I know the season is coming to an end for most folks, but I need help with bedding. I seem to have the hardest time bedding a trap. Bowl shaped-what difference does that make? Can I have square sides and a flat bottom? This leads to the use of a cookie cutter. I really don't want to spend money on one of those especially since they are made for only 1 size trap. I live in WI where there is freeze and thaw. I use peat moss and salt. Doesn't really pack well, but I've heard folks have packing issues with waxed dirt also. Also, do I need to pack the inside of the jaws? I have watched several people on YouTube not pack the inside jaws, but just throw some peat moss or wax dirt over the whole thing and they are good to go. Some people swear you have to pack the jaws. In theory,packing jaws everywhere except where the pan is would ultimately be the best scenario and not raise suspicion and allow the animal to firmly step on the pan. Also, if you have a big pan it covers most of the area that needs to be packed and if you have small jaw spread it's hard to get your fingers in there to pack the insides. If you use a screen for pan cover does it eliminate the need to pack jaws, ultimately creating a large pan?

I know they say do what you feel most comfortable with. I get that, but I'm still experimenting and I feel like everything I'm trying is not working well. I'm looking for a formula that I can knock out each time to save time and feel confident about the layout of the set.

The thing is to keep the bed as small as possible, especially when making flat sets and using stuff like peat moss in the beds. It's more of a cone or pyramid depending on whether your using square or round jaw traps.

You want the bed dug so that when place the trap in it, the only thing that touches dirt is the jaws and trap levers. You don't want the springs or baseplate touching solid ground. If you dug your bed perfectly, you shouldn't even have to pack dirt to make the trap solid. Around the outside of the trap I'll use the clods to pack the trap in as it's faster than trying to sift the dirt over the trap then packing then sifting more dirt.

I use shop towels for pan covers, the blue heavy duty paper towel like things. Used to do the packing inside the jaws thing but it's just been too darned wet the last many years so dry dirt when trapping isn't always present. The pan covers eliminates the need for it.

So the bowl shaped cavity is to allow all the chain, swivels, etc. a place to sit? Cutting the trap bed tight to the trap so only the jaws and levers touch makes sense. As you described it, the pan cover eliminates the need to pack inside the jaws?

That is correct. I was sceptical at first but my catches with sets made this way have been deeper than ever. This bedding method is awesome in wet and changing weather. I did use some wax dirt and polyfill under pan some and cat he's on both but I really like the ease of no dirt cover bedding.

Thank you guys.

I use K-9 Extremes and #3 Bridgers for canines and I actually dig about a 6" hole with an auger and use a cookie cutter. The trap fits perfect and beds really solid and the large amount of open space under the traps keeps it from getting mudded in. Once I got the process down it sped up my sets as I usually make multiple sets at the same location. The only issue is getting rid of the excess dirt but it isn't a deal breaker and I have found some different ways to use it at the set.