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Post by trappnman on Jul 8, 2021 7:31:47 GMT -6
For the first time ever, I'm so far ahead of the prep game it scares me. All traps are dyed and waxed, 12 bales of peat bought and drying in the shed, 200 gophers in freezer and about 100 gals of dry dirt stored. All I stil lneed, is to order lures and urine. Got enough cable stakes made to last the season, and decided last year I'm done with screens. So hard to get the right screen & I absolutely dread cutting them out. I've (we've) come to the conclusion that under ideal conditions, screens DO give us a few more coyotes, but it seems like since forever, you don't have ideal conditions and due to the softness of peat, I MISS a few coyotes because of screens. If we could use site dirt like it should be- packed tight, 1/2 to 3/4" of dirt over top, I'd use screens at every set, but with all the rain,snow, freeze thats not the norn it's the exception & thats just not possible. I'm going back to poly in dirt, and nothing with pure peat. Did it like that for about 1/2 of the season, and it worked well.
So with all that done, been spending time pondering my lines and set ups. A frieind of mine introduced me to OnXhunt- and if you got it you know what I mean and if you don't- go to their website and get the free trial. Its $30 a year if you want it, and I got it on thier fathers day sale for $20.
It shows in quite good detail several map views, even 3D. And it shows all the land boundarys and who owns it, along with their tax address, which in my area is usual thier home address. What an eye opener. Stop alongside the road, click the app, and there you are..who owns what, true land boundaries rather thatn " I own to that old fence" stuff. I've found several things that I didn't know- both pieces of land that I have permission to trap but didn't know about, and in several cases found other farms, owned by farmers I already trap for, that I never knew about.
I've pinpointed a few new locations on same "farms", but (imo) will be better locations.
Fun to play with for sure.
Haven't been to a convention in a couple of years, but am going to the minnesota one in late July, to see folks and to give a coyote demo. My coyote demo is Saturday at 2, if you are there make sure you say hi. I plan on a brief 10 minute or so demo on how I use peat without digging or refusals, and the rest on spot location set ups.
My plans for this fall are pretty much coyotes, and then a small but expanded from last year waterline with my grandson. He just passed his online certification, and now just needs field work to get his lic. A fair weather hobbyline- when the fun stops, so will we LOL.
How is everyone's plans going for this season? I'm not optimistic on fur prices, I think I might have heard that other coyote shoe drop....but we look at coyotes like a working vacation, a true labor of love and while we don't make a ton of money, we do cover expenses with enough extra to make it worthwhile. I'm truely blessed to have a wife that loves trapping, and can make a set as good as me, and takes pride in fur put up. I couldn't do it without her for sure.
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Post by claybird on Jul 9, 2021 5:11:35 GMT -6
I’m as fired up as ever about getting my fox / coyote line set up. I have all my lures and baits bought, peat moss drying out in my garage attic, and just need to wax my traps. I quit boiling traps probably three years ago as I found out it’s not necessary. I just power wash and wax em. The biggest thing that really helped my winter trapping is the bone dry peat moss. I’ve used every method out there and hands down its peat moss for me. I use deep step downs dug out with my Pulaski so there is no need for well bedded traps. When the fox or coyote steps down the couple inches and hits my big steel screen on my nobs jr trap the party is over. The screen works perfect on this trap every time. Yes the snow or rain can be a problem with step downs but I’m extremely fast at getting them back in operation. Season can’t come quick enough for me.
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Post by trappnman on Jul 9, 2021 9:22:25 GMT -6
I agree on the peat- I've used shale a bit and thats pretty darn good, but not accessable here.
I dig my beds the same, but instead of stepdown its more dished- with a large guide tight to loose jaw. Different solutions to the same problem.
I also am firm in my belief, that you need to use copious amounts of peat at and around the set- te smell and feel and look before te set, almost eliminated any digging or pattern refusals.
I've had dirtholes with peat under water for a couple of days- water goes, and only the top layer is wet, rest bone dry.
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Post by claybird on Jul 9, 2021 10:04:08 GMT -6
I agree 100%. I only wish I knew about the dry peat moss 30 years ago. When I use peat I don’t even use a sifter, I just throw it on and scatter it around. Amazing product for K9 trapping. For flat sets I like the Zagger method covering with dry grass or hay. I guess it’s not really his method as others cover this way to but the way he explains to use it with his pipe dream set.
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Post by northof50 on Jul 10, 2021 17:44:27 GMT -6
It is only July and 100 more days to
Procrastinate
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Post by northof50 on Jul 10, 2021 17:48:06 GMT -6
prices should be just like last years on the coyotes what happens in 10 days is a small barometer to measure from because of the selection in the sale
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Griz
Demoman...
