I see a lot of people on YouTube using wax sand or wax dirt for making sets. Is that something that is required in our climate? If so which is better to use sand or dirt? I feel like sand would be odd to use in my area because in my area because we don’t have very sandy soil but I may be wrong. Thanks!
Early season it’s not necessarily a must but as season goes on it becomes more and more of an advantage. Most of the season I can make it on just peat moss it’s not as good as waved dirt or better yet sand but it’s really good and cheap and you dnt have to make it. It’s allot lighter too.
Colt
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I made waxed dirt once and I think I must have scorched it. It kept traps working but I think animals smelled it. I’m like Colt, I favor the light dry peat with a dusting of whatever is at the set area now. I carry a pair of scissors and many times I just twist a handful of grass or leaves and cut them up on site. I believe waxed sand would be better after talking to Cisk on here due to it not having organics in it to scorch plus it’ll pack better. It is too much trouble for me and my style of trapping. BTW there are different kinds of peat. The cheap Walmart peat is a pain. Too stringy. You want that peat that comes like dry snuff. Lastly, whatever you use don’t put on so much or what will freeze because if your trap isn’t working it doesn’t matter anyway.
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Goff.Farms, After Christmas/ New years, switch to snares in fence crossings, or trails! JUST DON"T USE SNARES WHERE LIVESTOCK CAN BLUNDER INTO THEM! …When the weather turns nasty to the point that it’s warming up during the day, and everything turns to mud, and then it’s getting bad cold again after the sun goes down after dark, and freezing hard, there’s just not much you can do in our part of the State. (Lake Cumberland area) Because we are the Red Clay Capitol of the World! I would suggest that if you don’t already have waxed dirt, or don’t want to mess with making it right now, Do things what will up your odds of getting traps to fire in bad conditions, like setting under cedar trees, use the peat moss in the bottom, sides ,and top of your trap beds, Pound a bowl shaped trap bed with a big hammer, instead of digging a hole, and then make some wallowed out drain holes in the bottom for water to collect. Wax paper that has been wadded up in a ball, and then smoothed out flat under the trap frame and jaws, as well as over the pan, and under the jaws will help. Basically create a protective shield all around your trap to keep it from freezing down. That and un-iodized salt, or calcium cloride sprinkled on the set is about your only hope.
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I get nervous about using snares because I have a lot of dogs in my area.
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When in doubt; Don’t ignore your inner voice telling you not to do something! If the weather gets crappy bad, just pound down, (Not dig) a couple of trap beds about a foot away from an attractor/lure, and " lightly " scatter hay or straw over an area about 3’ -4’ across. to barely cover your traps.
Make it look like a little hay had fallen off a roll during transport. a little un-iodized salt sprinkled under the traps, and maybe take some scissors and cut up the hay just over the traps to blend them in with the hay. Do this so long strands of hay won’t clog the jaws, or allow the hay to keep the trap from firing quickly!
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I carve my beds in a way that doesn’t allow the springs to touch anything to freeze down. I take a trowel, for gardening, and dig them out like a cone, slightly larger than my set trap, maybe 1/8” and taper down. I dig them about 6 to 8 inches deep, drop the chain in the hole after I put in my stake and then lay the the trap on top. There isn’t anything but air under the trap, and by making the bed slightly larger than the trap up top, you can really wiggle the trap down in there and pack it in good.
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