First time using the logwood dye, last season I started out and dyed all my traps with stag horn Schumac. First time dying traps with logwood crystals and notice a certain scent with it. Question is does it dissipate and if not do predators smell it?

I have used the log wood dye for the past couple seasons. No issues what so ever. They get waxed as soon as they dry and I sometimes am setting them in the ground the next day. You shouldn't have a problem. Good luck.

So I waxed them and let the wax cool in the pot overnight and the wax is now a light purple, which means there was definitely a transfer of the dye to the wax. Does that mean now that the wax is tainted with the scent? I left the traps outside overnight and it seems to have dissipated but I can imagine a yote will smell it better than I can. Does that mean I need to re wax them?

No. You had excess dye on your traps. Your wax is ok.
Next time...
Place dye in cold water then turn up the heat.
When water boils, place traps in tub.
Let traps simmer for an hour or to your liking.
Remove traps from dye and rinse excess dye from traps.

Waxing 1st batch-






Boiling traps-

Now that is how its done.

I like the clothes line laundry drying system Hern. Nice fresh air to soak into those traps.

Why dye the trap when your just going to wax over It?

I see on the coyote trapping school that guys put their wax right in with their dye, have read it a few other places too that it’s a cheaper way to do it but doesn’t give as good of a coating. Just want to know if it’s going to contaminate the wax. I see all logwood dye ingredients are natural masking scents anyways just not sure if predators are going to smell it through the dirt.

That’s one darn good set up you got there Hern!

For the best results dye all the traps first, let them dry over night. Then Wax!!!! If you hang the traps correctly Wax will not puddle in the traps trigger system!!!

Because the Dyeing process is more beneficial then the Wax, for a coyote trapper! Clean Traps.

I stopped using dye and wax a long time ago. Now all my canine traps are powder coated.I don't know If you can find a better trap coating.

The reason I stopped using dye Is to get a good dye job the trap has to be rusted to receive the dye. And dye with out some type of coating over It offers no protection to the trap. And of course after a few catches your wax and dye are gone. But wax does tend to speed the closing of your trap.

Powder coating protects your trap and you can power wash that trap after a catch or or two and have it In the ground the next day and It will be clean.

But the bottom line Is If you use a dirty trap In the catch circle It dosen't make any difference if It's dirty or not. Every thing smells the same. When I dyed and waxed and had a few catches with those traps and I wanted to make new sets I just carried some catch circle dirt to the new location and guess what the trap smelled just like the ground at the new set. Guess what you didn't need clean traps. And that set was already lured. Works like a charm.

I just don’t understand the logic behind it I guess, if logwood is such a distinct strong smell that I as a human can smell how can a canine not smell it. Let alone whether you float the wax in water, on top of your dye or even just in wax alone, you’re still getting a transfer of that dye’s scent into the wax. Maybe I’m thinking too deeply into it but just kinda doesn’t make sense. If touching a trap technically contaminated it and it’s something you can’t smell then how do they not smell the dye or wax which a human can in fact smell. But then you read a lot about mark zagger and he is like a free for all with scent and he pours the coals to em. Then again, you get people who say you need to have different gloves, don’t kneel down, watch how many steps, and pretty much don’t even breathe on the trap. Just from a second year trapper it doesn’t make sense. Granted I caught my only fox last season in a set that a coon had been in.

Beav, good post. I new You had more gas in the tank lol. Is it really practical $ to prep and powder coat 300 coyote traps?

Why do either? Sometimes I think we do things because that’s how it’s always been done. A critter doesn’t care if a trap is shiny new or waxed and dyed or dipped.
Clean and set. At the end of season soak in vinegar to make them new again, rinse, and put up for next season. If they get too bad during season, repeat. At most it’s three 5 gallon buckets and some vinegar and baking soda.
I’ve tried dying and waxing and even dipping them. That gets worn off by the second or third catch anyways, so I’m back to where I originally started.

With the above post, I am going to clean and paint my DP’s white this year. We’ve experimented with some and not only can “I” see them better, they seem to attract the critters more as well.

I bought a bunch of white and brown DPs last season. In my experience the white dps tend to catch more. Baited the same, lured the same. Just seem to pull them in more. When it switched to snow it slowed down immensely though and the browns started to catch more though. Guessing it’s because they couldn’t see them as easily

Yeah, only white we have around here is sand, and ain’t many places I trap with that, lol. Snow is a once a decade anomaly.

Personally, I think we overthink the whole scent/odorless issue. I was taught dye wax ground cloth hip boots one drop of sweat on a set caused digging.

Try all that in Georgia heat.

Now I just want to get the set in quickly, not cross contaminate trap set with lure/bait and move on to the next. As for "clean" traps, once a catch is made the entire catch circle and trap smells the same. While a canines nose is good I doubt it can disect a three foot patch of dirt and pinpoint the trap after a coyote has wallowed everything overnight.

Dye and wax is more for metal preservation than anything else and we now have others options, many better at preventing rust though few as good as wax at lubrication.

BTW, short of a star trek transporter there is no way that some part of my own aroma won't be left at a set. You can't beat a canines nose.

I have a contact and I get my 100 coyote traps powder coated for $1.00 a trap.
But for the most part I believe In what Warrior stated. We really over think this scent thing.

Some how we manage to catch them by the Thousands???

Beav, I was answering/ helping OP. Just saying.
I stopped dying traps years ago. Only boil in Lye to clean, then wax. Nowadays I skip the dye.