Silver Fox was the ONLY one of you to mention "waxed dirt". Tsk, tsk, gentlemen. Does a lady have to show you boys a thing or two? Now all these ideas posted where good, but each one has a downfall. Take calcium chloride for example, it keeps the soil from freezing but it rust traps like you wouldn't believe! Also fox and coyotes can shy away from it rrrrreal quick! Ask Craig O'Gorman if you don't think they will. In some area's you can pull it off for awhile but get a lot of rain and you'll notice some problems. (Not to mention missing some fur!) Salt too, keeps the ground from freezing. But it too will rust traps and as several of you mentioned and will attract ALOT of problems around livestock. (Ever try to free a frozen trap off a cow's tongue...not for the faint of heart!) In areas that have lots of deer or elk you will have a lot of snapped traps for obvious reasons. Even rabbits are attracted to salt, did I forget to mention porcupines??? OK, in all fairness, in some areas, (especially dry ones) salt works if you're not plagued with those other problems. Peat is peat, well not necessarily!!! There are different kinds as well as grades. You want the type you "add to soil"! That’s the kind you use! PEAT will take ALOT of rain, freeze, and warm up, rain, freeze weather. Some people have a hard time bedding in it, so dig your trap beds deeper and "TIGHTER" and that will help on that problem. (It takes a little practice) On a light dirt covering, I still like it waxed dirt. O'Gorman's sells, (or used to) a product called "CEDAR FIBER", it was used in the oil industry, I believe. Great stuff if used the way Craig showed. No one mentioned buck wheat hulls or Styrofoam beads or similar products, so I won’t even go there. Snaring of course has tremendous advantages over trapping in winter conditions, but not everyone can "legally" snare. I have a much easier way to wax dirt and you can out that info in the Trapping Archives under wax dirt. There are a number of ways to do it of course as there are to trap in winter conditions. I say, if it works for you then by all means use it, but don't be afraid to try something new. I've trapped and/or snared in 6 states and the Canadian Arctic, (well that’s another story for another time).
