Gonna be my first year putting out a big trapline. Advice from the old guys?

[Bullshop Junior]

The future Mrs. bullshop junior is planning on running traps with me this winter. I had a small trapline as a kid with about 12 traps or so but never managed to catch much of anyhing in the dead woods around the house.

Planning on putting in a fiarly long (at least 20 miles im
Hoping) line in across the river this year and was was hoping for some advise and tips. Mostly going after fox, coyote, lynx, and Martin.

So the first issue i have. I have no idea what im doing to boil my traps and get them
Waxed and ready to go. What is the best way to do this, and is there a special way to handle them after so i dont get my scent on them?

Any advice on this would be great. Thanks

[starmac]

If you get to town before you get started, pm me and I will take you to meet an old trapper (still trapping) that is great about sharing info. I can't even tell you his name or the name of his business, but spent a couple of hours talking about trapping, hunting and about the layout of some country I was interested in. He runs a tannery here and builds large wolf traps.
I do know that marten is THE money animal these days, and I seem to remember that the guys don't even boil or treat the traps for them. If your doing any grouse hunting, save all your wings and leftovers, as it is good marten bait.

[Ehaver]

Check out fur fish and trap magizine. They have good info and is a good read too!

[mnkyracer]

Best advise I can give - check out the forums on Trapperman.com. They even have a section just for Alaska/Wilderness trapping.

[MT Gianni]

Junior, handle with rubber gloves after boiled and until waxed.

[kenyerian]

http://www.fntpost.com/Products/Land+Trapping+Gloves/Edmont+Wilson+12+Fox+Trapping+Gloves Here is a link to a great pair of gloves. I never touch a trap after dyeing with out wearing gloves. I like to do them early and after waxing I hang them up outside from a tree . No martin here in Ohio but there is a lot of coyotes and fox. The dirt hole set works very well for these. There is a good article in November's issue of Fur-Fish-and Game by Roland Welker about trapping in Alaska. Good Luck!!

[kenyerian]

http://www.furfishgame.com/ Here is a link to the Magazine I was talking about. Only Magazine I take ( I do get the NRA Publications)

[Bullshop Junior]

Check out fur fish and trap magizine. They have good info and is a good read too!

I am actually getting that magazime and have been for about 5 years. Its the only decent hunting magazine anymore.

[Bullshop Junior]

http://www.fntpost.com/Products/Land+Trapping+Gloves/Edmont+Wilson+12+Fox+Trapping+Gloves Here is a link to a great pair of gloves. I never touch a trap after dyeing with out wearing gloves. I like to do them early and after waxing I hang them up outside from a tree . No martin here in Ohio but there is a lot of coyotes and fox. The dirt hole set works very well for these. There is a good article in November's issue of Fur-Fish-and Game by Roland Welker about trapping in Alaska. Good Luck!!

What do you use for wax? I dont remember ever dying any traps, but i remember boiling them and then melting pariffinn wax on them. Is there a better wax for traps?

And with boiling, do injust boil them
For like 30 mins or so in plain water? Or do i add stuff to the water to change the smell?

[kenyerian]

http://www.flemingtraps.com/dyes-wax-and-tags.html . Pure Trap wax is available from several different trapping supply companies. Don't use beeswax . If the target can smell honey it will dig the trap up and set it off without being caught.

[Bullshop Junior]

What is the purpose of dying traps? I dont want to be an annoying idiot, but i like to understand things.

[kenyerian]

I die them first , let them hang in the trees behind my barnfor a couple of days before I wax them. i use a turkey fryer , fill it half way up with water, add the wax until it melts. Then i add 6 traps, let them heat about a minute or so and remove them with a hook, and hang them back up. The wax floats on top of the water and coats the trap as you pull it out. If you do ti too quickly the trap will be to cool and the wax will be too thick, If you heat them up too much the wax won't stay on the trap. Once you get a rythem going it doen't take very long to do a bunch of traps. I don't wax body grip traps. I just dye them to keep them from rusting. I usually use Black Walnut Hulls to dye them as I have several walnut trees.
Remember don't touch them without wearing clean gloves after you dye and /or wax them. Fox and Coyotes have very good noise and if they smell something suspious to them they will dig around the trap and set it off.

