Alright guys. Having never trapped K9 in the spring/summer it's giving me fits. My "in field" sets are just not blending. Having never had to blend Flat Sets and P Posts with new growing green grass can anyone provide some hints on how to avoid that "UFO landing circle" after the green grass you blended in wilts and turns brown?

Thanks,
HJ

Scissors...cut up a bit of green grass and a bit of surrounding "duff" to blend sets in. Other ways are sweeping grasses and duff throughout set with a small whisk broom. AND use a water can to blend fresh looking sets in...sprinkle water over set it will be dark but when it dries out it will blend in with a light crust.

This is what I do and it looks great when I leave it but within 2 days the cut gras has withered and lost the summer green look begins to stand out. I'm not one to mess with a set once I leave it but I hate that "UFO circle" that seems go appear with every day that goes by!

Thanks for any other tips.

HJ

As you know brown spots or dead areas occur naturally in grass fields....you could make a few more in the area if possible. Also be sure to keep your trap bed smaller so blending is in a smaller area. And water the heck out of it...get the grass growing around the trap.

my answer would be to first choose the right spot to blend a trap in.

The question was how to blend in the set not where to make the set.

I agree there're brown dead spots all around fields. Where my dog pee's in the yard it turns the grass brown.
I would either push the grass from the center of where the trap bed is going to be, dig just big enough hole to bed the trap, cover. Then pull the grass back in to blend and cover the set. Or, just go ahead and blend in the set, which will turn brown eventually with clippings and duff, but I would rough up some other areas to resemble your set pattern.

Thanks. Good to know everyone has the same problem and there is no easy solution. I'm not one to go and set somewhere else when the fox tell me they want to get caught where I want to set.

If you are able to take a lawn mower to the site, mow a large circle, maybe ten feet in diameter. Put in your sets and blend them in with the chopped grass. Predators are attracted to these spots. I have great success with this method!

First, why do you feel you need to blend in the sets in the first place? Not saying that you don't have to, just that not every set needs to be blended.

Second, what are you trying to blend in? Meaning, what are the conditions you are trying to make the sets in. Fields with 1 inch of hay are different than fields with 3 inches which are different than fields with 12 inches.

Third, see what modifications you can do along the travel pathways to help you out. Look for choke points where you can move ground litter out of the way, cut or build up. As has already been suggested, think about what you can do to the area, not just the set location, so they all have a similar look.

Fourth, are footholds the only equipment option you have? Look for other legal options to deal with the problem. These may include using cage traps, K9 specialty traps, shooting, and/or snares.

Fifth, don't be scared to keep adding fresh materials to the sets. If you have to use cut grass for instance keep replace it when necessary. Look at other surrounding materials and see if there is something else you may be able to use that might last longer.

not much more natural than hay duff out in a hay field. you can get all you ll need off the top of the mower and bailer.
summer time coyote work.

mousie

Brushblend says-
take a lawn mower to the site, mow a large circle...
or use a Weed Wacker

mousie says-
not much more natural than hay duff out in a hay field. you can get all you'll need off the top of the mower and bailer.
or get all you want from the hay loft floor, real fine material.
Nice looking set mousie.

Some good info guys/girls. Yeah Mousie I would love to have some duff and low ground to work with at this point. I'm setting for fox on a backyard poultry job and even though half my sets are in the woods they're mousing and hunting a grown up field with mowed trails so you have last years dead stuff with all of this years new growth grass coming through up to 12" high. They're using the paths but they're only mowed 1-2x a year so grass is already over 6" tall so even blended in green you're looking at a UFO landing circle that is lower than the surrounding stuff.

Good tip on using the mower and/or modifying your area to make a set work...1st i've heard of that but I might give that one a shot. Been hunting/calling them too but only had one the one running shot which was missed
So far taken Coon & Porkies but no fox in the footholds. Attempts at finding this years den have been unsuccessful within 1/2 mile.

Hunted around and found a few dead grass spots in the travelway and set em up.

pre set


post set

Rest of the field is just like this and it's now 10+ inches tall.

yeah that is snare country shame you can't use them.

Tell me about it! Beaver under ice and that's it.