A question for snare users, or anyone really
Have tried dying and using FMJ on some snares and theyseem to gum up and not fire as fast as I think they should so wondering what others use to get the fast firing.
Contemplating using Dakota line trap and snare dip or Formula One Trap Kote, however leaning towards the Dakota line as it is available in brown
Previously boiled snares to remove the grease however understand they start to rust fron the inside so looking at something toeliminate that problem

Dip in thinned down paint and dip in fmj it’s always worked great. Don’t let drips dry in the snare loop area and shake off excess.

I use no dip and last year my cable never got boiled. I tried dip and FMJ……never again…. I use Lightsout so I got a lot of jewelry hanging off them.
I used regular “shiny” cable, but mostly black ionized cable. The shiny stuff I was careful where I used. Get down to their level and see what will work. Because my snares weren’t boiled, I paid careful attention to the prevailing wind and set accordingly. The wolves couldn’t tell the difference but I think the wind has to be in my favour that night.
I do give them a little dusting of flat black Tremclad or something similar…….and I mean a super light dusting.

I might try laying some shiny ones in some oak leaves once they start dropping. It’s supposed to give them a dull brown colour after a while.

When I say get down to their level, I mean get down and look at the set the way they see it. In the thick stuff, black is wicked. If it’s more open where there’s snow & sky in the background I hang the lighter ones.

Throw a few dozen rolled up in the dye pot with your traps.
Then shake them out of the boiling dye and drop in the wax bucket.
Make sure the wax is smoking hot-hotter than 212 f so all the moisture gets boiled out from between the cable strands.
I leave snares out on the line de activated at jackpots that may only be activated every 2nd or 3rd year and they will not deteriorate.
They fire smooth and silent.But after waxing you have to run the cable thru the lock a few times before hanging them out the first time.
I would never dip or paint snares.
Untreated snares will catch fur but they will deteriorate after being out for a couple or three seasons.If you are not sure bend the wire back and forth a few times at the ferrel.If a strand or two breaks toss the snare its rotten.

Billingsleybrandlures.com just put up a video on snare coloring. Dale gives a very good tutorial on what he uses and why.

Because of him and Ron Jones, I use a lot of snares. Mostly because I have arthritis and pushing springs gets painful pretty quickly.

Personally, I use warm water and Dawn to get rid of the cable oil. A clean rinse. A day for complete drying. Followed by rattle canning with flat grey or tan or black. Experience has taught me you don’t have to hit every inch. Just break up the outline.

Decided to try getting all the old goop of so dropped them in a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water, then soaked them in a water and baking soda mix 1cup baking soda to 1 gal water cleaned them up so now they almost fire by themselves and have gray color. Tempted to give them a dip in FMJ to slow/prevent rust, will experiment with 1 before doing all.
Guess when say gray should say dark gray

Looks good! Just make up enough for the season and you don’t have to worry about rust…..you’ll be fine.

There’s a couple schools of thought on firing.
I like mine kinda like yours that are dang near ready to drop.
Others say the wind may knock em over too much.
If mine fall closed and the K9 passes by….its non the wiser and I’ll get him next time or half the time he’s in the next snare down the trail.
There’s lots of other variables involved though. It’s a game between you & the animal…..and you’re playing on its home turf.

You asked so you are going to get at least 100 different opinions. Haha. Here is my opinion: Stay away from ANY type of dip/paint that will gum up snare locks.

Been there, done that, hated every second I spent cleaning that crap off my snares! I still get mad thinking about the time I dipped about 100 snares without testing one first (my own fault).

Since I trap in an area that has mixed sage, green grass, or brown weeds, I do lightly spray paint some of my snares with brown. Keyword, lightly! The rest of my snares are hung out to "dull" in the weather for a couple of months. With brown or "dulled" snares, I have never had any issues with them.

I have very good success just leaving them out in the weather a couple of months. The elements take the shine off and then I dip them in the snare dip. Brown works well around here in the tan Winter grass.

