Somebody will... Mark their trap and then put a tag on it. Its happened hear before....

i find someone elses tags on my traps, and they better be a pretty big fella, don't know what i'd do if they was real big, would have to play it by ear lol.

a good wack to the knees does wonders lol.they cant run to fast
then.

They wouldn't be able to stand to well either 3stud...lol

ok, now does anybody have any actual trapping tips, not just hiding tips?

Here's another hiding tip. Avoid checks when or where school buses are running. Nothing like setting a snare with 2 coons laying by your feet and a whole busload of kids going by hanging out the windows watching you, cause you just know they are gonna tell big brother about it that afternoon, and he drives.

On to the actual trapping. In Missouri, it is illegal to discharge a firearm in the road right-of-way. I checked. Still have the email from the Missouri game department if you want to see it. You'll have to find another way to dispatch.

Snares are great for ditch trapping. Just make sure you comply with Missouri's cable restraint laws. Unfortunately, non-residents can't use them, which is another reason why I don't ditch trap Missouri, but I have run long lines in Iowa. But you can, so long as you had the cable restraint class, and they are cheap enough that if you get one stolen every now and then it isn't all that big a deal.

Gang set snares so you can keep track of them. Learned that from Slim's book. Pick a number, and set that many snares at each stop. If you are setting 3 snares at each stop and you do it each and every time, you only have to keep track of your stops, not have to wonder how many snares you set at each one, or write all that down in a book.

Now, about the book. Keep it, and keep it up to date. If you are running 100 to 200 traps and snares on a ditch line, and moving some around every week, it would be very easy to lose track of some. The minute you do, you are now in violation of game laws and that snare you missed is sitting out there like a time bomb ready to get you in deep water.

So, keep track of locations in a log book. I used a ledger style, with a column to write down location, a column to mark the number of snares at that location, another column to write down how many snares I picked up, and one to show how many and what kinds of critters I caught there so I could use that location again another year. And like I said, if you always set 3 snares at each location, and always pick up 3 at that location, then at the end of the season the one column will equal the other column and you can sleep well.

124 the info posted are good tips and will help you. Your country has many bridges spanning the ditches used to drain the original swampland of the bootheel giving you many opportunities for sets. You will have to decide which sets you will use. Blind , pocket, slap in, punch in. How you hide your set and catch is dependent on each location and will vary. Drowning slides will hide and camoflage your animals to a certain degree, coons digestive tract will produce gas and float the animal ,so shorter chains and deep water will help hide them. I quess I am saying you will have to make the final determination, on what sets the location calls for. Aren't the drainage ditch properties public domain(Federal Drainage project) and not private property, if that is the case , setting up and downstream away from the bridge would be an asset.

Good post BuckNE

falsely identifing urself or your truck as a bridge inspector or something else is a felony----------SMART MOVE !!!!!!!! yOU MIGHT MEET THE WRONG PERSON.....DNR or Policeman---------ya just lost ur truck & ur rights to everything.
The best idea is to trap down from the bridges or up. use all drown sets----
The big problem is 99% of all traps taken are by other trappers-------sad to say; ask any co!!!!!! Ya have to know what to look for to find them.
The best way i know of is , try staying on privite property,ditches,streams, and rivers running thru them, trap with permission from owners.
the way we do, have a pardner------one check mornings, other evenings------aminals move 24 hrs not just certain hours.
we all know there is no way to trap and not lose a few traps, either by aminals or by humans---it happens!!!!!!!
beaware of others trapping and talk to them & people in your area-atleast if they are gone you have a idea of where they have gone or what took them.......
First of most, check ur laws for road trapping/ many areas are strick on this because of dogs,live stalk,kids........

ready for the meat market burger only lol

Unless you use a state seal or some other official government identification, or you use the registered name of an actual contractor, I doubt a magnetic sign identifying you as a bridge inspector is illegal. Ask Newt.

Actually I think the pic I saw was of a used truck with the original advertizing left painted on it. A lot in this world is misleading but not true. Ask any red fox about a dirthole.

Heck, I'm an EPRI certified VT-1C and VT-3C concrete inspector, although I've never inspected any concrete in my whole life. It was part of the certification process to inspect welds and the internals of nuclear reactors, for some strange reason. I could put a magnetic sign on my truck that says, "BuckNE Concrete Inspector" and it wouldn't even be a lie.

I do believe that would get a fella hurt around here.

Back to the question each bridge will have a water travelway and also a high bank or dry travelway under it. Use a combination of traps and snares and cover both. Or if legal 220 the grass tunnels but hide them well. You will have less theft on pavements than you will on gravel. Fewer dog issues also, as anyone who cares about his dog is not going to have it running on the highway.

Under every bridge you trap under, look for both the travelways. You will be surprised how many coon you can catch up on top of the bank that most guys miss.

Limited to 5 inche jaw spread on land body grips in Missouri.

I had what I thought was going to be a pretty good idea. I was going to go down to Mexico, Missouri, where they make those newspaper boxes, buy a truckload, and hit the conventions for the guys going to the 5 inch body grips. I even called the guy and talked to him about prices in quantity, sizes, etc. When I called him, he asked if I was a trapper, and said he'd heard they were being used for that a lot. Now he has ads in the trapping magazines for them. LOL

the only bad thing about the cable restraints is that season doesn't come in untill like a month after regular season, so for a month or so i will only be using footholds. I don't see how putting a sign on your truck would be a felony.

124 just don't identify yourself as a Goverment official and you will be fine.

I would still consider some PVC sets on the high bank if you can't use 220s or snares.

hey a question i didn't really think of is, will there be much coon and mink trafic under the bridges? Its a busy road, 4 lane divided hwy.