Traps

[clousewt]

I am currently off work due to having a couple of back surgeries. I am thinking of getting some traps and try my hand at tanning hides. I want to know what kind of traps that would be best for raccoon, fox, and coyote. I have alot of free time to mess with the preparation of skins, I need to know the works. I am new to this board and I have been reading the articles on tanning nonstop. Seems like alot of good info. Thanks, Tom

[FinsnFur]

If your just starting out tanning, I'd reccomend a 220 conibear or similar. They provide a nice suede finish on the flesh and always make the hair nice shiney.

If your going to be tanning for taxidermy, you cannot beat a decent priced duke leg hold. Easily wetback in a short time for quick mounting, very little drumming in the ears, etc.


Ok....that wasn't funny, but it was fun imagining the faces on some of you reading it. 

Welcome to the site Clousewt. 
I'm not a trapper, but I'll help with the skins, any way I can.

[clousewt]

Good joke, I have been reading your posts on tanning, lots of good info. I have been researching traps so I knew the 220 and the other were trap sizes. Good to be here, I like to joke around, some say I am too sarcastic but what the hay. Bopeye told me about this site, I cant seem to get away from the computer since I got on here. Thanks for the welcome and expect some sarcasm from me from time to time, no harm meant only fun, Tom

[FinsnFur]

Sarcasm is one of the FinsnFur company provided benefits.
Actually Bopeye started that crap.....we just followed along and now none of us can control it. 

[studabaka]

 :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao:


I read that about 4 times before the lights came on and the laughing began. I keep thinking 'he must have screwed up in editing/cutting/pasting'........ then the vision of the tongue way deep in the check came.......

Welcome Clousewt. As you can see, some of us are very cheekie and some of us are a bit slow. but most of us are reasonably ok fellas and fun to be around.

Now....did you have a question?  .... oh yea...... IMO a good all round trap for what your looking to go after would be a 1.75 coilspring offset. A little bigger is probably the norm for yotes and a 1.5 works great for coon/fox. But if you were to pick one size trap for all, my pick would be...well, I already said that.

Jim's the man when it comes to tanning and 220's, though I have pestered him with so many questions on it [tanning that is] that I can parrot some of the basics for ya.

[clousewt]

Thanks for the info on a good trap, I will be getting a couple and try them out. I hope to have a skin to mess with pretty soon, if the traps dont work I guess a good roadkill will. Thanks Tom

[canine]

Geeesh Jim... You had me too!! I thought what the hay is he talkin about

I second the 1.75 also. Welcome aboard Tom.

JD

[clousewt]

Thanks for the welcome guys, I hope to get a yote or two while its still cold weather and they have a good coat. I have hunted all my life and always wanted to learn how to tan a skin. I am going to try my hand at it. Bopeye is going to show me the ropes on Yote calling someday. Thanks again Tom

[Bopeye]

Tom,
  Calling coyotes kind of works like this.

Do you remember when I crashed into your 1 week old, brand spanking new truck almost 20 years ago?

Do you remember how it took you a minute to realize what happened?

Do you remember how you jumped out of the truck and started coming towards me when you realized what happened?

Do you remember what you were wanting to do at that moment when you got to me?

Okay. If you remember all of that, just apply that to coyote hunting.

Get his attention. When you get his attention make sure it's toward you. When you see him coming in and meaning business........wait until he's pretty close.
Then kill him..........Hope I helped........... :roflmao:

You were too funny when I ran over you............ :roflmao:
Probably still ticks you off after all these years............

[clousewt]

Dont talk about that I will puke again, lol. For those that dont know, Bopeye did hit my new truck in the rear in a parking lot 20 years ago, I was so madd that when I got home I threw up. We still laugh about that, I will get him back someday, I will put a stick in the spokes of his wheelchair when we are in the nursing home and he will get his.

[clousewt]

I missed out on a good road kill grey fox this morning. On my way to trade off a dog box I passed a freshly killed grey fox, I told my nephew that on the way back through we were going to stop and pick him up. Well I should have stopped the first time I saw him because when we came back through somebody had beat me to it.

[clousewt]

I bought half a dozen 1.5 size coil spring traps today. I boiled them and waxed them and set 3 out on a creek on a small game trail. I set one on a fence crossing where they go under the fence. It looked like a perfect place to set a trap , we will see. I also set 2 more along the creek just off of the trail a little. I used sardines in spring water as bait, I poured the juice on the trap and put a couple of sardines on the pan. I didnt know for sure on how far to set the trigger so I used a stick and pushed down on the pan until it was barely holding the jaws, kind of made sense to me to have a hair trigger. I havent trapped before and hope this works, I am open to any help or suggestions on how to better my sets. I think because of the sardines I will probably attract a coon or a possum. What kind of bait do I need for catching a fox or coyote? Also should I use a cover scent on my boots when setting my line? I am really excited about this, after having 2 back surgeries within 4 months I am ready to get into the outdoors, I think this is what I needed to pick my spirits up. Tom

[FinsnFur]

I've never trapped.....but I'm not so sure you can randomly place them where it looks good. I think you should be looking for runs under the fencelines, or slides near the creek.

I'm just guessing...and I got a feeling these guys will come straighten me too. 

Eitherway...dont forget your camera when you go to check em. 

[Bopeye]

You know I don't know squat about trapping Tom, but I'm guessing you'll find a sweet little raccoon in the morning if you set the traps where you said you were going too.
Just walk up and pet him and then choke him out..........it'll work....

Don't do that man.......just a joke....

