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Cage Trapping
When I'm cage trapping I find a trail then the spot where a cage will go
in good and not be right on the trail, I like to put the cage where the target
can see it from an angle and a couple feet off the trail, a cat toilet, is
in my opinion the best place to put the cage about 10-30 feet away from the
toilet.
Ok we
have the location.....
Next
clear out and level a place for the cage, place the cage in the spot making
sure everything is as it should be. Next remove the cage and dig a dirt hole
about where the pan will be, with some of the dirt hole between the pan and
back of the cage, then place your [with skunk essance] lure in the hole under
the cage [this way you won't get the lure all in the fur when you catch your
target]. Next I like to put a piece of legal fur almost to the
back of the cage, on a piece of 14 ga wire just hooked to the third square
from the back hangin down from the top and down about 5-6 inches, [I use one
fake glass eye on the fur]. I like the fur strip to move at the least
bit of wind, then I place the cage carefully back in place being careful not
to cover the lure and the dirt hole with dirt etc. then I start to cover the
cage with brush etc use what ever is there, and I cover the top both sides
and back I don't want the target getting to the side, back, or on top. Next
cover the bottom of the cage wire with sifted dirt etc, Cats don't like walking
on 14 ga 1x1 wire.
Ok so now the cage is in
place. now take a look making sure everything is as it should be.
next find a suitable place
within 3-10 feet of the cage, and about 6 feet high and tie a flag.
[I like to use surveyers tape tied in a bow with about a foot of tail hanging
down] so the target can see it from a distance. Make one last visible
check and the cage is ready.
I use cage sizes are 8x18x36,
10x18x36 and 12x18x36. I have caught about the same amount of cats
in each as the other. Tip provided by Stacy Yancy
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Cheap Trap Containers
Save those old plastic water softener
brine tanks. Clean them up to re-use for storing trapping stuff. They are
about 30 gallon and can be used for storing dry dirt or traps. They come with
a cover to keep out water or vehicle smells whatever. They are an odorless
plastic and are ideal for this purpose and they are usually free. In an open
truck you can tape the cover with duct tape to keep it from coming off.
Tip provided by Jerry L. Mueller
aka Happy Plumber
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Home Made Boot dryer
A boot dryer I have made: Using 1 1/2 PVC pipe, cut a piece
about 1' long and put it in a workbench vise. Glue a tee on to this pointing
up. Glue another 6" piece (horizontal) into the tee and put an elbow on the
end with it pointing up as well. Cut 2 pieces about 18" to 24" long and
glue into the top side of tee and top side of elbow. Cut the top end of each
of these pipes on a 45 degree angle in the direction the toe of the boot
will be. Finish it off by putting a rubber plumbing connection ( with hose
clamps) on the bottom horizontal piece and hook your wife's hair dryer to
it. Works good for any boots, usually has a temperature adjustment, and can
be used from one year to the next. I used a hair dryer that my wife didn't
want any more. Also works good for drying some fur and costs a fraction of
what a commercially made boot dryer does. Tip provided by Jerry L.
Mueller
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Skunk Odor Removal
Mix all ingredients together in a plastic bucket;
1 quart hydrogen peroxide
1/4 cup baking soda
1 teaspoon liquid dishsoap
Use a sponge or cloth to wipe the animal, can do the inside
of the mouth but KEEP OUT OF THE EYES! Mix as needed, doesn't store
well after mixing.
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Treating Snares
I boil my snares in water and baking soda. Put your snares
in, bring your water to a boil, add half a box of baking soda and let boil
for 5 - 10 minutes. This will remove any oil from your snares and give them
a dull gray finish. Tip provided by Ranger
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Removing Burrs From Fur
When I have burrs in in Fox, Coyote and Coons, I've found that
by spraying Johnson's Kids No More Tangles, or a cheaper Walmart generic
equivalent, will help get the burrs out. Just spray some on the fur
where the burrs are and let it set for a couple of minutes, then comb it
out. Most burrs will slide right out. Tip Submitted
by Paula Hamilton.
