flea
Tenderfoot...
Posts: 19
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Post by flea on Mar 7, 2006 1:56:36 GMT -6
Hello everyone, found this site the other day and have been reading though all the posts and arcives for a few days, lot's of good info here. I have only been trapping for three years and still learning alot. I mainly trap coyotes ( well I try to anyway ) and beavers.
Heres my questions, I just four coiled all of my bridger #3s to help bust though frost better. I am thinking I should put base plates and laminate the jaws after reading some posts or will they be ok with out?
I would rather use a base plate with the end hook up than the center swivel but I am undecided right now. I have had some traps with the stock end hook up and some with the stock center swivel thing on the Bridgers, haven't seem much difference in foot damage but I don't catch alot of coyotes. I don't like the stock center swivel thing on the Bridgers because it seems like it is always in the road. Had one of those things get up under the pan so it wouldn't fire and missed a coyote. Like I said I have still got a lot to learn.
I haven't had too much trouble just useing the stock traps, with pull outs and such. I missed alot of coyotes this year because there was a little frozen dirt on the trap. I hope with the four coils and a little better weather I will do better next year.
Do you guys use a mig welder to weld your traps? I don't have a mig welder but have a stick welder, I thought I could probably make it work. I am not the best welder but can usually run a decent bead.
Sorry for all the questions but hopefully someone can give me some advice, thanks.
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Post by piedpiper on Mar 7, 2006 4:46:28 GMT -6
I purchased a few bridger #3's that were laminated with off set jaws & found them to work well. A little trick a buddy of mine showed me was to put up some dry sifted dirt before season & add flaked wax to it to bed my traps with. I put a little waxed dirt down under my trap & once I covered my set with the waxed dirt I couldn't believe how good it works. All my traps fired no problem despite having snow & near zero temps on a few nights.
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Post by walkercoonhunter(Aaron L.) on Mar 7, 2006 8:40:57 GMT -6
flea i can tell you how to stop the j hook head from stopping your pan from dropping...just replace it with a # 6 j hoook....they have a shorter shank on them...and make sure your pan is level when set NOT below the jaws so the front of the pan is tilted down....with the side hook up i dont see the need for baseplating...but the center swiveled traps i can see where baseplating is a big help...
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flea
Tenderfoot...
Posts: 19
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Post by flea on Mar 7, 2006 23:19:59 GMT -6
Thanks for the info guys. Piedpiper I thought about makeing some waxed dirt last summer but never. I guess I paid for that mistake. The dirt on our ranch is really salty and usually wont freeze bad when just dry and cold, but we had some unusual weather this year with some rain in jan. that had everything harder than a rock.
Thanks for the tip Walker. Do you laminate your traps? I Think I will try a few center swiveled baseplates and see how they work.
Will bolting the baseplates on work as well as welding them? I might be able to find someone with a wire feed or mig welder to weld the lamination on. I am a little worried about bad foot damage with the 4-coiled traps, I run a 72 hour check and would hate to just have a few feet to skin. Is just outside lamination enough or should I put some on the inside also?
I know I sound a little unsure of what I am doing but none of the trappers I know do anything to their traps, they use old #3 victor longsprings with nothing done to them, and think I am wasting time doing anything to my traps. I want to make sure I do things right before I start and screw up my traps. Thanks for the help, Jake
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Post by walkercoonhunter(Aaron L.) on Mar 8, 2006 2:48:18 GMT -6
well flea sorry if i sound harsh here but im totally against the 72 hr check....it would be ok for the doa trapping like drowning sets for coon beaver mustrats etc....but canines and cats im totally against....look at it this way...how would you like to be caught for 3 days with nothing to drink or eat....but thats your right so here goes my answer....i would think on a 72 hr chk i would want the strongest trap i could have....baseplate yes.lamionations yes,off sets yes.heavy trap chain yes,and have lots of swivels.....
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flea
Tenderfoot...
