I have a dozen Z traps which are push/pull trip. I never set them until his year only because I would rather have a dead coon in coni bear vs dealing with a live catch and a catch circle next to the road. This year The only coon sets I have out are around my place just to put a dent in the chicken killer population. I decided to set the DPs in the old growth woods where the den trees are. Not enough cover to blend in a coni.

I am totally amazed with how much the dang mice can eat. I didn’t notice this the first few checks as I just checked from a distance. But, once I looked at least half were empty of bait. Should have followed the advice on here about using golf balls. They all are covered with one now.

On a brighter note there shouldn’t be many possums left around here

They make good BG's when it comes to chipmunks!

I bet they do! Crazy but we don’t have chipmunks here.

Don't shove them all the way in the ground. Leave them up an inch or so.

Golf balls will do nothing but add a little deterrent to the coons getting to your bait. Mice roll them right off the top. Fill your DPs to the top with bait, only push the stabilizer in the ground to the bottom of the washer and stomp down or pull out any weeds around the trap that mice use to climb up the to the top of the trap. You'll catch more coons. I have used DPs of various designs a lot for close to 15 years. I never put anything over or on the trap. I've tried about everything and these tips are what works best.

Also, just moving the trap even a few feet will often keep the mice out. Don't know why.

We’re either void of mice or I’m using different golf balls, lol. I mainly use the golf balls to keep the rain out.

The rain runs right down around the ball and into the trap here. Maybe different rain in Ga. lol I don't want anything to hinder the coons even a little bit to smell or see or get at the bait. A good bait can handle getting rained on.

Yep, our rain is different, generally comes in sideways when we get it. And grape flavored cat food seems to do great down here. If it does turn to mush it still works, just like to keep it dry for as long as possible.

Pretend that spool is a golf ball over something he wants to eat.

A big marshmallow is OK on top of your DP since the coons like them too and you can see at a glance if they are still there whatever is under them is still there too. Not great early on though when ants get at em.

I personally have put deacon pellets out in a hot spot as long as there are no pets and it rid the area of mice

Some of the poisons they use in those mouse/rat control feed are not toxic to canines/felines, unless the target eats and dies from them. Then the carcass becomes toxic, so your possibly killing the the animals your trying to catch! Not sure about Raptors and Acipitors.

True but our coons aren't like worth a whole lot and anything that I do anymore is basically to help the turkeys and save a few nests

I buy the plastic red party shot glasses at dollar general. Put cat food in dp, cover with shot glass and a squirt of fish oil.
The glass keeps it dry and the mice will not get that slippery plastic off. And as far as scent goes those coons could smell it under a golf ball or plastic shot glass but the trailer scent of fish oil makes sure

never had a problem using golf balls

Good deal. If you want to use them, that is no problem at all, by all means have at it. Personally, I've seen no advantage to them.

What I told him is what I have seen first hand on the trapline over the last 15+ years of using DPs. IMO the golf balls are a unneeded gimmick. If he sets the traps the way I explained with the right baits, he'll catch more coons and have very little bait theft.

Yeah but not every mouse is Mr. Jingles! Lol

Circus Mouse !!

I feel the golf balls give it an eye appeal. Plus is makes it easier to check at a glance.