walk along the fence in the "open" terrain and see if the fence has been triggered.

[tedomedo]

What do you think about such trapping?

[PALU]

Probably not a great idea. Bait has some effect, but the herding effect of guiding animals through openings is generally stronger. That design would work only for herds that manage to get into one of the narrow corridors, and even if an animal was able to see/smell the food at the bait position from one of the corners, it's not that likely it will find the path to it (path finding isn't that great, unfortunately).

[tedomedo]

How about this?

[Erkka]

or maybe this?

Code: [Select]

____#____
____#____
____#____
___ooo___
###obo###
___ooo___
____#____
____#____
____#____

_ = some terrain
# = fence
o = a trap
b = a bait (optional, can be replaced by yet another trap)

ps. this is not anything I've personally tested in the game, but an adaptation of an actual arrangement which has been historically used. Some historical trap fence consturctions were built so that the passage between fences gets narrower and narrower, thus funneling animals into the trap. I see tedomedo is on the right track thinking about fenced passageways leading to a trap, but I'd guess the key is to make it so that it is maximally easy to enter the passageway.

[PALU]

That looks like a rather effective design, Erkka. The problem with a funnel in UrW is the lack angled fences. I don't know what was used historically, but my guess would be something like 30 degrees or even less.

[Erkka]

The problem with a funnel in UrW is the lack angled fences.

If anyone wants to test in the game, maybe try something like this

Code: [Select]

####________
___####_____
______####__
_________###
__________oo
_________###
______####__
___####_____
####________

and if you mirror the fence construction to the right side, the traps would probably catch all animals travelling in east-west direction. But, yeah, the square tile-based approach of UrW isn't that good for modelling angled constructs.

[tedomedo]

Is this better?

[koteko]

I love that one, @tedomedo

[werepacman]

I think pits are not much harder to build than fence. So it will be easy to make few traps pits in fence line. Not necessarily long fence line.