I will be speaking/teaching at a beginner trapping seminar Saturday here in Iowa. I have been asked to speak on trapping K9 as well as other dry land trapping, Snares, conis, coon sets, maybe also dry mink. Y'all know me I hope and my skill-set LOL so what would you like to see IF you were just starting out and to understand better. First time I have ever done this and want to do it right.

Thanks - Mike

That makes two of us. I am mentoring a Learn to Trap here in WI. I'll be interested to see what's posted here.

As a not-so-accomplished canine trapper myself, location is something I am always trying to learn more about. Not how to make a set, but WHERE to make a set.

K-Snow - Heres an article I wrote awhiel back on locations - Locations And How To Pick Them
(Previously Published in “The Trapper” September 2004 as
“Keying in on Fox Hot Spots”)

(Authors Note: When I wrote this story I didn’t like the way it came out, so I rewrote it. I read it after the rewrite and still didn’t like it so I changed a few more things and wrote it again. Guess what? I still didn’t like the way it came out! I sent out the draft to my “A” list of story reviewers (Steve Gappa, Asa Lenon, Paul Dobbins, Blake Box, and Bill Crum) and got their responses. Well they all thought it was well written and informational. So for giggles I sent it to Tom Krause of the American Trapper, and Paul Wait of the Trapper. A few months go by and I ask Tom what happened to the article? Well he has been busy and can’t find any photos for it, but still want to use it. OK by me Tom. A few days later I get an email from Paul Wait (editor of The Trapper). Tom Krause had given Paul the ok to use the story and told him he should run it in the Trapper. OK by me guys, but for this I actually get paid instead of the usual free year subscription, EVEN BETTER! A few weeks later Paul email me again and wants to use the story in a small promotional booklet called the “Trapline”, and wanted to see if I was willing to let them. I said sure as I was getting paid again!

p.s. I still don’t really like the way this story reads.)

Just as in real estate the key to trapping success is location, location, location. Generally speaking there are just two types of locations; general location and specific location. General locations are easier to spot and identify than specific locations. General locations cover a broad area where the target animals are likely to travel. While specific locations define a particular spot that the target animals are likely to pass by.

Now for the hard part, teaching you how to pick out a general and then a specific location. As mentioned before general locations cover a broad area, while specific locations identify a small area. Examples of general locations might be: a hedgerow running through a cornfield, a field edge, a mountain pass, a pipeline, an old logging road, a powerline etc. While specific locations would be more like: a break or end of a hedgerow, a field corner, a trail meeting a mountain pass, pipeline, trail, or powerline.

Now I will give you examples of general locations and then specific locations and how I learned to detect and distinguish them.

I was first taught general location my grandfather “Pop”. He would take me down to the small woodlot behind the house, nicknamed Wilson’s (after the owner), to trap coons with him when I was a young boy. He explained why these woods were a good place to trap coons as opposed to the woods right behind the house. “These woods have a small creek for the coons to drink from, many large old hollow trees, and a cornfield at one end and dump at the other end.” “But why is this better than behind the house?” I asked. “Well sets behind the house will catch a few coons that might be trying to acquire a chicken, but there is no water, or other food sources and no suitable denning trees” he replied laughingly.

A few years later Pop took me with him to set up Wilsons. After entering the woods we came to the small creek that ran through the center of the woods. “Ok boy, now start looking for spots to set traps” Pop said to me. We walked slowly upstream (Pop insisted on this, as the water we were looking into would not be muddied by our boots) and started looking for sign. After we walked about fifty yards upstream I found a nice collection of coon tracks and excitedly pointed them out to Pop. “Good eye, now why are all of the coon tracks right here?” he asked. I had to look around and take in my surroundings before I answered. “Well I am guessing they are taking this trail up the bank to that cut cornfield on top of the ridge” I told him. He just nodded, and then said “Well make your sets quick, we got more traps to set.” I quickly slapped in a pocket set on the upstream side of the trail, and had Pop put a 160 conibear in the dry land trail.

