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Waxed dirt vs waxed sand?? #8644252
08/02/26 03:14 PM
08/02/26 03:14 PM
Joined: Jun 2007
Illinois
foxkidd44 Offline OP
trapper
foxkidd44  Offline OP
trapper

Joined: Jun 2007
Illinois
Guys I’ve never messed with any of it before…
Always went with peat moss, lawn clippings, calcium chloride, etc.
Which do you recommend sand or dirt??
Considering messing around with it this year.


Stand by your principles, Stand by your guns, and victory complete and permanent is sure at last.
Abraham Lincoln
Re: Waxed dirt vs waxed sand?? [Re: foxkidd44] #8644253
08/02/26 03:16 PM
08/02/26 03:16 PM
Joined: Mar 2021
Wyoming
E
E.J. Kelley Offline
trapper
E.J. Kelley  Offline
trapper
E

Joined: Mar 2021
Wyoming
Not straight dirt or straight sand. Use a sandy soil. This will let you wax 25- 30 gallons of dirt with 10 lbs of wax.

Re: Waxed dirt vs waxed sand?? [Re: foxkidd44] #8644263
08/02/26 04:00 PM
08/02/26 04:00 PM
Joined: Feb 2010
SD
T
Tray Offline
"Wilson Jr."
Tray  Offline
"Wilson Jr."
T

Joined: Feb 2010
SD
Sand is much heavier which can be an issue for some people.
Sand absorbs much less wax then dirt so you can make more.

Re: Waxed dirt vs waxed sand?? [Re: foxkidd44] #8644285
08/02/26 05:18 PM
08/02/26 05:18 PM
Joined: Nov 2011
Idaho Falls, ID
G
Grandpa Trapper Offline
trapper
Grandpa Trapper  Offline
trapper
G

Joined: Nov 2011
Idaho Falls, ID
Use both. No preference.


An old man roaming the Rockies
Re: Waxed dirt vs waxed sand?? [Re: foxkidd44] #8644304
08/02/26 06:02 PM
08/02/26 06:02 PM
Joined: Mar 2007
Midland, MI.
Seldom Offline
trapper
Seldom  Offline
trapper

Joined: Mar 2007
Midland, MI.
Sand is coated and dirt being organic material, absorbs. All sets I used were BLENDED sets so visual differences were a moot point! When I trapped in the woods during winter with snow cover I used waxed dirt. The reason being that when I’d bed the trap I’d have some black dirt scattered on top of the snow from digging the bed so I use waxed dirt which was a look-alike but I still BLENDED the set usually with snow. This was just a personal preference because using waxed sand in the same instance didn’t seem to make a difference except to me.

If a person saw my finished sets, dry ground or snow covered they would not know if I used waxed sand or waxed dirt!

Last edited by Seldom; 08/02/26 06:04 PM.

"A few want to know WHY, the majority appear to be satisfied just knowing HOW!"
Youtube Channel- SeldomFales
Re: Waxed dirt vs waxed sand?? [Re: foxkidd44] #8644310
08/02/26 06:28 PM
08/02/26 06:28 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
SW Pa
B
Bob Jameson Offline
trapper
Bob Jameson  Offline
trapper
B

Joined: Dec 2006
SW Pa
Have always used waxed dirt/peat blended material. Works good and weighs much less than sand. Just my preference due to the weight difference.

Re: Waxed dirt vs waxed sand?? [Re: foxkidd44] #8644316
08/02/26 06:52 PM
08/02/26 06:52 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Pa
W
Wright Brothers Offline
trapper
Wright Brothers  Offline
trapper
W

Joined: Dec 2006
Pa
At one time I had all the wax I wanted.
I tried both and liked them.
I still stashed bags of peat for remakes.

The number 1 thing I learned with free wax was,
don't be stingy when set making. Spread it around.





Re: Waxed dirt vs waxed sand?? [Re: foxkidd44] #8644337
08/02/26 07:34 PM
08/02/26 07:34 PM
Joined: Oct 2017
perry co.Pa
wetdog Offline
trapper
wetdog  Offline
trapper

Joined: Oct 2017
perry co.Pa
Salt is cheaper and way less hassle

I know salt eats steel, but not when you probably treat them after season

Re: Waxed dirt vs waxed sand?? [Re: foxkidd44] #8644345
08/02/26 07:47 PM
08/02/26 07:47 PM
Joined: Dec 2008
MN
W
walleye101 Offline
trapper
walleye101  Offline
trapper
W

Joined: Dec 2008
MN
Ive messed with both and the advantages and disadvantages are listed above. Went with waxed sand one year and really liked the way it coated with much less wax. But I work out of 5 gallon buckets and quickly tired of lifting them around. Then I learned a trick from a fellow at Coyote Days, mixing half waxed sand and half buckwheat huls. Really lightened up the buckets, and thought I had it all figured out. Turns out 5 gallon buckets jostling around in the back of a pickup quickly seperate with heavy sand to the bottom and huls to the top. All the huls got used up first and you are left with a 1/2 bucket of pure sand.
I'm back to dirt.

