Using Drags

I'm sure I know the answer, but will drags work in pastures like this? Trapping coyotes. There is a lot of tall red grass.

No way.

Depends, that snow or ice ?

I would guess 10 to12' of chain and a good drag like a Sabertooth or a weighted JC Conner's I doubt if they would get more than a 100 yards on a 24 hour check

I’m guessing yes but it scares me to death more than a rattlesnake at head level.

Ten feet of chain and about an 8 to 10lb drag with good points, it won't get far. A wolf setup with a smaller trap.

I use them in areas like that. Just from my experiences. When I got a coyotes it aint far. Dont matter if front or back foot. Use at least 10 foot of chain. I got sabertooth and jc Connors 4lb drags.

Larry, can't blame you for not liking to pound/retrieve a stake or anchor (and our soil is worse than yours) this time of year. You may try a less expensive drag with added weight with the long chain. I have clips to attach up to 30 lbs extra on mine and the coyote goes not far, always down hill. You aren't going to haul 100 traps worth of this gear in your vehicle but,,,,, 10-12 sets/day with this type of hook up is real manageable for me..... the mike

Yes they will work I use Ogorman drags and sabertooth drags trap to drag about 15 ft. Of chain in that type of weather .

the mike,
Please describe what kind of weights, how you fasten them and hide them? Thanks
Mac

Guess I see rock hard frozen ground an a drag bouncing and flopping. I agree longer chain maybe 15ft would help. I've chased to many dragged catches to use one in a pasture like that. Mho

I have never used drags, but what your saying has been a concern of mine. The last thing I want to do is chase a hooked up coyote across the pasture, or worse yet, not finding it. I think I will continue pounding anchors through the frost. I have a rotary hammer drill that I use to pre-drill a pilot hole for the earth anchor.

10ft drag plus trap chain, pretty much stop a canine anywhere.

My thoughts when I’m using a drag is entanglement over digging into the ground not that I have not had a few times tall grass has held a cat in place. To me the “hooks” job is to mark the direction of travel on it’s best day and tangle close by on a average day in many cases.

In Arizona drags were used because of the rocky ground under the sand in the mountains making staking difficult at times plus a cat cares less about a piece of chain coming out of the ground. Here in SD drags in the brushy cedar draws with a cat season that starts the day after Christmas is the way to go add a long chain and they don’t often go far. It saves the set location to be used again if the cat tangles elsewhere and save pounding stakes into frozen ground.

I often prehook at the set as far away as I can find a place to hook it up this saves the searching part and the set is not ripped up not that a tore up set is not a attractive thing to a cat. Miranda always said if your going to make a mess make a big one.

Avoid the rookie mistake of placing the drag and chain in the same location if that chain loop gets caught on a hook you will have a long day ahead or heartbreak as you just lost the advantages of using a drag.

If your drags "plow" well, you can get away with a lot as far as "open country", on soft ground. Likewise with deeper snow, especially if it has a little crust. Snow can be quite effective at slowing down and hooking up a drag.

Im assuming that grounds frozen. And there isnt enough snow to help. So there goes any plow effect. And I would call that no cover.

I wouldnt.

Larry, do you have big bluestem grass there? If so, I would shy away. Little bluestem they work fine in, but here where I’m at in the flinthills of Ks, that big bluestem has thick enough stems to lift the drag up into the air. Out in a big pasture, where the stand of grass is thick enough, that yote will leave and never leave a sign that he was there. If you have a good dog, you can still make it work, but in the past, I have lost several in that situation. I am gunshy at this point with the wide open areas we have and the amount of big bluestem!

Yes Lee, there is a lot of Big Blue out there. I'm not going to risk losing critters just for the sake of easier remakes. Not worth it. I thought maybe the drag would hang up in that grass. Never thought about it doing just the opposite. Thanks

If you are going to use a drag here (metal grapple type),,, weigh it down. I have made them work in soybean fields when I needed to................. the mike

These 8lbers would work! might be a little tough to hide in that kinda country though!

Jumperzee, what size bar is that? 2X½

They make great bobcat drags, anchors

Dusty it's 1.5 x 5/8". Here's a couple headed to the ITA fur sale as auction items. Limited edition "Backcountry wolfer" drags.

Thanks