I thought I would take a minute to show how I make my Arm-Chair Hay Set. I was first shown the (2-trap) “Wedge” type hay set by Allen Claycomb (PA) probably 20 years ago and that set caught plenty of fox. I started playing around and found that by making an “Arm-chair” design, I could make the set quicker, only use 1 trap and focus the K9 in the direction I wanted. The set takes seconds to make and has caught a lot of fox and some coyotes for me over the years. It’s my go to for setting in sloppy/wet weather as there is no bedding or dirt involved. You can vary this set as you want, but I make the “Arm-chair” out of hay or straw (whatever is available. I sink a cable anchor attached to a #3 (bigger the better) trap with my trap of choice lately has been #3 rubber jaw to minimize angry pet owners. I cover the inside of the armchair (and over the trap) with dried grass clippings I collect over the summer. Grass seems to allow the trap to close more efficiently and makes K9’s more comfortable to put their feet in. I lure at 10 & 2 o-clock in the back and put fox urine in the back at 12-o’clock. Set done, quick and easy. I Hope this helps somebody out there catch some fur . Dave Z

Good to see you post Maineman, I am sure this will help lots of canine trappers, thanks for posting.

Great post!

Nice tutorial thanks

Good post!

I remember when "Creekboy" shared the original version of this set and the reasons it worked on HPA. I copied and pasted every word! LOL

I used it a good bit years ago. The only modification I made was using two stakes, one for each trap to keep one fox from getting in both traps. I caught a good number of fox with it.

Don't use it much anymore but it is a good set under certain circumstances. I might have to try your variation.

So what keeps the trap from tipping if it steps on the jaws?

Excellent post! Thanks for sharing the information.

Stanly Hawbaker had a set similar to that made out of horse manure .
I used it for a few years with very good success .
Until trap thieves found out what it was.
I used to check traps twice a day , I worked nights , would check on the way home , and again in the morning .
Had an non target in one , remade it and had a red fox in the morning .
All I ever used was urine on it . A smelling post .

I use hay sets almost exclusively during the winter months when ground is frozen solid :-)

Trap placement. Nothing is 100% but select a location that is somewhat level for your trap. If you need to, you can hit the ground with your hammer to create a slight "indent" allowing you to "set and twist" your trap flat. the beauty of the set is it's simplicity. ANYONE can catch a K9 with this set. You can set this using only Fox urine in the back of the set. (or add lure) Remakes are fast. Just recreate the arm-chair out of the hay on the ground, reset the trap and cover with grass clippings, lure, urine and go.

Here`s a video of hay sets for coyotes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avVM93wc-98

Thanks! Made one this evening, but bedded it.

Excellent share. Thanks
I used to enjoy Mr. Allen Claycomb posts.
Have not seen him post anywhere for ages. Does anyone know how he is doing?


Mac

This is a neat set. Now I need to find some hay.

I caught this red fox this morning in the Arm-Chair Hay Set I made in the post above. Remade the set in about 60 seconds. This is my favorite cold weather (no bed) set. Dave Z

Good post. I do a set similar for coyotes with peat moss as covering. I dig a trap bed though. If I had brush or any trees instead of open prairie I’d use a drag.

Wished it didn’t blow 15-25 mph nearly every day here. Would be a nice addition to the bag of tricks.

Reminds me of what we, I call a chaff pile set. As we walk across a bean field out in middle, find row with heavy chaff row take your boot scrape row into pile bout 2 ft. Tall, that's your visual attractor, pound depression with mash hammer put trap in depression, crunch up and straighten out wax paper for pan cover, cover trap with stubble, urin on side of pile. Very cold out, then lure on top. Walk away. Check from distance, if pile gone go look fox or now coyote laying behind stuff. Got a few out now. Great post, thanks.
Case

Great post Dave as always.

Yes, CREEKBOY came down and ran my line with me about 17 years ago, and got me started on Haysets. After catching reds in Chester County on cheese curls in cages for summer damage work, I used powdered cheddar cheese in haysets. I use 3N's as there is no issue with straw fouling the trap, and they lay nicely on frozen without tipping.

