Just bought some coated black wire screen trap pan covers that are good as I seen anywhere
For 25 $ for 70 trap pieces for 3s and 4s
from keg creek or braveheart on here makes some awesome bait and lure I might add.
screen is good stuff

marty is a great guy

Had pile of call on the screen.I am sold out till next week at this time.The 200 ft. did not last very long!!

Landscape cloth.

Happy birthday Marty

Dang just saw this post. Put me down for a roll once you re-stock!

Hey strike how does the fabric increase your pan area?The stuff I have seen is limp like a noodle.

Black screen, at least what I've used, tends to slightly rust in damper soil and/or if left in the ground for a long period of time.
It is the stiffest I've used (vs aluminum) however and perform quite well.
If you trap in drier conditions or the trap doesn't set for a month at a time,(as in some control work) it will work well for you.
Wire screen works best on #3 traps or larger,IMO.
Aluminum and galvanized tend to not rust, at least I haven't noticed it on my line.

Most trappers that I've seen use it, do not use it properly to get the bigger kill area effect.

To do so, one must tuck it to fit beneath the jaws and slightly form it around the pan NOT cut it to fit inside the jaws.


Fiberglass screen I got away from due to rodents digging it up,as it has a slight plastic smell that rodents are attracted to.
LT

It doesn't increase pan area. I want my trap to fire when the foot is dead center no over jaw possibly. I use smaller traps then some so placement is key and I have even put smaller pans on some. I didn't know you were trying to increase pan area. Why not just change out pan or tack an extension on. I like landscape cloth cuz it lets water through, lays flat and doesn't slide under foot. JMO.

This will allow all water to run through and it won't bunch like other screen.I have not tried it on smaller traps.I run all 3-4 dogless Vic. Montgomery.The welding of extra size pan is not for me I use the screen for larger kill area.I have not had this screen in the ground for long periods like a month or more.My traps have the same coating and I see no rust on the for the last 8-10 years.I say use what ever you are comfortable with and have a great trapping Season.

LT., can you elaborate on how you form the screen to your pans? Got a roll of aluminum screening and will be cutting some out this weekend. I'm using #2 bridgers and #3 victor dls. Care to give the dimensions you use?

If you put good screen to a smaller trap and lay it under the jaws and form a little bit to the pan to take the bubble out, keeping your thumb under the pan so it can't fire while forming and it will also increase the kill area or at least I believe it does. Red,I picked up a pint of the showtime bait to try, it's loud, like a bait should be.I need to listen to what you say more often.

I wanted to try some screen this year.Thats an awesome price on it

ive gone back and forth with the screen, on dogless# 3 montys,and montanas. always fought the trap firing and kicking dirt in my face. right,wrong or other wise i made wider notches in my covers last year and made a world of difference. saw a demo at the nta western this spring dont remeber who it was but they were forming the cover around the pan like others here are talking about.

It might help some also if on the corners on the lose jaw side to turn down corners it will help when bedding the trap a lot of times that is why I got to eat some dirt.

Red mt sorry to get off track but are you the guy that somebody in fur fish game wrote an article about. It was about the sheeps wool on the side of a tree run set for cats. That was a good read and works good in the creek bottoms round here and up in the mountains too.

Quilty

I've used screen for 33 years now. I've used the limp stuff, the super stiff Black stuff, and probably 10 types in between. I've settled on a grade of STEEL screen that I would probably describe as an '8' on a scale of 1 to 10 as to it's 'stiffness'. On a PROPERLY adjusted trap, a screen can be a huge asset. On the other hand, and I've experienced this first hand 1000's of times myself, screens can be a detriment. The key is having your trap pan level adjusted correctly. It seems to be an issue with people, and I deal with it all the time. (helping people adjust their traps). It pains me to see and hear that people try to use screens with the pans of any trap adjusted so the pans are ABOVE jaw level. With the super stiff screens that I see people trying to use, no wonder they have so many pre-maturely snapped traps! If the screen can't sit flat on the pan, there is no way to keep a 'hump' from forming over the pan, that is just simple logic. AS for 'forming' the screen over the pan, I put that in the same category as 'loading' your snares. Are you kidding me? You should be able to set the trap, raise the 'free' jaw, and slide the screen under the jaws. If you learn to 'cup' the screen a little,(in your hand) it will slide under the jaw corners easily. The screen will simply re-gain it's original shape. If the trap is adjusted properly, the screen will be flat.This whole process should take 5 seconds. If there is a hump, especially when using the super stiff stuff in vogue right now, you very well might have problems. You are asking a lot of a super stiff screen when you want it to increase 'kill area', and THEN to let the screen flex enough to take up any and all slack that you have created by not cutting it to the right size, or leaving/allowing a hump to form. I use and sell pre-cut screens for the #3 Montana's. They are 5 1/4" W X 6 1/2" L. They are made of the material that I have settled on after using them for years. I'm using these every single day, and I know what works for ME. And, I also talk to and help 100's of people through PM's and e-mails, and phone calls. You don't have to make things like this harder than they need to be!

is there anyone here that sells precut wire screen covers for mb 450.550, and 650's?

Good post Mr. Graham.