Trap modification ?s

[wolferlong]

Bob.. my intent of using your numbers I thought was obvious...Not to discredit you in any way...Your REFERENCE was to show that a substantial catch could be made in 12 to 24 hrs and that if not checked in that time frame THE CATCH could be sitting in those traps for an extended period of time?? Is that correct...In your situation ..on your western line..that may be..you do what works for you....Those that have bigger ranches out west with less access and far fewer coyotes will find extended checks to their advantage..for many obvious reasons...COYOTES mind you...Financial and time constraints dictate many of our methods and practices in the west and we will defend those freedoms as well you should on our behalf whether it fits YOUR STYLE or not...Just as I would defend your right to use padded jaw traps...Eliminating my preferences for traps and check schedules is detrimental too us all as would be your right to live trap and use padded traps...The issue is freedoms and I for one prefer not to loose any more than we as a whole have already lost...Certainly your live trapping will be eliminated as well as steel traps as long as trappers are willing to continue to compromise more of the FEW freedoms we have left...Whether your state or kansas or wyoming and any other place...The anti cannot and will not be comprimised with and trap checks are irrelevant to them as well as most...They dont want ....KILLING...period..Defend what belongs too all of us as trappers whether you choose to use my practices or not...I defend your RIGHT to do as you see fit...I expect same...I have no chip...United we survive..Otherwise we can all get together to talk about the good old days how it use to be..

[Steve Gappa]

One of the most innovative dog breeders out there- Pat Moffitt, probably deceased by now- credited with being one of the originators of the Plott Hound and the breeder of many fine beagles under the Karo kennel name- believed in feeding healthy adults every other day all they could eat... because that was how canines did it in the wild- gorge and wait a day or two.

Someone, perhaps TC35 brought up the point of how is a coyote going down in heat any different morally than drowning a coon....

Good question....

[bobwendt]

once again, show me where I mentioned anything one way or the other on this thread about any negative or positive effects on extended cks. just stated what I saw on a 12 hr ck. , no more no less, i.e. verified a substantial number animals would have been in traps ~60 hrs ,had I waited till the third day to run, no more, no less. I left any conclusions to that information to the reader, didn`t comment good or bad, just what I saw as to animals/time frame. never discussed defending or not defending anything. however you do make a good point in that those who want defense of whatever is their bag, ought as easily defend whatever is another trappers bag. everyone jumps if it is their ox being gored but equally it seems gets in on the goring if it is someone elses ox . i.e. , you`re yelling at the wrong guy due to some burning ears or something not privy to me. if you want to ask me my opinion of extended cks I`ll answer!

[wolferlong]

I already know your feelings on the extended checks...I also know we are not in agreement...Your implication...as I read it...was that substantial catches could be made without the need for longer check intervals...Once again...your situation in kansas is such that with the abundance of trash catches you have a fair amount of traps out of action....However....much of the west has very few skunks..no possum..few coon...rabbits or mice, and trash birds none factor with heavy pan tension...badgers the problem and what better decoy for the first coyote to my 2nd set...Its not always about running off to the highest population areas known to man...Landowners prefer empty pastures before the sheep come in...Its a luxury to skim the cream and move on...Not a reality in sheep country, and to a lesser degree when calving...Many parts of the west coyote are extremely cattle dependant...Not where you trap because of the prey base...but certainly here they are...so the need for less interference from humans...You implyed I believe...and knowing your objection to long checks took exception to your reference....now get on the boat!!

[bobwendt]

