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Post by lynxcat on Oct 16, 2004 16:19:37 GMT -6
;DWell I "tried" my hand at the "trench set"...SCREW THAT...had 5 snap'd/missed traps today...EVERYONE a trenchset....y'all can KEEP EM!!!!! I'm goin back to my trust dirthole or "cowpie" set....BUT on the plussss side I did get a trip with a trailer.... ;D later lynx Here's the trip with a trailer...the trailer's Chiquita going in for a closer look. ;D  |
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Post by Stef on Oct 16, 2004 16:51:24 GMT -6
Now you need instruction ;D
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Post by mostinterestingmanintheworld on Oct 16, 2004 18:43:42 GMT -6
Lynx I never quite understood the philosophy of a trench set.
Maybe they work better in the east or something?
I'd be interested in why they would be better than a flat, bait, or hole set.
Seems to me they would be more work?
Joel
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Post by lynxcat on Oct 16, 2004 18:52:08 GMT -6
I'll "SECOND" that Joel..... ;D ;D ;D
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Post by trappnman on Oct 16, 2004 20:00:40 GMT -6
It takes no longer to put in a trench set than it does any dirthole- perhaps less time cause blending is so easy.
Just for the record- i've seen western trappers make a trench set and call it a hole set.
A trench set is nothing more than a stepdown and in high grass areas- its my #1 set. BTW- I find snapped traps to be a rare occurance in a stepdown.
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Post by 17kiss on Oct 16, 2004 20:19:39 GMT -6
They are some very simple to make and pretty much self guiding when made right. Cant remember the last snapped and empty trap i had on a trench set. great for dry areas , but make puddles in heavy rain
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Post by briankroberts on Oct 16, 2004 20:29:07 GMT -6
I probably run 25% of these and don't really have a lot of problems.
Like Steve said I use these in grassy areas for a couple of reason's.
You don't have to worry about blending, its easy to dig a horizontal hole under the sod, and the sod serves as a border and a guide.
Pretty much anytime I make one of these its in that type of cover and my catch rate is high with these.....B.....
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Post by mostinterestingmanintheworld on Oct 16, 2004 22:42:44 GMT -6
I've only seen this demonstrated once at the western convention.
What I saw was a trench several feet long with a trap set at each end.
There wasn't any stepdown.
What are you guys doing and what is the advantage?
Is it the sod that makes it work?
I have made so few sets in sod I hardly know how.
Out here it's mostly baked clay or sand.
Joel
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Post by trappnman on Oct 17, 2004 5:01:12 GMT -6
Yes, we are talking 2 different things. When I talk about a trench set (stepdown), its simply a dirthole made so that the swet is 3-5 inches lower than the surounding ground. I prefer a triangle type stepdown more than the rectangular trench type- but both are the same. there are many variations- here's mine: coyotesrus.proboards35.com/index.cgi?board=Articles&action=display&thread=1074404649Lori, having never made a coyote set- caught 2 coyotes and 1 fox this past week on the exact stepdown as described above. |
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Post by briankroberts on Oct 17, 2004 6:38:25 GMT -6
Steve's post on stepdowns , I'm sure has been responcable for the demise of many Yotes.
It is an easy set to make and an exellent visual attracter, I use the stepdown in conjuntion with a couple of other sets and it still outproduces most other sets.
If your in clay and its rainy wether it can get tough, I try to pick my locations where it drains a little better.....B.....
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Post by mostinterestingmanintheworld on Oct 17, 2004 7:57:37 GMT -6
Thanks for the post and the description.
I understand the concept now. Probably of more value in sod country but I think with some adaptions it could be used in the sand and clay we have around here.
I've used slight depressions over the trap in many cases.
I suppose it's the same concept just more subtle.
Thanks again,
Joel
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Post by ChrisM on Oct 17, 2004 10:07:28 GMT -6
To me, step down dirtholes as Tman describes, are not trench sets.
My trench set uses a trench 2 - 3 feet long, 3 to 4 inches deep and as wide as the blade on my hammer. Make a lot into a gentle slope, but is also excellent on an alfalfa field where the pile of dirt from the trench resembles a gopher mound. Excellent eye appeal and can almost guarantee its the first one the critters ever seen.
Trap is at one end of trench (low end on slope) and is level with bottom of the trench so it has a two to three inch step down.
No hole. Lure just goes into bottom of trench.
Works well around cattle and horses. Eliminates toe catches and most all digging. Good set to use with dirty and/or small traps.
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Post by PAskinner on Oct 17, 2004 12:47:12 GMT -6
I'm with T-man, had very good luck with the "trench" set- which is really just a stepdown dirthole.
