Waxed dirt, glycol, hulls, calcium chloride, salt. What do you use and why? Why don’t you use the others?

Waxed dirt or glycol/urine 50/50 mix works for me.

I use waxed sand. It works so good, I have no reason to try anything else. Have been using it for 5 years. Sand takes much less wax, however it's heavy. I trap off of a buggy, so weight isn't an issue for me.

I’ve been thinking of trying the waxed sand. I wasn’t sure if coyotes would steer away if sand wasn’t natural to the area. I thought of putting a skim layer of dirt over it for that reason.

Do you put the glycol/ urine directly on the set?

Waxed dirt for me. Nothing bulletproof but the next best thing

The only issue I have had with wax dirt/sand is other than weight is that is doesnt blend well in the area. Looks dry Top coating with local dirt helps but cam still looks off to me,as the sand seems to dry out the top coat too, unless both are scattered widely about the set. Whether it bothers coyotes, I don't know.

Salt works well if it doesn't get too cold unless your using calcium chloride, both of which can be rough on unprotected traps after a while. Also causes a spot to to appear in the bet, but this time it's a wet one as salt attracts water. Top coating with non dirt/peat materials can hide it or again scatter it widely about the set instead of just in the bed

I trap in sandhill pastures, so coyotes are used to it. Once in awhile, the sand might be a different color. If that's the case, I cover with a very thin layer of native dirt. The sand also packs much better than dirt.

Here I do not have a choice if I want to catch fur freeze proof a set or go home.
As far as wax dirt blend the set pretty simple.
The rest of the methods will work some times .
Wax dirt will work most of the time but like said above nothing is bullet proof . Wax dirt is as close as they make or you make lol.

I can get by pretty well with try dirt and salt here

i use wax dirt in some and peat moss and flake anti freeze cover with grass in some

Waxed dirt then light covering of peat then blend in. The freeze/ thaw, rain / snow conditions here make freeze proofing a must most of season

Waxed dirt is best I've used here. Anything else with any moisture from air or ground freezes up like a rock in mid winter here.
Jim

Peat is cheap and actually works pretty good once you learn not to go crazy and try to actually bed the trap in it. You can blend a bit and put some anti freeze such as glycol on top when needed.

Just chopped grass seems to work pretty good too in some places. The grass has to have water pretty much laying in it to freeze solid.

We used a lot of hulls on our little Cat line last year. They look pretty natural in the woods and don't freeze easy.

Can you explain the grass method? I’ve never heard of it.

I've used most every method known to man, waxed dirt is a good as it gets. It's not how many sets you have in the ground, it's how many WORKING sets you have in the ground. I over wax mine so it backs.

12 point. Take a look at Mark Zaggers method.

Used to make 50-100 gallons of wax dirt a year, now I’ve cut that number in half thanks to Zaggers bedding method.

Bone dry peat moss. Very hard to beat. You have to plan ahead and get it dried out. You can’t buy it the day before you set it. Once dried properly it will repel quite a bit of water. A little table salt down to 5-10 degrees will keep most sets working even freeze thaw.

That being said when it gets really nasty I do have some type of wax sand/dirt. I’m becoming partial to wax sand for all the reasons LDW stated. Other than an ice storm it’ll work through the worst Nebraska usually has to offer.

I assume you’re talking about the “Pipe Dream” set? So, on this set, is the trap somewhat elevated off of the trap bed? And, if you beat the sides in towards the jaws wouldn’t that cause the jaws to freeze up? Obviously this set works because you hear so much about it. I’m just trying to wrap my head around it.