The ground in this part of the country is gumbo clay. Right now, it is actually harder than the sandstone rock found here. Melting snow froze the top 10" into near concrete level hardness. It happens every year, and every year I fight to get my sets in the ground. My current method of chopping trap beds is a Sodbuster hammer with a steel handle. A dozen sets in a day is about all I care to put in, between chopping beds and pounding in super stakes. Is there a good trick that I don't know about for getting a solid bed without so much work?

I trapped around Sidney for quite a few years, had the same issues when I lived there. Best bet is to get trap beds dug before the freeze happens. I’ve used a hatchet before, but it’s still a grind. It can help if you toss a handful of calcium chloride in the spot where you want to bed a trap and come back the next day, softens it up some. If you don’t have pre-dug beds, could try to find ways to bed traps on top of the ground, like a hay set or something. Snares are a great asset this time of year in your country too, very effective and a lot less work.

I use a hatchet and or a cold chisel, once you antifreeze it and make a catch it's way easier, I like it cause around here unless you use a drag you bout have to move the set each catch,

I'd love to get things dug before the ground freezes up, but the ranch is leased during big game season. I don't get to head out there and set until December. This year, we got buried in snow during December, so I'm just now getting sets out. Thought about a cordless hammer drill with a chisel bit. Not sure if that will work or not.

Our ground froze solid down about 5-6" or more before Christmas when that cold blast swept the nation. I normally have my traps in before hard freeze but not this year.

I've been using a full size pick axe to chisel sets in. I'll start the bed with the pick then square it off (I use square-jaw traps) with a hatchet I pound on with sodbuster type hammer. I pound/chisel two flats in along the edge of the bed for the levers. I can usually get the trap to bed rock solid if the bed is the right size.

I've been using the pick to put the bait holes in too. I just keep pounding the same spot until I got a small hole about six inches deep. There is no way the groundhog tool will work in that hard ground.

I trap out of my truck, drive right up to most of my sets. So I can carry lots of heavy stuff like the pick (I even brought a posthole bar) that I couldn't do on a walking line.

We snapped the line off a few days ago because things thawed out and the ground got too soft to drive on. We had to walk in to most of our spots. That was okay during Christmas break but now that we are back to work I don't have time to walk in. I am going to run the line and enlarge all the bait holes while the ground is still thawed. I like a 1.5-2" diameter hole as deep as I can make it (8-12").

I know it takes some time but do any of you guys use a weed burner to thaw a trap size spot to scoop out? I could see it being feasible, but we dont really have those conditions here...does it freeze here, yes, but not usually for very long. Just curious.

Yukon John, Look for a dry dirt mine. Under a bridge, inside a barn. When its below 0 and you find loose dirt, your golden. Digging trap beds and driving stakes is still a pain but bed your trap with that dry dirt. I sift it into a five gallon bucket. Then use a one gallon plastic ice cream bucket with a handle to carry dirt to the set. When it starts freezing and thawing blend some table salt into the dirt in layers as you bed.

Ranger 1 https://www.harborfreight.com/search?q=pulaski%20axe

I have a piece of 6 inch across well casing pipe I had a lid welded on it and glues a heavy duty rubber to it I drilled a hole and fasten a rope in that hole . I than sharpen the edge . Using a short handled hammer it will usually cut through most frozen ground I also carry a mason's hammer. that will help me to chip out a bed . The diameter of the pipe is just about perfect if you are setting 1.5 or 1.75 size traps It will cut a bed that the trap will fit in and allow you to bed the trap solid and you only need a very small amount of dry dirt to cover the trap . It allows me to cut a bed in all but the most frozen situations .But it is heavy to carry

Thanks Danny, I currently have 3 lick tubs of badger dirt from 2 or 3 yrs ago! The rate I'm going that'll last me a lifetime, lol. I like that axe.

I feel your pain. The sod buster hammer is too wide for chipping frozen ground. I found an old hammer in a buddies shop that had kind of a spike instead and I’ve been using it. It’s chips out a bed fairly quick. It’s hard to keep a small bed as big chunks will break off sometimes. I use wax sand which packs way better. I do the best I can to get trap solid. I use a long drill first before I try and drive an earth anchor in the ground. I use wolf fangs and I could hardly get the driver back out before I started pre-drilling. I have to use an 8 pound sledge to drive them in right now. Been a tough year for sure.

I got tired of chopping trap beds and got a 20V Dewalt hammer drill, a tile chisel, and 1`/2 inch masonry bit. The chisel works great to dig the bed and the bit drills pilot holes for wolf fangs and rebar.

Some of the best money I ever spent on trapping.

Put in another dozen today. Broke the chopping side off my Sodbuster and the head broke off my hardened steel super stake driver. I guess I'll just continue to hammer on the top of the driver - it's peened over pretty good now. This frozen ground is miserable!

Frozen ground? . . . Hay Set . . . no fuss, no muss!

Papio Creek Trapping Supply used to sell a trap bed auger bit. I saw it at a FTA convention. It looked nice but I'm not sure if it would go through what you're describing

Hayset, waxed dirt or snares

A Milwaukee rotary hammer drill. Chisel bit for digging trap beds, masonry bit for drilling earth anchors pilot holes, anda ground rod driver for driving earth anchors. Can't imagine trapping in frozen ground without one.

snares are the way to go

Just a couple ideas because I have no experience with what you are dealing with.

Dump a couple piles of salt where you want to make your sets. Go back the following day, scoop the salt and dirt out and put in dirt you can work with.

Get 3 rocks the size of your sets. Use your truck heater to heat them up on the way to your sets. Lay them on the ground for a few minutes while you get your gear ready. Repeat.

The rock heater idea sounds like a cool idea. I've never thought of that.

I don't like the salt idea- it's hard on traps and could attract deer.