Posts: 19
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Post by flea on Mar 8, 2006 4:48:39 GMT -6
No offense taken Walker. I can see your point and sometimes I do check my traps everyday. I don't know what your state trap check laws are but in Idaho you have 72 hours to check your traps. Thats why I though that 72 out there because that how long I have to get them checked by law. I usually have traps here at the house that get checked every day. I run my beaver line every day and check coyote traps along the way. Alot of the time I am too excited to see if I caught a coyote to wait very long, but sometimes I get busy and it's good I don't have to check them everyday. The only traps I leave for the full 72 hours are my cat traps, because thats how I was told. I will guantee they didn't mind in the least.. cause I didn't catch a one lol. I think for some of the longline trappers in the west a 24 check would be brutal. So sometimes a longer check is a blessing. My friends here are pretty good cat trappers and with a job, it would pretty hard to do as well with a 24 hour check. Now I have a question for ya. I am assuming that you check your traps everyday, does it seem like it hurts your catch numbers to be out there everyday running around your traps or doesn't matter at all? I am just wondering because when I first started trapping several people told me to stay way from my traps as much as possible. They said that it would make the animals wary and harder to catch. I kind of figured that couldn't be 100% true because alot of states have 24 hour check laws and the trappers still catch alot of animals. Maybe the animals react differently to human precence in different states? I don't know, like I said I have just started trapping a few years ago and don't have the experience or the numbers that most of you on here have. So I just try things a little different every year, listen to every peice of advice I can get and try to figure out what works the best for me. Point taken on the strong traps, thanks for the advice Wow I had to type all that twice cause I logged out before I could finish. Going to have to speed up my typeing skills
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Post by trappnman on Mar 8, 2006 7:18:01 GMT -6
I believe a 48 hour check is ideal for coyotes.
I'd go to it in a minute if legal here.
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Post by Stef on Mar 8, 2006 9:12:02 GMT -6
Mig - Stick all work.... its the guy behind the machine ;D
Stef
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Post by walkercoonhunter(Aaron L.) on Mar 8, 2006 11:28:42 GMT -6
i cant answer your question honestly about the catch and the 24 hr law.....i have always checked my traps every 24....so i have no data on longer checks...i trap all farm ground and the smell of human presence is nothing new to the animals here....and i check most of my traps right out the truck window....
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Post by Steve Gappa on Mar 8, 2006 11:56:20 GMT -6
I've never been able to legally run a 48 hour check either.
But I am convinced, that a daily intrusion into coyote territory cause concerns. While coyotes are used to human scent, going into an area that recieves little traffic on a daily basis, does, IMO, put coyotes on caution. And my sets while checked from a truck, have me getting out at least every other day to take something off the location.
More importantly, I believe that there is nothing like a coyote in a trap- to attract another coyote.
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Post by terminator1 on Mar 8, 2006 15:38:44 GMT -6
If we had a 48 hr. check we would be trapping for the thief. It hard enough to keep your fur over night. We also have lots of spot lighters.
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Post by trappincoyotes39 on Mar 8, 2006 16:30:35 GMT -6
walkerconnhunter Have you ever run a 3 day check state? Have you ever been west and seen the land or coyote populations? I trap year round and what you state isn't true. There are times durring fur season when you can have a 2-3 day blizzard were those coyotes lay up and eat snow and live off of reserves, So
I don't buy your how would you like scenario. They have no problem in cool temps of living for a few days while being restrained and a portion aren't caught until the second day leaving them their for 48 hrs or less and in the summer they go down very quickly in the heat so if you have no problem with drowning your catch then why shun longer trap check laws?
I have plenty of pictures of coyotes on 72 hr checks that there feet look every bit as good as most in 24 hr states. To bash others because they are offered legally longer check laws in areas of lower concentrations and coyotes that are spread out more but yet say drowning is fine is an oximoron.
I think you would find you could catch more coyotes and have better results if allowed legally not be in their backyard every morning of every day, I have seen the differance by doing it both ways and I can tell you those coyotes know your in there on a daily basis and become more skittish about working your sets than running in every 3rd day.
I run sterlings and fully modified #3 bridgers and they hold coyotes very well and show no more damage for the "most" part on a 3 day check than the majority of 24 hr caught coyotes.
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Post by walkercoonhunter(Aaron L.) on Mar 8, 2006 22:43:28 GMT -6
trappingcoyotes....let me clear one thing up here real quick.....i didnt BASH anyone with the 72 hr check now did i....I SIMPLY STATED THAT I(meaning me) WAS AGAINST IT.......didnt say those who do it is a sob or whatever.....NO I HAVE NEVER TRAPPED ANY WHERE BUT PA....do i have the dream of doing so....YES.....but even if i trap a state where its 48-72 hr check law i will be checking them every 24 hrs....why BECAUSE ITS WHAT I (meaning me) PREFER......
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flea
Tenderfoot...
Posts: 19
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Post by flea on Mar 9, 2006 1:24:49 GMT -6
Thanks for the good info everyone. Stef I will try a few then and see how good I am. I suppose it is better to do a few short welds than one long one, to keep the trap from getting to hot, right? Do you take the springs off to keep them from getting too hot?
It does seem to help when I check my traps every 48 or 72 hours. I didn't catch very many this year but had alot of misses due to my traps frozen down. Sometimes when I checked them every 24 I would have sign everyday, then it would slow down and I would stay away a little more and seems they would come back. That could have been just their natural movement patterns though.
