any one have pictures of the "pounding" method used for bedding a trap. i have read several articles on it, but i think it would be easier to understand if there were some pictures. thank you.

Hal Sulivan's book Canines 2000 explains and has pictures of this method

ive never seen it myself morgan ... but i would think ya would just use ya hammer and pound the bed into a bowl shape ... that way the trap would make contact with the outter edge of the bowl ... to get a solid "bed" with ya trap

A much easier and less time consuming method is the "Milligan Stomp". The dirt is loosened about three inches or so in the bottom of the trap bed. Place your trap in the dirt where you want it. Put the balls of your feet on the ends of the frame where the jaws go through. Stand on the trap with all your weight, and even put a little bounce into it. Rock solid without messin around with the hammer. 2-3 seconds tops, and you're done.

much easier method yet and can be used in ANY set .... dig ya bed round to begin with ... place trap in bed ... twist trap as pushing down into bed ...DONE .... lol

i punch the ground to make a solid bed for the trap and then i push dirt around it to make it solid.



max

The pound down method is nothing more than using your hammer to pound the ground to make a crude shape of your trap. Pound it down about an inch or two maybe more depending on the set. Sprinkle in some dry dirt and put your trap in there. Give it a little twist and make sure it doesn't woble then continue to fill and pack it with dirt. Same as putting it in a bed only without digging just hammering. It's quick, simple and there shouldn't be as much fresh dirt smell for the animals to pick up on. Dan

i want the fresh dirt smell as well as scattered dirt when trappin for fur .... just my preference tho .... most of my sets arent subtle at all ..... lol

I've tried digging the trap bed the exact shape of the trap. I've even laid the set trap on the ground for a pattern and cut around it with my trowel, and I just can't get it as solid as I like. I need to practice more, I'll admit. I run only a few traps , so my learning curve is a long one! LOL!

dont have to have it in the exact shape of the trap .... altho i like to keep them darn close ... the more beds ya dig tha better ya will get at this ... as the season goes on i get better and better .... just dig the bed ... toss in sum loose dirt ... swish ya hand around in the center of the bed ... this moves the dirt out from the center of the bed ... to give the lower parts of the trap sumthin to come in contact with to make it solid ... push and twist ... its fast and simple once ya get the hang of it

I've tried the pound method here a few times, but after bending and ruining 3 hammers and a sledge, from the concrete clay ground, I gave up....lol

I think Gary's got it down.I use his method most.Maybe pound for chain.

hey thanx gary i will get hals book for the off season. again thanx for the help i will let you know the out come.

Although, I have never really heard the pounding method named and copyrighted, I have used it for years, when the ground is too frozen to dig in, but soft enough to pound a bed into, use a stake to make dirthole.

Downside is when it is warm enough to rain, but not warm enough to thaw the ground. Trap bed becomes a trap puddle. Just add ice, and you've got a trap that eliphants can dance on without throwing. Driving some stake holes in the bottom of a "pounded" bed can buy you some time, by giving the water a place to go, in case it rains and turns cold. It always turns cold after it rains in the wintertime here. This is, of course, assuming you use a peat type bedding material.

I use a combonation dig and pound down sometimes . pound down the high spots works for me .

Drifter