Cold dip on canine traps

[mac]

Howdy,

First I must say I like this new forum. I have communicated with Steve for a couple of years throught email and have greatly enjoyed his thoughts on trapping issues. I am strictly a hobby trapper, teach for a living, write a little, work as an construction estimator part-time. Busy as the dickens, like most folks these days. Looking to make things as simple as practical.
Second, I have been asking every trapper I could what they thought about using cold dip for canine traps. I am primarily thinking about the fuel based dips.
I have talked to some very successful trappers that love it and some very successful trappers that dis-like it. I find it odd there is so much variance in opinion.
So, looking for input from those that like it and those that don't.
I have dyed and waxed for years but am, for several reasons, seriously looking at the fuel based cold dips.
Ok, what do you have to say?

Mac

[mike692]

Mac,

I have used gas based dips for water traps and I like it. The only cold dip I used on land traps, was the water based stuff. I won't say that I didn't like it, because it seemed to work fine. But, next year I am going back to all dye/wax on canine traps. It just seems more natural to me. I don't know if it makes a difference on the line, but to me, its part of the trapping experience.

[trappnman]

Welcome Mac...

I say STOP! wait a minute.....

I went the full route. When I first started land trapping- I dyed and waxed the traps. Did this for several years- but at the time was trying more for coon than canines- so tried the gas dips and did well with them. When I started coyotes, I continued with those dips- and caught a lot of coyotes. In fact, I have caught a lot more yotes on dips than dye/wax. When the water based dips came out- I tried them also. Again with results.

BUT- I was noticing (as each year I was trapping "smarter"- ie less traps, more fur) that I was getting a persistent digging problem at the trap that I just could not seem to get away from. The problem was- I was still getting good numbers- so the digging didn't bother me at first...

but when Zags uttered those now famous words "I got 27 coyotes last year but OH those misses..." it got me thinking- HOW many WAS I missing?

So I really buckled down and made every set as if a $1000 coyote would be waiting there in the morning.
Mechanically- the sets were as good as I could make them. And still digging at the trap.

So last Jan I made a test line in below zero conditions with a skiff of snow every couple of days so tracks and results were easy to see. At 10-20 below, snow, traps aired out since Sept- I was still getting digging.

So I went back to dye and wax 100%- and last year I trapped coyotes a little during the spring & summer plus fur trapping last fall. With a couple of rare occurances- the high incident rate of digging at the trap stopped- right now.

Personally- I'll dip my coon traps and my water traps- but from now on all my canine traps will be dyed and waxed. I also dye my stakes and wax the top 6-8 inches- easy enough to do after the traps.

[17kiss]

Well , here we go. Dont burn me at stake. My experience with dip was good. The only problem I had was redipping during season and not letting air out long enough. If using coleman lantern fuel and dip , I had great success if letting air out for several weeks prior to setting. the nice thing is yuo can get a good coat on new traps easily. But when trying to rush the process in cooler weather the dip failed me. And it is a pain to remove. So , if having plenty of traps , so as not to have to redo during season, and letting air during warmer time for several weeks it is great. But on my line now , it is dye and wax for canines.Dip on my water traps. The directions said something like 72 hours and would be odorless, yea right. Check the odorless in the snow.

[chub618]

how about no dye at all just wax after a slight rusting of traps this seemed to work for me!!!!!

[mac]

Trappnman,

Did you get refusals and or digging at fuel based dips, water based dips or both?

Did you always get some of this with the dips, or did it start near the end of your using them?

A thanks to all that replied.

Z, and Zag, what do you guys use?

Mac

[trappincoyotes39]

It amazes me to think, that someone going after an animal with the best nose out there bar none would stay with dips, for the very reasons Steve mentioned, I admit to trying them when they first came out, for gryas and reds, not much of a problem, but coyotes are a total different ballgame!
I would not want to handicap myself anymore than needed, so I won't ever go back to any dip that has to be cut with anything of a petroluim base product, air them out for a year, and certain coyotes and conditions will make that trap smell different, and spook away coyotes for sure!
I learned not so much in the dry fall, but on snow you can see it, and whatever it is snow trapping does tend to magnafie the problems related to odor, more porious, and humidty levels I'm sure play into it.
I use 20.00 turkey fryer out fits and I can dye and wax traps in little time, works great. ;D

[trappnman]

I think boiling traps is important- it gets rid of the little crud and odors. Dn't think he dye really does much-but it might (could) add some proection to the trap.