Re: Waxed dirt vs waxed sand?? [Re: walleye101] #8644367
08/02/26 08:29 PM
08/02/26 08:29 PM
Joined: Mar 2007
Midland, MI.
Seldom Offline
trapper
Seldom  Offline
trapper

Joined: Mar 2007
Midland, MI.
Originally Posted by walleye101
Ive messed with both and the advantages and disadvantages are listed above. Went with waxed sand one year and really liked the way it coated with much less wax. But I work out of 5 gallon buckets and quickly tired of lifting them around. Then I learned a trick from a fellow at Coyote Days, mixing half waxed sand and half buckwheat huls. Really lightened up the buckets, and thought I had it all figured out. Turns out 5 gallon buckets jostling around in the back of a pickup quickly seperate with heavy sand to the bottom and huls to the top. All the huls got used up first and you are left with a 1/2 bucket of pure sand.
I'm back to dirt.

LOL! I used wide-mouth 2.5 gal HDPE jugs. I would carry 1/2 doz in a Rubbermaid tout in my truck so I could easily pull one and go make 3 sets and replace for refill so they’d be ready to go each morning. They were very easy to carry to a set and back to the quad. When I sold my waxed sand & dirt I would give a jug to the person as a plus since I ordered in quantity. I highly recommend them as they were one of my more useful canine set-making tools!

Last edited by Seldom; 08/02/26 08:30 PM.

"A few want to know WHY, the majority appear to be satisfied just knowing HOW!"
Youtube Channel- SeldomFales
Re: Waxed dirt vs waxed sand?? [Re: foxkidd44] #8644478
08/02/26 10:23 PM
08/02/26 10:23 PM
Joined: Mar 2011
williams,mn
trapper les Offline
trapper
trapper les  Offline
trapper

Joined: Mar 2011
williams,mn
My waxed dirt is a Sandy loam…. Have never used pure sand, but sand is elemental in a lot of our soils here.

Last edited by trapper les; 08/03/26 08:34 AM.

"Those who hammer their guns into plowshares will plow for those who do not."
Re: Waxed dirt vs waxed sand?? [Re: foxkidd44] #8644483
08/02/26 10:28 PM
08/02/26 10:28 PM
Joined: Jan 2007
Pa, 69 years young
Deer Lane Offline
trapper
Deer Lane  Offline
trapper

Joined: Jan 2007
Pa, 69 years young
What about mixing both together?

Re: Waxed dirt vs waxed sand?? [Re: foxkidd44] #8644530
08/03/26 12:09 AM
08/03/26 12:09 AM
Joined: Mar 2012
Wyoming
T
ttzt Offline
trapper
ttzt  Offline
trapper
T

Joined: Mar 2012
Wyoming
I started waxing straight dirt. Then I tried mixing dirt and sand. Now straight sand. I like the waxed sand better because, as stated before, alot less wax and I have an easily accessible source of pretty clean natural sand on one of the ranches I trap. Also, I find it easier to bed a trap in waxed sand than waxed dirt.

Sand is heavier, so I got 3-gallon buckets, easier on my back!!!

Re: Waxed dirt vs waxed sand?? [Re: Deer Lane] #8644662
08/03/26 08:36 AM
08/03/26 08:36 AM
Joined: Mar 2011
williams,mn
trapper les Offline
trapper
trapper les  Offline
trapper

Joined: Mar 2011
williams,mn
Originally Posted by Deer Lane
What about mixing both together?

Why…? Is one better than the other?

Use what. You have in your area as a start, don’t over think this.


"Those who hammer their guns into plowshares will plow for those who do not."
Re: Waxed dirt vs waxed sand?? [Re: foxkidd44] #8644736
08/03/26 10:49 AM
08/03/26 10:49 AM
Joined: Aug 2011
Craigmont, Idaho
marty weatherup Offline
trapper
Happy Birthday marty weatherup  Offline
trapper

Joined: Aug 2011
Craigmont, Idaho
I started using waxed sand and like it. I trap out of a four wheeler or side by side with a couple extra totes of sand in the truck all the time. My totes of waxed sand weigh 100 pounds full, so not much fun to move but they really just go from my storage area to the back of the truck. After that I use a one gallon bucket to transfer from the totes in my truck to the totes on my side by side. Just takes a couple minutes to get the toe down to a more manageable weight to pour into the side by side totes. I use the same bucket to move sand to my sets.

I use 3 pounds of wax to 100 pounds of play sand or all purpose sand and mix it with a cement mixer and a weed burner. I have an infrared thermometer and try to keep the sand between 140-150 while mixing.I turn the heat off when I feel the wax is fully melted and the sand is well covered, usually just a few minutes, then let it run until the sand gets down to ambient air temperature or less than 90 degrees. I found dumping the hot waxed sand into a tote can leave you with a lot of clumps. Letting it run until is cools eliminates that.

