What trapping things ya doing in the off season?

I got somewhat organized, sifted peat moss & tinkered with equipment. This spring, I did catch some unwanted critters on our property, by making a few sets.
Am planning to attend a rendezvous or two which is off-season fun.

What are ya doing this off season?

Ive got 3 dozen traps that need new chain and new pans and painted id like to build some coni stabilizers like set and go style

I am welding up more T-stakes in 1/2”x2’,and 30”, and the same in 3/8”.

Also, more kill poles and snare supports and some that are both. I need on hand about 100 of about any configuration for ease of deployment.

I've been gathering things for the season, like better bricks for mink trapping

I also have a bunch of welding to do, lams, baseplates and V shaped coni stabilizers for trail sets.
Also adding #4 pans to #2dls so I have a few more top edge traps

And of course taking my early morning drives to look for poop on the roads.

*Cut and and welded twenty 1/2" rebar drowning rods for beaver (I bought more 750s.)
*Cut/welded same amount of 30" 1/2" rebar stakes to go with them. *Painted the top 3ft of the rods and top 6" of the stakes black.
*Painted a dozen deep water 330 supports black.
*Put Expand-a-pans on eight Belisle 280s to use in bobcat boxes.

Yet to do:
*Dip all BGs and beaver footholds in black Ambush dip.
*Make up a couple dozen beaver snares and dip brown.
*Need to dry about 15lbs of castor before September to sell to Paul at the GTA convention.

I haven't had a beaver call since February. Likely due to the extended drought. All of our small streams are dry. Ponds and swamps are extremely low. Problem beavers ain't causing problems. I'm glad....I needed the break.

Love my “set & go” especially through the ice.

Got all my land traps dyed and waxed. Finished modifying my 850s. I picked up a dozen Alpha 3s so I’ll need to add chain and super stakes.

I picked up some stop loss traps so they’ll need a vinegar bath and painted.

And I’m working on a square tubing frame and rack for the bed of the side by side. The frame will support the cross bed tool box and the rack will have expanded metal so I can secure some of my tools like my release tool, stake puller, shovel and catch pole.

If I get time I’ll do dogless mods on some more DLS. Only nine dozen to go.

Ive never had any but they look awesome and Ive got acess to a lot of scrap

I’ve been working to get ready as well

Built 300 cable stakes
Built 275 snares
Built 100 snares supports
Built 150 cable xtensions
Tagged all traps and snares
Dipped 140 550’s
Colored and painted snares and extensions
Bought two hammer drills bits and augers
Went thru my camp gear and bought a new diesel heater.

Things to do yet

Waxed dirt, 500 ish pounds
Attach swivels - j hooks to snare extensions
Buy lure and a few odds and ends at the conventions.
Several things I’ve forgotten lol

In case anybody missed my video in the KB Stabilizer thread on the Trap Talk Board because it does pertain to preseason preparedness.
https://youtu.be/V_Z0aLzXxcg?si=sJEIYcAtSg--bwup

Cutting wood stakes and bait stakes right now
Building some 2 sided tunnels out of some scrap boards next.
Probably starting to wax some dirt next time it gets hot.
Working on some foot holds soon. I have 100 I need swivels put on, dogs filed, pans adjusted and then waxed so I can catch all those high dollar mink this season

Good video I enjoyed it i like the looks of those but I don't think they'd work well on our rocky streams here

Powder coated all my snow traps white. Dyed and waxed my other footholds, and all my wolf drags. Built an open sided (just a roof, no sides) shed down in the brush at the bottom of my property, a couple hundred yards from any habitation, etc. to hang all my canine gear. Built a couple dozen new wolf traps. Made myself some new, fancy, adjustable setters.

Still need to boil and dye my conibears, make waxed sand, powder coat the new traps I made, and make a few more drags to go with them.

Procrastinate until September. Hate working on traps etc. Do keep an eye out for new locations and possible permissions pretty much every day. Planning on going to Coyote Days in Wyoming even though I’m not a cat or coyote trapper for the most part. Probably go to at least one other convention.

I couldn’t help myself and I believe I’ve got all my equipment ready. The is one thing I’ve learned to do during my mink trapping years is to “mud scout”. Yup, I scout when the waterways here are at their lowest looking for mink sign in the mud. I’ve learned that whether it’s mud edges in the summer or snow cover ice edges in winter here, if there are mink, they will use pretty much the same general routes/travelways.

After reading all the responses above, it would appear that water trapping requires a lot more work than predator/land trapping? Lots of equipment, gear and fastening systems. Just an observation.

And constantly adjusting the traps for the rising and falling water levels
It's the one thing that does get under my skin about water trapping
I put a trap in the dirt and it's good to go until I get some action at that trap
But I do enjoy catching mink, so I will adapt

LOL! Canine trapping was waaaay easier and less work than beaver trapping for sure! Coyote were a little stinky and initially difficult to flesh but better than hauling a 50# bag of guts up steep, high banks and I never had to haul a sled load of coyote through 1/2 mile of tagalder swamp even on ice like I’ve done with beaver! Otter, mink, & rats are pretty easy especially trapping on ice and LIGHT to haul as is the equipment! It’s also way easier to find coyote & fox sign in my territory than mink sign.
BTW, this winter I plan on using an 8” ice auger with drill/driver so there’s an added bulky, heavier piece of equipment but there and again, if you trap hard water you need to be able to get below it! LOL

You guys are making me feel guilty . . . .

This is how you haul beaver and otters

I trap year round so it never ends. Hoping to make some coyote boards, have a pile of traps that need cleaned died and waxed. Another pile I would like to get the chains and swivels swapped out. I like the rod swivels on coyote traps, they bed nicer.

wws

Been working on a system that will increase the number of boarded coons I can hang in my shop. It will be nice to be able to have more hanging at once.

