Advice on frozen sets

deerkiller300wsm · Jan 17, 2024

So I am very new to trapping. My dirt hole sets have water in them, now ice. I bedded trap before it froze with peat moss but they have a sheet of ice on top. I did remove the ice. Any opinions on what to do?
I had a flat set or two with rocks as backing and they had small punch holes. Removed layer of snow ice from them as well.
Do I just let them soak? Or pull them till it warms up???

JAD · Jan 17, 2024

I lightly spray the trap bed with 3 parts water, 1 part propylene glycol. Place trap, sift some dirt, light spray, bed trap solid, spray, final pack dirt, light spray. I also mix half peat moss with the dirt. I caught a coyote last night with 0 temp and under 4 inches of snow. It works!

Planking · Jan 17, 2024

I missed one last night with 7 inches of snow. It peed on my set and was on cell cam. I think it being a two coil trap under that much snow hurt my chances.

deerkiller300wsm · Jan 17, 2024

Planking said:
I missed one last night with 7 inches of snow. It peed on my set and was on cell cam. I think it being a two coil trap under that much snow hurt my chances.

I am running 2 coil MB 550s. We don't have that much snow, but what is there is solid ice. There is a perfect plate size chunk of ice on my sets.

hammer33 · Jan 17, 2024

A sheet of ice covering your sets is going to hurt you no matter what bedding system you use.
1. Trigger, can the pan move properly? Is ice under the pan? Water Soaked into the bedding material and frozen preventing movement?
2. Trap firing. Can the jaws fire if the pan is triggered? Are they frozen to the ground? (good bedding prevents this) Do they have a layer of ice preventing them from firing? Slowing them down causing a miss? Preventing the jaws from closing completely?

A good bedding system using either some type of anti-freeze Gly, salt etc... or some type of water repellent, Waxed dirt, peat moss, etc... will help with freezing conditions.

When Mine are frozen in, I either trip them and remake, or if Im feeling lazy, just leave them for the day or two it takes for a thaw.

deerkiller300wsm · Jan 18, 2024

hammer33 said:
A sheet of ice covering your sets is going to hurt you no matter what bedding system you use.
1. Trigger, can the pan move properly? Is ice under the pan? Water Soaked into the bedding material and frozen preventing movement?
2. Trap firing. Can the jaws fire if the pan is triggered? Are they frozen to the ground? (good bedding prevents this) Do they have a layer of ice preventing them from firing? Slowing them down causing a miss? Preventing the jaws from closing completely?

A good bedding system using either some type of anti-freeze Gly, salt etc... or some type of water repellent, Waxed dirt, peat moss, etc... will help with freezing conditions.

When Mine are frozen in, I either trip them and remake, or if Im feeling lazy, just leave them for the day or two it takes for a thaw.

I pulled one set today and completely remade it on fresh sign.

hammer33 · Jan 18, 2024

If you have snow, a freshly made dirt hole set that is not blended in with snow can be a killer coyote set. Went out and followed tracks all around the farm today. Coyotes were digging holes and investigating any disturbances in the snow.

deerkiller300wsm · Jan 18, 2024

hammer33 said:
If you have snow, a freshly made dirt hole set that is not blended in with snow can be a killer coyote set. Went out and followed tracks all around the farm today. Coyotes were digging holes and investigating any disturbances in the snow.

Advice on frozen sets

deerkiller300wsm

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JAD

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Planking

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deerkiller300wsm

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hammer33

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deerkiller300wsm

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hammer33

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deerkiller300wsm

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