#493338 - 01/01/08 11:22 AM
Freezing traps! AHHH!!!!
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BCompton
trapper
Registered: 12/25/06
Posts: 328
Loc: NE Kansas, At. county.
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Man I am having a heck of a time keeping traps working here in NE kansas. Snow on the ground, right now it's blowing about....25mph wind. I set some new traps yesterday, and thought if i put dry grass under them and sifted snow over the top that it would stay loose. I was wrong, atleast on the couple that i examined this morning. snow froze like ice on top. Made a call to walmart and they don't have peat moss. There isn't an ounce of dry dirt around this place, and I don't have waxed dirt. I have a couple options IMO....I suppose I can use salt under and above the trap, but It sure seems like that is going to invite a lot of digging, but maybe I'm wrong there, OR I can just say screw coyotes and start everything on exposed sets, with some grass around the pan as a very light "cover"....what's my best option here. There are cats here, not a TON of them, but I usually get a couple a year without a whole lot of effort. So shoot me your opinion if ya have any advice! Thanks
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#493353 - 01/01/08 11:28 AM
Re: Freezing traps! AHHH!!!!
[Re: CodyCoyote12]
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BCompton
trapper
Registered: 12/25/06
Posts: 328
Loc: NE Kansas, At. county.
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Yeah I've got a few snares out, don't trap any real dense stuff, so snaring (with my limited knowledge) doesn't come easy, although I did snare a coon today on a coyote trail... heck I don't even know where the nearest green house is....
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#493360 - 01/01/08 11:34 AM
Re: Freezing traps! AHHH!!!!
[Re: BCompton]
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lennitrapper
trapper
Registered: 01/14/07
Posts: 1170
Loc: south east pa
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hay! go buy a dry hay bale and start making hay sets and mock hay sets(a hay set that has a dirt hole and teh trap is still covered by hay) or go find a barn or shed or over hangin rock and get some dry dirt...there has to be some somewhere even here is south east pa woth teh everyother day rain we are gettin i still find dry dirt,look it hollow trees that arent exposed to wind and rain,overhanging rock faces,barns,sheds,anything that will keep the dirt from the elements,and if you cant find ANY dry dirt try hay,there should be a post somewhere here about hay sets but if not heres a pic of one,i made my circle kinda small you need to make it bigger and really shred your hay up in your hands else it could get stuck in teh trap and youll have pull outs,just pound a bed in no digging required.or you can just lay your traps on teh ground put a big mound of hay in the center and one trap at its 6 and one at its 12 and cover them with hay,squirt pee and maby some gland on both sides of the mound facing the traps and wala dry set that wont freeze! heres teh pic
thats only a single trapped set but you should make it with two,as i said make teh set bigger A big circle of hay makes them let there gaurd down more,i dont know if this set is apllicabke to cats but for yotes it is
_________________________
"Volunteer firefighters,unpaid professionals"
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#493366 - 01/01/08 11:36 AM
Re: Freezing traps! AHHH!!!!
[Re: Gary]
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grumpy
trapper
Registered: 12/23/06
Posts: 444
Loc: plattsburg, missouri
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if you've got any farmers around you feeding big round bale hay, check to see where they are lifting if from. usually there's plenty of dry dirt and chaff under them. if you can get to them before the weather/rain/snow dampens the area down, you'll be in luck.
take a couple of five gallon buckets along with you and get a bunch of it.
the grump.
_________________________
member missouri trappers association
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#493386 - 01/01/08 11:46 AM
Re: Freezing traps! AHHH!!!!
[Re: grumpy]
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BCompton
trapper
Registered: 12/25/06
Posts: 328
Loc: NE Kansas, At. county.
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Yeah I would use that hay set more often, but lots of times I'm trapping in pasture ground, and fields with cattle in them, and you KNOW what would happen to the hay! lol
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#493429 - 01/01/08 12:06 PM
Re: Freezing traps! AHHH!!!!
[Re: BCompton]
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ismith
trapper
Registered: 12/31/07
Posts: 3
Loc: Helena, MT
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I use either plastic wrap or coffee filters.
ismith
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#493433 - 01/01/08 12:11 PM
Re: Freezing traps! AHHH!!!!
