Deadfox, Thank you for dropping by. I was hoping that this thread would have caught your attention, even though I didn't start it. Your photos of the set/catch additions certainly will significantly contribute to "waltp's" learning curve - it did mine! I knew about your red fox catch successes with trench sets from a few years ago, but was not aware of their larger size as just illustrated.

I was hoping that T-man member FlatSet from Wisconsin would have seen this and chimed in with his version of a dirt hole set. Yours is close to being a midget compared to his.

Jonathan

I am new to this forum and i must say i am amazed at all the knolage here. I realy like the picture of all the fox that phil cought. thats a lifetime of fox for us here in alaska.
I dont know of a place where you could get that many fox up here. I use the snow hole set its just like the dirt hole set but in snow and insted of setting the borders of the feilds
i use the edges of lakes and streams. My ?? is i am looking for a good lure to use from Dec to Feb. What did fox pelts go for last year. Johnathan i am glad to see that you are willing to share all your expert advice to all of us keep it comming.
Lance..

looks like you have alot of choices on good places to set

deadfox, what are the dimensions on that set. im talking about as far as the depth you dig it and how much the fox has to step down. how far back from the hole is the trap? do you have any more pictures of your sets. i know you have posted quite a few but i am very interested in that type of set.
thanks

ttt

good informative topic, this should be archieved


bud

Thought this thread died awhile ago. It is encouraging that it resurfaced for oxygen I have subsequently taken photos of the round hay bales and their arrangements in farmer's fields that I mentioned earlier.

Let me load a few of those images into my Photobucket account and I'll drop back with my notions on these gems for fox trapping review.

Jonathan

Is there any more interest in this topic?

Jonathan

Jonathan due you still have those hay bail images

Jonathan, in the course of my studies, Mr. O'Gorman uses a very similiar set and calls it his Mafia Set. Make them an offer they cannot refuse... It is a trail set as such combined with a scent post/ flat set characteristics. Trail set with a little urine, little gland lure on something slightly protruding into the trail, narrowing it down. They are already there on their trail, why not make it more enticing to investigate and squeeze them a bit?

Andy, I didn't know that set had a fancy name. I have just called it my dead furrow set - been using variations of it for over 50 years.

Travelintinner, Here is an assortment of the round bales. Most photos taken within the past month - several earlier this week.

Jonathan

where do you set on them ends,middle what about the ones in plastic?How about older ones do you think fox still frequent them i have about 6 on the edge of some woods have trails around them but no droppings or anything in july/august i was cuttin hay @ 11 pm and could see the fox at the edge of my headlights probably eatin mice so i know they are there

TL, From my experience, fox seem to frequent the older bales sitting from last year, or from this year's first cutting groups rather than those from more recent third cuttings.

You can set anywhere around the edges of them. Depending on the layout of the habitat adjacent to these rows of bales, I like to set at both ends and anywhere in the middle with dirt hole sets.

Where there are ruptured bales like the one shown in photo #2, you can pull some of that loose hay down flush with the ground and make a flat or scent post set at it.

I have never set at the single or "sausaged" plastic bales, but if that was all that were available, I wouldn't hesitate to do so if they were stacked in foxy looking habitat.

Jonathan

Be careful setting around those hay bales, it can lead to lots of smashed traps when the farmer comes to pick up his bales!

PA skinner, I made specific mention of that precaution earlier.

Jonathan

Thought I would make a few additional comments about these large round bales while I think about it.

They are not always bound with hay in them. Many farmers bale the stalks from corn and soybeans after combining for bedding. These are bales of corn stalks.



Once any form of these bales are stacked in rows on the edge of a field they serve as automatic corridors for animal traffic as in this example:



To the immediate right of the base of the hay bales on the far left there is a dark green patch of grass. If you look closely, there is a linear animal trail next to it. After closer examination, I could tell that it was being used by fox, coyotes and raccoons. Those bales are about 50 yards west of a rundown abandoned barn for reference.

Jonathan

Any chance of getting this one posted in the archives?

Good info!

Another haybale..I had a set at the corner of the bale..

another one of those natural dirtholes..I try to make my sets resemble these..