You need to remember that I've only been coyote trapping a little over 15 years. As I experimented in dips, my yearly catches kept climbing- in fact my best year insofar as numbers was done with speed dipped traps. Maybe I was so excited at catching yotes, that I didn't really notice what was happening- plus any digups, etc were attributed to human scent and my mistakes ( a understood knowledge that I didn't have a clue to what I was doing)- that was part of it of course.

But as coyotes became a vocation rather than an avocation, I strived to catch every coyote that worked the sets- and I gave a lot of thought to WHY I was getting digups. I didn't mind at the holes or around the trap or even on the trap- those were mistakes I could fix- more guidng, more blending. But that corner of the trap dug up- then the set worked from the side.

The final straw was a day 2 years ago when I had 15 dug up traps out of 60 or so set. Now- I recall I got 4 coyotes that day- but I was steaming- absolutely steaming. To my mind- the only possible solution HAD to be the dip (the dip I had recommended to stef the
previous season - sorry )

So I guess I had more problems at the end than at the beginning. But I strongly suspect I was having the same problems years ago- just overlooked them.

And I know many have good success with the dip- and I am sure that is for many reasons-

I wil say this. On Dobbin's forums 2 years ago- I posted a poll on what dyes or dips were used. Of all the responders- those that answered that they had gone back to wax after using dips- I emailed and asked-

"Why" "Were the problems solved?" "Will you stay with wax"

38 responded to me- all saying too much digging with dips, a problem that stopped with dye/wax.

My conclusions exactly.

[chub618]

if not dips then what kind of dye? logwood crystals or powder and what about the sleepy creek and hawbakers dyes that are liquid and add to water

[RickLanham]

After coming back to trapping after a 10 year layoff I also asked these same questions last year and studied what many of the more experienced trappers had to say on the subject. I also conversed with many of them by e-mail also. This season I dipped my water traps with cold dip using coleman lanter fuel. I dyed and waxed all my K-9 traps and had good success.

[Stef]

Stay with dye in wax

Dip never saved time in the long run believe me

[mac]

Thanks for all the replies.
Mac

[briankroberts]

Dye and wax is the only way to go I also had a lot of digging problems with Coyotes , I switched back to dye and wax and the problem went away, I tried dip for two years and its ok for water traps and fine for Fox, but its got no place on my Coyote line.

During season I reboil traps in baking soda tto clean them off and then rinse good and just wax, then I store them in Totes and sprinkle some fresh dirt over them, if there going to absorb odors its gonna be dirt.....B.....

[Obejoyful]

I've used speed dips since they came out years ago. I would never go back to dye and wax and consider the dye and wax method a waste of my time. Boiling, dyeing and waxing all my traps would take me 3-4 days. I can speed dip them in 3-4 hours.

I handle the predator control for 4 large ranches here in Arizona targeting primarily coyotes. I've never had a coyote refuse to work a set because of the speed dip.

[Stef]

Obejoyful, come here trapping in wet, muddy, humid, snowy frozen ground with speed dipped traps

Stef

[FivePointsJohn]

Well guys here is my expererience with dip. Now I've only traped for about 4 years so take it for what it's worth. This year I diped . Got it at OSTA Convention. I diped them the next week , the second week of Sept.. the temps were in the mid 70's for high to mid 60's lows. I haad traps dug out of the ground for the first 3 weeks of season. I pulled them durring deer season. cleaned with acid ,real pain,. Waxed them and set after the week of deer season. 2 weeks later I got my first yote, and no dug traps sence. You tell me. John

[mac]

Thanks again for all of the replies.
Mac

[mike692]

Mac,

I think you've just begun to see replies. ;D

[mac]

Mike692, the more information, the better. I am a firm believer in learning from others experinces.
Thanks again,


Mac

[dj88ryr]

Mac, short and sweet, NO!!! I hate dips for anything except water trapping, and I don't use it there either, I still, dye and wax.