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Post by youngandtalented on May 7, 2008 16:19:42 GMT -6
i was just curious as to what you guys prefer for staking/anchoring traps in creeks. i have a lot of hard, rocky bottomed creeks around here and i have found it hard to anchor traps in the water. i was looking for somethign to hold mink or muskrat, but hold a coon if it gets caught. thanks for any help
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Post by trappnman on May 9, 2008 7:03:24 GMT -6
In rocky streams, I can usually get a rebar in if I work hard enough. Often, set location much be made where you can, not where you want. When trapping mink/rats, with the occaional coon, you can also stake to the bank, right at the water's edge or just about, with a long chain.
If small creeks, which usually have brush, blowdowns, etc- a log drag works well.
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Post by thebeav2 on May 9, 2008 7:11:27 GMT -6
6' of chain and a two prong grapnel will work. 100% of your mink and rats will be at the set and your coon will be tangled up close by. If you feel you will be catching more coon then rats or mink just toss the grapnel up In the brush at the set and your coon will be there. The more chain the better.
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Post by trappnman on May 9, 2008 7:17:40 GMT -6
grapples- forgot about them.
I have a few locations, that the creeks are too rocky, where I USED to it semed catch coon every year where coon were not supposed to be- so last 2 years, I've been using all my cooyte drags on my waterline also in these locaitons- but, of course, I''ve not taken any coon yet at those sets. Mink/rats hardly move the chain, let alone the grapple.
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Post by youngandtalented on May 9, 2008 15:35:01 GMT -6
thanks a lot guys, there are barely any soft creeks or anything around here so that helps me a lot. my dad is actually making me some of those rebar stakes at work, but we aren't completely sure how long to make 'em, what is your preferred length of stake ?
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Post by NittanyLion on May 9, 2008 18:19:47 GMT -6
I use bricks with holes in them. I have 2 sizes, the smaller bricks weigh about 5 pounds, and the large about 10 pounds. The holes in the bricks make it easy to wire the chain to. I pre-wire before the season and it is a real time saver. I use the larger bricks when I feel my chances of a coon are greater. Even with the smaller brick the coon is usually tangled up nearby. The mink and muskrats hardly ever move the small brich and never move the larger one. In my area a 20 plus pound coon is rare.
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Post by CoonDuke on May 9, 2008 19:13:08 GMT -6
If strictly coon trapping, why not go with a 6-8' cable? Same setup as the cat trappers use basically. Just cable off to a tree. No different than a grapple...the coon tangle just the same.
I know a 100 coon and 40+ mink catch that was made in PA last season using this system. The only exception to the use of cables is bridge wall sets where bricks were used.
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Post by northof50 on May 9, 2008 19:26:58 GMT -6
Try using old feed bags or old sand bags, use the avaiable rocks and wire closed then have a slider system anchor to bush and rer-splash with the bag.
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Post by youngandtalented on May 9, 2008 20:05:02 GMT -6
they all sound like good ideas, i am definately going to get try all them next seans and see what works best for me
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Post by thebeav2 on May 9, 2008 21:05:37 GMT -6
Cable would work. But It's hard to control and It might just be a one time use thing If It gets wound up to bad and gets kinked. Chicken wire sections work well for holding rocks for a weight. Just cut 3' square sections and fill with rocks fold up the corners and wire to your trap chain.
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Post by youngandtalented on May 9, 2008 21:59:20 GMT -6
wouldn't the bricks and stuff like that get bulky after a while though ? chances are i'll be doing a lot of my trapping out of a boat or walking, or would they be soething taht yo could go, set them before the season and just have them ready ?
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Post by foxcatcher1 on May 9, 2008 22:21:23 GMT -6
The rocks are already at the set. Empty the chicken wire before moving sets. I have used the cinderblock (brick) method on river lines........it works great for small procution lines but if you try to st more then 20 traps it gets real teadious. I like a 6 ft chain with a trap ring on one end. I then put a quick link on the other end. Find a tree about 3-4 inches around near a good set location and wrap the chain around the tree putting the quick link through the chain loop. Attach trap to quick link. The chain can be the cheap twin loop you can pick up for $0.20 per foot. works well and if you want to change to a grappel all yuou have to do is quick link a grapple to the ring.
Don
Don
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Post by youngandtalented on May 10, 2008 18:42:31 GMT -6
sounds good to me, liek i said, i think this year i willprobably try a lil bit of everything on my line. for the rebar stakes, how long do you guys make them ? 2' ?
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Post by foxcatcher1 on May 10, 2008 19:26:23 GMT -6
I use 15-18" rebar in firm bottom ang 24-36 in soft bottom. thats when I use rebar, most of the time I use dispoables.
Don
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Post by coonboy on May 10, 2008 20:09:53 GMT -6
2 prong coyote drags turn them up sidedown like a T and stomp them in the bottom like a short stake . very few coon will get them out with them pulling on the bottom of yhe "stake" if they do they are hung up very close. rocky bottom put some big rock on top of the drag.
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Post by northof50 on May 10, 2008 20:09:54 GMT -6
Save the counter balances bricks from old washing machines. They are grouved and cable and wired execelent. They are heavy enough to drown beaver, but light enough to boat around, and the scrap metal places really like it when you take them out and pay a premiun for the metal. Wack em and stack em. because the fur auction flips them and flaps them.
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Post by youngandtalented on May 10, 2008 20:48:30 GMT -6
thanks foxcatcher, i'll give my dad teh spec and i'll gte some made of each size. the drags def. seem like a good idea, i have to get some made anyway for my 'yote traps, so i'll probably make some other ones for my water traps. thanks everyone for teh help, this should save me a lot of time trying to figure all of these ideas out on my own
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Post by makete on May 13, 2008 10:25:00 GMT -6
Try using old feed bags or old sand bags, use the avaiable rocks and wire closed then have a slider system anchor to bush and rer-splash with the bag. I use this method as we have a lot of limestone bottomed streams. Just put a mess of bags in pack then when you get to the spot where you need them add rocks wire shut with the slide wire and wade out to the proper depth. I lay the bag of rocks on the tied end so that I get totoal depth. Then run drowning wire up to the bank and either stake or wrap around tree or brush. Works great for me.
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Post by thebeav2 on May 13, 2008 11:15:49 GMT -6
Half sections of old Iner tubes work even better then feed sacks and last for ever.
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Post by trappnman on May 13, 2008 18:04:15 GMT -6
chicken wire is good also
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