visual aids! what do you use?

[chub618]

been thinking about this one for awhile. how many of you use visual aids at sets for k-9's. and what kinds of sets do you use with them and and are they place directly at the set or in the general vicinity? oh and what do you use for the visual ie. feathers, bones, rocks, wasp nests, egg shells ect. ect.

[woody]

I use what ever is in the area that I want to make a set ;D If I can't find anything right out of the truck, I get down on all 4's and gets me a K-9's veiw for anything that sticks out, that is where I make the set. I usually don't bring anything with me to use as a visual. I have used raw wool in the dirt hole so the k-9 can see it when it walks up to the set. the best way to find a place to make a set: is to look for anything that sticks out, that is what the K-9 will check out when he enters the area. Good luck and have fun. woody

[trappnman]

I like using a white cow rib-bone- its quick easy and very effective.

I like to place the bone in an upright position away from the set- many times I'll have 2 sets 50 or so feet apart with the bone in the middle between them.

many things besides a bone work- I do't mess much with feathers and the like- if IO find some, I'l loccasionally use them at the set- but most times my visuals are "long distance" attractants. A hole dug with the dirt piled up next to it- and a flat set close by, works well also.

On stepdown sets- many times when the hole is blown, I'll import a flat limestone rock as a new top for the hole, and this white rock stands out very well and aids as a new visual.

[walkercoonhunter(Aaron L.)]

notice the rib bone in this pic

notice the leg bone in this pic

here is another rib bone..
i like using some attractors when i think im not on location..thats about the only time i use them...

[chub618]

yall dont speak up all at one time now

[NattyBumpo]

Burnt piece of slab wood.

Christmas tree.

Hay bale.

Live chick or duckling in a cage. (legal in my state).

[Wright Brothers]

Found an old camp fire and made set with urine. Deer kept snapping it off. Made another set 20 yards away with a piece of the charred wood and big piece of limestone like a walk through. A drop of lure under the stone. Got a grey right away, after that I caught a few coon there.Same stop I noticed in late winter a log down in the center of a field with tracks showing peeing on log, next time I will set there also.

[bobwendt]

nothing except for cats, then most always hang fur or feathers. canines, nothing intentional unless just happens to be a turd or dead cow right there! fresh dirt pattern (big) and a hole on fresh sign is all the sight attraction you need. I`ve told this before, but one year I had this bright idea to go make all my sets complete except no lure or bait or pee, nothing, ahead of opening day. coyotes are legal year `round here, so they were all "coyote sets". set about 25 traps a day for 4 days preceeding season. opening day I ran around pissing and luring all of them and guess what? 4 reds, a grey, a housecat and couple rabbits in the traps. They all looked fresh caught so thankfully none were in too long. ran about 12-15 a day after the pee and luring, so it does help.

[Snareman]

Idea: Iffen yah keep those pics resized or cropped down a bit, a guy wouldn't have to scroll way to the right, then back to the left and vice-versa to read posts.

I have some rocks that I carry with me to use as backing, but also to have an object that stands out to it's surroundings and is a focal point of attraction in case the wind isn't in my favor for target to smell lure, etc.

Good Luck!

Snareman (thumbs up icon here), but used "Quick Reply" instead. LOL!

[walkercoonhunter(Aaron L.)]

well snareman they look good on my puter screen..just the right size..dont know why they are bigger on your puter..

[Furhandler]

It's the one of the possum that needs to be croped.

It's not that they don't look great, it's the scrooling every line to read that a pain in the a$$.

[CoonDuke]

To me, there is no better eye appeal than when a bird or animal tears apart a trapped rabbit. All that fur, gut fragments, and blood around the set area just drive the canine crazy looking for the last morsel of bunny. The big chunks go down the hole on the remake and a little meat bait is added if needed. To bad this is illegal to use here in PA.

[NattyBumpo]

When that fox comes out into a big field no matter which treeline or corner you want him to see something out there. He will be hunting the wind but if he sees something he will circle downwind and you got him.

Big visible things that they can see for a long way.

Another killer is big white landscaping rock out in the middle of the field. White shows up real good at night. Put a dirthole under the rock and make another one on the other side for doubles.

No one can carry a truck load of big visual aides but when the wind is changing and you hit a new field for the first time you may not have even scouted at all to find the trails, it is a fast way to get them the first night no matter which way the wind blows.

[Danny Clifton]

Last time I made this set it didn't hit as I was trapping with a buddy and trying to show off. It works though if no one goes with you. LOL
I tie a small feather, About 1 to 11/2 inches long to some backing with a piece of thread. The thread only needs to be about 1/2 an inch. Just enough for a little movement. Works pretty good when your only within about 10 feet of location for whatever reason and cant make a hole tear up dirt or just dont want to. Then a shot of urine or lure. In spite of rumors to the contrary it does work. The trick is to get some movement to catch his eye but small enough he's not threatened.

[bobwendt]

not to mention you get a few of those big prairie toms as surprize xmas presents in coyote sets like that. more than one met his demise that way that was just big and bad enough he never needed to hit the brush or rocks for dinner or protection from coyotes. I`ve had about 1/2 dozen coyote and big tom doubles 10 feet apart in sets like that. Always wondered who got caught first, but assume it was the coyote second, but also assume a few times the cat came in second too.

[trappnman]

natty- many times on my stepdown remakes, I use a big flat limestone rock- in a flat, dark field...they show up like beacons.

[Maineman]

I was once of the opinion that no set is complete without some type of visual to "get an animals attention". I think alot of it had to do with believing in my ability to set "DEAD-ON' location, and that I need the visual to "DRAW" them to my set. I have drifted away from that concept and rely more on setting exact locations and travel ways. This kinda goes back to the cold-rolling thread...When I was setting new areas and not 100% sure of the travelways, I'd set with visuals and other fancy drawing techniques and I'd catch fur. As I learned these locations, I would remove the visuals and kept catching fur. I have no doubt that a visual can give a trapper an occasional assist here or there, but the best visual in the world will not outperform setting on location.

IMHO, Learning to read sign and selecting location, having confidence in your choices and sets will put more fur on a stretcher than a visual or lure.

Dave Z

[trappnman]

but the advantage of a good visual Dave is simply this- you don't need to set right on location to have success.

you can set on the neighbors farms, around the corner, etc- and canines will find and work your sets.

Many times the best location- is unaccessible during rain- or accessible at all in some locations.... so visuals allow me to set where I want to (or need to) set.

or the best location is highly visible- using a visual at a spot hidden from view with the visual easily seen from the prime location- can pull a canine a long ways. Using these type of visuals has allowed me to trap areas I once thought untrappable because the "right" location was in plain view of major roads.

good example- at that location where Lori wanted to set up at the bottom of a waterway/head of a ravine where we saw the coyote setting up...was impossible to set. Any rain, and the waterway was flooded. So- 300 yards away in an open hayfield, we made our set with a ribone. Caught 3 there I think.

would the coyotes have found the set without the bone? perhaps not. After all, it wasn't on location at all. Wind direction would have carried lure down the waterway...maybe.

one other advantage of a visual near the set is, and I believe this 100%- it causes a coyote to work the visual as well as the set.

I don't use them at all sets for sure- but perhaps 25%.

[Maineman]

trappnman said:

but the advantage of a good visual Dave is simply this- you don't need to set right on location to have success.

I agree that there are times and places for visuals...

[BK]

I realy like a turkey wing feather duct taped to a foot of mono.
I've pulled fisher down out of trees to the set, and fox and mink out on sandbars on shallow creeks.
Just the slightest wind and it spins.