eliminating pattern misses.

[Craig Todaro]

I'm not sure what everyone's definition is of a pattern miss. This is mine. When I check a set and I see where a fox stepped in the dirt pattern but missed the pan. O.K, with that being said, how do you guys eliminate that. I have tried suttle guiding. Using a step down with a small ridge to guide the fox's foot to the pan. I've actually had them step on the high spot of the ridge. I have tapered the ground from the dimple over the trap pan down into the bait hole and still had them step on that slope. My dirt patterns aren't much bigger than the trap itself. I mainly use 1.5's. The fox numbers in my area hasn't been to good the past few years. In certain places the activity at my sets are higher than what they have been previously. I think there are more fox this year. I would like to try and figure out what it is I'm doing wrong. I have seen guys post about how they don't have pattern misses...HOW???

Thanks, Craig

[mac]

First let me say that I am no expert but have a little experience.
You may not be doing anything technically wrong. If I have many pattern misses I start looking hard at the lure and or bait I am using. In my opinion if it is not making them work the set I will discontinue its use.

Also in my opinion, everyone gets some pattern misses. Unless you are trapping sand country or snow you never know how many critters are simply not buying what you have for sale.

You might want to try something that the fox will want to eat. I know lure makers don't want to hear that but give it a try. A fresh bloody natural bait presentation can work wonders, and the right lure will make fox trapping seem like muskrat trapping. You might want to cut back on your lure usage. If a lure overpowers a critter they may not work the set. I know that many won't agree with that but that is what I think.

Attempt to make your trap bed much lower than the surrounding ground level. Perhaps have the pan 2.5 to 3 inches lower than the ground. Then cover the trap so that the covering forms like a ceral bowl type pattern. I have had fair luck doing that. Typically they will step to the low spot. Hope this helps.

Mac

[Edge]

Mac has good advice.Make sure your bait and or lure is earning its keep.A visit should be a catch.

I have yet to have a pattern miss(that I coould verify)this year.Problem is,I am doing nothing different as far as set layout;while I dont understand,I am not complaining either.

Dont overlook cheek guides,even for fox;if you get their neck bent,their feet will follow.I very seldom have any type of guide in the pattern itself;just dont like doing it.BUT,i almost always have to arrange something to guide cuz I am one SLOPPY set maker.

Edge

[trappnman]

on coyotes, many times it is the texture of your pattern or the color being different from the surrounding area.

Rusty traps also cause hesitation in stepping on the pattern for many people including myself.

[ScottMc]

I know when I was younger and this would happen, I would put a trailing trap in. By this I mean Back about 10" from the main trap, and a bit to the left or right depending on what the layout of the set it. Usually does the trick. Sometimes you will get a fox that has seen a couple of sets, and is a bit educated/Gun shy. The above should cure that. They are coming to look at it, but just not far enough, so the trailing trap may cover it.
I have even made sets where there was no trap directly in front of the bait even though it looked like there should be, with the trailing trap.
Has worked for me in the past, maybe it will help you out also.

[CoonDuke]

I believe Bud Hall had a theory that some nights, for whatever reason, fox are just hesitant to work a set. I tend to agree with him.

I usually brush out the track and add some edible bait. Whether it makes much of a difference, I don't know, but it makes me feel better.

[Mark]

I have a lot of this so far this year. At least I know my location is good, buit sure is un-nerving. I have them stepping in the dirt, but missing the pan a lot. I don't think it is the lure, cause I have had some sets with a snapped trap and the hole completely dug up with the backing caught in the trap. They worked the hell out it.

All the advice here has been told before. I have had misses, just left the trap there and on a subsequent visit... there mine. Do you guys just wait them out like that. Sometimes I punch in a new set near-by, but so far nothing.

A little thing that happenned this year. In a spot I hit on a yote last year I had a coyote in a trap this year and the sucker broke the jaw on a # 3 montgomery. He didn't pop the jaw, he broke it where the end of the jaw goes through the frame. Talk about bad luck!!

Mark

[Clefus]

Mark
Ive had a few #2 Monties do that...think two...but I still use them with confidence...

[dj88ryr]

I usually just wait them out, I think what Dukie said has a lot of merit, some nights they just ain't interested, other nights it seems like they are on a mission to find the pan.

[blakcoyote]

Sometimes I'll take and punch another hole with rebar directly across from the first hole angling toward the trap,on the edge of the pattern,like a walk through,and just put some gland lure down it,fox,mink,cat,it dont matter.Usually works for me.Sometimes you get them finicky ones,or ones that just plain dont want to cooperate.And this helps me throw them a curve.

[Craig Todaro]

Over the last couple of weeks I have been trying to figure these pattern misses out. Now and then the fox would actually step on the pan but it wouldn't fire. Granted they were leaving a faint print. I just figured they backed off before applying enough weight to drop the pan. I even lowered my pan tension. Then I started noticing it was mainly on some of my montys and sleepy creeks i have picked up used and were modified in certain ways by previous owners. Well, today I remade all my sets because of the rains we just had. I think I finally figured out why the traps weren't firing. Alot of the traps that wasn't firing are center swiveled. They have a rivot under the pan and the chain connected to the rivot. I lifted a trap out of the ground today with the center swivel system that a fox stepped on lastnight. The rivot was sticking up through the hole in the trap frame. Which was keeping the pan from dropping. When I set the trap in the ground I set the pan just below jaw level. With the rivot sticking up through the pan couldn't drop. Sounds logical to me, what do you guys think?

Craig

[CoonDuke]

Craig,
That can happen with stock Bridger #2s as well. The "ring" that the chain is attached to can keep the pan from dropping.

[JWarren]

That reminds me of a trapper who told me how he got back at a competitor who stole some of his traps. Whenever he came across the guys sets he unburied the trap, put a stick under the pan, then rebedded them as before.

[walkercoonhunter(Aaron L.)]

i suggest you spend some of that moldy money and but some good j hooks.... ;D..i have herd lots of horror stories with this problem this is why i havent had this problem...i know you like your traps center swiveled but if you need your traps for this year just move it to the side for the remainder of the year....

[thebeav2]

I have better luck using large patterns when trapping fox I just think they have more confidence and work a large pattern better.
On coyotes I try and blend most my patterns, unless I'm trapping coyotes Matt Jones style.

Beav

[RdFx]

Ahh yes the ol Jones style; chop hole, slap trap, dump peat moss, kick some topsoil on top and run for truck ;D

[jsevering]

been using a good percentage of walk through dirt holes and feel I have less patern misses, later in the season, started using them awhile back to deal with grey foxes mostly.

simple set the clean sifter scraped approach is from the eight to nine and three to four oclock positions, the backing and light roughage natural or mine at the four to eight oclock positions helps the foxes ect. decide the approach across the set.

if your bait and lure is something the critters want to work the light roughage wont stop them from working the hole, if all your offering did was peak their interest alittle youve got a blind set coming across it.

plenty of ways to set the set up with variations, but in most cases it isnt necessary, the more you catch the easier and quicker the remakes become using roughage and catch pattern derbis and the set becomes more or less a picture book walk through remake...jim

[trappnman]

I agree 100% jim.

although I have to say, that you sure eliminate pattern misses in stepdowns too.

key to me- have enough triggers there to do the job.