I have close to 100 concrete drags out and never bring them home. I have done enough projects pouring cement and always have left over. Prior to pouring you concrete for your project dig some holes for your drags one about the size and shape of a cow flop works for me. Pour left over mud into each hole and put in 6 inches of chain and let it set up. Take a quick link connect your trap and extra chain and your ready. You can make them different sizes depending on where you are going to use them. I have used them in light sage brush and they wont go far if you are in grass cover use a bigger hole and drag they wont pull them far. I turn them upside down dig a hole underneath like a mouse has been digging under a rock and bait the hole. Put some lure or urine on top and your done. Best thing is just leave them out a good locations they weather in but easy to find. I have even pre baited them to see where they are getting dug out.
I used to do same thing....I think there are still divots in my yard! Before I dump the concrete in the hand-dug hole, I threw leaves, sticks, stones, etc. in there to make it more natural looking. Probably not necessary, but I liked the way they looked.
Here's something I used to do as well as a way to make a lure or bait hole in the drag WITHOUT having to drill it after drying!
I took some pipe insulation, you know, the type with the split up one side so you can slide it over a pipe?
I cut it in 6-7 inch lengths.
I tied some string around it in three-four places to cinch it up tight and make a smaller over all size but tight so solid like one of those swimming pool floaties?
I'd cut a piece of #9 wire and shove it in the pipe insulator OR can can do this before tying it up tighter. Didn't seem to matter. The wire should be twice the length of the pipe insulation
Then, in the bottom on one of the sides of the hole I dug, I'd cram that exposed wire into the dirt picturing it being about halfway up the side of the drag when I was done. My hole is dug in a rounded fashion to make the drag look like a rock....so, the bottom of your hole will be the TOP of your drag....and the top of your hole flush with the ground will be the flat bottom of the rock-looking drag.
So, you slowly pour your wet concrete in the bottom making sure you don't bury the pipe insulation. Once cement is touching the insulation, pour slowly so as to not crush the insulation.
Once the insulation is covered fill hole to top and smooth it off. Oh, and I'd already put my anchor chain length in as well with maybe 6-9 inches sticking out of the bottom of the drag.
Once dry, you dig the pipe insulation out and have a ready made hole for your stink! The insulation creates a barrier for the concrete and when you dig it out, you have a nice deep narrow stink hole!
Later, I started using wood for the same thing and tried burning it out, but I didn't have as good of results with that as with the insulation.
When done, I had a rounded concrete drag that looked like a rock, had a rough natural appearance, had a ready-made hole for stink and chain sticking out the bottom to hook trap to. The drag was my backing and was my set. Easy Peezy.
I tried long chains and shorts chains.....they both work. A short chain seem counter-intuitive but you really hobble the coyote's pulling ability with that drag right at his back feet. He will turn and pull backwards, of course, but with a 30-40 lb drag, either way, he won't go far.
I trapped at a quarry starting 30 years ago and this place was my Heaven and my (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman)......trapping there taught me to adapt, get more comfortable with both concrete AND steel drags and trap line dogs thereof. I don't trap there anymore due to insurance worries.....and 12-15 of these drags are still there. I used many of them on the ends of beaver slides and left them out in places as well.
In the end, I just don't use them anymore but WOULD with confidence if I had to......
Drilling concrete sucks.....and the above was thought up to avoid drilling AND to make the "rock" drag my backing as well.
MZ
