Freezing Temps Help

[GoBlueGuy]

Michigan had some sloppy weather for about three days then last night the temps fell to around 23 degrees. When I checked my traps early this morning I had a crust of frozen dirt over the trap. This is where I don't know if I made a mistake or not. With a very light snow falling, I brushed away the snow and saturated the trap with anti freeze. I stirred the bait around in the dirt hole and then I dusted the pattern with peat to make it look dirty again. I placed some urine and relured and left. I am sure the snow covered my tracks and helped keep the scent down.

Is this proper or am I over thinking this whole thing. The antifreeze was PG mix 75 percent with 25 percent water. Will this keep the trap crust free for a few days?

[trappnman]

depends on where the temps go, and also to a degree how much snow. you get 5-6 inches of snow, and the glycol works a bit longer-

but even then, it comes down to temps- you say you had sloppy weather, so I'd guess that means wet ground down to the trap and below.

If you didn't use the glycol when maiking the set, building it up so to speak as you go, you really REALLY need to spray a lot over a bedded trap, to get it deep enough to matter.

if the temps stay about the mid 20s, you probably are ok. If they dip into the teens IMO the top dressing isn't going to help much.

And if it gets much colder, leave the glycol in the truck-even by saturating the trap bed, the trap, the covering dirt- its starts to fail in single digit temps with "wet" ground and below zero is worthless, IMO

I used it heavy for sevreal years, and did most of my true winter trapping with it- but I haven't used any in 3 years-

why not bed the traps in pure dry peat- get a good amount under the trap, and then as a final measure, take a handful of dry dirt and a handful of peat, rub together and broadcast it over and around the set. Reat as needed to get a godo mottled effect far beyond your trap bed.

make sure you don't skimp on peat- in my opinion, its he #1 reason why peat fails for many people- trying to get by with a limited amount of peat, does more harm than good.

[GoBlueGuy]

Thanks. Temps did fall into the teens and we got about 2 inches of snow. Just checked all my traps this morning and they are snow covered. Left them alone. We have higher temps coming tomorrow, high around 38, then high of 41 on Monday. I bedded all my traps with peat/dry dirt mix and layer with antifreeze. The problem is my peat really isn't peat. A friend of mine says it's river bottom peat and not the Canadian peat. I didn't know the difference when I bought it and I don't know how much water this stuff will repel. It is very dry and it does not have many sticks or clumps in it. Anyway I am using this stuff. I guess I should test it out and if it doesn't work pitch it and get the real stuff next year. Temps will stay rather consistent next week so if traps need resetting then I will do that. I had a ton of tracks around my traps this morning. Some were just walk byes but some were walking around the trap bed area. We will see. Gotta keep plugging away at this.

[trappnman]

It is very dry and it does not have many sticks or clumps in it.

thats exactly what you want

not sure what river bottom peat is-