Coyotes are very discouraging. I was happy just to see them working my sets this year, knowing I was putting them in decent locations and doing things half right. Just my traps where frozen down most of the time. Twice I had a coyote step right on the pan, but there was frozen dirt all around the jaws and spring levers and the trap never sprung. Made me feel like screaming to see that big track right on top off the pan and no coyote, but I guess thats how you learn. ;D
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Post by trappincoyotes39 on Mar 9, 2006 5:54:31 GMT -6
do i have the dream of doing so....YES.....but even if i trap a state where its 48-72 hr check law i will be checking them every 24 hrs....why BECAUSE ITS WHAT I (meaning me) PREFER......
Walker How do you know you would prefer if you have never tried an extended check or worked with it? The point I was concerned with was your " How would you like to go without water/food for a few days", that is like an anti sentiment from the fact that your trying to give those animals the credit of a human thought process when thinking in those terms, animals can't think or reason like humans if they could a guy wouldn't catch many coyotes or any other critter for that matter.
I guess my point is how can you be against something that you have never experianced either the positives or negatives of something?
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Post by walkercoonhunter(Aaron L.) on Mar 9, 2006 7:33:58 GMT -6
well i guess my point is simply this....guys do thier traps to minamize foot cutting...ok....why because they want to make the animal as comfy as possible....some say who cares about foot damamge they wll die when i get there anyways.....so along those line is all im looking out for here is the comfort of the animal...no im not anti...but i know i dont want anything in a trap for 3 days b4 i go check it....call it personal preference...and as far as the summer time think about them going down quick...well thats just plain wrong that they have to suffer unless they are dead in mins....like snares...no im not a animal hugger just want to show the animal im after a little more respect than letting him in a trap to dehydrate,or have a heart attack...i would much rather put a 22 between his lookers....BUT LIKE I SAID....THIS IS MY PERSONAL PREFERENCE....
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Post by trappincoyotes39 on Mar 9, 2006 14:00:09 GMT -6
Walker look who was behind for the most part jaw laminations and base plating and shock springs, Eastern 24 hr check law trappers or western 72+ check law trappers? yep thats right the boys from the west started to think how can I maximize comfort because of the need or want of longer check laws.
If you want to check traps every 5 hrs be my guest just don't knock others for doing things that are legal and ethical in many peoples minds because you disagree with it, yet you never had used the practice. Before you state you didn't knock it please read what you wrote:well thats just plain wrong that they have to suffer unless they are dead in mins....like snares.
I can tell you not all critters in snares die in minutes or drowning either, each to his own and respect others who trap in different situations,environments and work with different specie populations and home range than were you live. I think it is plain wrong for you to judge others in other states were you have not trapped and state what we do isn't ethical or treating animals with respect.
I cover a large area and wouldn't be a great way to be efficient if I had to look at all traps on the same day. You wouldn't get much done that I can guarantee you.
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Post by blakcoyote on Mar 9, 2006 16:00:13 GMT -6
As far as trap checks,we have a 24hr.I'd like a longer check time here just for the sake of being able to run more traps.But the reality is,it isnt going to happen,for reasons like dogs,we have alot of them,and having a pet in a set a couple days would attract unneeded attention,it's hard enough getting to sets in 24 hrs without someone atleast seeing you caught something.I have no problem leaving a critter in a trap for 48 or even 72 hrs. it wouldnt bother me.I think there is a big difference in human population between east and west and I think population of people is the biggest contributor to 24hr checks in the east.
Somewhat true.I could careless really about animal comfort really.I want that animal there.It's more to prevent a foot from getting cut and eventually getting numb,and while the critter is chewing on the trap,he starts chewing on the numb foot because it's easier on his teeth,and if he cant feel the pain he'll keep chewing,unknownly, until he possibly gets away or wrings off.The other reason I do my traps is for incidental catches of an occassional dog,it leaves pretty much no paw damage,and he walks away with a slight limp that goes away soon.It's good PR.I would imagine the western guys mod up for the simple reason,they want that animal there when they check.With all that said if WI went to 48 or 72 hr. check,I would still check in 24hrs just for the simple reason of the human population aspect of it.I dont need to attract any more attention than neccessary.But would love to do a 48-72 hr line out west someday.
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Post by terminator1 on Mar 9, 2006 16:02:27 GMT -6
How would you like to go without water/food for a few days", that is like an anti sentiment from the fact that your trying to give those animals the credit of a human thought process when thinking in those terms, animals can't think or reason like humans if they could a guy wouldn't catch many coyotes or any other critter for that matter.
But I'll bet an animal knows when its thirsty or hungry!
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Post by trappincoyotes39 on Mar 9, 2006 19:06:22 GMT -6
I bet they know when they need to take a leak or have a bowel movement too but the point is?
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