Trapping lures

[fishhead]

I've decided to do a bit of trapping this fall. Mostly rats but some fox and coon too.

I see lures are $5/ounce. I know it's cost effective to use them but does anyone have any cheaper alternatives for the rats?

[trapperJim]

Really no need to use lure for rats. Blind setting with feedbeds or along side of their huts are most productive. Lures will pick up a few rats but it doesn't play an important role like with trapping coon. Although I've never used it, I have heard Russ Carman's MCL100 is pretty good. I have had good success with grinding fresh spearment with glycerine but again, lures sets probably make up about 4% of my catch.

[fishhead]

I've used Hawbakers Rat #1 in the past with a lot of success. I would use it on floats or sometimes put 4 traps around the perimeter of the house with alternating lures. Usually the traps would be full.

This season I'll be building about 20 colony traps. I'm trying to figure out a way to use them on floats but then the rats will still be alive.

[trapperJim]

I wish we could use colony traps here but it's still a no go.

[fishhead]

I've never used them before but I thought I'd build 20 of them. We rarely get clear ice at freeze up but when we do it would be simple to find the dens and slip one of the traps into the runway opening. I'm not sure I could do that with a house because they are usually over a mucky bottom and the angle of the entrance is steep and usually curves.

I once found a den and every morning and every evening I caught a rat for almost a week. I took about 12 rats from that one run.

I'm thinking I could build floats as long as the trap. Then put some lure inside to encourage them to force their way into the trap. I still can't figure a way to get the trap to automatically submerge.

[tinknal]

Dollar store sardines make good coon bait. Either make bank sets and put a dab of sardines in a pocket dug into the bank, or nail the can to a tree with the nail near the top. Every day make a nail hole in the can below the nail to let a little more oil seep out.

Best if you can find the cans without the pull tab, otherwise face the top toward the tree to keep the coon from pulling the lid off.

[chickenman]

My favorite coon lure by far is one ounce of Procoon (Forget Lures) in 16 oz of fish oil. I put it in a squirt bottle and use it in dirt hole and pocket sets. It's burning sweet and hangs at the set a long time. For canines I've had success with most of the big name lures. Carmen's, Hawbakers, Blackies, etc. Biggest thing with canines is location, IMO.

And tinknal, I've caught a ton of coon on sardines. My biggest problem with using them was not eating them myself.

[tinknal]

Originally Posted by chickenman

And tinknal, I've caught a ton of coon on sardines. My biggest problem with using them was not eating them myself.

Yeah, ya gotta find the really cheap ones, canned in the back room of a Bangkok cathouse, complete with heads, guts, scales, and cockroaches......,...

[big rockpile]

When I was heavy into Trapping for Rats I would have piece Ear Corn set Small Leg hold on each side with Drown Cable.Or use Conibear maybe baited with piece of Apple or Carrot on the Trigger set to the side..

You can use Small Perch for Coons and lots of other Critters.

I have taken dug up a sifted dirt,dry it good and put it in a Bag with Fox Urine for replacement of Dirt on my Dirt Hole Sets.

big rockpile

[fishhead]

What is the latest method of staking traps and trap setup for animals like fox?

More than 1 swivel? Double jaws? Padded jaws? Offset jaws?

It's been quite a while since I did any land trapping and I remember reading that trappers were going to padded jaws or maybe double jaws.

[gunseller]

Cheap Jack Mackrel works well for coons, pepermint tooth paste works for rats and chicken fat and skin works for fox. Let the chicken sit in the sun for a week and then add lots of salt. Anything that eats meat will come for it and if you have a trap set correctly they will then be there for you in the morning. For rats a 1 or 1 1/2 coil set in the run and staked in deep water works well. For coon the same traps with a hole about 1 inch in dia. and 6 to 8 inches above the water line with Mackerel or fish oil in hole and trap directly below with stake in deep water works. #11 wirw makes a good chain extention to get to deep enough water. For fox a dirt hole about 2 inches in dia. with the chicken in the bottom and covered with grass and trap set tight to the front lip of the hole catches a lot of fox. Lure on the back edge of the hole help a great deal. All of the above only work if the set is made in the right location. 18 to 24 inches of 3/8 or 1/2 inch rerod with a nut welded on one end works for a stake for the 3 animals you are going totrap. Keep in mind that you will get coons at you fox sets as well as a few coyotes. Get several trapping books and read what they say. It will return the cost of the books, if you understand them, many times over. Go to your state trapping comvention. If you are in SW Iowa PM me maybe we can go over sets together.
Steve

[Ed Norman]

Originally Posted by gunseller

For coon the same traps with a hole about 1 inch in dia. and 6 to 8 inches above the water line with Mackerel or fish oil in hole and trap directly below with stake in deep water works.

My favorite mink set when I was a kid. Mink would also go for a mouse nest with lots of mouse smell shoved in the hole. Mink will go check any hole, actually.

[fishhead]

Thanks for the offer.

I used to do a lot of trapping and a couple of times went "out west" to catch coyotes and cats. I'm pretty rusty now and have a hard time even with some prints unless they are clear and I can see the pattern.

