I have been searching the archives for information on Formula 21 with little luck. I used it last year for the first time but had a lot of my traps dug up. Wondering what I may have been doing wrong. Is Formula 1 a good treatment? Should I perhaps wax over the formula 1. I really like that it is not gas based but rather water based.

Watching U Tube videos many posters do not seem to pay much attention to smell or change gloves when baiting however I do and traps were still dug up. Most dug up were dirt hole and pass through sets. Any suggestions on how to reduce dug up traps? There does seem to be a large population of coons. Also I set my traps very solid with no movement. Also wondering if it might be advisable to double up on these sets. Thanks!

Are you bedding your traps solid? Do you pack your dirt properly around the trap? Any movement in the trap or lose soil can cause the critter to dig it out or expose your traps. When adding bait or lure to your set, do you pass over your trap? Any minute spillage or droplets of bait/lure onto your trap bed can also cause critters to focus on that spot instead of the other side of the trap where they should be focused. As long as your traps are clean, I think you should be good on that aspect.

Knock on wood, the only real digging problems i can recall are coons. Sometimes they just dig in the fresh dirt regardless of what you do. Unless you treated right before going out (and even then it may not matter) I bet it wasn’t a matter of traps being smelled

If you plan on HOT waxing over the F1 your going to create a real problem. But there Is No need to wax over the F1.

Bed better. They don’t dig what they don’t feel. I’ve used Formula 1 like Steeltraps…hit’em and set and never had an issue. I do have an occasional trap dug up throughout the year, generally I catch it the next night and it’s ALWAYS been a coon.
You learn to bed real solid when you deal with deer. I have umpteen pics of deer hitting the levers and not the pan and the trap doesn’t even move 1/16 of an inch.

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I am trying to bed firmly and there is no movement of the trap. Ground is usually damp and and easily compressed. My traps are clean and have been redipped although i do plan on adding larger trap pans I will redip about two months prior to season. I am taking precautions with bait scent i.e not baiting overtop of trap. So it seems like I am on the right track. Plus I have caught fox (grays which are not target for me). I will keep trying. I guess my concern was that the Formula 21 was giving off a scent.

If you want to start fresh, soak them in vinegar for a day, rinse good, and set or re-dip. I just think you’re trying to blame something either you KNOW is the problem, or you’re overlooking the obvious.
My son had some issues and we straight up swapped traps. I even used his traps on his property and caught. His “solid” and my “solid” weren’t the same. We now “BOTH” solid now and catching, lol.
If you’re catching Greys and using dirt holes then maybe your sets are too close to the bait/hole. Maybe a coyote or cat is coming up and going to “dig” the hole and uncovering the trap. If I want fox or setting for fox I set close, everything else gets set farther back. Possibly an issue.

Are you using formula 1 or formula 21? Formula 1 is like a paint and dries hard formula 21 is a cleaner.

I see you are from VA. My Buddy tried the dip that you mentioned last season. He lives in northern PA. I will just say this, he said never again. He had more dug up traps than he ever has!! Every day set after set dug up. I don't think we live in the right climate to get them to dry properly. At least that's all we could think of. Could totally be wrong and I know guys have used it with success. I think your better off, good boil and wax.

Wanna Be is right. Been using Formula 1 for over 15 years. Averaged 300 plus coyotes for about 12 years strait. Then did 400 ~ then 514 — then best year ever was 541 coyotes. SO around 6000 or so coyotes with Formula 1. I am pleased with it. Used it in multiple states. No complaints or dig ups other than few coon

If you're dipping your traps in this and then setting them.....I think I know what your problem is.....


I've never heard of Formula 21 trap dip.

Formula 1? Yes.

It seems as though I remember a long time ago Asa Lenon mentioning he had tried Formula 1 and had varying degrees of success and went back to the old dye/wax. His comment was either here or on Hal’s board.

I will also mention that Formula1 is a membrane and not a coating as paint would be and requires a different application process for it to be successful. Sharp edges & corners can be problematic!

I had rust form under the coating. I heard others had the same thing happen. That never happened with a hot wax application.

