Sprungs traps

[oursnorb]

Why i have many sprungs traps at the hay sets? Maybe the pan tension is too light?Thanks for comments.

[trappnman]

IMHO, the reason you get so many snappped traps at haysets is twofold: traps not bedded solid, and no guiding.

Try this- instead of laying a pile of hay on the ground, clear off the snow from a large area, at least 10-15 feet. at one end, ideally where there is a blocking of weeds, or even high snow, and lure and bait under that. Use a maul to pound a depression in the ground- anything is better thna nothing- but if yo u can get the trap at ground level, all the better. Cover it with fine hay. Scatter this type of hay over much of the circle. Now use hay more of as guides than anything, and "funnel" the canine to approach the bait/lure so he must come over the trap.

Direct his foot rather than making it random, with reduce those snapped traps quite a bit.

[RdFx]

Ditto on what Steve said: i have used that method past 20 years and it produces. If too much snow shovel or sweep off, preditors will find it and work it. Also use at least size three trap as if a couple inches snow is on you need the larger traps size. Good luck... post pics when you make a catch. Good Luck

[oursnorb]

Ok, But here the snow fall almost daily, its why I make a mound of hay to keep clean by the wind. I will try to shovel the snow and make my set, but if the snow fall often, I will obligate to remake. How many time do you think its necessary for the coyote work the set with this manner.

[trappnman]

That's the trouble snow trapping, it's constant maintenance. There's various methods of where you set that that can help drifting snow to degree, but none work well. If it drifts a little or you got an inch or two of snow that falls just leave everything alone. Social you get 4 5 6 in over everything you're going to have to clear it up again.

[musher]

oursnorb is dealing with feet of snow. If he shoveled to the ground, he's have a pit.

I would guess that bedding is the problem. I would tap down the snow, that the trap will rest on, firmly before spreading the hay. I might even lay branches under the trap as a trap bed/support.

[trappnman]

I know you would snare lol. BTW, nice article in FFG. To me the whole trouble with hay sets is the randomness. If that much snow, then why not forget the hay, and just make classic snow sets such as in Carmens snow trapping book.

[oursnorb]

Thanks for the answers. Maybe I don't tap the snow enough to bed traps very solid. I try to improve the hay set to keep working the most time possible. I choose the windblown areas and with a mound of hay or manure, the set work for long time. I choose so the place to check this whit binnoculars.

My favorite snow set is the blind set, in deep snow but to varied my sets, I want try another when the snow is crusty.

[flathead40]

If your blind sets aren't sprung then you'd have to believe your doing fine bedding in the snow. Have you tried bedding the trap just like you do in your blind sets, then using the hay as the attraction?

[musher]

Thanks, Steve.

Right now the fox are peeing on every little fir top sticking from the snow. I imagine the coyotes are also. I would be urine post setting IF I was setting footholds or I would blind trail set. But, as with all snow sets, you need a solid base.

[trappnman]

Are you seeing tracks of coyotes are working your locations?

[oursnorb]

In my blind/trails sets the bedding is less important, the giding is more easy, he walk right in the tracks. If I bed like this in my hay set and the snow melt or freeze solid, is no good.
Yes the coyote too pees everywhere but if the snow is no good, like the others snow sets, he don't work.

Yes the coyotes work my hay sets, but is long(couples weeks). The coyote are very suspicious here and if I go remake my sets often, he don't work it.

The old trappers here maked a small pile of manure shaped in "U" with bait, 2 traps, one in the middle and one in the rear, cover it with fine hay. I think that the manure is better than hay because is more solid. In windblown area this set work for long time.

2 coyotes this morning in trails sets and one miss, on 20 traps. When the snow is deep and the coyotes present, is efficient.

[trappnman]

so the coyotes are there regular, but aren't working the sets? or don't come around more than evry few weeks? If the later, a change of location could wel lbe the answer.

but- no matter what you do- its stil lsnow trapping and the rate of success, at least for me, is far far less than bare grounbd or a skiff of snow.

[oursnorb]

Yes, the snow trapping is a lot of work, everything change rapidly, but in bare ground the season is very short here, and, at this time, the coyote hunt where the deers are in winter place.

Maybe my locations are in cause, I will check for this. For the coyotes, do you put your location near of a dense cover?

[trappnman]

I tend to make my sets in the open, rather than near the woods areas. BUT- I'm trapping mostly bare ground. Or early enough snow that late summer and fall habits/food sources haven't changed much. Once snow gets deep enough to limit travel and more importantly limit food sources, you will have no choice but to move into or close to heavier cover.

[oursnorb]

Ok, thank you very much.

[trappnman]

It comes down to this- if there was anything possible to make coyote trapping even more complicated, its deep snow.

Beyond a few years of running a few traps in late winter and deep snow (younger and dumber) I don't coyote trap or land trap anything in snow by design.

Many years are somewhat typical of this year- a few inches of snow here and there, but melt quick or any pesistent snow cover is spotty and thin.

A few years ago, we got a big storm early, 1st week of Nov and it stayed, with new snow and winds a constant PIA.

So I was forced to run deep snow through the heart of my season and lines. Mixed results at best. For sure our lowest total in decades (77) and a lot, a lot of daily maintanence. I soon learned that most of the advice either didn't trap in deep snow, or their deep snow wasn't my deep snow. Advice to set where "it doesn't drift" or to "not use backings" or "set facing south (east, north west)" to eliminate drifting had no bearing in reality.

Becasue I soon found in those conditions, it didn't matter where you set, what type of set- if you disturbed the ground in any way....it drifted. Put a toothpick into the ground on a windswept knoll, and next day a 5' drift.

So rake, shovel, broom and my trusty metal detector became daily tools to try to keep things open.

I did learn a few things: If the snow cover still allowed the shape of the hole, or some definition in the set- I let it be. I there was no defintion or visible hole portion, I would clear it off. While I'm a skunky/loud lure advocate, in those conditions I went even more heavy with loud lures.

I do believe that while a coyote is certainly aware of your tracks any time of year and knows exactly where you walked, the visual of your tracks DOES matter, at least to some extent.

I know coyotes follow human tracks, I see it all year round. I read that coyotes travel on man made "trails" (including roads, field roads, trails, etc, all inclusive) something like 70% or more and I find that easy to believe. But...something about a set, lures, coyote smells with snow does seem to make a difference. And yet, I wonder are the misses I see in snow just normal? Whats happening on bare ground but on bare ground I have a bigger population and as long as a coyote I don't notice and by time snow its just the spooky ones? Don't know.

Point being visible tracks in deep snow, the scale tips for me ot at least muddle them and blur them.

If you want to deep snow trap, its ging to be a learning experiece and success rate will still be low. Just from the trap maintanence point of view at the very least.

A good book you might enjoy is Russ Carmens Snow Trapping book. Its a fox book, but his snow methods are intersting, and its the only book I know devoted to just that subject- deep snow trapping.

Show us some pics!

[northof50]

Get the farmer to leave a large round bail in the field, and rig up a 'Topper set" then the snow will not be a problem, they love to climb on top and sit on the exposed side and look for their next girl friend to pass.

[oursnorb]

Ho yes, it's that I looked when I'm going in my field the last week. They have a big bale in the center and many tracks go around and a dropping on top...For the next winter, an set on top clear of snow for long time!

[northof50]

There is usually a swirl around the bale it does not drift in the traps may be workable longer.
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