We aren't allowed to prebait or do anything that would reserve a spot for a trap otherwise I'd set out some of those colony traps with the doors wired up and covered in dead grass. They'd be filled up with straw and corn to attract mice. Then when the season opened I'd drop the doors. Any mink coming along would be sure to check it out every trip.

Later this summer I may catch some mice and put them in a garbage can half filled with oat straw and let them dirty it up with poop and pee for a few weeks. That should make a pretty attractive smell for dirt hole sets for fox and coyote and bank hole sets for mink.

I had pretty good luck just tucking a piece of rat in a clump of grass along the shoreline and setting the trap in front for mink. It was quick and effective.

Will a #1 coil hold a coon? I was in the store today and tested the springs on one. They seemed pretty strong.

[gunseller]

Held lots of coons in 1 coils. My all time favorit coon trap is a 1 jump. 11 work very well also. That is in water on land I use 1 1/2 to 3 coils. Have cought fox and beaver in the 11s. Beaver was not the target but held a 65 pounder by the side of his back foot. Location is the hardest part after that any type of set works. Dirt holes work best for fox. Just over 70 is the most fox I have ever cought in one season. That was along with over 300 coon and over 300 coyotes.
Steve

[fishhead]

How are traps set up now? I used to just put a heavy split ring on the end of the chain. The only swivel was the one next to the trap. I see now traps have a swivel on the end of the chain too.

[fishhead]

That's a lot of fur and a lot of miles. I've never come anywhere near those numbers.

Our coyotes about disappeared when the big wolves moved in but last winter I saw several sets of tracks in different areas. It was during breeding season so they may have decided it was worth getting killed to venture into the wolves hunting grounds. We're starting to get some gray fox. I'd like to catch at least one this season.

[trapperJim]

I run all my canine traps with 3 swivels and most with a shock spring. To some that is overkill but having the swivels and shock spring usually eliminates any paw damage and this is a GOOD thing in the case of a non target catch. Releasing a domestic unharmed is very important. I switched all my K9 traps to offset jaws and this helps a lot too.

For staking I mostly use cable stakes but do still use some rebar at times. 2 cross stakes of 18" rebar will hold just about anything in the righ soil.

The #1 coil is a great coon trap and gives a nice pad catch but for the money I'd buy 1 1/2's because they are a better multi purpose trap that can be used for fox & fisher and has more drowning weight for rats. If you're in the market for traps, I have a bunch going on ebay real soon here. If you're interested, let me know and I'l give ya a list before I put them there. I even have some brand new #1 coils stil in the box that I'll be parting with and some stoploss.

I agree with the post above about using corn for rats. A nice slice from a cob has great eye appeal.

[fishhead]

I'd read a little about the shock spring before but never saw any for sale. They sound like a great idea. I'll check the supply houses. Cable stakes should also give some shock absorption.

I agree that being able to release a domestic unharmed is a good thing. In MN we are allowed to use 220 conibear bucket traps on the ground. That's killing peoples pet dogs and cats every season and giving the sport a black eye. They scare the heck out of me when I've got my dog out in the woods. I just adopted a new high energy springer and need to figure out a way to train her to avoid them.

I'm not going to get back into trapping in more than a casual way but I could use a few rat, fox and coon traps. Please send me a pm.

[chickenman]

My favorite land trap for raccoon and fox is by far the Duke 1.5. First thing I do when I take them from the box is remove the factory chain. This gets replaced with good machine link chain. Every trap has three swivel points. I night latch the pan notch, square up the dog, and run a file over any rough spots. These traps hold everything on my line from mink to the occasional coyote with little to no foot damage. If I had more coyotes here, I'd set more larger traps. I have quite a few tricked out traps like Jim mentioned. Mostly Bridger #2 offsets. They're laminated, 4-coiled, baseplated with a center swivel, and the chains have extra swivels and shock springs. These traps work great for fox too, but I don't like them for coon. Too much room under the jaws.

Edit to add; I use pogo cable stakes exclusively now. After trying about every cable stake on the market, I decided these were the best for the type of soil I have here, and the cheapest for me to make. I attach them to the trap with a split ring. I use a j-hook in high theft areas.

[trapperJim]

I run the same suped up Bridgers on my yote line and love them. This pic shows a JC Conner shock spring but I have switched to using the PIT cushion springs and like them a lot better. They're cheaper too. I connect my cable directly to the chain so everything is ready to go into the ground and it's a time saver. I do have some extras on hand along with split rings and quick links. Aside from the weight, cross staked rebar is still pretty sweet and needs no special drivers like the cable anchors do. I run both Berkshires and Pogos but like the Pogos better.



I'm a big fan of shock springs. They really do a great job of reducing the power of the lunge from a bouncing coyote. Regular jaws with no shock absorber often results in an escape when just a toe catch is had and so far I haven't had those losses since i changed my setup.

Fish, I'll get a list of stuff and pm ya sometime later today. I switched over to offsets and have a bunch of traps to sell now. Duke 1.5, Victor 1.75 4X, and a bunch of other stuff. Also, I like your point of view regarding the black eye our sport has obtained. Sending a pet home with a mangled paw hurts us all. We have a lot of irresponsible trappers in our area and it gets harder and harder to keep our sport alive.