If I had more free time I would get sand or sandy loam from some of the ranches I trap but right now buying play sand or all purpose sand works best for me.

I was impressed the first year I used waxed sand. I broke my ankle that first year I used the waxed sand and had to go around with a couple young guys to spring all my traps. I had out 43 wolf traps and about 65 coyote/cat sets out. The day before I broke the ankle we had rain on the couple inches of snow we already had. That night the temps dropped to 15 degrees, and then we got a dump of 12 inches of snow. We found all the traps and every trap fired. Most had a pretty good crust of snow/ice over them under the new snow but they all fired.

I've tried salt but have had non stop problems with deer, elk and cattle when I did. Last year I did have a couple trap beds licked absolutely clean of any sand by cattle, but the two sets were near a cattle trail on a stock pond dam. I thought they had moved the cattle out of that pasture but was wrong. I suspect they sprung the traps and then were curious about the set and the smells. Never had any other cattle mess with waxed sand in areas where I had to trap around them.

For my area and my circumstances, waxed sand works best for me.


Trail cameras and fresh snow have broke a lot of trapper’s hearts.
Re: Waxed dirt vs waxed sand?? [Re: marty weatherup] #8644741
08/03/26 11:08 AM
08/03/26 11:08 AM
Joined: Oct 2017
perry co.Pa
wetdog Offline
trapper
wetdog  Offline
trapper

Joined: Oct 2017
perry co.Pa
Originally Posted by marty weatherup
I started using waxed sand and like it. I trap out of a four wheeler or side by side with a couple extra totes of sand in the truck all the time. My totes of waxed sand weigh 100 pounds full, so not much fun to move but they really just go from my storage area to the back of the truck. After that I use a one gallon bucket to transfer from the totes in my truck to the totes on my side by side. Just takes a couple minutes to get the toe down to a more manageable weight to pour into the side by side totes. I use the same bucket to move sand to my sets.

I use 3 pounds of wax to 100 pounds of play sand or all purpose sand and mix it with a cement mixer and a weed burner. I have an infrared thermometer and try to keep the sand between 140-150 while mixing.I turn the heat off when I feel the wax is fully melted and the sand is well covered, usually just a few minutes, then let it run until the sand gets down to ambient air temperature or less than 90 degrees. I found dumping the hot waxed sand into a tote can leave you with a lot of clumps. Letting it run until is cools eliminates that.

If I had more free time I would get sand or sandy loam from some of the ranches I trap but right now buying play sand or all purpose sand works best for me.

I was impressed the first year I used waxed sand. I broke my ankle that first year I used the waxed sand and had to go around with a couple young guys to spring all my traps. I had out 43 wolf traps and about 65 coyote/cat sets out. The day before I broke the ankle we had rain on the couple inches of snow we already had. That night the temps dropped to 15 degrees, and then we got a dump of 12 inches of snow. We found all the traps and every trap fired. Most had a pretty good crust of snow/ice over them under the new snow but they all fired.

I've tried salt but have had non stop problems with deer, elk and cattle when I did. Last year I did have a couple trap beds licked absolutely clean of any sand by cattle, but the two sets were near a cattle trail on a stock pond dam. I thought they had moved the cattle out of that pasture but was wrong. I suspect they sprung the traps and then were curious about the set and the smells. Never had any other cattle mess with waxed sand in areas where I had to trap around them.

For my area and my circumstances, waxed sand works best for me.

I start my season after our deer seasons are over. So I usually start with frozen ground and not as many deer issues to speak of.
I really like that after a light snow the the whole area around and including the set are exposed earth
I put it all around the set. The amount and manner in which I use salt in my soil type has out performed everything
else I've tried.
Most of my locations require walking some distance to get to the first site, so light is important to me
That being said, I'm trapping from a vechile this season and maybe the rest of them to come
But I'll still use salt

MSGA

Re: Waxed dirt vs waxed sand?? [Re: foxkidd44] #8644947
08/03/26 11:19 PM
08/03/26 11:19 PM
Joined: Dec 2020
Wisconsin
Scott__aR Offline
trapper
Scott__aR  Offline
trapper

Joined: Dec 2020
Wisconsin
I trap primarily in sand country, so waxed sand ... uses about half the wax, but sand is heavy. I don't walk in with much more than a gallon of sand at a time.


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Re: Waxed dirt vs waxed sand?? [Re: foxkidd44] #8644964
08/04/26 12:54 AM
08/04/26 12:54 AM
Joined: Dec 2020
Wisconsin
Scott__aR Offline
trapper
Scott__aR  Offline
trapper

Joined: Dec 2020
Wisconsin
I trap primarily in sand country, so waxed sand ... uses about half the wax, but sand is heavy. I don't walk in with much more than a gallon of sand at a time.


Megapredator ... top of the food chain!
Member of WTA
Member of U.P. Trappers
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