Ive nailed brushy samplings to sides to fence them down w/ a coni, fence stapled snares and support wires (takes 2 staples to securely lock your support wire down), chopped out notches and set leg holds....even added whole deal carp nailed down in middle of logs and gang snared approaches, hung squeakers off them same deal........and at end of day, about each and every one Ive ever set, ended up being a big time waster for 1 or 2 critters, when the same 2 coons could have been caught in a 1/3 of the time with a 1/5 of the work, just setting a couple pocket sets close by, or snare or conis on the top bank trail parallel to the creek....and stopped setting them all compleatly for the time they all took...........say a goo trail going parallel to the bank, most of time 3 out of 4 critters rolling down the good trail just truck on by even the best looking logs, instead of turning a right angle turn to cross on the log, so why not just set the trail to begin with, and forget the lower % fancy log set, with a simpler more productive trail set?......Go down a river sometime at night and you see enough coons swimming the river you see they dont go much out of thier way to cross, they just cross when and where they want to cross it..........sure its neat and nifty to have a fox or coon hanging off a log, but at end of day i can make the same coon or whatever, dead a lot faster staying off the logs

I use the log crossings with snares and got two cats this year and missed one cat. I will be setting two snares on each crossing for now on. The log crossings sets are great for cats.

Rich, I'd agree if I was setting up a place where I was daily checking and out of there within a week. These logs I set up are for the duration of the open water season. Those #220s may be on there for 4-5 weeks, depending on the weather. If I'm checking from the road, a pair of binoculars is all I need after pulling onto the shoulder. As I'm heading up or down river in the boat, just a simple drive by tells me if I scored or not. And this is a multiple-day check set.

That's my angle. Once the log is setup, there's no maintenance. Just a reset after a catch. Rain, snow, wind, water comes up, water goes down . . doesn't matter. Set is functional 24/7. Don't know of too many sets like that on the river line.

Anyway, works for me.

But once the snow, rain and flood waters come up on a river, your pretty much sucking hind tit as far as the coon catching goes by that point wouldnt ya say?....snow rain and mud....some days trapping aint THAT much fun is it? LOL especially in a boat.....as some point its just good to be done with it

Rich . . nothing finer than duck/goose hunting or trapping on the river when it's snowing. Waterfowl are on the deck and eager to decoy in. Critters are on the move. And ain't nobody else out there to screw things up.

I'm finding the older I get the more important every day becomes just being out there.

Got too many older buddies who find the couch a few days sooner every year. Some of 'em are done already by deer season.

Sidenote: Picking up a brand spankin' new 9 horse Honda Go Devil. Made the mistake of selling the one I had 7 years ago. Thought the 35 would do everthing I needed down here, well, thought wrong, and have found a small trailer and got another 14' V-bow to bolt this one onto. Got to get this boat wired up right and ready to roll for the fall. A fella can never have enough boats and motors . . .

Beav: I never thought about it that way, But great idea on breakup on the plain ol' log.

Beav = Obi-Wan Kenobi

yea, a nice day and a light fluffy snow aint bad.....till its 4 days in a row, the winds blowing 20mph plus, and the day starts and ends with the setting or falling of the sun......LOL....when the day starts by getting the axe out to get the boat free....the less fun it kinda gets to be

Looks cool but is not efficient way of putting up numbers. I have done it as a kid but there are many ways to kill that fur faster and easier getting more steel in the ground. Coon dont need a log to cross. I got one in 3 ft of water last week in a beaver snare.

Anit that the truth , but I bet that snow looks cool when you only do it on the weekends

Nope, just Wednesdays and a day on the weekend. 4-day check me bucko.

Gang set all the approaches to that ONE log set and catch the coon In two checks Instead of waiting 2 weeks to catch them In ONE set on the log.
I set on sign and never waste my time looking for logs. Way to many other productive locations to be setting logs.

But If It trips your trigger go for It.

Well, okay, it's time to share the secrets here.

Summertime I have a side business where I'm cutting trees for a local sawmill. Occasionally I'll load one of these logs into the back of my truck and sneak it home. At night I load this log into the boat and run it to where I'll be trapping the coming season, and hide it in the reed canary grass.

The next time I'm out and about on the river I hoist them in place to traverse a narrow cut of a back slough or creek. The tough part is scaling neighboring trees with the block and tackle to hoist these logs into place. Afterwards I take the weedwhacker and whack trails leading to the logs.

Each season I take note of the number of critters taken at each log, and then move them up or down the slough as necessary to increase percentages.

This is what works for me.

Keep it simple, eh Beav?

And your doing all that work to catch 3 $3.00 coon. Then come the spring floods and they wash away all your logs LOL

Trap smarter not harder. As you get older you will become smarter.LOL

Aw Beav, you crack me up.

LOL!!!

Leave him alone Beav, he's trying to his "trained crossing log" buz started, $3.00/ft, convention pick up only...nounting nails extra........and funnyest part, guy prolly sell a few...

I'll be right next to the fella selling blue buckets . . .

Rich you have him pegged.

I heard tell that he was buying up 8" corrugated drain tile and will be selling It as simulated logs. That way he can recess 220s on either end and then place a 160 on the simulated log.

You forgot about the hinges that allow the whole thing to collapse into the drink thus qualifying for a drowning set . . .

I see a 18' ft tandem axle flatbed, and 24 ft ft worn out pontoon boat/barge, with a twin screw 27 h.p. go-devil, in someone's future.......

The Daily News: Trapper killed in freak accident after 20 pcs of 20 ft long culvert pipe drown him in 4 ft of water, closed casket funeral due to twin screw go-devil mauling........