I am failing miserably.. lol
I have had 12 DPs out for 8 days with bait stolen nearly every night on at least half of the traps and only one possum, and one fired off without a catch.

I have my nephew down and planned on turning him into a coon trapper and have failed the poor kid.

I'm using Z Traps.
Marshmallows, cat food, Hiawatha Valley, and some Weiser's sucker punch for bait.
Moonshine and some salmon/shellfish oil for a trailer.

I've come up looted and baitless nearly every night and the traps just won't fire.

So what do y'all do and what produces the best results?

Thanks
Ken

could mice or rats be the thieves?

are you putting a cap/cover on them?..to keep mice out?...old spray paint can caps or the bottom third of a water bottle work well.

1) set the trigger so it is less engaged

2) stuff the marshmallow UNDER the trigger

3) fill the tube only 1/3 full

These tips helped me wear them out a few yrs ago

Mice, shrews, little things that can squeeze into the traps, a lot of people put golf balls on top of their DPs to keep the mice out. Are you using push/pull triggers? putting to much bait in the trap? This is all stuff I read about on here, I have 3 dozen DPs but haven't set any yet myself.

I have not used Z Traps but have used Dukes. I believe all my clean outs have been from mice. I just use cat food. Do you use a cover? Was the fired empty trap pulled out of the ground?

Ok so I'm just giving the shrews my bait.
Inexperience is strong with me apparently.

The trap that was snapped was not pulled.
I have used caps, and stopped because I had a coon run off with one.

I wish I had said something earlier in the week tomorrow we pull traps.

I'm guessing the snapped trap was a shrew as well. You will do better next time, I'm sure your nephew appreciates the effort. For what its worth, I mix a little liquid smoke in with the cat food. I fill the tube to the top rim and stake the trap in the middle of the coon trail. I use a small paper cup for a cover if the mice are problematic.

Awesome good info!

I know its a strange question but you are setting them correctly? Should look like this on the trigger/dog. I've seen guys put the notches together and in that position they won't fire.



If you are setting them correctly try only pushing them in the ground to the bottom of the washer on the side of the stake, this keeps them higher and more difficult for mice to access. Also if they find the traps and are cleaning them out moving them even a few feet will often buy you a night or two before they find them again. I never use covers on any DP's except if they're forecasting torrential type rains. Then I'll put a styrofoam cup over them until the forecast changes.

~ADC~

Yes Sir they are set just like that. And for some reason they just don't seem to go off. I just never considered that the mice would pick me clean, I always assumed it was possums or coons.

Once a mouse finds a trap, it will clean it out nightly.

Scattering a bit of bait around the trap may keep the mice occupied for a bit. I used a crayon to wax the triggers when I ran a few Zs. I do not have the experience others do but I felt like the Zs were harder to set off than others and the wax seemed to help. Knowing you are on active coon sign being assumed.

I watched a blue jay clean out one of mine one mourning checking traps. I was waiting for it to start flopping but it finally got it clean and flew off! After that I placed golf ball over mine.

Lots of good advice above. Mice I bet. Caps, golf balls whatever it takes. Put some bait around the Z-trap and up to the trigger, and in the middle of the trail. I’m new to them also, but caught a load of coon doing it this way. I’ve been trapping 30 years and finally tried them this year. They are a great trap. Give Neil a call at Z-traps and spend a few minutes listening. Good luck don’t get discouraged

It helps a lot to tie the cap onto the trap so it can’t walk away. I use a lot of the z-caps and they really keep mice out but let coon in

I put a trail cam on one of mine and flying squirrels were cleaning them out along with mice.. I went to sheep's wool and a runny bait . Seemed to help things last longer, and the coons had something to play when the got there.

I found out this year that mice are not the only bait thieves. I had gray squirrels cleaning me out. Never knew they had a sweet tooth as I was baiting with mini marshmallows with a squirt of strawberry syrup. The traps were not in a mousy type area but were getting cleaned out every night before one of them finally made a mistake and became bait on the canine line. This was with Dukes converted to push/pull with the circle triggers from Sudden Valley.

Harold, small tip with those push/pull type: watch the sweet bait in bear country. There have been bears caught by the tongue with them...and held.

How can that happen when they are sposd to be zip tied to the chain??

I guess you didn't get that memo?

There's always next season, since you've pulled...WTG working with the kids!!!

Z Traps filled just to the top of the trigger will catch every coon that sticks his paw in there. Probably mice.

I've had every Z Trap along a trail cleaned out one night, then put a cap on, and next several nights...no action. The mice couldn't get in, and the coons weren't running.

Ok I'll set a couoke and see how I do.
Filled all the system up with a cap.