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Post by BridgerMd on Mar 1, 2005 17:50:37 GMT -6
Thinking of building a 4 foot wood box and install one or two heat lamps in the cover to make my dry dirt. Kind of a small oven if you will. Thoughts?? other suggestions?
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Post by trappnman on Mar 2, 2005 8:20:26 GMT -6
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Post by marty on Mar 2, 2005 10:55:30 GMT -6
I tried your Idea in the garage this winter and it didn't work. Not hot enough. I swear I will not waste the summer sun this year.
to finish off the last few weeks of season this year I made up about 20 gallons of waxed dirt in my electric roaster. Worked all right but the free sunshine should be more efficient.
I was reluctant to try waxed dirt at first but cant reccomend it enough after using it.
example: had a five gallon bucket of waxed dirt in the back of the truck last month. Rained all night instead snowing for some reason. Checked the dirt in the morning, and was able to pour the the water out and running my hands through the dirt showed it was dry as a bone. My last sets sat through three cycles of snow, melt, rain, overnite temps in single digits, and every one fired cleanly when I pulled the sets.
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Post by Zagman on Mar 2, 2005 11:13:58 GMT -6
If you are making a small amount, 20 gallons, 40 gallons, whatever....your method or the sun method work fine.
For volume, the only way to go, in my mind, is a cement mixer and torch....
Zagman
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Post by Clyde Isaak on Mar 2, 2005 12:09:15 GMT -6
For those of you that use a torch, home oven or such are you not concerned with contamination smells from either the propane smell when using a torch or of food smells when using the oven or even the stove top? I have never made it but every year I swear I will for the next season.LOL I am really going to do it this year, at least I hope I do. ;D ;D
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Post by Zagman on Mar 2, 2005 15:01:22 GMT -6
I use the torch on the outside of the mixer, not aiming into the mixer hole like others......
I do not concern myself with those odors....
MZ
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Post by walkercoonhunter(Aaron L.) on Mar 2, 2005 15:18:03 GMT -6
i personally will not make waxed dirt for MY trapping applications...i used just straight peat moss this year with great results...but coyotes here are far and few between...i would say for every 100 traps you have out i would say that not even 25 sets have a coyote walk by them..but for me waxed dirt is a waste of time and the peat is the way to go..it dosent freeze it dosent absorb water (only after a long peroid of time)..but the color change here is a added attractor...
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Post by Clyde Isaak on Mar 2, 2005 21:27:02 GMT -6
I used peat moss last fall during some very wet conditions and I had a lot of trouble with it. I had many, many sets where just a part of the trap jaw was exposed by some animal and then they would stop working the set. I know some were done by coons but most had coyote tracks or scat in the set area. I was using mostly Steph's lures so I know I had some good smells at the set. I don't plan on using the peat again as I just had too much messing aound with the stuff.
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Post by mmwb (Andrew Parker) on Mar 3, 2005 9:21:18 GMT -6
I had the same problem as Greenhorn. I have wondered whether it was the peat, contaminated traps, or what. I really don't think that traps were contaminated, so assume it was something about the peat. I've since considered that I just sifted the peat on. Makes for a soft spot and maybe the animals (fox mostly) felt that, explored and exposed the traps. Are you guys that use peat able to pack down so it won't simply sink under the animal's weight? Or... just make sure the bed is just the size of the trap (mine were pretty "begginer" big) and maybe a pan cover?
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Post by dublelung on Mar 3, 2005 22:03:06 GMT -6
I've never used waxed dirt. I trap in several different types and colors soil (sand, clay, and black top soil). How well does the waxed dirt blend with these types, or does it even matter? Thanks!
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Post by Clyde Isaak on Aug 18, 2005 20:50:55 GMT -6
I finally actually made some waxed dirt last weekend. Every year when I'm trying to keep sets working in thaw/freeze conditions I always say to myself that I will have to make some wax dirt next year but it I just never did as I was always to cheap to spend the extra money on the wax. After missing several coyotes last year I finally figured it out that it was costing me a lot more money by not making and using it.
I used Stef's method of melting regular parafin canning wax and mixing it with warm dry dirt. I made around 20 gallons in an afternoon and it seemed to turn out real well. For the soil type I was using I ended up mixing 1 pound of wax to about 2 gallons of dirt. To test it out I put some of the waxed dirt in small bowl and made a depression in the top which I filled with water. I left it overnight and checked it the next day and the water was still pooled up in the depression. I poured the water off and found all the dirt to be dry. I think I am really going to like this stuff. I plan on making around 60 to 75 gallons total which I think should last me fine for the season. I will also have regular dry dirt to use also. Clyde
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Post by trappnman on Aug 19, 2005 6:22:48 GMT -6
ok, ok- I guess I should at least try some waxed dirt. Tell me exactly, how you as a first timer doing by stef's methods- did it.
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Post by Zagman on Aug 19, 2005 6:45:39 GMT -6
the mixer is the only way to go, proven once again to me, as I just completed making my dirt for the year.
