First off I’m sorry l’m beating a dead horse lol ! I have one question though. A well known trapper I was listening to on this subject said. “A pan cover has to respirate”. My question is why? Wax paper doesn’t let moisture through so why is that a bad thing ? I would think rain and mud being kept out of the trap bed would be a good thing? We don’t hard freeze here often so that’s not a factor. I’m leaning towards wax paper over a coffee filter or metal screen.

Why not just use polyfil under the pan? Why do you need a cover?

I haven’t used coffee filters before. I use 1/2 inch foam under a No bs pan with dirt packed inside the jaws and doubled wax paper over that. This set up will last for two weeks with daily rain and still operate if roots don’t grow around the trap and keep it from firing. This also prevents settling after lots of rain. If my traps need to be in the ground for an extended time I use the same set up only I substitute aluminum foil for the wax paper. No freeze thaw here.

I tried screen once but there was to much settling after rain.

I tried the poly fill. It just did not do that well for me in the river bottom. It soaks up a bunch of mud after a ran and really didn’t do it’s job well. I had much better results just using strait Peat moss. It’s still not that great though. Wanted to try a cover. Just trying to make the sets as rain proof as possible.

Zagger style is the only sure fire rain proof set. Deep hole, screen, and grass/leaves. I’ve got a set that’s sat through probably 3-5” in the last two days and still can’t tell where it is other than me flagging my sets.

So after two weeks of rain how did the wax paper start to fail ? Never thought of tin foil

I had some success with his method. My biggest problem was finding good cover grass. Hay and pine straw didn’t do well. Pine straw actually is slick and I had pullouts because of it. He uses a type of grass he buys. Wish I had a way to get some to test. Don’t think it’s available in my area.

Water still goes around and under the cover.

Now there is moisture trapped under the wax paper.

The moisture held underneath will make the surrounding dirt a bit darker than the soil around it that has naturally dried back out.


That in itself is not the biggest disadvantage with pan covers

It will disintegrate as if it where wet toilet paper.

Great points TEJAS. What other disadvantages did you experience?

I would think aluminum foil would create a dry spot a lot faster than the surrounding dirt as well.

So respirating is pretty important then. I have a 100ft role of the landscape cloth so many like to use. Think I’ll give it a try on a few sets and see how I like it.

If the location calls for the set to be blended with grass or pine straw I use a pair of heavy Fiskers scissors to finely chop up the grass or pine straw for the majority of the blending and then sparingly add the grass or pine straw over that for the final blend. A little water on all of that will allow that to settle and complete the camo job.

I have tried about everything. I start my coyote trapping around the first of Dec. here and we get all the weather you could expect on the Great Plains. Rain - freezing and non, snow, dry/wet and cold or warm etc. I have settled on wax paper as it repels and holds up in all conditions I might start and end a season with. 2nd are plastic baggies cut in 1/2 (depending on trap size from 1 quart to 1 gallon size) next are the 5 mil nitril gloves cut and stretched right to fit over the pan and cross member (too expensive to use now after Covid). Do not like or use the foam, polyfill, fiberglass insulation, coffee filters due to a freezing rain or melting snow and a refreeze. Too many "blocks of ice under the pans,,, but in the south or early season they work well. I will use cut grass, cut corn leaves, or soybean residue when the situation calls for it with no exposed dirt............................. my take ........ the mike

That’s interesting about the polyfil. I’ve never had a pan not trip when using polyfil under it. Even with excessive amounts of rain. I’ve had clay harden and lock the jaws in place, but the pan tripped, lol. We don’t have to worry about freezing anything, just mud and sand. Even had a trap set in what was a dry creek bed. Rains came and creek bed got about 3” of running water. Had to use a stick to actually find the trap, but it fired.
Now when I’m referring to polyfil, it comes in a bag I get from Walmart. It’s the same bag I bought about 5 years ago. It’s used to stuff pillows I’m guessing. Same thing right?

Not all moisture comes from above.

Back when I used dogged traps I’d use both but much preferred coffee filters.

Make two sets, one with each, both will get wet if it rains (or the soils wet enough), one will dry out faster though, waxed paper traps moisture under it and traps wet soil moisture even without rain.

Pans on traps covered with wax paper always had rust on them long before any other traps.

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If the location calls for the set to be blended with grass or pine straw I use a pair of heavy Fiskers scissors to finely chop up the grass or pine straw for the majority of the blending and then sparingly add the grass or pine straw over that for the final blend. A little water on all of that will allow that to settle and complete the camp job.[/quote]

Also carry a pair of fiskars scissors in my bag and do the same. Simply grab a handfull of dead grass/weeds etc from nearby,that are preferably still somewhat standing off the ground so probably drier, and hold above set and cut into smaller pieces and let in rain down over trap and screen until covered to my liking, which is very lightly. I also know several guys who dry and store grass clippings from their summer mowings to use as cover. If setting in the woods I will cut or break up in my hands DRY leaves into tiny pieces and apply the same way. Using the NO BS black coated screens and a dyed or NO BS black coated trap it really doesnt take much to hide the trap and like Zagger I havent noticed a decrease in catches if the trap/screen are still slightly visible to my eye. Probably has to do with the fact most catches are in the dark of night. Before sprinkling the cover and when completed I mist the set liberally with water/glycol mix which seems to help the covering "stick" as well as hopefully stop trap icing and the slight bit of covering usually stays in place even in heavier winds in open fields.

To answer an earlier poster what zagger uses is called "haylage"

I use screen. Never had an issue with it

One major drawback with most covers is one swipe of a paw can easily pull them from the bed. Once that happens the game is over.

Soft window screen is notorious for being easy to snag. Sand will often sift through it when the wind blows and expose part of the screen. I've never used the hard SS screen.

A couple of coons traveling down your line fishing will most likely jack up every set you have out. That will hold true especially if you are going with hole sets.

I’ve found that in an area where you don’t have to deal with freezing temps, something under the pan works a lot better than a cover over it.