[Re: ismith]
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Red Fox 4
trapper
Registered: 01/09/07
Posts: 72
Loc: Michigan
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Yep HAY,,the deer & Rabbits love it,,,,it works but a pain keeping the critters out....Ron
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#493625 - 01/01/08 02:23 PM
Re: Freezing traps! AHHH!!!!
[Re: lennitrapper]
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BCompton
trapper
Registered: 12/25/06
Posts: 328
Loc: NE Kansas, At. county.
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well just got back, I tried some hay and salted down the bed.....basically turned a bunch of sets into cat sets probably, because the hay doesn't blend in real well....hopefully I don't have smashed up traps tomorrow morning by deer and cattle. Even on my traps that were out of the sun with snow sifted over them, there was a crust that probably would have prohibited any catch.....do I use wax paper then use salt and then just dirt or? sounds like the snow will be melting this weekend, but for now it's a mess.
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#493647 - 01/01/08 02:33 PM
Re: Freezing traps! AHHH!!!!
[Re: Blackdog]
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BCompton
trapper
Registered: 12/25/06
Posts: 328
Loc: NE Kansas, At. county.
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yeah I figure it won't help my coyote situation any, but It's better than this freezing over crap. aight i'll the wax paper and trash bags. So throwin the snow up is better than siftin if over the trap? cause I tried that, no luck tho.
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#493663 - 01/01/08 02:44 PM
Re: Freezing traps! AHHH!!!!
[Re: Blackdog]
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BCompton
trapper
Registered: 12/25/06
Posts: 328
Loc: NE Kansas, At. county.
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It sucks there, cause it will snow 1 day, stay frozen for a day, then thaw, and freeze again, then snow more, then it all melts, then it's muddy, then freezing rain and ice...and on and on and on.....
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#493679 - 01/01/08 02:51 PM
Re: Freezing traps! AHHH!!!!
[Re: Blackdog]
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BCompton
trapper
Registered: 12/25/06
Posts: 328
Loc: NE Kansas, At. county.
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I run a VERY small line....shoot I prolly ain't got 20 traps/snares total out. Just barely have the time to keep THAT many running. I need some more equipment also, but....college is expensive! lol
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#493695 - 01/01/08 03:00 PM
Re: Freezing traps! AHHH!!!!
[Re: Blackdog]
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BCompton
trapper
Registered: 12/25/06
Posts: 328
Loc: NE Kansas, At. county.
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Yeah I know it. My areas are kindof limited around here, for one people run coyote dogs all over some section like there is no tomorrow...and i HATE catchin dogs. two most of the good spots are on dirt roads, and we all know what happens when it rains...one little rain and it's game over for a couple days...that is the biggest problem. Even when it's frozen like it is now. On a dirt road yesterday and I broke through into mud.....got stuck....
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#495272 - 01/02/08 10:22 AM
Re: Freezing traps! AHHH!!!!
[Re: Blackdog]
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BCompton
trapper
Registered: 12/25/06
Posts: 328
Loc: NE Kansas, At. county.
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boy...I can't catch a dang thing this year! sign all around where I'm setting....good bait and lure, not doing anything different from past years...except crappy conditions this year. Usually with LESS traps than I have out now, I get a bunch of coons, couple dogs, and couple cats, but not this year! I don't even think i've got a Possum in a foot trap yet! in buckets YES, but wow! I suppose it is mostly because I have had to reset traps so often cause of the weather, patience is prolly the best thing.....FRUSTRATING!
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#495285 - 01/02/08 10:41 AM
Re: Freezing traps! AHHH!!!!
[Re: BCompton]
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paredneck
trapper
Registered: 12/22/07
Posts: 409
Loc: ne pa
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find a horse farm, horse crap is usually just real fine dry hay balls, crumble them up maybe dry a bit more if needed, smells not that bad and not messy to handle, never tried it but we have horses and where they walk in the open barn is quite powdery.
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#495301 - 01/02/08 10:52 AM
Re: Freezing traps! AHHH!!!!
[Re: paredneck]
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BCompton
trapper
Registered: 12/25/06
Posts: 328
Loc: NE Kansas, At. county.
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I moved some of our small bales and used some of the chafe from where they were sitting, it's really fine stuff....tried that...now i guess i'll just wait, and if i don't start catching stuff...ohh well! always next year i guess.
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