Hey guys. what do you guys use for trap pan covers? Trying coffee filters going to check to see if I have my first ditch dog tomorrow.

Cheap and accessible, or don't mind spending a few bucks if they are re usable.

Thanks

Coffee filters for me, work well enough for most of what I try to do.

I like a stiff screen pan cover. I cut all mine to fit during pre season.

I cut mine out of screen cover.
Jim

peat moss wax paper or doubled up unscented toilet paper

Coffee filters

Wax paper for me.

That black landscaping cloth.

x2

Interesting! I hadn't thought about that, but I have a partial roll left. Going to have to cut some.

Brown coffee filters here as well.

These burger wax papers work good. Precut and cost $.04 each.

Now that's a good idea.

When I'm using the landscaping cloth, I just drag it across the pan notch, and it creates a small hole. Then when you go to engage the dog it's on top of the cloth and will hold the cloth in place. It takes a little getting used to getting the right amount of material so the cloth will be under both the dogged jaw and the free jaw. But when done right it helps keep your cover in place.
It would probably work with other types of pan covers.

Couple great ideas here for sure. May go with screening though since windows and doors is a big part of my career. I'll try a few different and see what works best for me here in the clay soil. Thanks guys!

Started using the blue shop towels that come in a roll last year, easy enough to rip to make to size, and durable enough they don't come apart if they get wet, and allow moisture to flow through from both directions.

Wax paper here. Tried coffee filters, they worked fine in dirt, but I end up doing lot of snow trapping and use wax paper over and under the trap for that. Easier to just carry one thing that works in all situations.

I'm trying the 4.5" patty paper from amazon this year. I got a 1000 for like 12.00. They fit my 450,55, & 650's

I started with wax paper over 50 years ago. I transitioned to foam under the pan which worked well in dry desert type climates. Then went to the yellow sill insulation which worked well and was less prone to absorbing moisture and freezing. Then back to waxed paper. Last year I tried muffin papers and coffee filters but had a lot of problems with mice and pack rats digging at it and exposing the cover. They were aired out before season. This year I’m using poly fill and have been pleased with it so far. Not having the issue with pack rats and mice. I may give wax paper a try again. I never had good luck with metal screen. Seems like I was always fighting to get it to lay flat. And waxed sand, which I have to use from day one of my seasons due to our climate, sifts through it.

Polyfill here, advantages and disadvantages to each.

Polyfill here too under the pan but for some cat sets we use a shingle on the pan.
We have an issue with wind blowing sets clear and anything lightweight just blows away.
We use a lot of wax dirt too.

X2 on the wind!

For 40 years now , 95% of the time I use absolutely nothing. Think about it, a properly adjusted trap has a minute amount of pan movement before firing. A small amount of dirt will get under your pan but again, a properly adjusted pan fires with little movement. Sifted dirt does not flow and level out evenly under a pan. Sifted dirt will typically only be on the outer edges of your pan and is not compressed. The sifted dirt is loose enough that it will not prevent your pan from dropping the slight distance it needs to fire. There are exceptions. Extremely dry, free flowing sugar sand and days on end of rainy conditions. During these times I use a dark colored fiberfill I purchase from Pine Hollow Trapping Supplies. I like the dark color as it blends in, unlike the white polyfill I used to use . During the described conditions, rain and blowing sand can expose your pan, which in turn leaves your underall material very noticable if it is white. In the past I have used well aired out fiberglass insulation. The downfall with it is it will lose its fluff when wet and can be quite noticeable if exposed. Hot water heater wrap, with the white plastic outer protection, worked extremely well when I could find the old style insulation, that didn't compress when wet. I used a template to draw the dimension I needed the underall to be on the white plastic portion, which I always cut smaller than the pan itself. I would cut out a good supply of them, toss them in a clean cage trap, and air them out under a protected awning until ready for use. The white plastic portion often adhered to the bottom of the pan and remained there even after a catch. Admittedly they were time consuming, expensive and when they switched the insulation material, it was time to find a better solution. Using no pan cover or underal was the the best solution. Just be certain you have properly adjusted traps, a level pan, no pan creep and proper pan tension. I understand many trappers have situations where this technique is just not feasible for their conditions, but give it a try, I am willing to bet you will be pleasantly surprised.

Good stiff wire screen is my preferred but can be hard to find, if in sandy country you can dip your wire screen in wax to seal it completely, but most of the times I use wax paper and I double it over, to me it seems to help hold the integrity of the wax paper more being doubled.

What about the Latex covers any thoughts

I use the rubber foam underalls and it’s worked well. Very seldom do we get a hard enough freeze for it to be a problem. This year I’m going to give the screen pan covers a honest try. I like the idea of the extra kill area and I’ve learned a few things about getting them to lay flat and I happen to have a huge roll I’ve had for years so why not.

I have tried lots of things. Black landscape cover I had problems with mice and voles, wax paper was not strong enough, I do use peat moss some. I finally went with poly fill under the pan. I do mine different than most people though. I buy quilt batting, it comes about 3 feet wide, but a yard of it, cut into squares. I lay it out and sharpie lines out then cut. Squares 2.5x 2.5 work for most traps, 1.5’s thru 650 Dukes. I have used these for years , some you can re-use some get destroyed. They are cheap and easy $3.00 for a couple hundred.

wws