Some pic's of a couple Arm chair hay sets I made just after the snow (then wind) we had here over the weekend in PA. Caught this red today and remade the set. Its a good set anytime but shines in cold weather Dave Z

Good to see you here again Dave. Just the time of year to give some food for thought to those that haven't used or tried the hay set.

I generally poke in a couple of golden rod stubble stems into the ground thru the horseshoe part of the hay to help hold it together. We get some good wind around these parts in the winter and most of my sets like that are on ridges so they get more wind then other locations usually

Great post tutorial.

Bob J.

I picked up a couple more red fox in the Armchair hay set today. The first fox was killed by a coyote just before I got there at daybreak. Easy set to make and remake. Dave Z

Set remade

2nd fox caught at the original post location. This is the 3rd on at this set-location

January 13th, 2022 caught 2 more red fox to the Arm chair hay set. I am hoping that this helps someone out there looking to catch K9's. Good Luck Dave Z

Thank you for this thread. I am looking to put in a few of these this weekend. As long as I can find some straw around here.

Great posting, even greater pics. Thnx.
Case

Question for you guys that use this in deer country,how often do deer ruin your sets?I've used this but I substitute straw instead,we have alot of deer and I always figured deer would ruin the set

I always had issues with deer using that much hay. I’ve gone to grass clippings and use a lot less and seem to have less problems.

Hey or straw will work, I use grass clippings over the trap in the center of the arm chair. Whatever you have access to and whatever is cheapest if you’re purchasing it. I have access to what they call trash hay which is hey that was harvested from fields that flooded. They can’t feed this to livestock so they use it for bedding and other purposes. Works good for my sets. Don’t overthink it, the hay or straw is used for the arm chair as a visual And for you to add lure and urine. Cover the trap of grass clippings that you’ve saved and dried in the summer. Dave Z

Not over thinking it here,I know what deer would do to this set in this country,I was curious about others experience with it when used in their neck of the woods

Understood. And I’m not saying that deer won’t mess with a set. They are curious animals and mess with dirt hole sets all the time. I have as many (or more) deer per square mile as anywhere in the country and they work. Use what works for you

Well done.
I use a hay set at times but I set It up as a walk through.

Funny thing about this set.I don't use it until the snow flies.I've had first night catches with it,and I've had some that wouldn't go near it.I love the set when the ground is froze and at least a couple inches of snow on the ground because I hate dealing with trying to hack out a bed and dealing with dry or waxed dirt but I do have refusals.

If I use It I use 3 pole barn spikes to stabilize the trap. No trap bedding needed.

Great pics...tells you everything needed to do it right. Thanks for taking the time to post this...what T-Man is all about

January 14, 2022: Caught Two Reds out of three traps set using the Arm-chair Hay set.

For videos of this set and more, go to my Instagram page at zieglers_tips__demos

Dave Z

great photo

January 15, 2022: Red fox in the middle of 3 armchair hay sets. I hope is that these pics are helping someone out there looking for a simple set to catch K9 anytime of the year. Don't get me wrong, I primarily use dirt hole, flat-sets and a modification of the pipe-set but having the armchair hay set in your back pocket open a lot of options for a trapper. Think about that wet-sloppy dirt-hole set that just caught a K9.(You know what I mean) You can pull the trap and reset to the left or right, "OR" you can flatten out the mud, lay the trap down flat and create an armchair around it using hay. Cover the trap with grass clippings, lure and add Urine and go. I am a time management guy and this adds time to my line. You have options. Dave Z (Instagram: zieglers_tips__demos)

Great info, keep it coming.

put a couple hay sets out today. my supervisor showed up to inspect the set.

Nice. That might catch a K9’s but it is definitely not the armchair hay set. Good luck trapper.

Put my first two out today. Lots of sign at this farm. Hopefully I catch something. This is my first real shot at coyote trapping. Hopefully the foot tracks and sled track don't scare them too much. I can check them with binoculars from 150 yards away.

How you keeping the grass clippings from stink and molding?

