I have heard about trappers using coal shale to bed traps to counter wet and freezing conditions. I have no experience with it and generally go to snares when conditions go bad. My question for those familiar with
using this is coal slag that can be obtained at home improvement box stores comparable or a completely different thing entirely ?

I tried it a couple of seasons. Wasnt impressed in late season here i need something that can take freeze thaw, light snow, melt by day, rock solid freeze up at night. Worked OK early in fall through early winter but by late winter I was looking for other options fast. A good hard late freeze and you could dance on the sets and not fire the traps. That time of year i have to use a pick axe to make trap beds. The black to slate grey coal dust also really looks black against most of soils around here. I bought a couple cubic yards of it when I first tried it, got it from local power plant. Again two seasons and I threw in the towel on it and had to get rid of what little I had left.

Waxed dirt is hands down best ive used so far and I run a little more wax in mine than traditional recipes call for. Its not cheap and not bullet proof but in 40 years of coyote work and all the stuff I've tried its the best ive used and looks the most natural around here.

Salt and calcium don't work here late season below zero. Bone dry dirt and calcium chloride are only good for a night or so then they don't work either and rust the crap out of equipment even waxed traps.

Cover hulls are pricey and they crust over with a couple nights frost and you can literally lift a 1/2" thick frozen pancake of them off the trap next morning.

I tried all kinds of mulch, chopped straw, dried grass clippings, Styrofoam beads, and list is probably as long as my arm. Some worked, some were avoided, and some were a waste of my money and effort. I'd use coal shale early no problem but my experience at least it wasn't good for late winter when I really need it to work best.

Jim

The coal shale that I have worked with did not have any dust to it. It has was in very small pieces, almost the consistency of wood shavings. Again, I will state - NO dust. As long as my trap bed was not retaining water (like a puddle), trap would fire and work as designed. Good bed drainage is key. The little chips could/would also break apart inside of the jaw contact area, allowing for the jaws and levers to work. - unlike pea gravel or other rock. I really liked using this especially when working old reclaimed stripmine areas, as it blended better on the edge of the haul roads and access roads to the lakes.
I have since lost my supplier and haven't chased a new one down.

thanks for the replies. I too, have used all the above with varied success. This coal slag stuff I ran across in the store tweaked my interest. Peat moss and waxed dirt have worked the best for my conditions. cable still my
best option when weather is super bad.

A buddy of mine used that same type of shale and it worked for him , I was never able to find any. As it turns out in my soil it would not have worked for the simple reason you stated , water sits in any hole that you dig in my area. The only thing I’ve found that works consistently is peat and waxed dirt. Peat in the bottom of the hole repels water ( their is a fancy name for it that I can’t remember) , waxed dirt on top acts like an umbrella to shed water as it’s falling .
Two years ago I had a trap on the edge of a waterway that sat covered in water for two days , and then it froze. I went to remake the set knowing that it had to be frozen in and was shocked to find the set in working order .

This coyote was the end result !

Sorry wrong pic !

My list is very long, waxed dirt is the best by far in all conditions. The only time I've had issues with it is an ice storm then nothing works. Be very frugal about how much natural dirt you use to blend tho. It doesn't take much. Also no low spot over the pan or you'll have a frozen puddle.

The right stuff beads water, if it isn't water proof it isn't the right stuff.

The good coal shale, if it’s put up bone dry, I mean BONE DRY, will bead water for a looong time, just like dry peat moss or waxed sand. A loooong time. But it will eventually take on water. If waxed sand is a ten, good coal shale is a 9. Plus it’s lighter and cheaper.

The best coal shale is a coarser grade, and almost has a “greasy” or wet look to it.

You don’t want the real fine powder, it takes on moisture faster, or just plain blows away.

Plus the tannins in the coal keep traps from rusting after a catch.

Another trick to using coal shale or slack is to use a bit glycerin at the right mixture as you make the trap bed it help retard the freezing in the bottom.
But wax dirt for me because it's a long ways to go to get coal shale..

Coal slag is a byproduct of burning coal. Coal shale is a natural occurring strata found usually in close proximity to coal seams. Two different things altogether. Coal slag is a very hard abrasive medium used as a blasting agent
as in sandblasting. Coal shale is a soft greasy soil deposit that has water repellent qualities due to the crude oil content. We have many areas on BLM land with extensive coal shale deposits here in Wy. I prefer waxed dirt but if sign is present in coal shale area easy peazy.

thank you cmcf. That answers my question. Thanks for all the other input everyone.