I have been trapping for some 58 years but never had a situation where the only rat sets were on logs. I do now, how do you fellas set these and how do you fasten them? Still using long spring traps???

Used this set in the 80's at a local pond and a couple cricks.

I would wrap the frame and the bottom leaf of one longspring to the log with one wrap of wire and half a twist.

Had to replace the wire with each catch

Trap chain was U-nailed to the log by the ring

I met an old timer on our big river back when I was first river trapping. I was mainly targeting nutria but when I pulled up alongside his drift boat he had a nice pile of rats which was surprising to me since I would only catch maybe 1 or 2 a day.

I started looking at his sets and they were all log sets. He used 1.5 long springs and would chip out a spot on the log with his hatchet and put a big smear of gray clay (everywhere in the Willamette valley) and stabilize the trap on it. He would cover the trap with a couple of handfuls of green ryegrass (everywhere in the Willamette valley) no lures of any type. The ryegrass was the appeal.

All of these log sets were in backwater sloughs and places that were attractive to rats.

X2, but I added a finishing nail to help hold the trap on the log.

I usually attach the trap to the log with a fencing staple, and stabilize the trap with a finishing nail on either side of the frame.

Same here. I use a small carabiner to attach the trap to the staple. That way if the log is still there next season I have an attachment point.

yes this will work , did it many time back when we had rats,

Took a few mink doing that also.

I used an electric chainsaw to notch a few logs last year and it worked better than the axe.

I lived on a rocky ozark creek growing up and I would watch rats sit on this one old log that was covered with turds. I cut a notch in it with my hatchet and wired a 1.5 to it and caught my first rat and several more. Good memory I hadn’t thought about in years.