Blend or not blend

[tmalone]

I see different opinions on this. I'm after cats and coyotes. It's sure easier to leave unblended and not worry about the dirt everywhere but a nicely blended trap looks so much better and it looks like I'm doing a better job, but am I waisting my time doing it? Would like some comments and the reasoning. Thanks Tony

PS I have learned SO much from this site, thanks to everyone!

[ohiyotee]

I have no experience with cats but with coyotes or fox it depends on if you want a visual. Any more the only time i blend a set real good is to fool people not animals i like the visual and i think in most situations it is best. greg

[Bob Jameson]

There will come a time when you will realize the need and benefit of blending a set or sets in order to continue to harvest some animals in some areas.

[Steve Gappa]

if you cover a trap with dirt- its blended.

HOW well its blended can vary.

[jrbhunter]

I'm very anal about blending the set well... I only trap coyotes and run a smaller line of 6-32 sets.

Less to keep up with than other trappers, less pressure to hurry along to the next one, I spend my time making that trap bed disappear.

[thebeav2]

If the set is a flat set/post set I will blend it in. But if it's a dirt hole I want it to have eye appeal.
I played around with small patterns and large patterns I settled on a large pattern, Just seemed to get better responses.

[sawdust]

everyone develops their own personal style in determining what looks like a good set.

i assume by blended you mean like there's visually nothing there - trap covered with surrounding grass clippings or leaves or the like.

me, for every single set, i like a big diameter, deep dirthole with dirt piled and scattered all around the trap - one heck of a big mess and 180 degrees from blended. i don't make any scent posts, trail sets, flat sets, or anything else fancy.

i suppose i miss a few educated ones but i don't care - i'll take the inexperienced ones or uneducated ones any day. i'm not a nuisance/damage control trapper so don't need to catch them all - just enough to give some excitement to my life.

in addition, i use a big chunk of bait and a big gob of lure on a cotton ball and a lot of urine - really stink the place up.

i have lots of ground to roam around on so it works for me, may not for others in other areas.

ts

[trappnman]

seems to be a belief that blended means disappear?

sure, on a flat set it can be.

But even on hole sets, I blend my patterns, not to disappear, but to avoid sticking out like a sore thumb. Or perhaps more accurately, I blend my TRAP BED into a larger pattern. On flat sets, I make this extended pattern disappear, on hole sets, I feather the edges.

my #1 no-no on coyotes sets, for me, is having that cup saucer sized trap bed staring back at me.

My understanding, was when talking unblended at cat sets- that bare pans or a shinge like thingy was the norm.

[thebeav2]

A small UN Blended (Edges) pattern In my opinion tells the canine that something Is wrong and since it's so small and obvious maybe they just work the set without stepping Into that small spot. It's probably why we get those partial prints just on the edges of those small patterns. Look at a wood chuck hole where there is a ton of dirt spread all over, fox don't even hesitate to track all over that pattern.

[Freak( Jim V.)]

I have been a traditional no blend on dirtholes type setter. But past couple of years have been playing with belended sets also. And sometimes it makes a difference. That and plugging dirthole lightly with grass . Never would have thought it made a big difference but the proof is in the pudding so to speak.