The waterways in my trapping area are now frozen and are littered with coyote tracks. I am trying to figure out how a person could use foothold traps on the ice? Of course there are a lot of issues with this idea, trap freezing down, staking, and of course ice falling through. I have a couple ideas as far as staking but just have not tried them yet. Can you imagine the eye appeal of say a hay set out on that white ice? Any suggestions or ideas or do you know anyone that has mastered this concept, let me know. Im going to try it a couple different ways and ill post pictures and post my findings and any catches i make. All ideas are surely welcome. Roman

Maybe I could suggest a hay set next to the waterway ... on land?! Plenty of eye appeal with less fuss.

If youre rivers are prone to overflow, invest in a metal detector and an axe before setting on river ice!!

Ok, maybe a slight exaggeration, but worth considering the overflow...make sure you have a spud or axe to chip out an expired critter also, in case fur freezes to ice.


For anchoring, you can chop or drill a hole and freeze chain links in with a thermos of water and some snow slush. I avoid setting on ice because of overflow problems but it is done up here by quite a few guys..

Roman, might try snares. Those frozen waterways (alder and willow thickets) usually have nice "neck-down" areas perfect for snares. I will try to take a few pictures for you in the A.M. to give you an idea. Stand on the willows to make the set, not on the clean white snow (ice). Let the existing coyote tracks run right through your new snare set. They will follow those tracks.

kinda neat post in archives i read yesterday on this but it only caught one fox read it though should help you also was thinking snare where they enter onto the ice and were exit

im not sure about yotes but fox love to get up on rat huts. i use a 4 or 5 foot stake and drive them down through the hut. mkae a normal flat,sent post, or "dirt hole".

I use a variation of the hay set on waterways works for me. I set a bunch today, had the same thing fresh yote tracks everywhere.

What about a hay set with the trap attached to a drag?

A urine post works good on ice, put something there for a pee backer and visual aid. Of course you need enough snow to cover the trap, put wax paper under and over the trap. Freeze chain into ice as Pittu suggested. For some reason most trappers in the lesser 48 don't think freezing the chain into the ice will hold coyotes but it works fine for wolves.

For stakikng, drill a hole all the way through the ice big enough for your earth anchor. Put your earth anchor through the hole and pull side ways and your set.

Check out Lennitrappers post on this he covers it well.

Wow thanks for the fast response everyone. Bangtail I just ordered 2 doz snares from john graham on monday. Im sure there are some places on this waterway, its actually the big muddy creek. Its pretty wide and not real deep, overflow is not any thing to worry about in this particular instance. Bearbait im glad you said what you did because thats what I was going to try and if it works for wolves then im sure it will hold coyotes. Im going to try it tomorow and ill try to post pics of a couple sets and see what happens.

Take pics Roman....

I will, I was up till 11:30 last night just thinkin of different ways I could make this happen. I dont think Im going to use the hay set exclusivly, there are all kinds of ideas entering my mind of how I can transfer my land sets to the frozen creek. Ill take lots of pictures and hopefully post them tomorow. Mtbadger, have you used the cage traps yet? Hows your season so far? pm when you read this

go to the wilderness forum and ask this. Those guys have perfected this method of wolf trapping.

can you use snares? I set bait stations on many frozen ponds and bogs and set snares in the beaver routes. For anchoring I wire and secure the snare to a hardwood sapling about 6-8' long and a piece of #9 wire foes off that for stabilizing the snare.

They don't ruin the set location and they only make it as far as the nearest brush, if that. I've even got an incedental wolf that never made it out of the grass!

michael

i beleve this may help ya http://www.trapperman.com/forum/ubbthrea...tml#Post1146836

as far as staking i have been taught a better way, use cable attached to a peice of rerod is some fashion and drop teh foot long peice of rerod down teh hole then pull it up to it makes T under the ice to to speak and cant come back thru the hole.

Drag under a big ball of hay in the middle of the set with 2 traps, 1 on each side of the ball on hay. Cover each trap with enough hay to camouflage the traps with some urine on the hay ball. Good luck.

you need your swivel on top of the ice to prevent the fraying, or use a drag

I read the other post from the link and like the idea of setting the snares before it freezes.....if only I could get to my line before it froze!

rerod doesn't float too well. How do you keep it to the top before it freezes? If you are chopping a hole you could just use a strong stick too.

I'd be careful though, sometimes when you cut holes on the smalled ponds the water can come out there. Could make for a mess next time around.

michael