So Beav, you said you drag the screen over the pan notch creating a void. So are you poking a hole through the screen where the dog attaches to the pan notch? I run mb550s with a dog but the Mb650s would be a bit different since they're dogless, I suppose.
I've been using polyfil under my pan when I cover with wax dirt but have noticed on one occasion the edge of the pan had been uncovered. The night before I had pictures of a coyote at the set. This waxed dirt is kicking my butt as I'm treating it like gold and only using it in the trap bed but others say to fan it out wider around where the trap is bedded so there isn't such a focal area of wax dirt that looks, feels and smells different.
Someday things will start clicking for me. I keep trying different things until then.

I’m old school, on my 650’s and Jake’s etc I simply bed, side pack, then lay a coffee filter over all. The dry dirt I pour over settles the filter down and around.
Up here with the cold I do opposite of a lot of guys, I carry a small spray bottle of water and spray a light mist over all once the top dirt is finished, In minutes it freezes into a very thin ice crust that I can then sprinkle snow over, snow sitting happily on that ice sheen and not penetrating deeper.
Around the set in the smooth snow a plastic bottle pressed to make “tracks”. Make sure to sprinkle a bit of urine on the plastic bottle bottom. Canines are always dripping down to their feet.

Osky

I used to run screen pan covers, but always had trouble. I switched to wax paper. Cut a roll in half and you can tear off what ya need, crumple it up and you got a pan cover. Cheap, easy, and effective

I don’t cut a slot just cut it even with the pan. I don’t care if dirt is around the dog. Look at the pics again. Much quicker tha cutting a slot

It's a different world trapping where it freezes.....always trying to save on waxed dirt or peat

Screen does nothing for us up north. Our big concern is moisture. A wet snow followed by a cold snap makes for a lot of locked up traps. Up here in cent. MN, sugar sand and clay=concrete. Use a good trap-cap and wax paper and you are good to go.

Gta love that about this game... different stroke for different folk all yield results.

Hey Grey Beard,
Do you put waxed paper in the bottom of the bed and the trappers cap over the top and use wax dirt then?

Cut the screen to fit just inside your trap jaws. Make two slits in the screen and slide it onto your pan like this. It will lay flat and cannot come off. It's easy and holds the grass up great. Norm Mullins showed me this

So part of the screen is under your pan? Right?

Larry, I bed the trap with a sprinkle of flake anti freeze. Put the trap cap on and do a good bedding. Pull the cap off the trap. And put a 7x7 crumpled wax paper over it, (#2 Bridger) a lite sprinkle of A/F and do your final sifting to cover. 7x7 covers a 2 Bridger good.

This is what I was trying to explain...pics work better. I do cut my screen to fit under both jaws.