Polyfil

Anybody else notice that they get more dig ups with polyfil? Or maybe it's mice? Maybe it's just me but used it for first time last season and had bad luck with it in that regard

Pack rats like it to , i use to use alot of it along rimrock ledges. Could never figure out were it was going, and a light snow showed his tracks right to his den. I'm betting he had a pretty good bed going on lol

How much are you using per set? I don’t use it but I was shown to use about 25% of what you think. I’ll give it a try this winter on a few dozen sets and see how it works.

I personally love it. Little under the pan, fill the jaws with peat, and sift a little native dirt over it. Main thing would be to store it in scent free place, don’t get any lure on it, and use just enough to get to the pan edges.

I used it for several years. Packrats will pull it out. I don't know how they know its there but they do. I went back to wax paper. Takes a few more seconds to make a set but no rat trouble. Polyester fiber fill doesn't seem to bother coyotes cats or coons much. Have caught a lot of them using it.

Ran it for a season. Won't go back.

Slim uses it regularly. I've had problems with getting scratched out, probably stinky poly fill is my guess. Hobby stores all stink like something.

I like polyfil. Use it every season. I had more issues with pan covers than I ever did with polyfil. The key is storage so it doesnt absorb foreign smells. I put mine in a big tub with a layer of dry dirt or peat on the bottom of the tub. I never had issues with mice or dig ups but like any foreign thing you put in the ground, its possible.

I've used it for 5 or 6 years now. Once I got serious about solidly bedded traps I've had no issues with digging that im aware of.

of course, that's why we must string/stretch it out and hang it in a hayloft or another natural smelling place....(no livestock in my barn)

sposd to hang it next to the Peat Moss drying/airing out in burlap sacks!

Allow it to air out and you should be good.

Tried it . Hate it . Wax paper or trapper cap for me.

I don't think contamination has anything at all to do with pack rats pulling it out from under the pan

I just think they like digging In fresh dirt.

Use it just as SemperFi and works great. Is pulled out sometimes but not a major problem. Like others say, bedding is #1 issue to pay attention to.

Poly fill works as good as anything. Most digging is poor bedding. Don't matter what you use if not needed well you will get dug. I don't see how anyone is having mouse or rat problems unless you are not covering the trap.

strike2x the trap is not being dug out. just the poly fill. has nothing to do with the trap moving because of poor bedding. the poly fill gets pulled out and drug off. it happens. like ripley said believe it or not

I use polyfill and like you said Danny it's just pulled out from under the pan, not the trap dug up. The Beav is probably right and the pack rats are digging in the fresh dirt and end up finding some nice bed making material.

I'll never use poly fill again. Some sort of pan cover is the way to go in my opinion. Call it contamination or whatever, when you can see the way it gets pulled out from under the pan almost as if someone pinched and pulled, then something wanted it and was small enough to get it. Kind of like the acrobatic mice robbing dogproofs. Also I've had to poly fill pulled and the edges of the trap never tampered with, think if it would have been a coon or k9 they would have maybe exposed a jaw as well while investigating the fresh dug dirt.

I’ve never used it like I said above, but does it have to do with the amount used?? A couple of the top coyote trappers I know use it. They use a very small amount. When I saw the amount they used I was astonishing. Does the amount used have something to do with it? Thanks

I personally really haven't had any issues with pack rats. I've actually used it when targeting pack rats for bait (have caught enough to fill two 5 gallon buckets) and it didn't help that much. With that said I believe the guys that say they are having issues with it. Don't know why the different results.

Pawnee, that might make a difference I couldn't say. I caught plenty of fur using it like I said. What I liked most about it was how cheap it is. (I always just bought it at Walmart) and how fast a set goes using it. Put it under the pan and set the trap. Have used fiberglass insulation too. They work about the same for me.

I like polyfil. Never had a problem with it. I think most people use too much.
I use a ball about the size of a large marble. I stretch it out so that it makes a sort of "donut" just to make a barrier for the outside of the pan. If dirt can't get under the pan, you don't need polyfil there.

Thanks danny. I’ve used wax paper since the early nineties. I tried some peat last year. Still not sure what I think of it. I’m looking forward to giving poly a try. Long ways from the inner tub pan covers I used my first few years.

I like it...

I've tried just about everything you could think of and always end up back at polyfil. We have pack rats, regular rats, field mice, etc. Never had any issues with them dragging it out if it was buried. I've also heard people talk about it freezing under the pan..I just never understood how. I agree with the above posters the people having problems use entirely too much. It doesn't need to be packed under the pan just enough fluff to cover the gaps. I had a $2 bag from Wal-Mart that had lasted me four seasons up until I moved this June. There was still a 3/4 bag left but I was in a pitching mood with a dumpster out front.