A little farther along the trail, we came to the conjunction of two streams. Pop had shown me this place many times before. I quickly started rebuilding his cubby as I had seen him do years before. “Why are you making your set there?” he asked. I could have replied, “Because this is where you always make it”, but knew he would get angry if I did. So I said, “Well because two streams come together, and that way any coons following either stream had a chance of getting caught” reciting the exact words he had said to me years before. He just cracked big smile, chuckled and walked upstream to make his own sets.
My Father taught me about general and specific fox locations. We started at the Denneno farm. One of the first things I noticed was that sandwiched between a big corn field on the left and a hay field on the right was a thin sliver of trees and brush. Now that in itself is a good location due just to the three types of environment (cornfield, tree and brush, and hay field), but to sweeten it even further Mr. Denneno had his farm dump at the tip of the woods. He dumped silage, fruits and vegetables, and even dead pigs and cows on his dump. It was truly a text book location. A couple of nice sets on the upwind side of the dump would have surely caught foxes.

As we drove into the field I was sure he’d stop at the dump and put in a few sets, but he drove right on by. “What are you doing?” I asked incredulously. “Why aren’t we putting sets in at the dump? It’s a perfect spot; three types of environments all meeting in one place, food galore. Why didn’t we stop?” I asked. He slowed to a stop toward the end of the cornfield. “Son, Mr. Denenno warned me that there is a large pack of domestic dogs that hang around the dump, and use the field roads, and he’d appreciate it if I didn’t catch any of them.” “So instead I found some other set locations that produce equally well” he said with a smile. He asked me to look out at the field in front of us and pick where the sets were. “I would say were the edge of the field meet the road, and over there were that wedge of weeds juts out into the edge of the cornfield and hay field” I replied. “Very good, that is just where I would put them, except the dogs use the field road, so I didn’t set that, but I did set up the point you mentioned” Dad told me. So even though you may not be able to set up your ideal spot if you look hard enough you may find other equally good, but not as obvious spots.

My old partner Arnold Favinger helped me find a more specific location on gas lines and old logging roads than I ever had before. On pipelines I had always just set the top of any hill, the bottom of the hill, and if I was lucky to find a ridge running across a hill I always set that up as well (and did very well). On logging roads I had found that set were two roads met, did very well, as did sets were the road went along a ridge. Arnold helped show me something I had been overlooking all those years. We were trapping up at the cemetery one season, when I noticed Arnold stop along a straight stretch of pipeline and start making a set. “What the heck are you doing” I asked him. “Putting in a set, what’s it look like?” he replied gruffly. “Ok I can see that, but why right here? There’s no ridge, no path no intersecting road or trail right here” I said exasperated. “That’s where your wrong amigo” Arnold said. “Look right in front of me, and you’ll see what I mean” he said scarcely holding in his laughter. I looked and saw what he was talking about, there was a well used deer trail coming out onto the pipeline right about where he was making his set. He noticed the look of my face, and asked what was wrong. “I can’t believe I missed that for so long, it so obvious and makes such perfect sense” I said in disbelief. “Don’t take it so hard, you are used to trapping in the fields and woods. I learned this trick when I trapped the mountains, and was trapping mainly pipelines. I discovered that the foxes, coon and coyotes, all used the deer trails, so I set accordingly” Arnold revealed to me. I have used that bit of advice on many a set along a field where I could not find a spot I wanted, I went looking for heavily used deer trails to set up on. And, I caught foxes and raccoons in those sets I would not have made without his advice.


Another thing to remember on old logging roads, 4-wheeler trails or pipelines is that anything that narrows the trail is a great location. My best set ever came when a large tree fell across a pipeline blocking ¾ of it. Now the tree was only maybe 18 inches around but the foxes would rather go around than over. I made two sets near that tree and caught nineteen foxes in 3 weeks. SO if you can find a blow down or even move a tree or log out into your trail you will create a specific location out of a general one.