[kenyerian]

Dyeing your traps helps to protect them from rust and also kills foreign odors. If your land set is contaminated with human scent, or any unusal smell not natural you won't catch as much as many animals will shy away. Traps are expensive but if you take good care of them they will last many years.

[Bullshop Junior]

What is the proscess for dying traps?

[kenyerian]

You just put them in a pot with the trap dye (I use walnut hulls) and heat them until they turn the color that you want.

[Bullshop Junior]

You just put them in a pot with the trap dye (I use walnut hulls) and heat them until they turn the color that you want.

Ok. I dont have a whole lot of traps right now. Hoping to buy more soon. I am gonna have to order some dye and wax though. Hooe i can get this all on the road by november first when trapping season opens.

[kenyerian]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L99Uba31-Gc. There are several links on you tube abote waxing and dyeing traps.

[starmac]

Down south we always died our traps, but every trapper I have talked to up here claims you don't need to up here. I'm not sure why but even the full time guys that make their living trapping, that I have talked to doesn't die them.

[starmac]

We actually have a trapping subforum here at cast boolits, in the outdoorsman forum. There is not much activity yet, I hopeing it picks up some this winter.

[Bullshop Junior]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L99Uba31-Gc. There are several links on you tube abote waxing and dyeing traps.

Just watched that video. Very interesting. I don't like how the speed dipping used gasoline. Seems like that would leave a smell on the trap.

[Bullshop Junior]

Down south we always died our traps, but every trapper I have talked to up here claims you don't need to up here. I'm not sure why but even the full time guys that make their living trapping, that I have talked to doesn't die them.

That is rather interesting. I wonder why that is. Maybe once i get set up ill try a few traps each way and see if it makes a difforance.

[Hickory]

When I got out of the Air Force i had a little money and bought a Snorunner for trappin'.
Was a great little machine in the years we had snow. But the best trapping is before you get a lot of snow, I wish I would have kept it.
http://snorunner.com/

[Bullshop Junior]

When I got out of the Air Force i had a little money and bought a Snorunner for trappin'.
Was a great little machine in the years we had snow. But the best trapping is before you get a lot of snow, I wish I would have kept it.
http://snorunner.com/

Thats a cool looking machine. Reminds me of a rokon for snow.

[starmac]

LOL That would be neat for a short line, would it pull a sled with a load on it??

[Hickory]

LOL That would be neat for a short line, would it pull a sled with a load on it??

That is what I did, there is no place for saddlebags.
At the time I weighted 140 lb or thereabouts, and it hauled my carcass around pretty well.
However, today with an extra 60 lb . . .?

[starmac]

Yea, The lines tend to be pretty long here, at least the guys that get serious about it, and it is all done on a sled, so they tote a pretty god load. I know some guys that share a line, there is three of them, but the total line is around 400 miles.

[blackthorn]

Maybe you could intrest the "reality show" folks in doing a season (or 4) on you learning the ropes. You could call it Jr. Mountain Man, or some such catchy name. Good luck with your enterprize!

[Bret4207]

I can tell you how I do it. First, if you're getting new traps either take them to a car wash or find a pressure washer or stick them in a dishwasher if you can and hit them with lots of soap to get the oils off, then rinse them good. If possible let them get some surface rust. light rust takes color better than bare steel. You can boil them in anything from a clean garbage can to a 55 gallon drum or a washtub. Get the tub clean and add local water, non-chlorinated. Then find some local tree that is very common, spruce or alder or birch or whatever and add a good helping of needles or twigs to the mix and boil it up. Leaves, moss, sumac berries also work. You're just trying to add some "local" scent to the water. Some barks, sumac berries, nuts will add color to the water too which I don't think hurts. You can buy dye or use the bark or nuts or go with whatever color they come out. I don.t know that it matters, but it's akin to bluing and is nothing more than darkened rust IMO. It just makes them a little easier to hide. The waxing was covered about like I do it above. You can use canning wax but it helps a lot to get some pitch in with it to make it a little more flexible. A THIN coating is all you want, you should feel it but not really see it. I do all my traps, connibears too. I just scrape it off the trigger area. Once they're done store them away from your home, dogs, garbage, smoke, etc. You can put them in aired out plastic bags. For water animals it isn't as big a deal, but for canines scent control is important, or at least it sure seems to be.

