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Help With ZTrap Issue #6950349
08/01/20 10:16 AM
08/01/20 10:16 AM
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 6
East Alabama
D
duurmeehr Offline OP
trapper
duurmeehr  Offline OP
trapper
D

Joined: May 2016
Posts: 6
East Alabama
Hi all,

Looking for some advice or answers to use of the ZTrap DP trap.

I have been using them this week for raccoon on our hunting property using wire stakes and a cotton ball soaked in sardine juice under the trigger.

Question 1) I had an escape from one trap. It was obvious it was caught to some extent because the wire stake had made the classic "funnel" excavation of dirt about 4 inches down into the ground around the cable and the landscape was torn up around the trap. There were no trees or roots around for it to grab hold of after being caught. I guess it somehow pulled out. Is a raccoon strong enough to pull out of these traps? I have never grabbed one before and tugged to see how much force it takes to pull out.

Question 2) Last night I had three traps tripped with nothing in them. The traps were still standing up on their stake just like I left them but were tripped and the bait gone. The traps were full of big black carpenter ants but I can't imaging ants tripping them?

Any help or thoughts?

Re: Help With ZTrap Issue [Re: duurmeehr] #6950356
08/01/20 10:20 AM
08/01/20 10:20 AM
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 16,261
Iowa
~ADC~ Offline
The Count
~ADC~  Offline
The Count

Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 16,261
Iowa
Coons in Alabama aren't going to be big enough to power out of a Z-trap, so my guess would be it had some help like maybe a dog pulling on it. The tripped traps are a bit of a mystery though. Are you 100% certain you don't have a person around there that is messing with the traps? Maybe released your other coon too?

Re: Help With ZTrap Issue [Re: duurmeehr] #6950368
08/01/20 10:28 AM
08/01/20 10:28 AM
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 16,261
Iowa
~ADC~ Offline
The Count
~ADC~  Offline
The Count

Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 16,261
Iowa
If it were me I'd take those traps and wash them up real well, get all the nasty rotten fish smell off them, move locations some and use marshmallows for bait (Impale a big one on the trigger and put another in the top). Also when you set the trap don't push it into the ground beyond the bottom of the washer on the stabilizer. Keeping the trap up off the ground helps keep mice and ants out and does not effect the trap's performance.

I suspect if its not a person you got a possum licking at that stinky sardine juice on the outside the trap tripping them.

Re: Help With ZTrap Issue [Re: duurmeehr] #6950479
08/01/20 12:22 PM
08/01/20 12:22 PM
Joined: May 2020
Posts: 279
Water Valley, Mississippi
cheechako Offline
trapper
cheechako  Offline
trapper

Joined: May 2020
Posts: 279
Water Valley, Mississippi
Set the dog deep in the trigger notch so the springs won’t make it creep. Don’t really know the actual reason why they will do it with the spring pressure over time but if you try to set them too lightly sometimes they will fire themselves.

I’ve never used a z trap but strange things happen sometimes. Maybe one did pull out, or maybe something killed it and took it from you. I’ve never had it happen, but it’s not outside the realm of possibility.

Last edited by cheechako; 08/01/20 12:23 PM.

The trapper formerly known as sanfo008
Re: Help With ZTrap Issue [Re: cheechako] #6950501
08/01/20 12:41 PM
08/01/20 12:41 PM
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 16,261
Iowa
~ADC~ Offline
The Count
~ADC~  Offline
The Count

Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 16,261
Iowa
Originally Posted by cheechako
Set the dog deep in the trigger notch so the springs won’t make it creep. Don’t really know the actual reason why they will do it with the spring pressure over time but if you try to set them too lightly sometimes they will fire themselves.

I’ve never used a z trap but strange things happen sometimes. Maybe one did pull out, or maybe something killed it and took it from you. I’ve never had it happen, but it’s not outside the realm of possibility.


Z-traps have a different push-pull trigger and VERY stout springs. That advice is good for pull-only type DPs but unfortunately doesn't apply to the Z-traps. A coon may twist out if the trap loses swiveling but its going to leave toes in the trap.

