|
Post by mostinterestingmanintheworld on May 5, 2011 5:36:48 GMT -6
I prefer fresh bait to prepared stuff. I like to bury a half a pkg. of frozen butchered deer meat paper and all. chunk of fresh frozen carp in an old can bent over, a gopher or other rodent with guts cut open, big chunk of coyote meat, half a badger, fresh coyote skull.
Something big enough that it holds it's water for a while in this dry climate.
|
|
|
Post by mostinterestingmanintheworld on Apr 25, 2011 17:30:17 GMT -6
Who is Jason?
|
|
|
Post by mostinterestingmanintheworld on Apr 24, 2011 22:05:55 GMT -6
Are those Sterling Springs?
|
|
|
Post by mostinterestingmanintheworld on Apr 24, 2011 15:45:22 GMT -6
Bridgers are OK, I prefer the dogless Monty's, but have caught a hell of a lot of animals on dogged traps so it probably doesn't matter except once in a blue moon.
|
|
|
Post by mostinterestingmanintheworld on Apr 24, 2011 14:07:05 GMT -6
Put some #3 Bridger levers on them and then you would have a damn good trap.
|
|
|
Post by mostinterestingmanintheworld on Feb 23, 2011 3:31:25 GMT -6
I like the PIT clamps on longsprings, less weight.
TC, how many times have you walked up to a cat in a trap and not been able to see his tracks where he came in? I watched one walk a knife edge of bare sand in a snowed in wash once that wasn't an inch wide for 50 yards once.
If you are burying all your traps and relying on lure I'm guessing you are missing some cats. Especially when it snows.
|
|
|
Post by mostinterestingmanintheworld on Feb 22, 2011 13:04:37 GMT -6
I can't remember the distances now, I'm sure the BLM could tell you. Running a smooth wire on the bottom helps the antelope because they go under instead of jump.
|
|
|
Post by mostinterestingmanintheworld on Feb 22, 2011 3:09:27 GMT -6
Govt. has specifications for the distance between the top wire and the second wire.
I remember when I was a kid seeing hundreds of deer hung in fences on migeation routes before they made the simple change.
|
|
|
Post by mostinterestingmanintheworld on Feb 21, 2011 9:53:42 GMT -6
It does here as well, but if you want an extra 10-20% of those cats that just walk on by bait and lure.
And I don't care whose bait or lure, I've tried them all.
Scott Byrd told me he hardly used any lure the year they caught 360 cats.
The psychology of trapping is interesting to me, I had a hell of a time walking away from an uncovered cat set at first, now I doing the same thing with walking away from one with no lure.
My thoughts now are that one doesn't put lure next to a snare, why would he put it next to a blind set with a trap?
|
|
|
Post by mostinterestingmanintheworld on Feb 20, 2011 7:33:10 GMT -6
I don't like number 4's for cats for that exact reason. I've had several instances when I used to cover when cats would take two steps. Never seen it on a #3. I would buy #2 sleepy creeks but like several have said previously springs are mush.
The big pans aren't necessary, there have probably been ten thousand cats caught on stock pans. A cat doesn;t need a garbage can lid to step on.
|
|
|
Post by mostinterestingmanintheworld on Feb 18, 2011 18:15:57 GMT -6
Zag I think that pan in the pic is a skosh large but I'd set it. I put big pans (3.5 inch) on a bunch of #3 longs.
The late Texas Wolfer made them for me. Great guy, I have the hat he sent me in a place of honor on my workbench.
What I do is dip the trap in hot rosined wax and then pull it out and sprinkle some sifted sand/DG on the pan. Then I dip it again and pull it up being very careful to keep the pan level until the wax sets.
Once it dries it looks perfect for a cat to step on. Looks a bit wet from the wax but I just throw a little dust on it and shake it off.
Just block it in real good on a trail set and wah lah.
The coils tend to sink in the mud when the ground gets wet and freezes, almost need wax paper underneath in some conditions. LS's not so much. Also you can use the big pans because the springs come up outside the jaws instead of from inside.
