I just use screen from old houses. Steel is best but aluminum works also. My dad used to replace screen for people so I got a bunch that way and just saved it up. You see an old house getting torn down and you can get the screen free there.

k9, would you recommend tearing screens off of inhabited houses? Especially if you needed screen during the middle of the season?

I can just imagine that police report...lol

Only with caution In the winter they should not be concerned about sleeping with the windows open, and bugs getting in, so have no room to complain if you take thier screens. Well at least 13% of people would not complain.

Yea, but the trick is finding that 13%. With my luck, I would get the other 87% 100% of the time..and I cannot run that fast anymore..

I use Peat even with larger traps, and it works well. Even with no pan cover or anything under the pan. I'm alway's open to a better way, but find no real reason to change.

In regards to the earliar post about not wanting to use pan cove4rs because you do not want anything "over the jaws" The pan cover does not go over the jaws. it goes over the pan only, and under the jaws.

Another thing that I use and it works like polyfil or better in my opinion is fiberglass insulation unter the pan. Been using it for years.

I do not like the "underalls" foam that you can buy for traps. I have found in wet conditions they soak up water and in sandy conditions they increase the pan tension so much that I missed animals.

always been a little leary of using "used" screen material. first thought that comes to my mind is, what types of odors have passed through it?? and, is the screen "holding" that odor?

i've used the trap bed vapor barriers along with waxed paper pan covers and they work pretty good.

tried the polyfil under the pan and that works pretty good. tried the "sillsaver" cut to fit, and that works pretty good. have never tried the "underalls". too tight to spend the money when so many other things worked pretty good.

point is, there's a lot of variables to your question, and a lot of answers that will work pretty good. just pick one of them and make it work "real good" FOR YOU and "your" system.

the grump.

Anyone had problems with the polyfil freezing?

The vapor barrier should also prevent leeching.

I did not think the polly would hold moisture like the underalls. Was I miss informed TexA?

No, and I've tried to make it happen. The fibers don't/won't absorb moisture. It will not freeze. Test it your self.

Bed a trap in a cake pan, dirt, peat, and polyfill under the pan. "Rain on it" and put the cake pan in a freezer.
or
Just wet/soak polyfill in water and put it in the freezer.

I had a lot of trouble during freeze thaw with frozen traps. Polyfill is the answer for me.

Thanks dugout, I plan on using more of it this season.

Does the polyfil require a airing out peroid to get rid of any odors from the factory?

Nope, it's odorless as far as I can tell. I use it straight out of the bag. They even sell a type for folks with allergic reactions to "Stuff".

I would like to say "Thank You" again to all that have added to this post. It appears there is still more to be shared about this topic, so keep the posts coming. Thanks again!!

Tex I have had the same experience. I thought it was the ticket as a vaopr barrier to bed my trap in, so put it under the trap and pan. Have had times it is in one chunk after a rain freeze. It comes apart but freezes enough to screw stuff up.

I am a firm believer in calcium chloride as the answer to freeze/thaw. Not a particular pan cover. The jaws still have to work as well.

Late last year, I had an ADC coyote job, when I was setting the traps the weather forcast was for rain, followed by snow. I dug my trap bed, Lined it with waxed paper, which I also used as I normally do for a pan cover, then bedded my trap using dry dirt laced with calcium chloride that I make up each year. That night it rained 3 inches, froze solid and in the morning it snowed 4-6 inches on top and turned cold.

I had a female the next morning.

I'm sorry but I had to chuckle. If it was someone from Alaska, then I'd agree.