Hay sets

[mitchkvernum]

Tbush. you talking about airing it out? sprinkling it 10 feet above the set, and letting it "drift" to the ground? on the set.

[Tbush]

Well I'll do my best but it takes alot of practice and have'nt trapped serious for years.. The sifting of snow on the set is tricky, dip the sifter in fresh undisturbed snow only takeing half a scoop then only using the snow that didn't get crushed and very lightly sift it on, then do it agian and agian it might take a dozon scoops or so, even if you have to back out and get better snow, sift it over your trap cover most of you use mesh which I have never used, always used wax paper smashed, rolled then unfold it to cover the trap, the wax will not soak up moisture then freeze hard and will be soft and make no noise, I did use for a couple years sheets cut up and dipped in trap wax and they worked great but used them up and went to paper,you have to make your sets were the sun will not shine on them and crust the snow,so north side of cover,rocks, bushes etc...also have ok luck using hard snow and grate it across my sifter screen its more like an ice covering and it stays soft also but not as well as snow. OK... think of snow like this, its an object with many tiny fingers sticking off of it,,,,you break those fingers and it will pack together and get hard, BUT if you handle it and not break those fingers it wiil stay soft. so you don't just shake the snow over the trap you kinda place it there. I loved to make sets when it was snowing let it cover the trap "very sweet"....Just reread this and missed the bedding part.take 3 ft area or so and smash all the snow or disturb it so it will harden then make your set with a bedding trap pushing it into the snow and forming a trap print then put the working trap in the pre-bedded area and cover it up with above methoed then when (mostly fox) works the trap it has to leave the soft snow and step onto packed or hardened snow it helps set their mind to except the change in footing..."i hope this makes sense to you guys"?? Just re-read it agian and I get on a roll and forget shit.. are any of you using a bedding trap or bedding the trap your setting ei; A bedding trap is the same trap you use only with the jaws welded open with a piece of rebar across it, chain cut off to pound into hard ground/snow to make a impression of the trap then place the working trap in the mold so to speak.... always used one and it saved time and fingers when you want to get 30-40 sets out a day and do this for 2-3 days.

[Tbush]

I have also used chaff the red chaff from a corn drier works good and dry gound up cow shit as well as chicken shit pre sifted

[lyonch]

Thanks for the tips Tbush!! If i wasn't tileing the master bath shower this weekend i was gonna get out some hay sets. I have been seeing a few fox lately, but only at night when i drive down the road. Something needs to get it soon because my fur shed is thinking that its on break right now and is gonna get rusty

[Coyotehunter]

Tbush great post. I remember in Minnesota trying that and I found that I sucked at it. I think like most things a guy needs to get the location picked before you go balls out setting in snow like that. When I got it right though it did stay up and working. Maybe 6-7 years ago I called Tbush and was asking him questions about how to set up in Minnesota snow. I did better with the trail snares but I was starting to get the trapping in the snow thing figured out. Quite a bit different out west. You can always find a spot that will blow clear, better dirt, milder weather......tough winter trapping in the big woods.

[Prairie Ghost]

If you can find any info Buck Snyder he was a MN trapper that trapped the north woods and did real well on coyotes, wolves and fox. Trapping in the deep snow and all on foot since he never learned to drive!

[lyonch]

Thanks for the info PrairieGhost!!

[1Shooter]

Could someone throw a pic. up of their hay set?

[xdeano]

Could always do the snow mound set too.

xdeano