[studabaka]

Ah....and the fun begins. I'm excited for you. There is so much to learn and you never figure it all out, but some fellas are very very far along in the process. I would suggest
1) do what your doing...aka using the forums to get ideas and inputs. Not all will be helpful or make sense, but there are some smart/successful guys that do post and you can learn a bunch from them. trapperman.com is a good site that has a lot of good info for the beginner and experienced alike.
2) Leverage other sources . There are lots of books, tapes, dvds..... and the best of all is if you can find a successful trapper that will open up to you and maybe even let you walk some of his line with him.
3) The more you can think like the critter you want to catch, the better your chances of constructing a set in a location where you will catch him.
4) setting on 'common trails' will get you some of what you want and a bunch of what you wished you hadn't. It is often better to make sets along side a trail vs in it, especially baited sets.
5) It is generally better not to put your bait on the trap, but in a spot where he has to step in your trap to see it or get it. Two common baited set approaches are the cubby set and the dirt hole set and there are an infinite number of variations of each.
6) Sardines will interest a variety of critters, but may get a little pricey if your doing more than a couple of sets or trapping the whole season. There are cheaper alternatives which work just as well....... and then there are specialy made baits and lures. Some are just rotten junk, but some are extremmely effective at getting critters interested in your set.
7) Your thinking right on 'hair trigger'. You don't want the critter to step on it and have it go down a lot before it goes off, or he'll have his foot out before the jaws close. Sometimes it helps to have a little tension on the pan so it's not just floppy. This combined with a hair trigger helps the trap let loose all at once.
8) I think cover scent is not necessary.....atleast, I have never used it and have had fair success. [most]Coon/Possum could care less. Fox and yote will know you was there regardless. Best to focus on minimizing your scent. Don't wal the trail they walk and you plan to set. Walk a few yards off it or come into it from an angle to make your set. Don't dilly dally around your set. Walk straight to it, make it touching as little around it as possible and walk back out the same way you approached it. Use a pair of rubber [or canvas gloves] and only use these gloves for this and keep them away from places they can pick up smells. Same goes for the other tools you use to make your sets.
9) My experience has led me to view possums as stupid [and a pain], coons generally easy [though I have run into some that are smarter than a fox. Actually I should say fox are more cautious than smart. Cats aren't all that bright, but can sometimes be a challenge to get aware off and interested in your set. And yotes are smart and cautious and generally will point out any screw up you might have done in your process.... but once you got a process that works for them then they ain't so hard.
10) Location, location, location......If they ain't there they won't be caught.
11) Remember.....assume every last one of them has rabies and if you get bit you will most likely die 

Best of success.....keep us posted.

[OKTrap]

Personally, I would recommend a #1.5 - #2 for fox and smaller, a #3 for yote. I prefer laminated and base plated myself ... but that adds to the price. However, it also reduces the possible damage to the critter. If quality matters, then so does the price ... if it does not matter ... go with Duke. They are a good cheaply priced trap for those just starting out.

If we can assist you, please let us know.

Thank you:

[canine]

I copy and pasted a post I done on another site, there might be something in it that helps ya. Studabaka already gave ya alot of sound advice!! It'll take two posts.

Thought I would post a little pictorial on k-9 trapping. After several inquiries here it goes.

To start off with, I choose to use 1.75 coilspring traps. They are strong enough for coyotes and not to big for fox and coon. My trap stakes are made from 1/2" rebar cut to 30" length's. I weld a washer or nut down a 1/2" from the top of the stake and when driven into the ground i use the top of the stake to rest the loose jaw of the trap onto.

After everything is adjusted and ready to go I boil my traps in a cleaning solution, which is water and the works toilet bowl cleaner mixture.
Let them dry and then reboil them in water and Logwood dye. I let my traps boil for approximately 5 minutes in water and dye then take them out and let them drip dry. Put a small nail in between the jaws so that, that area also gets a good cleaning and coverage of dye.

After all traps have been boiled and dyed it is time to wax them. Wax can be bees wax boughten from a trap supplier or parafin wax bought from the canning section at wal-mart. Put your hard wax in a pan and heat it up rather slowly to begin the melting process. If you heat it to fast it will scorch the wax causing a burnt odor and contaminating your traps. Becareful with hot wax as it is combustable, do not let wax boil either. Dip your boiled traps in the wax long enough for the trap to reach the same temperature as the wax to get a nice even thin coverage. It kinda reminds me of dropping fish in hot oil, at first the oil bubbles and fry's then when the fish reaches the same temp it evens back out. Same goes when dropping cold traps into wax, when the sizzling stops they should be ready. Heres a pic of the finished and ready to set traps.




Now it's time to set them. When I choose a location I look for several things.
Farm roads in fields, crop changes and ditches. K-9's travel the path's of least resistance and travel edges. Here is a pic of my trapping partner this year and a location of 2 sets. Between him and I is a farmers road and we have a grown up ditch. Zander is standing at the location of 1 set.





Here are pics of a remake after catching a red fox the other day. I couldn't get pics of him because I was in to big of a hurry running traps before work.
This is a chaff set, I use chaff from the bean field shaped in a "U". I put lure in center of the "U" and place trap back about 10"'s from lure. Notice the toilet paper for a pan cover.









Finished and ready to go!



JD

[canine]

Here are pics of a dirthole set where Zander was standing.
Diggin hole with a backing.




Placing trap in trap bed, make sure trap is bedded solid. If a coyote or fox steps on a trap that moves under there foot they will spook or flip the trap out of it's bed. Pan is set about 10" 's from center of hole and 2" 's offset right or left of center of hole. Bait is placed in hole.



Heres a pic of finished set, ready to go.




JD

[clousewt]

Thanks for the info, that was great stuff, I am going tomorrow to make three more sets and take up my first three. I cant thank you guys enough for the help. I am looking forward to my first catch. thanks again, Tom

[Bopeye]

Wow...........that's some good info and pictures. Nice job guys.