Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Trapping Getting back into trapping

Hey guys. I trapped some in high school so I'm not a total FNG, but I've been out of it quite a while. The coyotes and bobcats seem to be running all over us on some of my deer hunting places so I thought I'd get back into it a little. My son will enjoy tagging along as well so I thought it would be a good time. Where would you guys suggest I look for getting set back up? Also, when I did it before I ran some long spring traps my dad had. I see a lot of coil spring traps online, but have no experience. What would you guys recommend as far as size and long spring or coil?

LOTS of videos on Youtube of coyotes and bobcats...

Been thinking about getting back into trapping myself. Have a herd of dang coyotes skirting the property behind the barn. Almost live in town, not way out in the stix. Need to be thinned out.

I'm thinking some of those 2's coilsprings with offset jaws might be the way to go since there's a small possibility of catching a dog.

These guys have some good videos on youtube...

#3 coil springs, MB 550 or Mb 650 seem like pretty good traps. I am also using #3 bridgers.Offsets are required in OK, mine are modified or "canadian" style with laminated jaws and baseplates. Using earth anchors instead of the old school re bar stakes.

Trapperman.com

same here, love the Bridger #3 for yotes and cats. and with the heavier trap they don't seem to fight it as much and cause foot damage.

I use the new Bridger 1.75 that comes already base plated, center ringed, and night latched on my "Combo" line where I expect anything from Coons to Fox, to Coyote's. With the OS jaws, and the other mods already done at the factory, it's a great trap at $8.75! A dozen will set you back about $97 at F&T Trading post.

I also run the MB-650's for my Coyote only sets......they are serious songdog medicine! However, they will run you about $24 each.....but if you do buy them, make sure to order the setters for them as well. With 4 coil springs, they are a handful! LOL

I don't set for 'yotes I use the #1.75 Vics for
everything. I set for bobcat and catch some + fox,
coon, grinners.

#2 and #3 longsprings for me, on all land animals.

#11 if setting for coon specifically.

#1 1/2 in water for muskrat, coon, mink.

I dislike coil springs.

If anyone is loking for MB 550 or 650's I saw them at a great price at Scheels in Billings yesterday.

X 10 ...more info available there in the archives and posts than you'll ever have time to read if you want to get any trapping done. great resource.

give www.minntrapprod.com a try for supplies. Great people, great service.

You guys use lures? I was thinking about making some post sets.

I make every set for bobcat, aware I might catch anything.
I hang about a 1" strip of linen on a limb near the set.
The strip blows in the wind for a visual and I dip the linen
ends in Wayne Derrick's bobcat lure.

Trapperman is also full of idiots and blowhards, I would avoid that place like the plague! Its just a hangout for a crook and his cronies to play god and rule with an iron fist. The guys on the wilderness side are cool though, and they will give out good advice without just telling you to "look through the archives before asking a stupid question".

Don't listen to AKTrapper26, he doesn't know what he is talking about, right Brandon? Haha, just kidding buddy. Seriously though I would avoid that website at all costs, at least the main forums. The archives do hold a lot of good info though.

It is true. You can't cuss or tell everybody
GFY on trapperman.

TMan's no different than any other hunting forum.

Most of the internet consists of newbie's getting bad advice from posers with a sprinkiling of truth here and there. You just need to use the brain god gave you and sift through the chaff.

What type of trap/pan covers do you guys like to use? My dad just used old canvas, but I see there's new latex and other stuff out now.

I'm three years ahead of you - i.e. I did get back into trapping for the exact reasons you just said.

I'll share what I did - and what I wish I had done.

1) buy good traps, or modify the ones you have.

Originally I bought Bridger #3's for yotes, and bobcats - after modifying those I found out I could have bought better traps like the MB550's. THEN I found Jack traps - which are pricey but are the top of the line and best all around trap.

2) how many traps to buy

Originally I would put one at a dirt hole or scent post set - then I found out that it works better if you put 2-3 traps at intersection points where fields meet, pond damns, ... so now I do 4 sets with 3 traps each.. The first year I bought 6 traps.. not a good idea... Now I have a dozen Jake traps, and the original 6.

3) Bait - I keep the blood shot meat from my deer each year and grind it up, then put some dubbin's bait solution on it after letting it set and taint a while... all good.

4) Dying and waxing traps ..

Many traps need to rust a bit so they take color, and to dye them you have to boil them. I used oven cleaner to remove the oil they put on the traps at the factory, then after that's cleaned off I spray them with water & vinegar and let them set out in the lawn a week so they get a nice light coating of rust.

I then boil them in logwood trap dye, and then let them dry off.
Once dry I put them in wax to coat them well - you have to leave the trap in the wax to heat up or the coat you get is too thick.

I do both of these operations in turkey fryer post.

5) Pan tension -
2.5-3 lbs of tension is what you want for yotes

6) Night latching cheaper traps - somewhat like a set trigger, it requires some file-ing on the pan catch, and dog.

7) Gloves and Scent - plus a sifter.

8) Disposable stakes - all good, I recommend wolf brand earth anchors.

I get most of my supplies from www.fntpost.com, but there are other sites.

feel free to PM me if you have other questions, and or I'll check this thread from time to time

I don't use pan covers, I just put some small sticks on top of my set that helps guide their foot onto the pan.

I do however put some pillow duff like material under the pan to make sure the dirt doesn't get under the pan so it won't trigger.

I agree with what hank is saying. Dobbins is a tool, IMO. Some good folks on the wilderness forum though.

