I have a lot of questions

I only have 3 seasons under my belt and only have one local trapper, but I think I would run out of breath if I had to ask him all these questions. What is the best lure for muskrats, what is better a trapping bag or a pack basket, and what is the most cost-effective kill box for 120 conibears, I have been looking at small 5-gallon totes and the newspaper tubes but the tubes run at around 15-20$ and the shipping cost would kill me, that's why I was looking at the 5 gallon totes since they would fit a 120 if I made a small cutout. Also what are the best tools to have in the truck when running a trapline of fewer than 200 traps, also what is the most essential hardware and such to have around such as J hooks, etc. Thanks in advance!

TheYouthTrapper

Well if you've gotten this far on this site I would suggest searching the archives. Probably most of your answers will lie therein.

Yes definitely check out the archives, I only have five seasons under me and the archives are a huge help. I may not have the "right" way of doing things but I am confident I can go to a new area and catch critters. If you want feel free to pm me and we can learn together. As far as your questions above go I like lenons rat super all call, it catches piles of rats as well as coon, beaver and otter. The bag situation is kind of dependant on what kind of line you are running, I used the packbasket the last couple years before I could drive and was walking everywhere, but it's kind of hard to keep everything organized.Now that I can drive its easier to carry a bag, I have three cheap tool bags from harbor freight one for clean tools, a bag for remakes, and a bag for baits and lures. The only conibears I use are 110s for rats so I can't help you with the boxes. There are lots of tools out there but again that is dependent on the line you are running, I would say get a digging hammer, a trowel with a long handle, and a sifter, you should be able to get by with those tools, although a rebar stake is handy for punch holes, and a hatchet or axe is nice too. I don't use one much but it is nice to have when you need it. I think you can never have to many swivels around they are pretty nice to have around and it sucks to be setting up traps and run out. That's my best answer for all that feel free to p.m. me. I'm still learning too so anyone feel free to correct me, tight chains.

Dude ask every dang question you got and I'll try to at least link you to info that will help ! We need as much young blood as possible so let em rip !

What is the best lure for muskrat? I suggest that if you buy a lure from a lure maker that actually has trapped, they will have a decent lure. You will find through trial and error what works well for you.
As for commercial lures: I would be surprised if you did not have good to excellent luck using Dobbins, O'Gorman's, Night Owl's, Grawe's, Marsyada's, Hawbaker's, Minnesota Trapline products etc.
If possible, talk to the lure maker. A lot of lures have been and are made by lure makers that have never trapped or have trapped darn few critters that they may make a lure for. Sad but true.

I have not used it for a lot of years, but at one time Carman had two lures in his original line that were as good as any I have bought.

Boxes for the 120 body grip. In the past, before the liberal IFW took over Maine, I used a lot of wood boxes with 120s or 5x5. Easy to make, depending on what you use for material, not too expensive.
Look at the archives and past posts for fisher and marten and you will find plenty of explanations and pictures of various styles of boxes. You did not say what you were considering trapping with the 120s. I do not think you have marten or fisher. I would suggest you use great care and caution as to where you set any kill style trap. I personally wouldn't want to attempt to harvest raccoon with this set up. I have done it so have others, but there are too many draw backs for this type of set up on raccoon. If you are thinking of mink, I suggest learning to pocket set and blind set them first.

"Also what are the best tools to have in the truck when running a trapline of fewer than 200 traps, also what is the most essential hardware and such to have around such as J hooks, etc. Thanks in advance!"
That could be quite a list. That list could be different for a guy running traps in Northern Maine compared to a guy running a line in say Ohio. I personally cannot see wanting to be messing around with J hooks etc. or any other hardware while on a line, unless you are hooking up drowning rigs. All tinkering ought to be accomplished in the shop and off season. Develop methods that you will not be monkeying around with hardware while on the line.

"what is better a trapping bag or a pack basket,"
Consider where you are at and what you are on.

If you are close to the road where you can be observed, if you are walking back in, is it hunting season? Are you out of sight 10 steps from the road or in view for a 15 minute walk? All of that plays into what you use. Do not get so caught up in gadgets. Go light as possible.



Hope this somewhat helpful.

Mac

What kind of situations are you wanting to lure muskrats? Traditional trapping on the muskrat huts, the only lure you need there is some fresh mud pulled from the bottom smeared above your trap is all you need. Creek/pond trapping where you dont have huts to trap, I like a muskrat gland lure though with prices of glands vs price of rats thats almost a waste of money there. Pretty much any raccoon food lure or bait works well, unless your trying not to catch coons.

Whats the purpose of your "kill box" for the 120s? Are you actually making sets with them or using it to dispatch critters? These are too big for 120s but for 160s/220s the square buckets you get for cat litter and other products are perfect for them. You can make some cubbies out of 1x2, or 1x1 wire if you wanted to be really light weight.

As for tools, never leave the house without a good knife, a quality multitool like SOG or Leatherman. A j-hook tool like Ron Marsh's, lineman's pliers(if you plan to use earth anchors or snares get a pair that has the ACSE jaws so it can cut cable as regular jaws dont do it), cable cutters are absolutely necessary if your snaring. The aforementioned linesmans pliers do not do the job if you have to release something or after a dispatch the snare is often too tight to cut without using the cutters. A catch pole is always good, usually have 2 or 3 on the truck.

I’ve never used lure for muskrat. They’re easy enough to catch in blind sets, no need to spend money on lure.

I prefer a back basket for all my traps, tools and gear, and a separate tool bag for my baits and lures.

