Year of Change

[Deleted]

What you've described Marty of the coal shale made me remember Odon Corr's video and the soil he was workimg with.  He was setting in wind-blown locations and the soil was dark gray/charcoal colored and was dusty to say the least.

[braveheart]

It is defiantly dusty.

[trappnman]

I used coal shale once in WY. Wiley gave be a bunch to take with me to try- very, very dense and its that denseness that makes it freeze proof. I saved a 5 gal bucket from that to try here, and got no avoidance here.

I'd use it all the time if readily available here.

just bought my peat yesterday- a little late, but its stored inside at Menards where I always buy it, and by being a little choosy in buying it (heavy bag no, light bag yes) is pretty dry already, so will be setting it up to dry thoroughly today. Same brand it looks like as Seldom is using- but as I've said, in I'd guess 60-65 bags over past decade, I've never ever had to sift, or wished that I had.

Do different areas get the product made at different plants (like coke or pepsi), at that accounts for the difference?
don't know-

but think, perhaps, there might be some correlation in why one always needs to be sifted when peat is purchased, and another does not.

I guess that is one mystery of life, one I've pondered on for too long without any solution- 3 different years, I tried peat by using minimum amount in the bed, and had as much trouble with avoidance of the TRAP BED as I do with a different colored trap bed, or a different texture. or dipped traps in wet conditions.

to the point that those 3 years were not consecutive- but tried, and OH NOT ME....skipped a few years tried it again, skipped some more and tried it again.

It is now a given for me, that small uses of peat, vastly lower success rates- whereas large amounts, seem to be a neutral.

if you (Seldom) don't have avoidance or digging with minimal use of it only around trap, then you shouldn't have any more success with waxed dirt- you could however, have less.

[Wright Brothers]

I never sifted peat until,
a few years ago we talked about it on here.
Bob J said he did and said the % he sifted out.
Same brand Premier.
So I sifted and was surprised.
Been sifting since.
And it dries faster being un bundled.

[trappnman]

were you having problems with the unsifted peat?

[Deleted]

Do different areas get the product made at different plants (like coke or pepsi), at that accounts for the difference?
don't know-

but think, perhaps, there might be some correlation in why one always needs to be sifted when peat is purchased, and another does not.

My peat has varied so much over the years that it had to come from different peat bogs.  Some will be chunky, some will be extremely fibrous to the point of throwing away(because it soaked-up water rather then let it drain through), and some is very fine and relatively free of debris.

, I tried peat by using minimum amount in the bed, and had as much trouble with avoidance of the TRAP BED as I do with a different colored trap bed, or a different texture. or dipped traps in wet conditions.

So, here's the tally that has to encompass about every use of peat and in each instance the trapper catches coyotes-
1. Locklear is the "minimalist" of the four by only using peat within the jaws in place of a pan cover.
2. I'm next using peat inside the jaws and bedding the trap in it.
3. Robby Gilbert's "Trapping Time" on the Dish Network as seen on Utube uses peat inside the jaws, beds the trap in peat, and then makes the entire trap pattern all peat with only a grass covering.
4. Steve uses peat extensively all over the pattern, approach, and scatters several handfuls beyond. (hopefully I got Steve's correct)

if you (Seldom) don't have avoidance or digging with minimal use of it only around trap, then you shouldn't have any more success with waxed dirt- you could however, have less.

Well, it's all about fact-finding for me using waxed soil this season.  Yes, I've worried about peat's odor BUT I have not ever observed anything I could call avoidance here from using peat.  I've worried that if my guiding is off a little that the coyote winds up stepping on very soft peat up against the trap and maybe THAT could cause an adverse reaction.  The problem with determining that, is when it has happened, the coyotes stepped on a jaw and it moved so the trap wasn't bedded solid enough.

I had fun making the waxed dirt and sand as well as searching-out soil colors repesentive enough that both have colors relatively similar to the ground I'm trapping on.  I tested the waxed stuff for packability and I know both, though loose, packs a little bit more then peat.  I even did some testing as if the waxed dirt or sand was rained on then I froze the samples, thawed them, and then froze and thawed a second time.  What I am concerned with is making sure when using either, my covering allows for the water to run off.  I've got it in my head right now that if I have to dick around making trenches to carry the run-off as I've been hearing about, my waxed soils will be on sale! 

[Wright Brothers]

Not that I am aware of. I have had "some" pattern avoidance but don't think peat was the reason. That's a whole nother can of worms.

My experience with coal shale has not been good.
During that big thread on brown site,
when the young guy was name calling anyone using anything but shale.