Both types of trapping require a Plan, along with Plan B, Plan C

Don't know if this would work for you but I use unistrut and half a unistrut pipe clamp on the bottom of my boards. I'm going to add another length of unistrut this year.






I can turn the pipe clamp to the side if I need to stand the board up while I'm fleshing or prepping hides for the board. Then turn it down for hanging the board.

That is a great idea. I will have to try that

I like it Marty. Thanks for the input!

It helps that I have 11 1/2’ ceilings.

Went through all my traps. Separated them into keep and sell piles so my kids won’t have too

Touched up paint on body grippers that I used last year
Set up and painted a half dozen new ones

Switched to PIT pans and rod swivels on Bridger 2s and SC 1.5 and 1.75
Boiled off the wax on 4 dozen traps. Will dye and wax when the weather cools off a bit
Dye on some new drags

Made some cable restraints and cable stakes

Organized all my lures

Still need to make up some wax dirt

I am making up 70 or so 6’ trap chains with a big ring on one end for making a loop around a dry pole under the ice…to be quick clipped to a beaver foothold for baited sets, in the event I ever do that again.

Making beaver tail oil, tanning a couple hides, doing some work in the shed for the upcoming season, touching base with landowners and getting my permissions written, I need to do trap prep and get all that stuff squared away.

For me, I would say it is the other way around. I dye and wax my water traps. Or footholds at least, I just dye conibears. That is it, no worries about scent control, just protecting traps and keeping them working fast and smooth. A drowning lock and short chain on beaver and otter footholds and a chain on bodygrips and small muskrat/mink footholds, factory chain that comes on the traps works fine for all of them. Gear and fastening systems, well I carry 11 (or 12, I think it depends on manufacturer what it is called) wire, a pair of pliers and an axe. Cut any stakes I need on site, wire traps off (I use the wire to make slide wire drowners, cut to whatever length fits the situation, on site for beaver and otter). Oh and hip boots, those are an iimportant piece of gear. Set traps bare handed, never worry about contimanated traps after a catch, or from them rolling around in the back of the truck with saw gas and bar oil, traps are set exposed, no need for freezeproof bedding material, etc.

I spend a heckuva lot more time on prep for my land trapping, and pack a lot more gear.

As soon as I can, I clean out all my DPs so the wet baits don’t get crusty and hard to remove. Then I put a piece of stiff polyfil under the triggers of those I won’t repaint. After painting, the rest will get the polyfil treatment. A friend suggested this to give the coon something to snag with their toenails on pull-only triggers. It seems to help.

Then I take a couple of nights to make up 100 or so
Earth anchors.

Next comes snare building. Since I have enough arthritis to make pushing springs uncomfortable, I’ve opted to use snares as much as possible. With snare building comes making extensions.

After making snares and other cable related stuff, I paint my snares with either a dark dip or dull-finish spray paint.

All this fills my time in Jan-Feb. (it helps to be retired.)

In May and the first week of June, any conibears and ‘rat traps get speed dipped.

My partner doesn’t do much to his stuff. I make our snares so he’s ok there. For coyote stuff, he tumbles his traps in a cement mixer with 3/4-inch gravel. 6 at a time for 5-10 minutes. Then he dyes and waxes. Sometimes he just waxes.

For the canine traps I do use, I do the cement mixer method to remove old coatings. Then rattle can spray followed by full metal jacket. The FMJ protects what the rattle canner (me) missed. They’re usually good for a couple to 4-years after that.

Spray paint conibears, dip foot holds in thinned down Rustoleum. Pack everything up nice and neat. Stock up on bait, Usually stuff from the 1$ store. Their wet cat food in those double white plastic containers is a killer for fox and coyotes. I also look for those dog cables. Its the clips on either end with some type of plastic coated cable, usually 10' long. I use these all the time for sets in the tidal marsh. I connect every 110 conibear to a Pogo and push it down in the marsh with a slotted broom handle. This way the racoons don't walk off with my muskrats. It is a bit time consuming, but i hate losing a few muskrats and traps. I also Pogo in Otter/Beaver conibear. Have not had one pulled out yet. Scout, always looking for sign.

Praying for more rain, and riding the side by side.
Of course looking for tracks.
Plenty of water critters this year.

Got two dozen traps left to put machine chain on still (ran out) still need to paint traps and make drowning cables and scout

I think I’m almost ready. Just a few wolf footholds to give a once over.
We haven’t got to extend the line like planned though. No friggin time to get out there. Maybe in the next couple weeks. It’s nice doing it late spring when the frost is still in the ground and a guy can get most places on quad. Now I’ll have to go in on foot which isn’t bad, the bugs will make it much more enjoyable.

Been so hot lately that I have been slacking. Need to go scoop up some gopher mounds for my wax dirt supply and get that all screened and dried. Also have a bunch of 1-1/2s that I need to laminate and extend the chains on. Then on to dying and waxing. Also need to repair the brake lines on my old dodge trapping truck. I hate break lines, I might just replace them all

Starting to get some of my old fox traps ready for this year.

Added several new shelves to the fur shed and reoganized things,
Waxed and dyed my land traps,
Adjusted all my traps,
Tagged any new traps,
Made another 4 dozen rebar stakes,
Made a few drownding cables for mink,
Made bait both canine and water,
Made 500 lbs of waxed sand,
Cleaned out my trapping truck,
Picked up several new places to trap this fall but still need to scout,
Getting things ready for our convention and our trappers education classes coming up soon.

Dry peat moss in this 100 degree heat

Tag every trap. New law mandates we have our DNR ID on all traps.

What off season? Busier now with nuisance work than I was during season