I experienced rust under the coating as well. I also experienced the nut and bolt on some traps froze up tighter than Zip's butt in fly season.
Have to say, I experienced no digging or refusal that I could detect in the regular season. (I foolishly tried it two different seasons, because one season of torture was not enough) In late season I did get a dug trap or two but in lates season, it will happen to us average trappers.

My biggest complaint was traps that did not make a catch or even get used, the nut and bolt on them froze up bad. I wrote about it on here once and
one of the resident blow hard experts on here said he never had that particular problem as every trap he had made a catch. What a guy, what a guy.

Guys like Steeltraps have great luck with it, so some have great luck with it. And do not forget the blow hard guy.
It is a ton of fun to get it back off traps. Wicked fun.


I remember Asa sharing his experiences on this forum. He treated some with Formula One, blocked the pans and set them at fake sets to test.
He claimed they did not cause any dig ups. I do not believe he made live sets with the coated traps.

Mac

I like F1 on beaver snares. Also used it on beaver footholds and bodygrips...works good. Always used the brown.

Years ago I dipped some coyote/cat footholds and had same experience that Mac had....seized pans. I won't use it on land footholds.

I actually don't use it at all now because it jumped from $55ish to $80 plus per gallon.

Will just logwood dye and wax all footholds. Touch up bodygrips and snares with spray paint.

"I just think you’re trying to blame something either you KNOW is the problem, or you’re overlooking the obvious." Possible, but even though I may know the problem or am overlooking it the problem is still there and I have not identified it. I am thinking that even though I am using blind walk throughs for Bobcats I am leaving scent that coons or coyotes are picking up on. Same for dirt sets, so I have refined my process to be as clean as possible for all species if that makes sense. My dug up cubby holes are probably coons.

Now I never considered my trap being to close to the bait hole. That is a strong possibility. I have been watching many youtube videos and I know my sets are bedded as good and probably better than what I am seeing. Deer can be a problem and I have seen deer tracks around my sets as well as coyote.

I will be checking for seized pans, possible thinning down of the mixture may work better in regard to seizing as I have not noticed anything when thinning.

Not using formula 21 degreaser. I used vinegar.

Have not noticed a lot of rust under the coating, yet
Appreciate all the feedback. Bit confusing at times as some have good luck others don't with formula 1. Maybe we are all making a different mistake.

You’re going through a lot of what I dealt with last season. I am going back to what I know works- boiling/dye and wax…I got really good at bedding traps last year since I was remaking sets every day. I’m not blaming it on the F1- but I can’t rule it out. It was a change up last year was the first year trying it- I dipped every trap I set except a dozen Bridger #2’s that I bought off coon duke that were already dyed and waxed- caught all but 1 of my coyotes in those dyed and waxed traps, the one in the Alpha that was dipped was a pup. If you aren’t confident, you aren’t going to catch much- so for that reason I am going back to what I know….

Food for thought - - can't say I am not having doubts about formula 1 as the negatives seem to outweigh the positives.

I'd listen to this guy.

I have used a lot of F1 on traps and snares both and really like the results. You need to apply it correctly and once it is dry you can go set them. I've dipped snares and set them the next day and caught coyotes.

I will admit that being as though it was my first time using the dip, I could have done something wrong... there is also the chance that my issues had nothing to do with the dip. In the past I've used dye/wax along with a latex pan cover with very little issues. Last year the only variable that changed was my trap treatment. The process I used was I got my traps clean and dry, dipped them and allowed them to hang individually for a few days and would re-dip. After 2 dips, most traps were covered to my satisfaction. I've heard that it's probably best to alllow your dipped and dried traps to hang and air out, which I didn't do, and I probably wouldn't put them directly into a tote. I'm sure it's a quality product that if I learned how best to use it, I'd have much less issues- but something was off last year as I've never had so many sets dug up- so it's easy to eliminate all the changed variables and go back to what you're comfortable with. I'd like to reiterate that I'm not slandering this product, I'm sure it's great when used properly... and there was probably user error on my end when dipping... I don't know what it would have been, but 9 times out of 10- if there's a product on the market and most people like it and I'm having issues- it's almost always due to an oversight on my end. It definitely speaks volumes about a product when high number guys are using it with success.