I dont melt the wax first, but rather, just pour it into the mixer SLOWLY. The wax I use is very fine, beaded wax, unlike flake wax, and seems to melt and mix very thoroughly, very quickly. Once that drum gets up to temperature, got it down to 5 gallons of dirt in the mixer, with wax, being complete in 10 minutes.
So, with everything staged, containers ready, I can really rock and roll........
BTW, I dont aim the flame into the mouth of the mixer, I heat the bottom of the drum. While this might not put as much direct heat on the dirt and wax as quickly, it eliminnates the need to take the torch down and put it back for each batch.
With the torch on the bottom of the drum, I just dump the completed dirt out into a container directly below the down-facing drum opening, tip it back up when empty, and dump my new dry dirt into the spinning upright drum......fast fast fast.
The mixer really only makes sense if you are doing volume, unless of course you already own a mixer.
For 40-70 gallons, I'd go solar........
Zagman
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Post by trappnman on Aug 19, 2005 7:06:00 GMT -6
do you have any problems with clumping by putting into containers right away?
How much dirt do you do every year Zags? I went though maybe 150 gals of just dry dirt last year, but for sure less dirt would be used if waxed.
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Post by Zagman on Aug 19, 2005 7:36:40 GMT -6
I dont put the dirt into their final storage containers until cool to the touch. I have enough transition containers to do this, but one could dump the waxed dirt onto a tarp or something.
Clumping is not the end of the world, as it does break up when you bang it through a sifter......but still, I find that I basically eliminate that by delaying the final storage until cool.
Waxed dirt has strange properties.......the dirt comes out very fine, almost sand-like, and therefore, really fills in all the nooks and crannies of the trap and trap bed.
If you figure one gallon of dirt for each set, assuming #3 sized traps (which is estimating HIGH), you can get an idea of what you need. You also have to factor in remakes as well.
I always have more dirt put away than I feel is needed, whether waxed or just bone-dry. I have not made a coyote set in a decade with dirt from the set.....I always have a dirt bucket with me.....speeds things up......you wont see me pushing clay balls through a sifter, trying to get that last little bit of covering I need (though I do use the local dirt for a final covering in non-freezing situations)
Mid-season dirt finding is not a great option for me......plus its just another delay.
I have a barn with plenty of room, so storage is not a problem.
I usually put away 400-600 gallons of dry dirt.
Also have 3 bales of peat moss.....sitting there......taunting me........just daring me to use it. Same 3 bales have been sitting there for 4 years.
Waxed dirt is time-consuming and expensive.......but when made right, is truly bullet-proof.
Zagman
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Post by Stef on Aug 19, 2005 7:58:50 GMT -6
I have a big winter tarp garage "TEMPO" Now I use it for drying and storing my dirt, its pretty large and very hot inside. I called it... " DDD " ;D Dry dirt depot! Stef
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Post by MRussell on Aug 19, 2005 9:02:57 GMT -6
I have used peat for a couple of seasons,(this is my 3rd season trapping) I had plenty of problems the first year. Very little of it was the peat. Last season I started getting the hang of the peat useage.I found that when I made my beds only large enough to accomodate the trap,depending on the trap size no less than a 1/2" and up a 1" covering of peat, blend well with a VERY light topping of dirt I had much better results. However the raccoons are curious little boogers and I had several sets that they pillaged through. Most of them wound up caught. I did bust the bale of peat open and let it air out . I sat it outside under the lean to. I had a Coyote Catcher from this forum give me a few gallons of waxed dirt. It really is all they say it is. The ONLY draw back I found is that you can't go down to the local home improvement store and buy it. I was truly impressed with its ease of use and ability to keep a set working during adverse weather condtions.
MR
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Post by 17HMR on Aug 19, 2005 9:34:24 GMT -6
I cant wait to try it, I have 18 gallons made so far useing solor heat, going to make 25 or so more gallons later w/ mixer method. But I bought 2 bales of peat as a back up. The last batch I used the cheese grater to cut up some wax and that is not much fun , wont do that again.
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Post by Steve Gappa on Aug 19, 2005 9:36:41 GMT -6
a gal of dirt seems excessive at the set. Does it just take more waxed dirt to do the job? on dry dirt, I can get 3 sets- 2 if real difficult- from a gal of dirt.
I also pick up dirt thorughout the early season. I don't start using the stored dirt until I need to- otherwise, just repelenish a couple of 5 gal buckets with gopher dirt on the dry days.
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Post by Zagman on Aug 19, 2005 10:04:03 GMT -6
Read that again.....I use the "Gallon per set" as a way to determine how much you need to put away, a method that ensures you have plenty.
Too many variables on determining # of traps per gallon.....that's why I mentioned the use of larger traps.
Larger bed, deeper bed, more dirt over trap vs. barely covering it, etc.
Regardless, a guy running nothing but 1.5's would need less dirt than a guy running THE SAME AMOUNT OF TRAPS, but using a larger trap.
MZ
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