Pre drill disposables?

Trying to save time when setting & thinking of drilling a pilot hole for Wolf Fangs. 3/4” spade bit to loosen the ground, hard clay typically. A spade would leave most or the dirt in the hole. I can imagine this would affect the holding power of the fangs. I assume some of you may do this. Any problems?

Get a bigger hammer ! Some of my ground is soft enough to push one in the ground without much hammer work . Just a few mile away a 2# hammer just won’t do it, that’s when I go to a 6# splitting maul . Makes all the difference!

I use ther old style brace bit. I cut the top part off and put it in my drill. Works great but I don't have clay soil

I used to use an old stake driver to make a hole then pound in my super stakes.
Now I just wait until after a good rain and set traps, lol. We don’t have the freeze thaw effect...we have the clay turns to cement once it dries out effect. Never use dry clay to cover traps either. Once it gets wet and drys back out you’ll need a hammer and chisel to get your traps out and forget the chain/cable until a really good rain.

I use an old 3/8 inch wood hand auger bit I welded to a 3/8 inch rod.
Not really to save time for but more so for me to save the wolf fang from all the rocks I can't see below ground.
Nothing I hate more other than seeing yote steps an inch from my trap is getting about 10 inches down and hitting a rock & having to start over.

Thanks for the replies. Yup, could get a heavier hammer but last year I bent way too many fangs. Frozen ground and dry clay so trying to find some “relief”. I trialed some in back yard and it seemed to work good without reducing holding power.

I use a piece of 3/8 rebar with a pointed end. It gives enough of a guide hole and the hole is still small enough for the anchor to hold. My rebar bit is a few inches shorter than my cable stake so I get the wolf fang into a few inches of fresh dirt.

Re my previous post. I use the same 1/2 inch drill to drill the rebar bit in as I do for my dirt hole auger. The rebar bit takes up almost no room in my trapping bucket.

Sometimes out here the only way I can get one in is to drill a hole. I’ve never had one come out.

Battery life or tool life, switched to Laser Mag 40v my issue I gotta make the bits haven't seen the custom builders jump on ice augar bits yet

I took a chunk of 3/8 rebar and forged a flat spear-point. Hammer it in a little, give it a few turns. If you want, weld on a T handle. No drill, no fuss, no muss.

A few years I carried a small Honda generator and brought a corded drill. 50ft extension cord let me get anywhere I needed. I didn’t even take the generator out of the truck and never had an issue with smell from exhaust. Just put it on the tailgate.

I once used a large power inverter on my truck and plugged in a corded hammer drill. The power inverter ran the drill marginally and the power inverter would auto shut off due to insufficient power if I really forced the drill. A generator would have probably been much easier, but I though a permanent inverter would be easier. The inverter was also hard on my vehicle's battery and I even bought an oversize amperage battery then what my truck called for.

Switch from wolf fangs to super stakes and it becomes much easier to get them in. Hard frost I still pre drill a .5 inch hole 10 inches down.

Super stakes w/chain. Make a short chain with binder hooks so you can pull them out with an ATV or truck.

In Maine a lot of our ground isnt soil its rock, slate, shale, ledge etc and you will turn your anchor drivers and 3/8 rebar stakes into a pretzel not to mention your earth anchors. A lot of guys will use a stone masonery drill bit to pre drill holes.

See if you can get a hold of some railroad splice plates. 8x8 with 4 spike holes. They are about 6 lbs each. They make good drags. When you get close and the critter jumps you get a clanking sound. Easy to locate. Hook 3 plates for a yote? It's even better if you can pre-position them. Now that the RR is going to the 1/4 mi long rail they are a dime a dozen if not free.

Same problem here. Most of our ground is very rocky, some is literally solid rock. Many guys use drags because in some places it’s impossible to drive a stake. Something I’ve considered going is in locations that are productive and have large boulders or exposed bedrock is using a hammer drill to drill into the rock and stick a red head bolt in the rock, and actually bolt the chain to the Boulder. Could be used year after year. Seasons end just unbolt the chain, come back next season and bolt it back on

Red Heads aren't cheap, but if the location is productive, go for it. PS, I have a T82 Hilti cordless hammer-drill for rent.