If you're going after big canines snares are a real nice, inexpensive option if legal there.

Hal Sullivan, the Trapping editor for Fur-Fish-Game, has his own website and forum. http://www.sullivansline.com Good guys there.

[Dale in Louisiana]

Down south we always died our traps, but every trapper I have talked to up here claims you don't need to up here. I'm not sure why but even the full time guys that make their living trapping, that I have talked to doesn't die them.

We hung new traps under the eaves until they lost the 'new' gleam. As for dying them, a few days of setting them in the rich waters of the marsh turned them into exactly the right color.

It's been years, but a trapline in the Louisiana marshes got us spending money.

dale in Louisiana

[fouronesix]

Start slow with a shorter line that is manageable in bad weather. Concentrate on marten (as in baited pole sets with correct sized Conibear traps). Learn from experienced trapper. Learn the signs. Broadcasting steel traps hoping a coyote, wolf or lynx will stumble into one is a bad idea. Trap them selectively as the opportunities present themselves during scouting or running of the marten line. Beware of non-target species when setting steel traps. The last thing you want is to catch a bunch of fully protected or non-target species. Run lines regularly as per regs or good trapper ethics. Usually much more frequently for steel leg/foothold traps. But even Conibear or killer trap sets should be run regularly unless you want to loose fur like marten to larger predators. Trap in areas where people don't take their dogs with them. Be prepared to deal with non-target species that can be released.

[Just Duke]

Rust them until unrecognizable. Logwood dye aka. Black Walnut Hulls and paraffin cooked in a washtub.
I'm still a Oneida Victor trap dealer to this day.

[shooter2]

You will learn "how" over time. It is always smart and proper to stay out of someone else's territory.

[William Yanda]

Are there any sumac near you? If there are, pick a few heads of the sumac berries to boil your traps. It worked for me. New traps won't take dye, but if they are slightly rusted, they will. Any how, that's how I remember it now. Good luck with your trap line. I trapped until I got married. Cant even find an old license now.
Bill

[Bullshop Junior]

Are there any sumac near you? If there are, pick a few heads of the sumac berries to boil your traps. It worked for me. New traps won't take dye, but if they are slightly rusted, they will. Any how, that's how I remember it now. Good luck with your trap line. I trapped until I got married. Cant even find an old license now.
Bill

My wife is actually pushing me to go out. I went out today to do a little scouting and took a shot at a nice red fox, but the cheap *** tasco scope on the rifle apparently broke and i missed. He came back to a call, and when u went to make the second shot the crosshairs were laying in the bottom of the scope.

[Ehaver]

I am actually getting that magazime and have been for about 5 years. Its the only decent hunting magazine anymore.

You can say that again. there are not articles about 1500 dollar guns and AR-15's every other page! Useful information too, along with good ad's in the back.

[Dale in Louisiana]

One of the least happy events in my life was trying to set a #2 coil spring trap while standing on a mushy tussock in a Louisiana marsh in December. My hands were numb and I mis-handled the trap, ending up with it snapped on the meaty part of the thumb on my right hand.

That's when I found out two things: First, my hand wasn't NEARLY as numb as I thought, and second, you can get REALLY inventive fast with a trap closed on your own thumb.

dale in Louisiana

[Bullshop Junior]

One of the least happy events in my life was trying to set a #2 coil spring trap while standing on a mushy tussock in a Louisiana marsh in December. My hands were numb and I mis-handled the trap, ending up with it snapped on the meaty part of the thumb on my right hand.

That's when I found out two things: First, my hand wasn't NEARLY as numb as I thought, and second, you can get REALLY inventive fast with a trap closed on your own thumb.

dale in Louisiana

I managed to snap off a number 2 on my right had as well. Luckly it was about 40 below so i had on a big pair of the army mittens. Couldnt fet the dang thing off so hopped on my snowmachine and rode to the nearest farm for help.

[bayjoe]

Dead shot cat trap: Tie a CD so that it dangles about 3 feet off the ground. Bobbies go to see what it is. Place trap in appropriate place

[Bullshop Junior]

Dead shot cat trap: Tie a CD so that it dangles about 3 feet off the ground. Bobbies go to see what it is. Place trap in appropriate place

We dont have bobcats here, but i bet that would work on a lynx too. Ill give it a shot.