Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Trapping Learning to Trap

table salt works, too

For sure . My trapping pard claimed it had to be non iodized tho.. I never noticed that it mattered

Is that what trap anti freeze is? Calcium Chloride?

yep

I will be damned.


I am sitting on a flipping gold mine.

Must have 300 gallons sloshing about on the ranch.

I will be sure not to get any on my gloves.

Say, Charlie....you say I should worry more about waxing my traps instead of waiting for them to rust so I can dye them?


I have not come across much on waxing.....what are the reasons for it?

Jim, I'm not a trapper but I'd think waxing would keep the traps from freezing up during rainy weather. Maybe help with rust prevention.

It keeps em from rusting Jim.

I dye and wax in one step......boil the traps in dye for about an hour then throw a pound of wax in......when it melts it'll float on top....then just pull the traps out slowly...they'll come out with a nice coating of wax.

I dye the chain and swivels too but not the cable. Zip tie 3 or 4 together and dangle the cables over the side of the pot....it makes em easier to handle.

I use an old turkey fryer and cook about a dozen at a time.

Earth anchors with my own cables. It's a good idea to spot weld the S hooks and eyes on the swivels..

Wax protects the traps and keeps them operating smoothly. Without wax, the antifreeze would rust them badly, etc. Dye neutralizes rust and odors. Traps that have seen use and caught critters need to be cleaned first, the dyed, then waxed. But new traps just need to be cleaned of grease, then waxed. Unrusted steel won't hold a dye. It makes no sense to rust a new trap just so you can dye it....skip the dye and go straight to wax.

I agree with everything you say except this.
A neew trap will take on quit a bit of color.....especially if you use Walnut husks.....they'll darken up more the next year but if you dye and wax at the same time like I do it sure doesn't hurt anything to throw some dye is for a while.....dye's cheap.

And yea Jim.....you need to clean them first....the packing grease/oil is why they aren't rusting.
New or used I boil in baking soda before dying and waxing.

PS.....throw the soda in before boiling.....trust me on that....

I used to take them to the carwash and then toss them in the creek for a few days

I boiled them for about an hour in a turkey fryer. Water and baking soda.



Wife was pissed because I used all the soda.

FieldGrade
Does that style of anchor hold well?

Beats carrying stakes.

tag

They hold really well. You have to buy a rod to drive them in with and a puller (you can make em if you have a lathe and welder.). I use a pick to pull em with because I trap right out my back door but I wouldn't want to pack it around on a long line.

Got a trap in the ground! Finally!


Going back out to blast a porcupine and put out another.


I found a patch of bare ground that had lots of tracks around it.

Took a piece of gnarled wood to use for backing and put a couple little holes under it with my stake driver.


Put some Natures Call in the holes and some on the wood.


I am going to move over a bit and try a hole set.

A hole set is probably better on bare dirt?

This snowmobile has really improved my winter happiness.

I dye my traps with black walnut hulls. They come out nice and dark, and the dye doesn't wear off.

You have got to get your outside foot over right next to the out of bounds line (but not on or over it) or the player with the ball will just dribble right on by you. This seems simple, but it is difficult for most boys (and absolutely all girls) to understand and implement.