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Post by 17kiss on Jan 17, 2004 18:18:09 GMT -6
Too expensive for my blood. that could be more traps.DJ , I found some anthills! So , I would guess I could use anthill dirt to topdress my coalshale?
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Post by ChrisM on Jan 17, 2004 18:28:25 GMT -6
you can bullet proof your dirt...just use more wax
Sound like a man who's selling wax!!! ;D
Kiss, I wouldnt know why not.
Steve, if you can get that many sets per gallon of dirt the cost wouldnt be bad at all. Seems to take me near bout 1/2 gallon to make a set. Course I dont use them itty bitty traps!! ;D
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Post by mike692 on Jan 17, 2004 18:35:08 GMT -6
You guys have me interested in this wax dirt thing. If I were to make a small amount for next season, say 50 gallon, could I buy regular trap wax and grate it myself? Or is the flake wax about the same price as regular trap wax?
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Post by Steve Gappa on Jan 17, 2004 18:42:58 GMT -6
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Post by Brian Roberts on Jan 17, 2004 19:22:11 GMT -6
I started using waxed dirt for canines this year.I will never be without it again. It isn't the cheapest way to go, it does have benefits though. Where I live it rains than freezes or just rains enough to mud my sets up good. Not with the waxed dirt, we had an inch of rain then the next day temps in the teens , next morning I had Coyotes. I haven't had to remake a single set all year because of weather. I wish I had a mixer like rdfx, and I'm keeping my eyes open for one, I checked the local rental stores and all of thier's had plastic drums. I mix mine in a large pot over a turkey cooker , I'm careful not to scorch it and I also mix until its wet looking . Steve I mixed up some dirt a couple of weeks ago that was moist and it worked alright , caught a dozen on it this week. I have black dirt here that I make it with and took it to Southern IL this last week where there's notghing but brown clay and still caught Yotes and fox. I do blend a little of the surrounding duff for all sets except stepdowns. I believe O'Gorman is probably right as to how much wax you mix as I've mixed less and it still work to a degree, but 1 pound to a gallon and a half of dirt works real well. I get 3 sets to the gallon using a mix of No. 2 and some No. 3 coilsprings. On remakes you can get by with a little less as some of the waxed dirt is still in the trap bed most of the time and you can bed the trap on it, also the smaller your trap bed the farther your dirt will go, just make sure your trap is touching it on all sides.....B.....
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Post by Steve Gappa on Jan 17, 2004 19:37:12 GMT -6
Another reason to use 1.75s LOL
is white granualted parrifin wax basicly all the same?
(ps Brian- if you register as "BrianRoberts" you should be able to do so. Spaces don't work...trappnman)
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Post by SteveW on Jan 17, 2004 19:38:03 GMT -6
Someone mentioned earlier about storing waxed dirt in plastic totes. Will the wax melt down in one of these when stored during the summer in a garage or shed? I have been using peat moss for the first time this year. I have had several refusals and dig outs. At first I thought it was equipment problems but after reviewing and eliminating anything I thought might be the cause, I am now in suspect that it is the peat. I just bought a 5 gallon bucket of waxed dirt off of a freind and fellow trapper. He wasn't sure of the ratio he mixed it but he made it using a heat lamp. He said it does a real good job drying the dirt and melting the wax. Sounds like a good way to do it.
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conibear1
Demoman...
Beaver trapping
Posts: 247
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Post by conibear1 on Jan 17, 2004 19:48:27 GMT -6
Steve, I have waxed dirt for 4 seasons now. With the time I have to check traps, 4-- 18 gallon totes are are about right for me. I store them in my shed in the summer without a problem. I love working with that stuff come fall. I collect gopher mound dirt in the summer. Using the picnic table(against my wife's wishes)I place a sheet of plywood on top of the table. I don't mess with dark plastic etc. I spread out the dirt on a hot summer day and mix it every hour or so with a rake. (Pocket gopher mound dirt is almost dry when you get it.) When it is powder dry, I sift back into 5 gallon buckets. Now it is ready to wax. Again I spread out the dirt on the board. (I don't know what ratio I use for wax/dirt, but when I'm done the dirt has a dark damp look to it.) I put hand fulls of wax on and mix it around. Throughout the waxing process, I rake the dirt around to be sure all of it is coated. The 2nd week of Augest is about the limit to insure that the days will be warm enough to do a good job(around here.) It is a good idea to order the wax before May. After the wax job is done, and before evening, I store the dirt in plastic totes and put them in my shed. That's about it! I hope this helps someone!
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Post by Steve Gappa on Jan 17, 2004 20:01:24 GMT -6
So once the wax is melted into the dirt- ts fairly stable and hot weather doesn't affect it?
I'd hate to invest $$$ and time- only to open yotes in the fall and have a 50 lb lump of waxed dirt LOL
I get all my dirt from gopher mounds also- its as perfect a dirt for canine trapping as you can get- and you can even choose the color!
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conibear1
Demoman...
Beaver trapping
Posts: 247
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Post by conibear1 on Jan 17, 2004 20:30:10 GMT -6
There are portions that get clumpy, but it is no big deal to crumble it up. 95% of mine does not clump. I keep it out of the sun in the shed until fall. It really works great for me.
About that gycol, how do you mix it and store it for the fall?
How do you mix it with the dirt at the set?
With your mixture, what is the outdoor temp limit that will allow it to keep working??
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Post by Steve Gappa on Jan 17, 2004 21:08:58 GMT -6
stef turned me on to the right way to use glycol. I mix it 50/50 with water. After the bed is dug- spray it good. Put in some dirt, then hold the trap over the dirt and spray the trap well (beads up very nice on fresh waxed traps LOL). Make sure all metal touching metal is sprayed well.
Then add dirt, spray, dirt, spray until trap bedded. Glycol will darken the soil- so if everything around is dry or frozen- overspray the glycol.
I found that it was very reliable intemps down to about 10- and I never had it get colder than than this year when using it. When it got very cold, I was using straight dry dirt. All in all- except for the fact that you need to remake after a heavy rain- not much downside.
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Post by dj88ryr on Jan 17, 2004 22:31:47 GMT -6
In the letters to the Editor section of the T&PC this month, the first letter is about waxed dirt.The author staed that he uses flaked wax and mixes 55 pounds of flaked wax to 73 gallons of dirt. This guy also starts with anthill dirt.
I would say yes, to the anthill dirt to sprinkle over the waxed to blend if the anthill dirt matches you local, mine doesn't, the anthill dirt is darker than the field dirt that I trap.
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Post by coonwhacker on Jan 18, 2004 0:45:16 GMT -6
I never tried it myself always mixed dirt and urea. I might try waxing some dirt to give it a try. mike
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