One of the best ways I have found to discover new locations is to wait till you get a dusting of 1 or 2 inches of snow. Less snow is no good and more snow makes walking difficult, as well as making everything look about the same. After the snow wait one night then go out to your trapping locations, and look around. Trails you have never seen before in the grass and weeds will stand out like ribbons of white winding through the brush. They’ll look so obvious you will wonder how you missed them in the past. Another thing to do is find an animal track you like follow it. You will learn more from doing this than I could ever teach you in a short article. Follow a set of fox tracks, and you’ll learn that they look in every groundhog hole they find. Foxes you will find, also stick a great deal closer to cover than you might think. Following a set of mink tracks on a frozen creek will reveal all the nooks and crannies that they can fit into, and hopefully show you places to put your sets.

I hope this helps you to find better locations for your sets. And, like Pop said “Observe don’t just look”, which means pay attention to the small details, and locations will just jump out at you.

Basic dirthole set with emphasis on trap bedding.

Figured dirthole and flat set with emphasis on bedding, positioning, covering, blending, - thanks for inpui

Everyone will show them that IMO. I'd concentrate on teaching finding locations and versatility of sets. Show them some unique sets that they won't see in every other demo they go to the rest of their lives, just to keep it interesting, then teach them what to look for when they take a big picture view of their area, not only what will attract animals, but why they travel through on the routes that they do, and why they stop using those routes. Those are the things that will really help them. Once they know where to put the trap/snare, they will be more successful than putting in the perfect dirthole where no animals will be. Maybe print out a big map of the area where the demo is and show them where they should likely make sets and show them the travel-ways most likely k9's and coons will use.

How long do you have? That's a lot of topics to cover

To me, understanding of the animals is the most important part of trapping

I plan to show them that from these BASIC sets you can make this and this and this - modified dirtholes and flat set/post sets etc, also LOTS on locations and WHY, as it will be in field I believe a printed map wont do much good, hoping we might have some fields we can view or other terrain. We all know location is more important than anything else, but hard to teach in a small setting, Ill do my best though

If you wanna learn how, re-watch Leggett's videos, coyotes by the thousands and fox by the thousands. They will show you how to teach locations and travel routes. They did a wonderful job of doing so in those videos. I learned more important stuff from them than any other video or demo before or since.

I thought Bud Boda's books gave great location pics and diagrams I remember reading as a kid going OHHHHHH

Yes. If you can get them to do that for them newbies, you'll be the new go to for a current demoman Mike!

What age audience?

I voluntarily took the Michigan DNR Trapping Education course a few years ago. It was interesting to see how a basic class was received by an audience ranging from 10 yr olds to grandpas.

I was only told Beginner trappers I am assuming small kids to teens mostly maybe some older - have to see, then I'll know for next time. I plan to take questions from the audience to help me teach what they want to learn

Like you said, hit the basics - animals / terrain / sets / skinning / prep, tell some stories show some pics and be sure to cover laws AND ethics. Just because you can set a location doesn't mean you should.

Obviously a tub with a variety of tanned furs, traps and tools is great for "stretch the legs time", "what animal is this" games and examples when talking.

Outside time making a few mock sets goes a long ways too.


Thanks for doing the class!

I have helped do a few classes. Fun times.

Very good write-up on locations Mike.

What ever the foothold, bed properly even water sets!

Woodsmanship .Become a student of the animal they are pursuing.And how to read sign.when that is learned the rest will fall into place.

Anchoring.

How long is your portion of the session? You have a lot to cover and multi trap types and species.
Don't be thinking like a person with a decade of experience, looking back. Think like a new comer with limited to no experience.
People with no to little experience won't grasp detail as they have nothing to compare it to

Basic good canine locations, funnel points, wind, bedding and anchoring
Snares need different attention as to where to set within the chosen locations
Coons with footholds, and body grippers and even snares in IA
Very brief behavior and habitat aspects of yotes, fox and coonss
Also relate to them regarding how to locate based on ability check and find sets with snow, storms and mud

Bryce

Mike,
Thank you for the write up on location, very good.