Don't know if any of you guys have ever tried this . But in the late 70 and thru the 80's ALL I ever used for trap cover is sawmill sawdust. I would collect it in August at a local saw mill. Sifted it and then I stored it in big contractor trash bags. It would always be dry and NEVER froze here in ky unless it rained. If it got rained on and the ground was going to freeze I just remade my sets. Never had any diggers or seemed to have a problem with foxes working my sets. Hardly ever ran more than 6-8 traps at a time as I was trapping before school then work after graduation. After my first 3 seasons I was catching 50 plus foxes in the 2 months I trapped with the limited time and traps I had. I always sifted dirt over it to blend in the color. Seems like peat moss is used now but I didn't have access back then. I thought of it to cut down on the weight from toting a 5 gallon bucket everywhere I WALKED ,,,

It may not work on yotes

In areas which are void of trees, and places where it is 20 below, sets like this would alert the target animals something was out of place, as much as being a block of ice. In Montana coal dust was your sawdust. In most areas of the plains, it was dry dirt, mixed with an anti freeze agent. As you can read on T'man, numbers of people in winter areas have focused on snaring.
Sawdust was like our cattail down which was used in mink trapping on bedding traps on muskrat houses. Always had to work on the duff not clogging the jaws.

I was afraid it would not work here but after trying it animals didn't seem to mind. I used it in open pastures hardly ever were trees had been cut. Found out setting in wooded areas traps stayed full of grinners. Wish someone would run a test run in areas that doesn't have a lot of trees. I used wax paper for pan covers.

I have a bandsaw sawmill. I tried using the fine sawdust in the place of peat moss. Absolutely no luck. In muddy areas, the tracks stopped 2 feet back. Oppossums, coons, and skunks no problem. No canines would come close.

Yea the saw dust was more like from a chain saw. The mill had a giant round blade. Used for rough cut lumber.

My mill has a lubricating nozzle that leaks on the blade. I fill the reservoir with antifreeze in the winter so it will not freeze and bust. I figured it was the residual smell of the antifreeze.

Yea that may be the reason they walked on by.....

Also fresh sawdust goes through a heat. The first week it is actually hot. For the first couple of months it has a fermenting smell.

Why I collected mine in august and used it in Nov-Jan. All I know is it worked!!!! But I collected it in august because it was the driest time of the year not because it "fermented". Reds and greys didn't pay any attention to the smell or the color variance . We didn't have any yotes around here back then...

Always found dry grass good for under and over footholds in winter.Hardly ever freeze in our cold dry conditions.Good in the fall too.

Always nice people are looking for a better mouse trap. LOL

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