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Post by bluegrassman on Jun 8, 2010 17:43:47 GMT -6
in O'gormans book he says that the steel screen works best on dogless traps with the pan level with the jaws.
should i do some filing on the pan to raise it up level with the top of the jaws or would it be better to keep the low (stock) pan height?
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Post by deanchapel on Jun 8, 2010 18:31:52 GMT -6
keep it low!
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Post by trappincoyotes39 on Jun 8, 2010 18:33:33 GMT -6
Low will be fine but not a big fan of stiff wire screen as too big of a kill area can be bad. Make sure to have sufficant pan tension or you will see an increase in toe catches with a very large kill area.
A #3 montana is more close to jaw spread of a standard sq jawed size #2 trap, IMO too small to worry about steel screen I use coffee filters and have for years work great, conform to pan.
Use what works for you!
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Post by stickbowhntr on Jun 8, 2010 18:54:56 GMT -6
I use nothing but steel screen on my 3's and would never use anything else any weather.
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Post by stickbowhntr on Jun 8, 2010 18:58:33 GMT -6
and what I beleive Craig is saying is the pans need to be flat with the jaws and yes thats level but when set right the top of pan is bottom of set jaws.Hope you understand what I am saying.my screen sits FLAT on top of pans and at bottom of set jaws and NO BUBBLE in covers.
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Post by bluegrassman on Jun 8, 2010 21:47:23 GMT -6
thanks everyone for the info, i wasn't sure if he was talkin about flat with the top of the jaws or with the bottom of the jaws. i understand now. again thanks
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Post by bluegrassman on Jun 8, 2010 22:09:58 GMT -6
when set, the pan isn't very high above the levers on these traps
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Post by rln on Jun 9, 2010 7:03:55 GMT -6
You can go to Geralds (Schmitt Ent) and print out the instructions for leveling the #3 Montana and cuting screen to fit.
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Post by trappnman on Jun 9, 2010 7:10:38 GMT -6
Been going back and forth on screens.
I'm a fan of polyfil, so went a few years using some screens, some ploy and decided we liked the screens better
First year went all to screens (on the montanas) , loved them, swore I never use anything but-
then the next year, the but was our screens were just a titch too small- causing nothing but problems so after a few days of tryign to adapt ways to get thme to wrok, we said heck with it and went to poly for that seaosn, and last.
but could tell the difference by one thing- tracks in the pattern mean I missed a few without screens.
going back to screens this year, esp with going to 4 coil traps.
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Post by makete on Jun 9, 2010 7:24:38 GMT -6
Low will be fine but not a big fan of stiff wire screen as too big of a kill area can be bad. Make sure to have sufficant pan tension or you will see an increase in toe catches with a very large kill area. A #3 montana is more close to jaw spread of a standard sq jawed size #2 trap, IMO too small to worry about steel screen I use coffee filters and have for years work great, conform to pan.Use what works for you! Could you explain to me how you use the coffee filters? Maybe a pic or two? |
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Post by trappnman on Jun 9, 2010 7:39:22 GMT -6
use the ones with the flat bottoms, and just set the filter on unspide down over pan, tuck in loose edges- they come in a couple different sizes, pick the smallest
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Post by makete on Jun 9, 2010 7:45:45 GMT -6
So do you pack dirt inside the jaws befor the filter or after?
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Post by trappnman on Jun 9, 2010 7:48:21 GMT -6
after.
its just a pan cover, aka toilet paper, wax paper, etc- just "precut" with a nice shape that fits over the pan.
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Post by makete on Jun 9, 2010 8:00:31 GMT -6
OK, thanks. Thought it was something else.
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Post by trappincoyotes39 on Jun 9, 2010 16:30:52 GMT -6
guide the feet and the body and your tracks inside with no critter waiting will be gone! Coffee filters work great I buy the "green varity" meaning the brown ones, very cheap and the 6-8 cup size workes well and conforms very well to any size 3 trap or the sterlings. They take mosisture fairly well and bio degrade. No rodent issues either.
Screen just never seen a big advantage and as Tman stated I have better things to do than cut a bunch of it! To small or too big of a kill area I have found to be a negative as I stated, that is why I like PIT pans on #3 bridgers style traps, sterlings ahve the best pan to jaw spread raito ever made IMO, and the jake trap has a nice sized pan for the jaw size, I wouldn't want it any bigger IMO.
Guiding is a key for me and my high catch to visit ratio.
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Post by 17HMR on Jun 9, 2010 17:09:15 GMT -6
TC, could you tell me were you buy them brown filters and the brand, havent been able to find any local so far.
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Post by trappincoyotes39 on Jun 9, 2010 20:21:55 GMT -6
wal mart, heck even my very small grocery store has them 2.29 for a few 100.
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Post by 17HMR on Jun 10, 2010 5:52:35 GMT -6
None at walmart here all white ones, Ill check the littler stores but wife says they dont have them.
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Post by trappincoyotes39 on Jun 10, 2010 6:00:17 GMT -6
our family brand, found in many smaller grocery stores.
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Post by trappnman on Jun 10, 2010 6:34:17 GMT -6
I don't care how good you guide, you are going to have coyotes give your that one track and gone on occasion-
I know how to guide- I used 1.75s for many years - you haven't begun to learn guiding until using small traps.
The vast majority of western coyote men, use screens. There is a reason.
I used coffee filters for a time- found them to be a pain, always having those loose edges come up- and they never fit as well as I liked. As a pan cover, they serve no more purpose than putting something under the pan. No different from wax paper, sandwich bags, toiletp aper etc-
all have the SOLE purpose, of keeping an airspace under the pan- no other reason.
polyfill does this better than all listed-
a screen has 2 purposes- to keep that air space, and to increase the kill area.
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