Good afternoon guys.

Why would you use, or what is the advantage of using peat moss once the trap is bedded and set over sifting the dirt that you took out of the set? I've never used it, but have seen several guys on YouTube etc. that carry a 5 gallon bucket of peat moss with them, and use it exclusively. It's topping out in the mid 90's some days here in Virginia, so as long as I do my part proper the sets honestly look like the dry ground that's all around the farms. I mention the weather because maybe that has something to do with using peat moss ( it was winter in the videos i saw )....again I have no clue as to why it's used.

thanks for the help.

If you don’t deal with freezing weather, there is no need to use peat moss. If you deal with the weather conditions we get here during trapping season, you will understand the first week why we use it. It’s a lot more freeze proof than dirt because it sheds a lot of water. If you can get away with using dirt at the set, then more power to you. We might be able to get away with it the first 2 weeks here, but it’s gonna start freezing at night pretty soon after opening day here. I quit using the dirt at the set after the first hard freeze overnight. After that it’s peat, buckwheat hulls, it waxed dirt. I will use whatever is on hand.

You still need to sift some site dirt over the Peat to camo and blend in.

Peat does as good at shedding water as anything I've tried. However, you lose the advantage of being able to really pack in a trap. If you have freeze/thaw, freeze/thaw, as we do constantly, it helps, as does grass clippings or buckwheat hulls. It seems more natural in a woods environment to me.

You can get by with no pan cover or polyfil of you use peat moss inside the jaws. Especially in rain.

Gotcha guys.

Thanks. We can trap year round here for coyotes, so I will have No BS Coyote Extremes in the ground all summer up till archery season. I will pull all my traps for deer season, and then they will go back in when the season goes out after New Years; that will be the time to use peat moss here.

thanks again.

You can't BED a trap In peat moss. So your trap bed has to have straight up and down sides and needs to be just big enough so the trap fits tight In the bed.

In my area you almost have to carry something with you (waxed dirt, dry dirt, peat moss, grass clippings). For 90 percent of the season all we have is saturated clay mud. No sifting that stuff.

Take this advice^^^^

That is about as good as advice as you can get on using peat moss. I have been using it since that late 70's.

I made this cookie cutter for my MB550's, works nicely as described above.

Sounds like you are missing out on the best, primest fur months on your schedule. Are you taking them live? I use peat, its super light if you do any walking. I get 2-3 sets out of a coffee can full.

I don't use a lot of peat moss but when I do I have just enough placed In Individual baggies to make each set. No loose moss I just place the filed baggies In a 5 gallon bucket and take what I need. I do the same thing with pre sifted dirt and waxed dirt.

If I trapped in the south where it doesn't freeze I'd use presifted natural soil...Packed inside and outside the jaws.

It may not freeze down here, but it does rain, lol. Peat moss or steel screen keeps the traps firing even after 2-4” of rain.

Where I trapped In SC It was mostly sand country. WE had some freezing weather but the biggest problem was sand shifting under the pan. So a under-all of some kind was needed.

my observation ---
natural soil is great until it rains - seemingly all winter long - in the south. peat filled traps almost always fires no matter the condition. just take an extra minute to blend in your sets a little.