Trapping pit
Encyclopedia
Trapping pits are deep pits dug into the ground, or built from stone, in order to trap animals.
European rock drawings and cave paintings reveal that the elk
and moose
have been hunted since the stone age
using trapping pits. In Northern Scandinavia
one can still find remains of trapping pits used for hunting elk
, reindeer
, wolves and bear
s. These pits, which can measure up to 4 x 7 m in plan and be up to several metres deep, would have been camouflaged with branches and leaves. They would have had steep sides lined with planks, making it impossible for the animal to escape once it had fallen in. Certain traps have a small rope for rodents and amphibians to escape with. When the animal had fallen into the pit, it would either be killed, bled to death by sharpened sticks pointed upwards from the bottom of the pit, or in the case of pits without these sticks, by hunters waiting nearby.
In Norway
two forms are found; one is typically a tapered construction with a timbered box at the bottom where the legs of the animal was locked, or a bigger one where the animal fell through a covered lid. The later one will typically have a bowl form today, while the former most often lacks the timbered box. The tapered construction seems to be the most common one, especially in the mountains.
Early examples of these trapping devices have been excavated by archaeologists
and older sites are questionably dated to around 3700 BC while one of the later one in Lesja municipality in Gudbrandsdalen is dated to 1690. An other location Rødsmoen at Gråfjell has been in use over a period of 2000 years, from older bronze age around 1800 BC to older iron age around 500-550 AD. From the excavations at Dokkfløy it seems like the hunting pits has been in use in two periods, one older period from around 500-300 BC, perhaps still in use around 1000 AD, and one later period up to about 1700 AD.
Trapping elk in pits is an extremely effective hunting method, and as early as the 16th century the Norwegian government tried to restrict their use and in 1860 the hunting method was banned by law. Nevertheless, the method was in use until the 19th century.
and arrow. The trapping pits are normally rectangular in shape and quite narrow, making it impossible for the animal to move once it had fallen in.
European rock drawings and cave paintings reveal that the elk
Elk
The Elk is the large deer, also called Cervus canadensis or wapiti, of North America and eastern Asia.Elk may also refer to:Other antlered mammals:...
and moose
Moose
The moose or Eurasian elk is the largest extant species in the deer family. Moose are distinguished by the palmate antlers of the males; other members of the family have antlers with a dendritic configuration...
have been hunted since the stone age
Stone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
using trapping pits. In Northern Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
one can still find remains of trapping pits used for hunting elk
Moose
The moose or Eurasian elk is the largest extant species in the deer family. Moose are distinguished by the palmate antlers of the males; other members of the family have antlers with a dendritic configuration...
, reindeer
Reindeer
The reindeer , also known as the caribou in North America, is a deer from the Arctic and Subarctic, including both resident and migratory populations. While overall widespread and numerous, some of its subspecies are rare and one has already gone extinct.Reindeer vary considerably in color and size...
, wolves and bear
Bear
Bears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...
s. These pits, which can measure up to 4 x 7 m in plan and be up to several metres deep, would have been camouflaged with branches and leaves. They would have had steep sides lined with planks, making it impossible for the animal to escape once it had fallen in. Certain traps have a small rope for rodents and amphibians to escape with. When the animal had fallen into the pit, it would either be killed, bled to death by sharpened sticks pointed upwards from the bottom of the pit, or in the case of pits without these sticks, by hunters waiting nearby.
Pits for hunting eurasian elk
Pits for hunting eurasian elk (moose) are normally found in large groups, crossing the elk's regular paths and stretching over a large landmass. Remains of wooden fences designed to guide the animals toward the pits have been found in bogs and peats.In Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
two forms are found; one is typically a tapered construction with a timbered box at the bottom where the legs of the animal was locked, or a bigger one where the animal fell through a covered lid. The later one will typically have a bowl form today, while the former most often lacks the timbered box. The tapered construction seems to be the most common one, especially in the mountains.
Early examples of these trapping devices have been excavated by archaeologists
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
and older sites are questionably dated to around 3700 BC while one of the later one in Lesja municipality in Gudbrandsdalen is dated to 1690. An other location Rødsmoen at Gråfjell has been in use over a period of 2000 years, from older bronze age around 1800 BC to older iron age around 500-550 AD. From the excavations at Dokkfløy it seems like the hunting pits has been in use in two periods, one older period from around 500-300 BC, perhaps still in use around 1000 AD, and one later period up to about 1700 AD.
Trapping elk in pits is an extremely effective hunting method, and as early as the 16th century the Norwegian government tried to restrict their use and in 1860 the hunting method was banned by law. Nevertheless, the method was in use until the 19th century.
Pits for hunting reindeer
These pits are almost exclusively found in the mountainous areas of Norway. They are stone built and are normally accompanied by leading fences, also made from stone, which would have guided the animals towards the pits. In some areas one can also find bow rests, stone built hiding places for hunters equipped with bowBow (weapon)
The bow and arrow is a projectile weapon system that predates recorded history and is common to most cultures.-Description:A bow is a flexible arc that shoots aerodynamic projectiles by means of elastic energy. Essentially, the bow is a form of spring powered by a string or cord...
and arrow. The trapping pits are normally rectangular in shape and quite narrow, making it impossible for the animal to move once it had fallen in.