Make sure you collect them dry and store them in a burlap or onion bag….something that lets the air get to it. Also, make sure you hang them from a rafter or somewhere that the mice can’t get in them!

To gather grass clippings, I use my leaf blower to blow the clippings into rows, then I rake them up and put them in the large NAFA or FHA (white) bags. I then empty them out in my barn and spread them out to dry. I turn the clippings every day or two until I have them bone dry. Then I put them back in the big white bags (see pic above). You could also dry the clipping out on the driveway on one of those really hot/sunny summer days. One thing that I can mention is that I typically use lure on these sets but if I have bait, I will use it as well. When like beaver meat best but when I harvest a deer I cut the deer-liver into 1" chunks and will put a chunk at 10:00 & 2:00. Sometimes I don't use lure or bait and will simply spray fox urine in the back at 12:00. The fact that you can change ANY set into a Armchair hay set makes this set valuable to me. Good Luck, Dave Z

Nice looking set.

.

perferred set over the hale bale?

January 19, 2022: I am finished with my trap line and running this Armchair hay set set behind my house for demonstration only as the fox are starting to rub. Still hoping that these are helping someone add a few K9's to their catch. Good Luck Dave Z

Thanks for sharing your knowledge. Where is the snow?

Tonight should be real good, with storm coming and light snow. My hay sets are fluffed and ready. 3n's can handle extra straw.

LOL, No snow here in SE Pennsylvania, I gave it all to Zagger.

I don't know if Zag got as much snow this year. We got 8" the other day but light on snow so far this winter.

January 20, 2022: Rainy night red fox catch last night in the armchair hay set. It holds up pretty good in fowl weather. Dave Z

Please forgive me for my stupid questions. I have never caught a fox in a trap. just was not necessary. the last 8-10 years, no one needs a fox fur. now fox fur costs 400-500 rubles. why a fox reacts so strongly to urine???

I just wonder if this set will work in Russia. we now have more than a meter of snow, how to set a trap on loose snow?

Ttt

What trap would you choose for a red fox?
https://k-prom.ru/katalog/kapkanyi/lovushki-coil-spring/bridger-1-5-offset-jaw-s.html
https://k-prom.ru/katalog/kapkanyi/lovushki-coil-spring/bridger-1-5-rj.html
https://k-prom.ru/katalog/kapkanyi/lovushki-coil-spring/mb-450-fox.html
this is all i can buy in russia.

I have caught fox in this set using 1.75's but the best trap for me is a #3 (which is the largest jaw-spread I can use) and more importantly, a trap that has the chain attached on the side vs on the bottom. Since you do not dig a trap-bed, you are laying the trap directly on the ground, having a flat bottom trap helps keep the trap stable. IF you only have traps that are center swiveled (on the bottom) you will need to pound the ground with your hammer creating an indent for your trap to sit level. I should add that by keeping a bail of hay or a bag of grass clippings in your truck, you give yourself options for TRANSITIONING your dirt-hole or flat sets that get destroyed after a rainy night catch allowing you to get that set back in the game quickly. Once you have a trap anchored in the ground, you can construct or transition to what ever set you want. The Armchair hay set is just another option, either as an initial set or by transitioning into it.

Most people consider the M450 the absolute best fox trap you can buy. In curious though if your red fox are bigger than ours. I know from talking with friends in the UK their red fox are in closer size to our coyotes. Well at least the very large ones

Big THANK YOU to the OP and everyone else who contributed to this thread. I put out a few of these sets a couple weeks ago and connected with my very first coyote today. I've had deer snap my traps and the bait stolen from the backside. Finally came together today. THANK YOU!!

Congratulations.. Is always neat when can make something work out.


Mac

I always used around size #2's for fox.
I always used around #2 sized traps for red fox here in Maine back when I trapped them alot.

Caught 100's of reds in Monty 1.5's and 100's in Monty 2's. Still prefer the Monty's; super strong and nice jaw surface.

I like this idea. The problem with the standard 2 trap hay set is it leaves 2 sides open with no trap. I do see refusals especially from coyotes as someone else mentioned. The coyotes seem to work these sets better after they have been out a while.

Thanks guys.