I must be the luckiest sob on earth as everywhere I have ever been in the west, both sheep and cattle country of wyoming, about 8 different counties, and the navajo res, new mexico, texas,kansas arizona and probably some I forgot- the animals in traps on 24 s are enough that I need to run every 24 to keep traps open- from both target and non targets. of course I pick my spots to set each trap carefully and after a year in any country a guy can eliminate dead areas that look oh so good but for whatever reasons never materialize catch wise. the east , of which I have been in most states central and south is even worse( or better might be more accurate). just plain dollars and sense( pun intended) it makes me more money- mo` money, mo` money, to empty the traps out daily and re-set them. now granted, I don`t trap in the middle of death valley, or downtown salt lake city, or on the moon, because I`d run a 1 year ck. there and still probably come up empty. probably I spend more fuel and miles than most , but expenses are only a factor if the catch doesn`t surpass the costs of said expenses. and I probably put more hours in /animal caught, but then the total animals caught is greater yet too, lol, normally. plus, that`s what I do, what I`ve always done trapped as much, as hard ,for as long as my body and eyes hold up each and every day- when I`m in the zone. how you going to teach an old dog new tricks when the old ones are still working and he still revels in the chase? now, if you want to discuss the relative health or happiness or stress on an animal as related to time in a trap, that is a different ball of wax and not related to mo` money mo` money. most extended ck. guys use the mo` money mo` money to explain why they feel extended cks are better. I just used that same argument to discuss why I do 24`s. never used the buzz words that extended guys get livid over and defensive as hell.

[mostinterestingmanintheworld]

I just got back and read the new posts.

1080 when I referred to getting the other states restrictive laws "thrown in my face" I wasn't referring to you at all.

The picture in my mind when I said that was of one of our main antis at our legislature several years ago when she was going on about how many states had 24 hour checks.

I wanted to clear that up because as far as I can tell you and I are pretty much in agreement as far as trap checks.

Wiley, I have to apologize to you as well I read your post in haste as I was heading out the door and really didn't digest what you said. I think you may have put more thought into it than I did.

I would like to have a statistician do the numbers for pure probablility because it could be useful in a political setting for defending the trap check.

Bob I respect your ambition, knowledge and physical ability. Those things probably make you capable of working hard enough to make a short check work.

For the animals you trap in the places you trap them at least.

I would love to see you make it work on a Great Basin cat line however. I could be wrong but I'd have to see it to believe it.

I a previous post you said somethng about 70 traps was that how many you set in a day?

Joel

[bobwendt]

no, about 80 traps a day , maybe 35 locations over 170 miles or so, kept rotated, complete turn over weekly is about all I can handle. takes couple days to get them all out and rotating regular. depends how pooped I am before I start how fast I can get them out. use to be I`d drive 1500 miles straght thru and set 50 the first day and end up using a light after dark. lol, I`m slowing down some now tho. have had out as high as 130 on an extended dry spell ,rarely. I`d love to give the great basin a whorl on 24`s, but they won`t let in non residents. I`d work the north for fox. I know they would work on 24s, the rest I`m quite certain coyotes would too, heck you can`t keep the suckers out! I can only imagine if a guy tried to catch them. cats, I guess I`ll never know how it would work for me since I can`t go there unless I move there. probably be so excited I couldn`t keep from 24s even with a poor catch.

[Stef]

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?

I remove the springs on all traps before working on them.

It always short welds on traps...LoL

Good luck!

Stef

[k9]

I have wondered about that when welding on traps. Heat is the enemy of springs.

So welding guys should I be doing like Steph, and taking my coil springs off before welding on my traps? I am about to baseplate a bunch of them this summer.

[17HMR]

I take them off to base plate but leave them on and covered to lam. A buddy of mine leaves them on when base plating but covers them with a damp rag.

[gunny]

I used to totally disassemble the springs. Found that hooking the ground clamp to the trap itslelf and not the vise or table elminated most of the fried springs.

I still put a block of wood over the springs to keep the dingleberrys off.

[flea]

Thanks for the info Stef . Hopefully my baseplates and lams will be here by next week and I can get to welding.

[Stef]

I knew that some guys don't remove the springs but what the....

It only takes 1 minute to removed and to be put on traps and no worry.

my 2¢

Stef

[k9]

You are right on that Stef. I have not had a problem in the past but I hook my ground right up to the baseplate as a general rule, so this has probably saved me problems. I just always have to move it when I weld on that side.

By the way I am a terrible welder and do not know what I am doing. It was quite by accident that I put the ground in the right place to save frying springs.

[mike692]

stef said:

I knew that some guys don't remove the springs but what the....

It only takes 1 minute to removed and to be put on traps and no worry.

my 2¢

Stef

Agreed. I always take down traps completely. I TRY to do everything at once...baseplate and laminations. That way the trap only needs to be taken apart once.

[Stef]

Also, when the springs are removed.... you can do anything with the trap (position) while welding.

Stef