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Treating Conibears
When painting or dipping conibears, its a good idea to put a piece of tape
around the jaw where the dog will connect when set, then remove the tape
after the dip or paint is dry. Also remove any dip or paint from the
notch in the dog. This will prevent the conibear from being too sensitive.
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Speed Dip
When using speed dip, subsitute Coleman lantern fuel for gasoline and the
drying time will be greatly reduced. To remove speed dip, soak in
mineral spirits and use a wire brush to remove. Anytime gasoline, lantern
fuel and mineral spirits are used, do so outdoors because of fumes and keep
it away from sparks, flames or heating elements. (ie. hot water heaters)
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Fixing Leaky Boots
If you have leaky boots (knee, hip,or waders), just fill the with water
to find the the leak. Mark the leak, then emtpy water. I use Shoe Goo, it's
found in hardware stores or home centers.
To dry the inside of your boots, fill with kitty litter. Kitty litter also
dries ones boots when an unexpected step is made. Tip submitted
by Wet Foot.
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Ornery Coon Set
Ever have coons htat keep robbing your pocket sets by flipping traps or
not even touching the trap? Well heres an idea that will help. The set where
the coons have been robbing blind its a good idea to set 1-2 trail sets using
either coni, foothold or snare 4 feet away from the robbed set and you'll
be able to nab that theivin' coon. Tip submitted by
Sniperbbb
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Freeze-proofing sets
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When trapping in ice & snow , traps tend
to freeze down. Use ziplock bags and put your set trap
in & seal it. This tip provided by Joe Barbee.
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Lure Holders
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I use sections of bamboo its tough and you can drive it
in the ground. Just cut it off above and below the joint sharpen on end put
sheep wool or cotton in the end,you can put fur in the end for site appeal.
Works great at castor mound sets,you can pre-lure and cut them any length.
In frozen ground you can drive a rebar stake in to get a hole started and
the put in the bamboo. And you can pick them up
and reuse them. This tip provided by Gary Mather
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Basic Flat/Urine Post Set
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While there are more variations to the flat set than there
are to the dirt hole, I'll try to come up with a general flat set that is
generic in nature. Again, location is the most important aspect of any
set. If the animals do not travel close enough to notice the set, it
won't matter how well the set is constructed. A flat set is nothing
more than a set using an ojbect above ground rather than a hole to apply scent
and attract the animal. The object can be a rock, piece of sod, piece
of wood, a bone, piece of charred wood etc. If one of these objects
don't already exist at the good location, you can easily put one right where
you'd like to construct the set. It's good to position the set where
the object will stand out in contrast to the immediate area. When you
position the object to be used in the flat set, keep in mind how you want
the animal to approach the set. Using existing backing material at the
site you can position the set so that the animal must travel over the trap
to reach the scented object. The target animal will dictate how far
back the trap will be from the object. Of course foxes will require
the trap to be positioned closer to the object than a coyote because of the
difference in the length of their legs. Each flat set is different
and each set has its own problems and peculiar things about it that governs
how far from the post to position the trap. The best thing to do is
look at where you think your target animal will step and set the trap there.
This is one of those learning things that will require you to be observant
of where a missed animal has stepped and from that you will get a feel of
exactly where the trap should be placed over time. You should bed your
trap solidly just like the dirt hole set. Usually a good gland lure
or urine works good at these sets. Before I'd make a flat set
with both gland lure and urine, I'd make two separate flat sets from five
to thirty steps apart and use gland lure only on one and urine only on the
other. Having two sets that smell differently doubles your chances at
any given locaton. There are not target animals that can get in one,
leaving one still operating. Quite often fox and coyotes will travel
in pairs. Having two or more sets at a good location gives you a chance
for a double catch. Double catches are more common in the fall and
winter than in the spring and summer months. This just a basic description
of a Flat/Urine post set. There is a lot more that can be learned about
the flat sets. You can learn more by getting the book by Charles Dobbins
Variations
of the Flat Set .
