How to catch animals in Dinkum

While many other survival crafter titles take an uncompromising approach to local wildlife, Dinkum often strays on the side of conservation and concern for the environment. This concept is clearly evident in the in-game trapping abilities that players will unlock early in the game.

Rather than killing most animals (which is still an option for meat), trappers focus on capturing animals alive for study. Understanding how to do this effectively makes the difference between constantly empty traps and an influx of researcher dinks.

Related: All fish you can catch in Dinkum – complete fish list

What are the best places to set traps in Dinkum?

Traps do not automatically spawn trapped animals while players are sleeping. Instead, finding areas with active creatures is part of catching skills. Look for areas with multiple creatures roaming around, such as kangaroos, pangolins, and turkeys.

Building traps near nests and roaming areas for these creatures offers far better chances of success than throwing off a few pieces at random. Once the trap has been placed, players should make sure they have built the Animal Collection Point.

How to use traps in Dinkum

Players have two choices when it comes to using traps in Dinkum – wait for animals to naturally stumble into the traps, or chase animals into the traps. The natural option allows players to do other urgent tasks (like preparing to unlock the quarry) or cooking. However, chasing animals is much faster.

Many animals react to a player’s presence: dingoes will follow players, turkeys will run away from the player, and emus will chase the player. Use this knowledge to your advantage and lead animals into the trap, which activates automatically as soon as a creature steps on it. Players can bait traps by dropping a piece of meat in the center of the trap (Q), but this is not necessary.

How to send captured creatures to the laboratory in Dinkum

Once a creature has been caught, players can pick it up – much like picking up rubies for sale. Take the captured animal to the animal collection point with the crate and all and right click to drop the crate on the area. A balloon appears, humorously near Metal Gear Solid 5’s catch animation, and the animal is taken to the research lab.

Check the mail for your rewards the next morning. Typically, players receive a lump sum of dinks in one letter and the animal trap in a second letter. This allows players to maintain a continuous trap rotation without having to consume more resources.