I usually remake damaged snares in the spring. When done they get hung on a limb in the woods for the rest of the summer into fall. I take them off that limb when I am ready to use them.

Boil your snares in a mix of baking soda and non chlorine treated water , when they start to become a dull grey take them and over flow with clean water , then hang up away from any strong orders .

There's such a slight chance you snares will rust it shouldn't be a concern .

Baking soda simmer/boil and spray paint.


I too have seen zero evidence to suggest boiling the internal oil out of the cable is a detriment for this purpose.

I once asked a man, who is one of the largest distributors of trap and snare dips in the U S ,
If he really thought that trappers using his product would help them catch more animals.


His answer : "No, but if it helps me sell more product, I 'll keep on telling them it does."

There is no need for trappers to buy any trap colouring products at all,It grows all around us.
The highest tannin content around here is in black alder.

I wonder if that is what I call tag alder?

I gotta put some serious miles on to find an alder!

Correct Les.
I use the twigs leaves and catkins cut and chopped fresh when boiling in the fall.
I use a half 45 gal drum lay a layer of the alder about 4 inches thick on the bottom of the barrel put the traps/snares in lay another layer as thick or thicker on top and fill with creek water and bring to a good boil in the evening at camp.I have a cover for the boiling barrel.
Then I let the fire go out and let the traps sit overnight,add some more alder on top in the morning and bring to boil again.Once they start boiling I remove those traps and wax them.
I put new traps in,bring to rolling boil then let sit til evening re boil and wax and repeat till all the traps are done
If your doing lots you can fish out some of the old alder and replace with new between boilings.
Once the old used alder dries out you can burn it under the boiling barrel.You will have to top up the water once in a while too,especially if you dont have a lid for the barrel.

For me when cleaning up / boiling snares I've added some sage brush leaves or juniper leaves and berries to a couple of old kettles that got a small hole in the bottom of it .

I also would lay down a layer of leaves then snares that I had already ran through a pot of baking soda and water once , and cover with more leaves then sprinkle some baking soda on all of it then add water .

After making sure the small hole was elevated so the water didn't run out right away ,

Then,when I watered my yard I'd add some water to the kettle until I noticed the snares looked right for the area I planned on setting them in .

Boco, you mentioned lake water. Water makes a difference. A big outfitter in Alberta who ran 1/4 million lbs of bait last winter noticed a big difference on when and if the wolves in his areas would hit the baits. He’d fill a barrel nearly full of scraps, then top it off with water to freeze. Using tap water generally took the wolves a lot longer to hit the bait…….sometimes waiting until late winter if they got hungry enough.

I suppose traps, the boiling should kill any scents, but I ain’t no chemist…..lol

Anytime you boil cable, regardless of what you use . . . you run the risk of removing the rust from INSIDE the cable.
It's put there by the manufactures to keep it from rusting.
If you use all the snares in one season, you never notice a problem.
It's when you keep them over to use next year, when you may notice the cable rusting . . .usually around the bends.

If you are boiling cable to remove oil on the OUTSIDE of the cable, you need to find a BETTER supplier.
Ever heard of 'dry cable'? A much better product.

I use wet oak leaves, collected as soon as the start falling.
Rake up a pile and keep them wet.
The tannins will leach out STAINING the cable the color of the leaves.
It does this in blotches of light and dark patterns, appearing very natural and the cable is never boiled.
I've shown this a lot on my face book page.

I boiled cable for over 20 years in baking soda to dull the shine.
I got away from boiling cable altogether, when I learned there wasn't a reason to.
Soaking it over night in vinegar will do the same thing. Take the shine right off. No boiling.

Boiling cable to make it smell like the environment isn't necessary.
Odor doesn't stay on steel.

The problem you COULD have with dips and spray paint is lock performance.
The lock snagging on the dried material causing it to drag or close slower than normal.