Tools, good pair of pliers, roll of mechanics wire, short handled shovel or trowel, good hefty hammer, driver for the stakes you use. That’s about all I keep in the pickup for on the line use. The tools I use tuning and tweaking are too numerous to list lol as for j-hooks and other hardware, I always take inventory of what got broke during season and order enough to replace it. I don’t have a bunch of extra hardware laying around. But I have enough traps that if something gets messed up bad i just throw it in the “Needs fixin” pile and grab a fresh one to replace it. If you need to be able to fix traps on the fly I might have a few swivels and jhooks but you’re gonna find that those don’t fail very often. You’ll get bent pans and dogs more often, and that’s what you carry the good pliers for, just bend em back.

The rest of the questions I don’t know the answer to so I’ll let someone who does address them.

Thank you for all the replies, I'm going to be trapping mink with the 120s since all my 110s are going into muskrat sets this year. I'm going to be running a water line mainly this year. Just trying to get my poop in a group before the season and school year hits.

Be prepared. Good thinking.

In Maine I'm forced to have any bodygrips over 5 inches recessed in boxes called "lynx exclusion devices" which are just over complicated boxes that fit the MIFW dimensions. We make them from wood or wire fencing and what I have found to be the easiest way to make boxes is 3/8 plywood and a bradnail gun.

Sounds like you've got s good pop of rats. I think i got 4 doz 110/150s and lucky to get a dozen out at a time specifically for rats. Just not enough den set scenarios here outside of pond dams.

A darn good trapper once taught me that a rounded trigger was the ticket on mink. You may want to try bending a few of your triggers around a 2” pipe and see if you have any different success…

As far a lures go- Paul Dobbins is probably one of the nicest and most helpful guys out there! Heck- he was even giving me advice on making MY OWN lure!

Yeah, I already have 4 spots on onx marked out for them and I haven't even started looking that hard yet. I have the ability to get 154 traps out, so I hope to get 50-75 rats every check. I'll have to bait my conibears though since I can't find runs to save my life.

Yeah, I was talking to a guy at a convention that had rounded triggers on his 110s and said he caught mink with them all the time. I also just bought a lot of gear from a guy and it has a lot of mink pans in it too, so I'll probably try a few of each. Yeah, I've heard stories about Paul too, and that he was a pretty good guy.

Carmen's Hudson Seal- best rat lure I ever used.

If you can find a Bob Best trap bender it will save you in the long run. You can make your own ''J'' hooks out of nails. Make your own swivels

Tools can vary for all of us. I like a tile spade good and sharp, pliers for wire, that's it for water trapping. Cary two pairs of pliers.

Make your own circle triggers- go to a craft store and get some green wire for making floral displays. Get the smallest they have. Make your triggers for your 120 traps in the shape of a circle. Cut off the bot 1/3 of the circle. Wrap on end of the florist wire around one side of the bottom of your trigger wire- you might need to bugger it up a little with your pliers to make the green wire stay on it. Wire that end tight. The make the 1/3 of the bottom of your circle with your green wire and wrap the tail around the other side of the trigger tightly but don't twist it too tight because it will break. This end will come off when you catch something. All you do it put it back on after a catch. If you wire both sides tight one will break off then you have do it all over again.



they get their legs in this small wire and that moves the trigger. One thing I do that most people will not is to wax my body traps for mink. I use BMI 110 Mag traps. 120 body grippers would be pretty sketchy if they were waxed- because how are you going to get one off your hand if you get caught in it? Wax makes these things super touchy so do not wax something if you can't get yourself out of it.

Make the trigger about the size of a pop can. Get some holders like in this picture and set these in the grassy trails along streams that the mink use. Just put it like this so they will try to push right through the circle and get caught. Don't try to over think it. Set our 110 traps like this if it's legal and you won't be sorry.

You'll get some rats like this too.





The only way you are going to gain knowledge is to ask so ask all you want.

You have to move rat traps every day when you are catching them to keep catching them. You can run them twice a day if you want to and the rats are running.

Thank you so much for the advice, I was looking at that bender and just thought it was a gimmick. Now that I know someone that has dealt with it, I'll look more into it. I planned to run mink boxes but I have priced it out every which way and it isn't looking too good.

Build your own using scrap lumber or plywood:

Dimensions: For 5/8 or 3/4 inch lumber or plywood
Bottom 8” x 18”
Top 8” x 14”
Sides 6 ½” x 14”

Inside Dimensions
Width: 6 ¾ inches
Height: 6 ½ “
Notes:

1. Use restricted blackened lid cover with 2 ½” diameter hole for mink. Mink are attracted to round holes and this size hole will also restrict barn cats when trapping farm areas but allow mink and marten entrance into the box. Restricted entrance hole also helpful in keeping fisher out of marten sets, where required.

2. Cut spring slots to 9” depth within 5” of back of box so that trap can be set within four inches of the bait at back of box. Spring slot width is 1 inch.

3. Two 2 ½ inch finish nails up thru bottom of box at the back to impale bait on.

4. Wire mess for back of box for air/scent flow, see through effect and bird bait access.

Will they climb through that hole? I always built the open-faced ones because I thought they wouldn't go through the hole. Sadly I can't find any used plywood around otherwise it wouldn't be an issue.

Yes they will climb through a 2 1/2 inch hole. Did you not read my comment #1 in my post re box dimentions? Even fisher will try to go through the hole:

I read it, but I was just so shocked that they could get a little hole like that.

I would just build a couple to try because some regions they work and some they don’t.

They work great. With a little practice you can make very good swivels for not much money. Swivels save you money.



I would think boxes would work better for you than me. Since you have more snow and colder conditions. You may get some weasels too.

Yeah, I am thinking of just doing trail sets with the 120s and 1.5s for mink this year. I have to build weasel boxes though because if I don't they will get snatched, so I built a prototype yesterday and am picking up more material for 11 more today, Also that bender is on my want list currently after talking to some other trappers.