I like em center swiveled and jaw lams if the stamped out jaws, 3n's don't need anything. I do like to put a #5 Bridger PIT pan on the 3n's, does what the ones Sam Donaldson made without brazing another pan on top.
Another thing that I really like about LS's is how you can wrap a drag up in them for transport, never found a way to tie up a coilspring very well.
Oh yeah when you show a cat where to put his foot he'll usually do it and he lands in the middle if you block it up right.
Fair amount of coyotes fall for it as well.
The most important thing on exposed pans is to have a rock steady pan. They will put their foot on it and test it sometimes. PIT's are real good.
|
|
|
Post by mostinterestingmanintheworld on Feb 18, 2011 11:15:28 GMT -6
Not true everywhere. I know several top cat trappers that have gone back to LS's. But we aren't making the same kind of sets that you do.
I haven't made 10 dirtholes in 10 years.
|
|
|
Post by mostinterestingmanintheworld on Feb 17, 2011 8:01:29 GMT -6
I bought some Jakes and they are a work of art. However I've only set them once and never caught anything in them. Just not a trap that I want to grab when I walk up a hill. I figure they are a good lion trap, and maybe small bears. lol!!
|
|
|
Post by mostinterestingmanintheworld on Feb 16, 2011 11:21:45 GMT -6
I set a sterling the other day as it was the last trap I had. Exposed set, came back, trap was stretched clear back through the tree with hair in jaws indicating full paw catch. Tracks in dirt definitely a cat.
I'll be grinding the offsets down this summer. Cats feet are a bit slippery.
I think longsprings with PIT pans are the best for exposed cat sets. I think they are the best for covered coyote sets as well.
I like the Monty dogless for covered cat sets.
|
|
|
Post by mostinterestingmanintheworld on Jan 20, 2011 0:05:09 GMT -6
You might be surprised this year, the catch is down in many places. Oil is up, some other factors that make me think it's a good year to have some cats.
Be proud of your cat, maybe it's as good as you get in your area. It does have a colored belly.
You need to turn your knife into the white on the back of the legs when skinning. You left some of the hips on the inside of the back legs. Where you tack the back legs close it should be white to white. You'd have gotten a few more inches on length.
|
|
|
Post by mostinterestingmanintheworld on Jan 19, 2011 16:22:01 GMT -6
I think most animals are attracted to the smells of other animals just on a general basis.
Skunk works for us because we have confidence that predators can smell it, which they can, and we find them in our traps.
Are they more attracted to skunks that rat musk or urine, or just the smell of a Jackrabbit?
Probably similar to how sometimes different smells are attractive to us on different days.
If I'm hungry the smell of food is more attractive than when I'm not but it still has some attraction, enough that I notice anyway.
Now the smell of perfume can be attractive because it's attractiveness can become repulsive instantly when I find the source of the odor.
|
|
|
Post by mostinterestingmanintheworld on Jan 17, 2011 10:08:53 GMT -6
Put a PIT pan on it, if you're going exposed for cats use a #5 Bridger pan.
|
|
|
Post by mostinterestingmanintheworld on Dec 3, 2010 8:31:19 GMT -6
I love PIT pans. A stable pan is the most important thing on an uncovered set. The cat will put his paw on it and test it for stability just like you do when walking through a rockslide, over ice, or through deep water.
If that pan is wobbly I'm thinking you're not going to get him.
3-4 pounds of pressure is great in that type of situation, hell even more, a cat weighs more than 4 pounds. Keeps most of the smaller animals out.
It's important to make sure the whole trap is stabilized though a solid pan is no good if the trap is wobbling around.
I use a #5 bridger PIT on a 3n longspring and it works well for me.
|
|
|
Post by mostinterestingmanintheworld on Nov 26, 2010 23:37:00 GMT -6
I'm packing, good luck.
|
|
|
Post by mostinterestingmanintheworld on Nov 22, 2010 10:31:49 GMT -6
I just bought a dozen, well made, now I'll just see if I can bring myself to actually pack them out into the brush.
|
|