John G pmed me. He taught me a lot more about the coal shale than anyone.
My conclusion, in my area many accessible exposed coal seams have been long ago pilfered and are far and few between.

At one time I knew of a slurry dump where the cement company dumped. The material matched these coal shale descriptions pretty close.
I am betting that dumping is no longer tolerated and moved to a more private location.

[trappnman]

what I wonder, in trying to form conclusions, is not so much how its used (peat) but how often it is used.

in other words- was it a demonstration in "how to use it" and not so much a testimonial on how they use it

as a pan cover- I need to ask "WHY"......... what benefit occurs?

[Deleted]

Jul 28, 2016 9:57:43 GMT -6 trappnman said:

as a pan cover- I need to ask "WHY"......... what benefit occurs?

Are you asking why someone would use peat instead of a pan cover?  One less thing to put in the ground with the trap such as a pan cover.  Secondly, i use it as a "all-in-one".  Throw a couple handfuls of peat in the bed, bed the trap, throw more peat in and over the trap.  All there is then is just the trap and peat.  I always figured you used the screen just to increase the kill area and nothing to do with the peat.

[trappnman]

the screen is the pan cover- while I know it increases the kill area, I don't think its more than a coyote or 2 a year if that using the trap I do. For me its more the perfect pan cover, without leaving the "soft" spots outside the pan. my comment was more to your comment #1 in using it solely as a pan cover-

if not using screens, I use poly under the pan.

I try to avoid the use of peat, for as long as I can hold out. Only in severe rain, or freezing conditions do I go to peat.

[northof50]

If that is Canadian Preimer peat moss I have been to their plants. Every year production is different some aiming from farmers fields which were grass bogs others are from black spruce bogs with shagmum moss which would have lots of sticks etc. When it is dry they haul from the fields in the fall and leave the bog in hold. The pipelines hold a lot in reserve and when it gets too wet and heave they sell to the nursery .

I remember in Organic chemistry that waxes can have 3 different combinations of carbon in their formula each one has a different melting point and chemical bonding but that was 40 years ago and there was a lot of nurses distracting my attention

[trappnman]

bonus on mine this year, in that it is the driest it has ever been. always pretty good, but this year I had to tape up a couple of slits it was so powdery.

is there more than one plant?

[northof50]

Don't know how many plants they have. Their wb page says they produce 26 million bags a year!!
Interesting read on their web page but my techi does not know how to paste. Premier page go to Horticulture, and read
They talk of ph of 4 and odour, and a profile of a bog and colour of moss

[Deleted]

Aug 6, 2016 10:10:28 GMT -6 northof50 said:

Don't know how many plants they have. Their wb page says they produce 26 million bags a year!!
Interesting read on their web page but my techi does not know how to paste. Premier page go to Horticulture, and read
They talk of ph of 4 and odour, and a profile of a bog and colour of moss

Here ya go Northof 50

www.pthorticulture.com/en/training-center/myth-series-peat-based-growing-media-are-sterile/

www.pthorticulture.com/en/training-center/odors-in-growing-media/

[northof50]

Thanks, but the area I was reading had a bog profile and why the peat moss was different colour and texture
I am sure that they have multiple plants with the amount they produce.
When the fields are being harvested the big oversize trucks and trailers are going down the highway and a cloud of brown dust a blowing behind them. Great to plug your cabin air filter.

[natedawg]

Anyone like to use calcium chloride?

I liked using peat in areas where there were no coons, otherwise it was a nightmare with getting dug out by coons. Used salt quite a bit, but when the ground was very moist and then the temperature break off real cold the salt would quit working. Switched to calcium chloride and it has worked great so far. Can't say I have ever noticed any avoidance of peat, salt or CaCl.

[trappnman]

we actually have a little peat bog here about 8 miles away, and a local guy harvests it-

had a peat bog on my dads farm- ask me what happens when you try to smoke a rabbit out of a hole...............

[Deleted]

Aug 7, 2016 9:34:00 GMT -6 trappnman said:

ask me what happens when you try to smoke a rabbit out of a hole...............

 
When I was a kid and a split-ended stick wouldn't twist them well enough to pull them out, I'd put the smoke to'em too.  I made the mistake ONCE of trying the smoke deal in a hole under an old pine stump.  Quite a sight when spring came!

[trappnman]

imagine my surprise, when the next morning smoke was coming out of the ground in multiple places- I hauled bucket after bucket of water, and luckily, it was small deposits because after a few days it went out

[Deleted]

Steve, after reading the two links to Premier Peat, do you think the avoidance problem you have with peat could be attributed to using it right out of the bale as described in the article?  The peat I use has always been out of the bales for several months.