Whats your freeze proof process?

New to yote trapping this year and I’ve missed 2 now because my trap was frozen to the ground. The trap fired but I’m guessing not as it should have with the huge chunk of earth on the under side of the trap. I’ve been using peat moss in the trap bed and bedding trap solid with dirt and using flake antifreeze in springs and around jaws and levers then filling trap with peat moss before sifting regular dirt on top. Stayed away from wax dirt due to price and no time to make any. This last rain and freeze I believe has me froze up pretty good any suggestions? I’d love to hear your set processes. Sorry if this is a repeat.

Dig bed, Pete moss in bottom, bed trap sifft peat over top, we get a lot of rain followed by hard freeze this combo always worked for me after ALOT of rain you have to rebed, use the combo inlue of dry dirt or waxed dirt in early season too.i sift sourounding dirt over to blend or use a wisk broom! Omit the blending if it's gonna freeze up, this takes care of about all my trouble, in mucky freeze thaw ky winters!i don't like anti freeze it leave a wet looking spot in frozen ground ( peat leave an odd place to) and it eats up your traps! My 2 cents
Colt
I only put dirt around the outside of the jaws to bed, pack the aprouch side good leave peat under jaws and leavers it takes some practise to bed a trap solid in the peat but it can be done, I use my fingers to pinch up earth under trap and leave it covered in peat!

I'd like some advice too, I've lost at least 10 this year so far because my traps were froze. I use peat and tried salt. Just ordered some antifreeze too so maybe it'll help. We've had some tough conditions so far, it will be 40 and raining and next day be 0 then snow then warm during day and 20s at nite, so I definitely need help in this area too

Waxed dirt solves all those problems. The ONLY thing that shuts ya down is an ice storm..The animals you all missed would have paid for alot of waxed dirt!

I have been playing with the freeze proofing thing this year. After the first big thaw most were froze down.
I use the pound down bedding almost exclusively. The Zagger way. Well they still froze,so when I rebedded them I put a little chaff in the bed and then pounded that into the bed. And I put glycerine on the springs,leavers and jaws. Yesterday I checked them to see if they were frozen. I only had 2 of 14 frozen down. So nothing is an end all to freeze down.Imo You just have to work out what works for you and your soil and weather. I hope this helps. If someone finds a perfect way you better write a book.lol Hope this helps

I've been using buckwheat hulls this year and only had freezing issues when we got about three inches of death crust. Nothing would have worked for that.

Where is that coal shale guy?

I had issues with this until I read on a post by Lee Steinmeyer(? spelling) where he used straight glycol on his sets. I tried it and it worked! Here is my method. Dig bed, cover bottom of bed with flake antifreeze, cover antifreeze with peat moss, bed trap with dirt at site on outside of jaws only, pour glycol on trap jaws and dog/pan junction, cover trap with peat moss, pack peat moss over trap, spread flake antifreeze over peat moss bedding, cover peat moss with very small amount of site dirt(just enough so it doesn't blow away), blend if needed, finished. This method has worked for me. The only thing that puts me out of order is a heavy, heavy rain causing puddling and an immediate heavy freeze. Ends up with an ice covering over set. On next day check I just lift off the ice like a pie plate and continue on. The key to the glycol is to not mix it with water so you can spray if on the set!

I used wax dirt for the first time this year will not be with out from now on. I had a trap sit under water for a couple of days once the water backed off it had a frozen crust on top. I flipped the crust off. Everything was still dry and the trap fired. The trap was bedded with the wax dirt fiberglass pad under the pan and top over with wax dirt.
On Jeff Dunlaps facebook site he has a video of a guy making wax dirt in a roaster pan. I did up 5 gal at a time doesn't take to much time at all once you get going. I'm out of dirt but I have a bucket of sand that I'm going to do up to finish out the season

I now an excellent coyote trapper upstate that used to use peat. Now he switched to waxed dirt and his peat is in the garden. Your welcome. I might just right that book!!

Waxed dirt is also a good choice, if you want to spend the time to make, money to buy I used peat on a 100 trap almost 200 mile predator line with a partner for 3 years and only can remember having 2 or 3 froze down that missed an animal! Waxed dirt is heavier than peat if you walk ant into rough terain,id wager we got some of the roughest CHANGING weather around rain snow 60 day 20 tommorow eber changeing non stop, it worked Good for me and its cheap/econmical for turning a proffit,as has neen stated waxed dirt is excilant!worked good for me in PA aswell!
Colt

Waxed dirt it is my first year using it, It was awesome... till I ran out.

x2 wax dirt pays it doesn't cost.

I use dry dirt and non iodized salt. Works fine for me, but lots of remaking sets after storms. I need to figure out how to make waxed dirt

I always carry a bag or bucket of dry dirt that I collect when it's not wet out..
1.I dig the trap bed
2.add some calcium chloride pellets
3. Later of dry dirt
4. Bed trap
5. Add pan cover and fill inside of jaws with peat, dry peat.
6. Add calcium chloride
7. Sift dry dirt and pack it the repeat these last two steps again.
And before I blend the set I add another bit if calcium chloride.

The calcium chloride works like a charm. Even if the dirt u use is damp. I can use a damp sandy soil to bed in this manner and it can be 15-25° for a week and you can walk up to my set and blow the top layer of dust off. The calcium chloride keeps it from freezing and I only had one trap that was ever froze in due to using glycol. Now I use the glycol on my lure to keep it from freezing and the cloride on the set.

K Smith love your sinature!

Amen!

After you use that sand, you won't go back to dirt. Waxed sand beds a lot better than dirt.

Awesome stuff guys!!! Huge help but now I’m curious about waxed sand. I don’t have sandy soil in PA will it blend in my set ok ? And what kind of sand ? Play? Masonry?

I just sift a very fine layer of the dirt over the sand. Too much, and will freeze up just like not using any. I live on the eastern edge of the sandhills, so I have an unlimited supply. I would think either type of sand will work.

I mix a gallon of sand to 4 gallons of sandy loam soil. I use whatever at the site to blend, just to break up the outline. Leaves,chaff etc. I actually over wax the dirt so it packs well. The finer the sand the better.

#preach, Gary! Fire them scoundrels up!

WAXED DIRT LIVES MATTER!

waxed dirt requires effort to make...and I love it! my method works for me here in S.E. PA>

I dig my trap bed - spray glycol in the bed - put waxed dirt on top of the glycol in the bed - bed trap solid - fill "inside" the jaws only w/ sifted dried peat - cover w/ waxed dirt - blend in with local duff-debris.

This yr I made up some dirt-sand waxed dirt and liked it - it's heaver and I believe easier to bed the trap in. either way (dirt or sand) I do not have freeze issues with waxed dirt! after a snow or rain event I may have to brush off a little frozen crust.

I run an average of 30+ K9 sets at a time - this season I trapped about 6 wks and used 22 - 5 gallon buckets of waxed dirt.

Heres a link to the vid not sure if I did it right or not roaster pan wax dirt

Sweet thanks!!

Trap bed no bigger than the trap, and waxed sand.

Dig as small as bed as you can, waxed sand under and over trap. I use coffee filters or pan cover or fiberglass pipe insulation under the pan. Had really good luck this year with the pipe insulation.

Waxed sand is awesome.