Sorry to hear Paul Dobbins pissed in y'all's
cheerios. Explain.

Don't want to hijack the thread...I got booted from Tman for no good reason other than Paul got his panties in a wad over absolutely nothing and I wouldn't bow and lick his boots.

Like I said, there are some really good folks on there, both the wilderness forum and the L48 forum. I just think he takes himself a little too seriously.

Thanks for the vote of confidence, Hank! How the heck are ya?

Oklahoma hunter..you might also consider a trapper's cap, instead of pan covers. Use one to fill in and pack the dirt around the trap, to keep dirt out from under the pan. Then, when done, remove the cap and you sift over the pan itself. This can be good for those "getting back into it", as it can be easier to keep the area immediately over the pan slightly lower than the surrounding... Canines' feet just LOVE the low spot...

===============================================================

We can use only cage traps and snares here in Florida ,sure wish we could use foot holds .
I have 170 snares oxidized and painted green -on Dec. 1st. they will go to work .

This snaring looks like it will work pretty good -if you have dense areas where predators travel through -pick up a few dozens snares that are legal in your state .
They disappear when hung right and it's no problem to put a few on each trail where you see sign .
If you can get your paws on some animal carcass place them [carcass] in dense brush give the predators time to start coming there on a regular basis . Hang your snares back away from the feed area 40ish yards give or take then set their trails to the carcass .
As stated lots of good reading at trapperman, but don't go over there and threaten to kill somebody when you're drunk -cause they'll chitcan you for little stuff like that .

Unscented toilet paper works good in dry weather. TP is fast and effective.

I use window screen if the makings are wet or wet weather is in the forecast.Dont use the wire windowscreen tho, it will rust on you.

Never had much luck with latex stuff, had some pullouts that I blame on it..Could be wrong there, but i wont use it again.

Single ply you steal from the portolet at work, or Charmin from the wife. It's Squeezably soft.......

Here in the 'dry cold' we use wax paper as well...



...make sure you crinkle it up first (not with bare hands of course) and then unfold it before placement. Cuts the noise of stepping on it and allows snow to settle into all the nooks and crannies...

Using this in heavy, wet snow, however, can spell disaster and educated canines... the snow I deal with here is more like cornstarch than snow...but of course it is in other places, too...

I started trapping fifty-five years ago. Some years I've hit it hard, other years not so much. I went to MB 650 C's (cast, offset jaws) several years back for coyotes and MB 750's for beaver and have never looked back. The MB's are a serious trap, made in USA. They put the rest to shame, IMHO. Somehow I have never been able to set a trap made in Korea or China or anywhere else.

BTW, offset jaws are more effective. Some might see them as more humane, I don't know, but they close a little further and they hold harder because the spring follower goes higher up on the jaws.

I'm new to this site, I'm a trapper, first thing I see is people bashing others on other sites, wonder why they got kicked off and is this site one I want to be associated with, some one better come up with a good reason or I'm gone.

Paul?

Bye.

Do any of you guys use the disposable stakes,rebar, or do you use the ones like the Wolf Fang earth anchors? I was used to using rebar stakes, but I'm interested in the others.

If you use the Wolf type, do you just use a trowel and dig them up, or is there some other trick to it?

I'm making my order now from FNT so just trying to get all this finished up.

I use the steel anchors that look like a big hollow bullet, carry a pick with me when its time to pull the sets and dig them up, done care much for the cable anchors. can use them over and over and they are always attached to the trap, unlike rebar stakes.

I use super stakes with a retriever cable.
They're great as long as your soil will hold them and isn't so rocky you can't drive them in.


I made a puller but some guys just use a pick axe.


The handle extends for more leverage or I can remove it and slide it through the base if it tries to sink in softer dirt.

As far as coil or longspring, I prefer coilspring traps. It's much easier to hide a coil spring and there is less trap for the animal to step on and potentially get the trap to rock. That said, longsprings will take just as much fur if you learn to bed them properly.

I like to use 24" re-bar stakes. They hold well for me and they are easy to get out of frozen ground with a stake puller.

Trapperman is the largest collection of toothless morons on the internet. The approach to preserving the future of trapping that is pushed on this site is to hide what they do. Dobbins is the chief hider of the group and runs his website as he sees fit. I have no time for dealing with know-nothing bliss ninnies and 12 year old kids posing as adults so I stay away from Trapperman. It's too bad that it's so poorly run, because there are a handful of guys on that site that have a wealth of information.

I came to this site on 12-13, first thing I see is a certain type of people bashing a personal friend, yes I am personal friends with Paul Dobbins, I have manned his booth for him at the nationals, he and his dad have been friends for some years, I can tell why some people have been kicked off T-man, how do I judge this site since I am new here and see that the administrators let people comment this way here , let see how they treat people that are discourteous to others, maybe I will check back in a couple weeks.

Sounds like the chat nazi. Funny you should ask about people being discourteous towards other on this site, considering that Tman is full of them. I met Charlie and he was far and away a better person than his son will ever be. Am I biased? Possibly, but I am speaking from my own personal experience. I got booted off tman for questioning one of the admins use of the chat room as his own personal sales room since he ran a trapping supply company.

I hate to do this , but I'm dropping this site, now I know where all the unhappy trappers that can't get along with anyone go to, hope the administrators here can clean up the act here, it won't last long, I had my trouble at T-man, but I grew up and found out not all trappers are the same and people are all different, grow up or life is always going to be hard on you and friends hard to come by

GFY

Boy do you ever have sand in your vagina. See ya!

Ha! Good riddance!