Newer predator trapper in Iowa. We have highs near 50 and lows to the teens fairly commonly throughout trapping season. We have been having many issues with traps freezing up. We've had decent luck with wax dirt, decent luck with peat moss, decent luck mixing salt into those setups. Nevertheless we always seem to have traps freeze under these freeze, thaw, and rain conditions.

My question: is there any method out there that you guys are using to keep traps working through wet, freeze thaw conditions aside from resetting every couple days after a moisture event? (Rain or a snow and melt situation)

Out of all of the different methods we have researched and / or tried, it seems nothing is fool proof during these wet and freezing conditions. Thank you very much for your response.

One method you didn't mention was using glycerin to keep stuff from freezing up. A buddy gave me a bottle but I have yet to try it. I just run straight peat and flip the frozen "pancake" off as needed or remake.

It's a PITA so I will be watching this thread.

Correct, we have not tried that. While it does make great sense. That does make sense and this is how I want to try it this year. Make a bed of peat, set the trap, pour glycerin over the springs and jaws, proceed to bed the trap as normal using either wax dirt or peat. I can expect to pull the pancake everyday, but the biggest issue we ran into was the trap actually freezing and not being able to fire. This seemed to get worse the more rain events we have between remakes. So it seemed like as the bedding material got more rain it gradually absorbed all the moisture and eventually froze. When the ground was hard frozen it seemed to happen more. Maybe we were creating a lake and liquid didn't soak into the normal dirt around the set.

Either way it just gets more and more complicating making a set, lol. Wax dirt, pan liners, antifreeze, glycerin, lol.

Years back when I was much younger and trapping a lot of fox... I had never learned about using salt, waxed dirt or any of the other techniques used to day. When the ground started freezing, I did do a couple of things that worked well for me, and very few misfires because of frozen dirt. (1) I used crumpled up waxed paper over the pan and under the jaws. I smoothed it out very carefully. I Sifted as little dirt over the pan as possible. Unusually 1/2 inches and I released the pan tension to almost deadfall.(2) the other thing I felt was important, was to move the trap back from the dirt hole almost an inch. This way for the fox to look down into the hole he leaned forward more, therefore putting more of his body weight one the one foot and hope fully the pan.

Just "Old Timer's" historical perspective.

Garry-

That makes a lot of sense! Hoping to try out a few different methods this year. Traps don't do any good sitting in the shed.. definitely wont catch then! Haha.

Buy you a bag of coverhulls from MTP.

Everything even wax dirt/sand will fail at some point. Running sand with peat inside the jaws has worked well for me this year through some pretty nasty conditions as I've putzed around. I intend to start trapping hard on Monday and we just got fresh rain. I am not lugging enough wax sand around to do all of my sets so the others will be bone dry peat/ table salt as needed. Peat works very well for me as long as you don't get a rain on top of it.....then like Lugnut said you just have to flip off the top that's froze or if you don't want to miss a night put down some table salt....

I’ve been using calcium chloride at my sets, it works pretty good. Somehow I always put off making waxed dirt until I’m wishing I had some lol

I bed all my traps the Zagger bedding way. The only thing I do different is, I gather corn husk, cut it off above where it bends. After they are completely dry I put 100 or so in a gallon freezer and cover with glycerin. After I pound down a trap bed I place one of the corn husk in the lever indents. Bed the trap and place wire pan cover.
I put glycerin around the outside edge of whole trap and drizzle a little over the wire screen, that helps my duff I cover the trap with stay in place. Nothing is 100% but this way has been good to me

Years ago I try the salt to try to stop the trap from freeze, I always have problems with deer spring the traps because of they want the salt.Just to give some Idea on the use of salt.

A lot of good suggestions, I run hay sets, they work and are almost bomb proof.

Yep it's just plain work in freeze thaw conditions here. I put up a lot of waxed dirt, cover hulls, peat moss, you name it. I even have a bale of finely chopped wheat straw that works a little in late extreme winter but not so good when it rains then freezes hard at night.
I quit using calcium chloride and salt a couple years ago. Even though I wax my coyote traps I still had rust problems and equipment is too expensive to damage it in my opinion.
Waxed.dirt works well but it's not bullet proof.
I know they say dont go near coyote sets but I do each and every one of them use a stick and gently try to move the top bedding after a hard freeze. If you cant, neither can light critter and the trap needs to be worked in the bed with fresh material or at least the top crust removed and replaced. Set maintenance pays off for me and it beats checking empty traps that wont fire the next night. Pay attention to your sets.
Jim

Freezing rain may be the worst, but it to shall pass.

I use one pint jar to bed/cover the MB 550 size trap so I get roughly 15-16 sets from 20# waxed dirt. One reason I stick to this size trap = use less waxed dirt each set = less $$ spent making waxed dirt.

Then...
Let 'er rain. That's when coyotes move!
Let 'er get colder. That's when coyotes mean business!

Happy Trapping
I'm pulling traps today
Gotta be back at seminary on Monday

I have used waxed sand in those exact conditions for the last three years. No problems.

I get plenty under, and around the trap. Pack well all around. Final covering of wax sand over the top...1/2". Barely cover with natural soil (I can still see the different color of my wax sand thru it). In those conditions, I don't leave a low spot over the pan. I make the area over the trap a touch higher than the surrounding area, or set at a location that has a bit of slope for run off. And water WILL run off properly made waxed sand.

Some years it's easy, some years...not so much. That's why I run waxed sand from the very start of the season.

Coal shale, the year I trapped whole season, til end of January, I took 74 coyotes, I had some sets out 4-6 weeks that took some coyote, maybe 1/3-1/2 my sets were frozen, it helps to make the trap bed an inch bigger than the trap, dry dirt lasts maybe a week before the moisture leaches in and freezes

Waxed sand is something we haven't tried but we do like the idea. Sounds like we've got some work in these conditions! Just hailed tonight..

Waxed sand is the only way to go with just a fine coating of dry dirt to blend

Had good luck with waxed dirt. As others have mentioned, try to keep the trap bed level or slightly raised so water can drain off. Also, only slightly or not at all cover with native earth as it doesn't take much to freeze the top. Fighting these conditions all week with rain, snow, and sleet and a low of 11 Sunday night. I am sure in these conditions, in the coming days there will be some frozen traps. If in doubt I usually check and fix as a frozen trap is worthless. Keep at it!

Glad i only put out 8 sets today. Got stuck at the first spot, farmer was nice enough to pull me out. I was digging in straight mud, tossed in some waxed dirt, and used Zaggers method with waxed dirt around the haws and over the levers. Then at the end if the day it rained pretty hard, then sleet, and now heavy snow. Not gonna be 32 til around 2 am, maybe ill get lucky and something will get in before then.

With the high spot over the pan, arent u discouraging a yote from stepping on it.

Yes not the best, but helps keep the sets working in these terrible conditions. Use a little bigger guides so it evens out the appearance of the set.