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Post by Griz on Jul 11, 2021 10:12:02 GMT -6
When I use peat at dirt locations I too scatter it around the set area to get the smell and feel before the actual set. For sets in sod or grass locations I like to cover with dry grass. I find this really works during rainy, freeze-thaw weather. In soybean fields after harvest there are quite often bean pods scattered in piles that can be used for covering that works well and blends into the area.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2021 18:22:02 GMT -6
When I started coyote trapping all I used was peat whether it was the Seldom’s Disco dirt hole set, deep step-down set or the Marinda walk-thru set. I switched to waxed sand 5-6 years ago and won’t go back to peat unless something happens and I can’t make my waxed sand. My trapping area has always had houndsmen but during the last 4 years the callers have really been coming on strong but mostly in the spring. I’ve seen a steady drop to 60% in my catch rate and I’m thinking it may have stabilized. The crew’s of houndsmen are even complaining about the lack of numbers. The callers around me seem to hit it hard in the late spring. Kill the bitch-kill the den IMO.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2021 18:37:38 GMT -6
I forgot to mention that through the last 5-6 years I switched completely over to Jakes. I had to do some work to the trigger in order to make them work like I expect a “Cadillac” trap should work and make the paan tension completely adjustable. When you buy a Jake from Oconner it tells you in the instructions to use a nutdriver and adjust the tension by feel! Bullchit1. When you buy a bathroom faucet they don’t give you a nutdriver so you can turn the water on & off? You buy a new truck you don’t expect to turn the radio on with. Frigin nut-driver??. I succeeded and am very happy with them now but it left me with no traps to work on so I bought some of Harris’s No Dead Zone coyote traps. I’m glad I did because it created for some serious study on my part to be able to become use to this particular trap. Adjusting pan tension is a mind bending endeavor BUT it can be accomplished. Now that I’m comfortable with them, I bought some more! LOL
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Post by trappnman on Jul 21, 2021 8:02:45 GMT -6
I used some Jakes in WY one time, and have to say they are indeed the Cadillac of coyote traps. But I'd cry every time one got plowed up or run over by a tractor. I'm guessing they might hold up well to being run over- that is one thing I like about that bridger dogless- I've had several run over, and all undamaged, whereas some traps like the monntanas, tweak beyond repair.
Callers aren't real big in my country- but more so the hunters either with dogs, or big drives late in the winter. But the areas they are in, aren't my trapping areas per se- but I'm sure it does have an effect.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 21, 2021 10:45:44 GMT -6
Yes, the jakes are great traps but that version of a Miles trigger really sucks! You can’t have a trigger assembly that loosens whenever the pan move downward. Why JC couldn’t see that is beyond me. I could see what I needed to do to modify the trigger so that there was no longer any loosening of the pan tension and I could be confident that the trigger would always fire at the poundage I set.
One day a fellow trapper brought over to the house a couple of new NO-BS traps. The Miles trigger is similar to the Jakes but the manufacturer was smart and observant because he had made the change as I did to the Jakes to his NO-BS traps in the design.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 21, 2021 12:01:50 GMT -6
Another thing about the Jakes, they have a very low pan compared to the jaws when set. 3/8” is probably a nice thing when setting with dirt or even peat because you can make a very nice dish/low spot over the pan. It’s not a nice thing when using waxed material because you can’t have a dished set! Water will lay in the dish and freeze into a ice patty when using waxed sand/dirt.. Trying to use the Jakes with the rubber pads removed isn’t an option because each jaw has 2 lugs (for want of a better word) sticking up when set. I solved the pan/jaw levelness by pop riveting a piece of 3/8”x3”x2.75” aluminum bar stock to the pans. My pans are now flush with the jaws when set and that’s how me and the coyotes like them.
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Post by trappnman on Jul 22, 2021 6:50:41 GMT -6
I didn't use them enough to get the finer point. Wiley lent me a bunch of Sterlings and Jakes when I went our west the 1st time. Liked them both, but the Sterling seemed to be so finely machined, that any piece of sand made setting a pain.
Have you looked at that Bridger #3 dogless? I hate the Bridger dog on, but these dogless seem to do the trick for me-
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 22, 2021 7:00:06 GMT -6
Nope, haven’t tried them. I’ve got too many traps now between the Jakes and the Harris NDZ’s! LOL
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Post by braveheart on Jul 26, 2021 14:53:30 GMT -6
I just logwood my traps and go. All mine are Vic. Mont. 4 off set. One trap and no others. I did get a SDS hammer drill it the best thing I think I ever got. It will walk right through frozen ground for a trap bed with the chisel.
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