Chris M-A low voltage light bulb just appeared above my head-gotta try that one. When I made that kind of trench I always put the trap up on the dirt mound and had quite a few misses- I like your idea better.
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Post by Ridgerunner on Oct 17, 2004 19:31:04 GMT -6
JBLee, The set you saw demoed is more of a flat set.
I make these for grey fox in thickets. In the center of the pattern, I bait with limburger and/or cracklings, then a trap at each end of the pattern. A neat set for the greys ... quick and easy .... I learned it years ago from a Hawbaker book.
Lynx, hang in there and give this set another chance. The trench, no matter the individual version is one terrific set.
"Ridge"
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Post by Wackyquacker on Oct 17, 2004 19:59:09 GMT -6
Now. if you were talking to Delmar Kramer a trench set would be a long trench a shovel blade wide, 5 inches deep with a trap at each end and no bait or lure.
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Post by trapperdog on Oct 17, 2004 20:40:15 GMT -6
I make my trench set like chrisM does,that is how it was shown to me many years ago by del kramer. del use to mark the direction of his sets in the sandy soil by digging a shallow trench pointing in the direction of the set.He then noticed coyotes walking/digging in these dug up trenches. don't really have sod to trap in out here but lots of sandy soil. Didn't take him long to plant a trap in the trench at one or both ends.there are many variations that can be made,from using bait to making a small brush pile in the center of the trench over the bait,to leaving it without lure or bait.thought you would enjoy the history of the set as I know it.
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Post by trappnman on Oct 18, 2004 6:31:41 GMT -6
The "tyrench set" a whole new meaning in other parts of the country.
The true description of a midwestern, eastern trench set is completely differnt.
When we talk trench- the classic is a trench cut say 10-12 inches long- narrower than the trap itself. The trap is bedded so that the jaws are just under the sod on both sides- the jaws close parallel with the trench- a lure hole is put in horizontal at one end.
Many other stepd downs use a rectanglular "trench" cut into the sod- and is considered just a variation of the stepdown type of set.
I personally find a wider (thus the triangle shaped trench) to be more productive than a narrow, shorter version- on coyotes I am speaking, not fox.
The differences in definitons arises simply becasue the western version was developed for sandy, loose soil on coyotes and the midwestern, eastern version is based on grass sod and fox.
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Post by bobwendt on Oct 18, 2004 8:20:46 GMT -6
right now in spite of no rain from aug 27th till oct 15th (opening day), we are back to our typical 1-2" daily, with up to 4" predicted today. I can`t imagine where in the east anyone could make a step down or trench or any kind of set where the trap is below ground level, as the water table will soon be at or above soil surface level. I just laugh thinking of any kind of set made below ground level. I can guarantee it won`t work in indiana at all. I guess the opposite of a spring set, you set your trap in a pool of water while everything else is dirt? Man, are we just cursed in indiana or do you guys actually get to trap in non monsoon type weather? If it weren`t for our standard droughts each summer it would be funny. I remember the drought of `88 the best, no rain from april 10th untill oct 15th, opening day , when we got 5-8" depending on where you were in indiana. Talk about messages from god to leave this cursed country. And we are getting the annual message again as I type.
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Post by mostinterestingmanintheworld on Oct 18, 2004 9:20:32 GMT -6
Bob four years ago we got two inches the entire year.
Believe me the opposite extreme is just as bad.
Although I believe I'd take the dry over the flood.
Joel
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Post by bobwendt on Oct 18, 2004 10:27:02 GMT -6
joel, for growing crops, fine hardwoods, fruit and veggies and ginseng and bluegills and coons , this is gods country, for trapping it is the devils nightmare. Imagine your country with this kind of rain, except instead of sand and rock it is blue/yellow clay to loam. 4 wheel drive is meaningless as when you are sitting on the frame it matters not how many wheels are turning. Access over swamp type ground and keeping sets working is near impossible compared to the arid west. Having trapped both places extensivelly I will say again, a 50 coyote a year man in the east is a 1,000 coyote man in the west with the identical skill levels and input of labor and miles and time. It is 100% weather related. For guys in the west the description is unfathomable, you have to see it and live it to believe how difficult it is here in the east once the rains hit and refuse to leave. Add in our people troubles and 100% deeded tiny parcels and the east is a joke as far as trapping. That is why I stopped serious trapping here years ago and now just run hobby lines here ,and save my steam for my western trips. A simple thing like dust or siftable dirt is unheard of here now and likely will only get worse as the winter wears on. I am glued in pretty tight now with the farm and relations, kids etc. , so too late to move now, but any young fellow out there, leave quick, quit your job , whatever, just get west ,yesterday ,if you are truely serious about trapping. They have their troubles there too, but nothing like in the east. At least I got to drive twice this year, last year it was none.
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