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Learning
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Take advantage of all the written material and videos
you can get your hands on. That fire in the belly to learn all you can about
this sport will serve you well and will be reflected in your
catches.
There are lots of sources of information.
There's this forum, The Trapper and Predator Caller magazine,
Fur-Fish-Game magazine, hundreds of books on the market and many videos.
If you can find a veteran trapper in your area that will take you under
his or her wing, you will really shorten your learning curve also.
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Record Keeping
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Keep a record of the different types of sets, lures
and baits you try during the course of the trapping season. This will
enable you to review what you've done and give you
a very good record of what worked for you.
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Set Locations
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Locations may not look the same in different parts
of the country.
Farmland where there are a lot of row crops will seem somewhat
different than the
rolling prairies of the Dakotas. Woodland areas will also seem somewhat
different when it
comes to selecting set locations. Set locations for snares will differ
also.
There are common threads that will be evident in the set locations
of different terrains.
These common threads are where the canine travels to hunt and where
the canine travel
just to get from one place to another. For hunting - remember edges -
like the edges of fields and where edges intersect are best like
where bean field, corn field and pasture connect. For just ease
of travel -look for saddles in ridges as an example.
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Lure Holders
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| I was taught at an early age that
its a no-no to apply lure directly on the ground. The ground tends to
absorb the lure's odor rather rapidly which deadens the odor. To prevent this,
I put the lure on or in something so that the odors can travel freely into
the air. I know there are a wide variety of lure holders being used by
trappers - so give us a tip on what you like to use.
For water trapping, I like to find a hollow stemmed
dead weed. These usually are abundant along most creeks. I'll break
off the stem which is about the diameter of a pencil and shove the
hollow stem into my lure bottle. This crams the lure into the
hollow cavity of the weed stem and then I will push the other end of the
stem into the ground or in the pocket set and there's a natural lure
holder. It's off the ground and has a reservoir of lure in the hollow stem
that will keep emitting odor.
For dirt holes, I like putting a wad
of rolled up dead grass in the hole for my lure holder. Also this will give
the canine something to try to pull out of the hole since its obstructing
its view of the bottom of the hole. While he's trying to get this grass wad
out of the hole, its moving its feet around
and increasing my chances of a catch.
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Bobcat Appeal
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When trapping bobcats, use a visual
aid to help get it to your set location. The bobcat depends on its
eyesight a great deal when hunting and this can be taken advantage
of. First I'd pick a good location for a set, then I'd find a lone branch
to hang my attractor from, and put the set fairly close to the visual
attractor. I wanted to hang the attractor where it would be visible to a
bobcat from the furthest distance. I have used bird wings where
legal. I use mono filament fishing line and hang it so that the wind
will blow it around without it getting tangled on a nearby branch.
With this type setup, the slightest breeze will cause the wing
to move and thats all it takes to get the cat's attention.
In areas where its illegal to use parts of animals for bait, a tape from
a cassette works very well also. Just tie it to the branch and let it
drape down from the limb. Cats cant resist checking these out.
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Mink
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Mink sets in spring runs and springs are productive mink
locations. The mink will visit these places at all times of the year, because
here there are crawdads, frogs and salamanders living in the silt and mud.
At these locations the reptiles will be hibernating in the winter.
These springs are not likely to freeze in the coldest weather. Pockets,
other holes, or cubbies can be created and will pay off at this location.
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Sight Appeal For Beavers
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When using visual attractors for beavers either with or
without lure, my favorite is a piece of maple about as big around
as your thumb and eight to ten inches long. I like to take a couple
of these and remove all the bark so they are very white looking and
they show up well against
mud bank at or near the water line. I will also take the rest of the limb
that I removed these peeled sticks from and lay it in a trail leading to the
water. I will either use an existing trail or make one myself. The reason
I like to use the maple is because it will stay nice and bright for
days when
the bark is removed. So many other varieties will turn dark and look old
in a matter of hours.
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