Was wondering what you guys do that set up logs layn across creeks.Iv got some of those killer clips,believe theyre called.You nail them on the log and the bodygrip jaws clip in it.Will this work with a 220,and how would you set up the trigger wires?Was thinking maybe would need to take some dead grass and lay over the trap,so maybe they wouldnt try to climb over it?Just never tried this set,so any info would be appreciated.Thanks

put a snare on it.

i harvest over ahundred evry year in ny alone. and folks think im full of crap when i tell them 50% are blind sets with no lure/bait/urine. you cant beat a crossover and when you find the right ones or prepare an area for one you can take all you want plus other species in those sets. depending on what state im trapping footholds notched in , 220 and even 160's and snares are all excellent. ive harvested 20 from one log before in a months time. i have a few locations were theres a hundred yards between logs and one is used by greys and one by reds and have never caught the other on there one except for 1 time i caught a small red pup on the grey log. many coons .are taken,and even skunks and porkies, but i like to multi set these spots. heres a few pics from this year.

Nice Pics Doggone-itt! I use to know an old Bobcat trapper that set blind sets almost exclusively. He had log crossings that he had used for 30 years he told me. If the log got washed out, he would spend time in the summer replacing it. He also used stepping rocks in shallow streams. He would set flat rocks spaced apart so cats would use them as a bridge. He would put a larger size trap on a flat rock with moss. He caught lots of cats my both front feet as they jumped from rock to rock. I still run into his rock bridges and he has been gone for years. cat trails are still there too:)

Thats awesome Doggone it!

How do you have the footholds anchored to the crossing log in the first picture?

Really good posts, excellent topic!

Thanks for the pictures.How do you set up your bodygrips on the logs?ever use any trailing scent or just blind sets?i was thinking if i notched in spots for footholds,that they would probably step over them?do you cover the traps at all to conceal them?thanks

in the first pic ,its a sleepy 1 3/4 os w/ a berk cable .instead of the berk in the ground,i just used a fence staple and attach threw hole on the end of the berk disposable stake to the under side of the log. i do this cause it saves time on replacing the cable as i keep this set up on most traps and it works out great.

also i set them up as blind sets ,i notch logs and cover with leaves or moss,i like usuing the double set up as i use a v shaped branch or crotch stick between the 2 traps and it forces them to step, they will hit one of them for sure and i often get both front feet, once in a while itll be a rear foot, but thats rare. also i will place a small stone or piece of moss 3 or 4 inches in front of each trap to get them to the step pattern that will land the next paw on the pan,and if not, itll definetily hit the pan on the other side of the crotch stick when he steps over.. as for the conibears i use alot of the barkers coni monts and keep the trigger wires off to on side and keep springs up and use a evergreen branch threw the springs on top of trap and arch it alittle to help with jumping over, most times they dont jump if they have a pretty clear view threw the conywith the trigger wires on one side. can also use a few nails to hold in place if dont have the brackets to hold them. in ny the foottraps need to be covered and 220's need to be 4 feet from ground level or in the water.just make sure to follow your states law . and if it was legal in ny,id run snares on all those logs,super easy,fast ,and doesnt get any easier. this does work on cats also and fisher,i have a few places that take fisher every year.

Well said. If i can learn one little thing every time i get on here i will be ok. Thanks!!!

Ross
heres what I make and use

4" for long legged critters and a 220 and 2" for short using a 110

Thanks for the info guys. I know of a perfect place to try this.

Don't know how anyone else feels, but I think this is Archive material

doggone itt-- Very nice reply and pics. This is one of those sets you might see in an old-timey book like Hawbaker's. Looks like it would work, but ALMOST nobody tries it. Thanks for sharing.

One question related to our trap check laws her in Wisconsin: Would you consider this a drowning set? As long as there are no entanglement issues, will the animal end up in the water?

Thanks.

i myself dont think its a drowing set as most places i set these crossing logs the water is lucky to be to the knees of a fox,all they need to do stand up,but once they get wet i have never found one alive at my sets and ive harvested several thousand fox over the years .even in just a few inches it seems they expire pretty fast once wet . and when used with snares or cable restraints its the same. also on the grey fox cross overs when using conies they are always expired from the trap. also evry porky,skunk and coon has been expired in these sets when checked except for a few yotes that wernt when water was way low only an inch or 2. hope this answered your question, dog

Thanks, dog.

Will critters use cross over logs over very small creeks, say two feet wide?

In Wisconsin you can use 220's on the logs if the trap is 5ft above the ground. If you ask a Game Warden if the 5ft is to the water or the bed of the stream they look at you and shrug their shoulders. I say it's to the stream bed so that's what I do. I seem to catch a lot of squirrels though!

dogone it do you have any pics of the sets themselvs?

Here's my humble attempt. Just one trap, between the two stones. Looking at it now, I think I may have overdone the blocking. Any thoughts?

Nice set. Personally, I would ditch the rocks and just use a stepping stick on one side of the trap. I use much smaller stepping sticks.
The only trouble with crossing logs is they get plugged up with squirrels, sometimes almost every night.

this may sound stupid but im new to trapping. how do you guys get a log that big across the creek.

Yeah, maybe I'll go with something a tad smaller for blocking. Hopefully I won't have to worry too much about the squirrels, think I've got my pan tension up high enough.

Bassmaster, this log was put there by Mother Nature herself. These past couple of winters I've noticed fox tracks in the snow (when we HAVE snow) on this crossing log. Finally got around to setting it. Funny thing is, there's another, almost identical log just a few yards downstream that never has tracks on it. Go figure