Good to know. Thanks Wade. I’ve been nervous as heck about using it. I hate trying new things. I’ve been getting the sam hamburger at Wendy’s for 30 years lol

Most trappers use 10X more than they need. A ziplock sandwich bag full of poly will last for 100's of sets.
All I use.

Idk. Maybe pipe insulation a better option.

Furnace filter. Cut it into pan sized pieces. Soak it in water and put in freezer for an hour... press on it and it will flatten. It won't absorb water and so it won't freeze.

I was referring to you in my post on the first page, and was hoping you would chime in. Thanks

When you think about it, we want the pan to fall smooth and crisp. Why do we put something under the pan? And yes I’ve used it for years but have switched back to filters over the top. All said and done, everyone should experiment a little and figure out what works the best for you.

I used poly for a long time. Never had a freezing, wet, stiffness, problem at all. Like Mark said, it only takes a little. Just enough to stop dirt from getting under pan. I bought a bag 6 years ago and have about half left.

The biggest key with polly is 2 fold. As Mark stated it takes very little and make darn sure not one fiber is sticking out beyond the pan edges or coon, pac rats etc. will find it. Another way to use polly is to fill dirt holes before big snow. And for subtle flagging. Only takes a few fibers to get attention.

Alright. Makes alot of sense now. Just get a small wad and loosen it up. I was probably using too much. Thank you

I caught a coyote today and I had used polyfil under the pan. In fact I just dragged a trap out of the tote from last year with no prep work and stuck It In the ground. Maybe all this power washing and dying and waxing Isn't all that necessary.

All solid points.

I switched to poly years ago because it allows me to bed dirt inside and outside the trap jaws, something not feasible with pan covers. That way... let 'er rain. Get those dogs up and moving. Other methods don't take as much rain and such and that's when to really catch the numbers!

Just a pinch is all ya need.

I don't understand why not?

Danny,

The simple online answer is because you can't press very hard on an object connected "over" the pan on a pan-tripping device or it'll snap.

There is no continuity over the pan on poly or similar setups, so you can press firmly to bed tightly to hold longer in bad, bad weather my friend. You won't snap the trap unless you press the jaws by accident.

What about underalls? Yes , I know there more expensive. But I tried them about 3 years ago . I was battling wet weather that was more monsun than rain. I tried polyfil , it keep getting washed up toward the dogs on MB-550s. I worried about traps Not firing with poly. So I now run underalls. Cons of underalls are = My quess is in cold freezing weather, they would freeze much easier than , poly. But I never trap in freezing weather.

Steeltraps, Hmmmm. Sounds like you may not be bedding the dirt firmly within the jaws? Not sure but poly doesn't work though torrential downpours sometimes.

Mark, was bedding and packing the jaws with dirt. Lots of rain that year thats why I changed over to Underalls. may not have had enough poly under the pan. Just like the underalls better

Mark, how do you pack the dirt inside the jaws without hitting the pan? I haven’t been packing the dirt on the inside of the jaws and maybe wondering if that is why I’m getting misses? Normally I bed my trap solid with some polyfil under the pan, then just cover trap with some dry dirt and smooth with my glove, add a small stepping stone or dropping and off I go. Never thought to try and pack tightly in the jaws.

I’ve tried waxed paper . Screen pan covers leaves and I’ve found under all’s and polyfil to be my favorites underalls are great but not always available so I switched to polyfil and haven’t had an issue sense. I can pack the dirt solid inside the jaws. I find this important because I try to make the rest of the set solid as the non dug dirt they’re walking on before the set and if the dirt inside the jaw is loose it’s off to them. I find this especially true with coons which play with the dirt until they find the trap and dig it out . The polyfil and underalls allow me to pack all around the inside of the jaws with my fingers , making sure I don’t get snapped though.

Poly with waxed sand will work thru anything nature can throw at it.

I've always used Polyfil, just because that was how I was taught years ago. Something I learned was that a little goes a long ways. I used to put these huge globs of Polyfil under the pan and it's really not necessary. I've never had a digging issue with it and I've even re-used Polyfil in remakes before (but don't anymore, just because it's cheap and not worth it). Like others have said, I would imagine that any digging issues are because of bedding issues and not because of the Polyfil. Recently, I have thought about using a coffee filter on top of the pan instead, but not sure if I like the idea just because of scent. But I've seen guys use it in demos at conventions and it seems to work for them. I would imagine it's the same as anything else - scent proof them ahead of time by putting them in a bin full of dry dirt or peat moss. This season I'm thinking about doing some with Polyfil and some with coffee filters, just to try to them out.