HELP WANTED

[pigtrapper07]

Dirty water trapper trying to make the switch to clean k-9 trapper needs help with the transition.

Clean fresh dipped F-1 traps not touched without rubber gloves. Clean tools, GOOD LURES / BAIT from you know who.
Trapps bedded as tight as I can get them.

Sat. got 14 sets in the ground.

Sun. 6 of 14 sets had been worked, 2 with yote tracks in the trap bed, 2 snapped traps still in bed, 2 dug out traps. 4 more sets put out.

Mon. total of 15 sets snapped or dug out. YES 15! all types of sets urin, post, dirt hole, double dirt hole, barried bait set. only one grinner to my name.

Tue. not one trap snapped or dug out.

Wed. 3 snapped trapps. two still in trap bed one possible toe catch pulled out?. One set was missing fresh transfered terd relocated to the backing of my set from another property. This set was not set off, Just missing the terd?

Please send your posts to the soon to be dirty water trapper again.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PIG.

[varmintshooter]

Sorry buddy, that's not the way to get started. Snapped traps would lead me to think your trap pan tension is to light. 1)Try to keep around two pounds. 2) Not sure what type of trigger you have but but a clean cut latch or a night latch helps. You can set the trap tension to two pounds or what ever and then, when the pan moves it goes off. No play. 3) digging up your traps sounds like you need to set them a "little" deeper. Also back off from the hole and leave a barrier of undug dirt between the trap bed and hole. An inch or so, or punch in a hole after you set the trap. Then if the critter digs it might not catch a toe on the trap jaw flipping the trap out.
Your urine post set should not have any digging. None of your flat sets should. It should be just a walk through type. If theses sets are set off it still sounds like pan tension. Is your trap the lowest part of the set?
Try this with several of your traps. Don't do a thing to them. Leave them just like they are and set them around your house. If you have pets running around put a bucket on them and leave them over night and see if any go off. Also set them and after you are finished set it off checking the poundage. Set some weight down on the pan gently. Add weight until it goes off or use the Sullivan tester. If nothing else it will help give you confidence in your sets and equipment.
On the bright side, if you were catching you would be burning them a new one.

[TrapperTod]

Hey pig I learned the hard way last year, to be careful with bait and lure. If you get it on your set anywhere but in the hole itself they are going to dig. Rodney helped me out alot last year so maybe he will chime in here. I might would try one or two types of sets until I mastered them, concentrate on perfecting them.

[rye]

which way are you facing the Dog? I remember Cameron saying something about if the dog is facing a certain direction (to the critter I think) it increases the odds of throwing the foot out of the trap when it fires. Also, I'd check the tension.. I had several snaps last year due to the pan being too light. It'd fire if a leave landed on it basically.

[Prune]

Sounds like your dribbling tobacco juice around the set ;D.

[buzzard]

contaminated traps......pan tension.........bedding

Pan tension is a complicated issue , no pan tension works just fine in non freezing/thawing conditions but the trap needs to be tuned for it

I would start all over.....w/ dye and wax

[TrapperTod]

Nov 6, 2008 8:08:57 GMT -5 Prune said:

Sounds like your dribbling tobacco juice around the set ;D.

That's the funniest thing I ever heard!! ;D

[cannonball]

Pig

Well I would certainly listen to Buzz.

I have not had any problems with F -1 here in eastern Nc in my black dirt but then again I have never targeted greys when the weather was as warm as it is now either.

If I recall you did not have these problems last yearwhen you came down here to Hyde county.

What kind of dirt do you have there at home. Is it sand or red dirt ?

[pigtrapper07]

Thanks to everyone for the posts.

Rye, Dog position is between 10 and 2 most common 2.

Prune, No spitten on the line not even for me.

Buzz, Don't know how the traps could have been contaminated Traps went straight from drying hooks to a clean bucket into the truck, Peet Moss in it's own bucket, Lure and bait in a plastic coffee can with lid and into a bucket of its own then into the truck. Pan tension could be the problem, I don't know what the pounds of pressure is but I have tuned the traps to fire with little to no pan travel. I'm using Vic. #3 sc, and 11/2 sc. I have tryed changing the depth of the trap in the bed with no noticed difference with the diggouts and snapped traps. I am packing both sides of the jaws with no woble in the trap when I push on the jaws on either side.

Cannon, I didn't have any trouble last season with catching fox here or in Hyde Co. now I can't even catch a coon much less a fox or Yote. Having trouble getting a handle on it.

Today's check, two snapped traps and one dig out. Fox tracks inthe trap bed on the dig out but unable to tell about the snapped traps. One of the sets, a double dirt hole was dug out from the side and the trap was pulled out to the end of the chain and nothin. I had another dirt hole that was dug out from the back that had a large clump of grass maybe 1 foot above the trap bed. I think I'v educated every fox and Yote in the area and still nothin.

Plans, Going to pull and clean everything. I don't think the F-1 is the problem but was wondering if anyone has waxed over F-1.

Any further assistance would great.

PIG.

[rye]

How much backing are you using on your fox sets? As for the flipped and dug out traps, I had that happen a bunch last year. After watching Camerons demo I figured it was the way I constructed my set. I've got some ideas of things to try different this year, but don't know if they'll fix the problem.

Have you tried a step down dirt hole yet? might focus their foot movements.

[Bottomline]

If they are digging for the bait, that's a good thing. Means they want it. They are probably flipping the trap while digging. You want to catch him before he digs (when he first inspects the hole/lure). At least that's what I try to do. Use more blocking and guiding to make the fox step where you want him to. On the coyotes, don't block as much and back the traps away from the hole a little. He's longer legged. Alot of blocking for coyotes will make him nervous/weary (most of the time).

Good luck Pig. Keep at it.
Yes I have waxed over F-1 before.

[buzzard]

Pig,

Adjust your pan tension so the pan will not fall by itself, but almost.....that is the minimum you would want.

NEVER allow the pan to drop on its own

Contamination ?? It dont take didly squat sometimes !

Waxin over F1 ?? Just make sure they are completly dry

[buzzard]

couple more things Pig,

Remember that F1 is porus and any contamination left over from whatever could contaminate the whole batch

Also, have you tried making sets w/out peat ? Your peat could be bad.


I find it very odd that you had no problems last year and this year is constant problems.....thats a sure sin of contamination to me.......somewhere ?

[lostyournoodle1]

WHAT ABOUT YOUR POLY FILL??
WHAT BUZZARD SAID ABOUT THE PEAT MOSS IS TRUE, JUST FOR KICKS TRY DRY DIRT FROM THE AREA, SEE IF THAT HELPS?
SOMETHING IS CONTAMINATED, IS WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE TO ME.

[biscuit]

I HAD RATS GET IN MY POLY FILL ONE TIME, TOOK ABOUT A WEEK OF DIG-UPS BEFOR I FOUND RAT TERDS IN MY FILL. NEW FILL, PROBLEM SOLVED.