Re: Help With ZTrap Issue [Re: duurmeehr] #6950523
08/01/20 01:02 PM
08/01/20 01:02 PM
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 6
East Alabama
D
duurmeehr Offline OP
trapper
duurmeehr  Offline OP
trapper
D

Joined: May 2016
Posts: 6
East Alabama
Thanks for all the thoughts.

I don't think a person is messing around, there are camera's on all the entrances and at various locations and I'm not seeing anyone. It's private property but that don't mean anything. I doubt they could find those three traps anyway as hard as they are to get to. The dog or coyote thing I never thought about. I guess I could put a camera on each of the traps for a while and see what's up.

I usually use fishy bait down by the creeks but I think I am going to switch over to the sweet bait and give it a try, maybe marshmallow as suggested tonight.

Re: Help With ZTrap Issue [Re: duurmeehr] #6950525
08/01/20 01:05 PM
08/01/20 01:05 PM
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 1,593
KY
A
AnthonyT Offline
trapper
AnthonyT  Offline
trapper
A

Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 1,593
KY
Was the cotton ball still in the trap? Maybe the coon was working that cotton ball up around the trigger and snagged it and was able to get most of its foot out before it tugging on the cotton ball fired the trap. If you only get them by the tips of the toes they can pull out.

Re: Help With ZTrap Issue [Re: AnthonyT] #6951926
08/02/20 07:43 PM
08/02/20 07:43 PM
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 8,459
Henderson, N.Y. Jefferson Co.
W
walleyed Offline
trapper
walleyed  Offline
trapper
W

Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 8,459
Henderson, N.Y. Jefferson Co.
Should have used a COON DAGGER !!! laugh

Those z-traps are junk !!!!

w


"Provisional/Interim" member of NYS Trappers Association
Jefferson Co. Fur Harvesters

I Support Non-Resident Trapping



Re: Help With ZTrap Issue [Re: duurmeehr] #6951941
08/02/20 07:52 PM
08/02/20 07:52 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 62,661
Minnesota
330-Trapper Offline

trapper
330-Trapper  Offline

trapper

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 62,661
Minnesota
Marshmallows shook up in cherry jellow


Yeah...skip the fish


NRA and NTA Life Member
www.BackroadsRevised@etsy.com




Re: Help With ZTrap Issue [Re: duurmeehr] #6951951
08/02/20 07:59 PM
08/02/20 07:59 PM
Joined: Feb 2018
Posts: 793
Norborne MO
B
BBarnes Offline
trapper
BBarnes  Offline
trapper
B

Joined: Feb 2018
Posts: 793
Norborne MO
This time of year I would not use anything fishy. Clean them (car wash) and use a sweet bait as others have mentioned.

Jmo best of luck
B

Re: Help With ZTrap Issue [Re: duurmeehr] #6951965
08/02/20 08:06 PM
08/02/20 08:06 PM
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 12,109
South Ga - Almost Florida
S
Swamp Wolf Offline
trapper
Swamp Wolf  Offline
trapper
S

Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 12,109
South Ga - Almost Florida
Youll have ants on the marshmellows too, but theyre still better than messy fish. Dip em in Koolaid powder...you pick the flavor.

Take a small file and bump the underside of the small round peg that contacts the dog (latch). That should eliminate any creep firing. A toe caught coon could have pulled out but its rare.

Z traps are not junk. I have 10 dozen....love em.


Thank God For Your Blessings!
Never Half-Arse Anything!

Resource Protection Service

Re: Help With ZTrap Issue [Re: duurmeehr] #6951983
08/02/20 08:16 PM
08/02/20 08:16 PM
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 1,173
nwpa
F
furstroker Offline
trapper
furstroker  Offline
trapper
F

Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 1,173
nwpa
Keep bait down from trigger a 1/4". When you're setting make sure trigger swings both ways and isnt
impeded by overbaiting. Cracked corn, clean spilled grain, cheap sweet cereal, with a squirt of dollar store squeezable grape jelly inside and around rim with a golfball on top. A dab will do ya. Sprinkle a tiny bit of bait around. Golfball may be moved one night, but youll get them in another trap or the next night. Dependant upon numbers, gang set. Ive had groups set that ive just rotated by catch and reset as they get rained off from blood. I dont catch on remakes with fresh coon blood, so i dont bother until said rains.

Last edited by furstroker; 08/02/20 08:17 PM.
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