just started traping what do i need to know

Lets see if we can get some more info flowing here. When my line is small or i dont have it out at all i love going to a good location close to home. Usually within a few miles. I like to make what i call super sets. lol nothing super about them really, more experimental. These sets i do things i have never done before, take way to much time making the sets usually, most of the time i dont catch anything, but sometimes i do find a golden egg.

One set i found to actually work well is what i call a "super step down."
I know some guys will give me crap for this set, because it takes too long to make, but for a hoby trapper it is a neat set that produces and is fairly easy to make. What i like to do is dig a big square hole. Probably about ten inches by eight inches. I make it about two feet deep. Then i dig more and make the hole longer, but only half as deep on the new part. You want to try to make a step so to speak. That part ahould be just big enough for your trap to sit on. When i make these sets i like to make them early and pre bate them. For a while i had access to dead hole chickens and they worked great. Throw a little dirt over the chicken and walk away. Keep it baited till trapping season rolls around, drop a trap on the step and sift some dirt over it, good to go. With a yote or fox stepping down eight inches it is hard for them not to be fully committed, thus making the importance of bedding and pan tension far less. I once got a red fox in this set by both front feet in a bridger #2.

Now like i said, this set can be pretty time consuming and doesnt always work, but if you are running just a few traps who cares whether you spend twenty minutes at a set or two. I have had good luck with it, you may too. Plus if you use a drag, this set takes about ten seconds to remake. And since its a big hole, messes arent a problem. The bigger the mess the better i have found with this set.
 
I recommend you contact your state trapping association. They can give you the name of some local trappers to help you get started. Several states also have trapping schools or weekends for beginners and advanced trappers. MD has one each year in early September where you get a lot of hands on instructions learning about the animal biology and habits, preparing traps and equipment, setting traps, and fur handling. You also get to meet people with all levels of experience who can assist you with answers during the season. Good luck it is very fun, but addicting.
 
I'm not gonna say to toss out all you bait and scent but I really didn't understand trapping till I started using blind (trail) sets. First with snares, then with traps. Both in the water and on land. Once you get to "seeing" then you can really go to town. For coon and mink I'm fine with nothing but trail sets, everything else it's just another helpful tool.
 
Jesse, We have a large amount of nuisance animals that tear up the garden and kill young chickens. I have to set traps that the neighbors won't see the animals flopping around in a trap. I use a bridger 220 body grip in the center of a card board box with holes cut on both sides to allow entry. I run a stake through each eye of the spring to hold the trap in place and cover it all with a sheet of burlap. The box doesn't allow them room to jump around and draw attention. I will stick some soft pet treats on the trip wires for bait. It is like a giant roach motel. Critters check in but they don't check out. I don't think it gets goofier than that.
 
I like it. Although i would try a wooden box so dogs and kids and such cant possibly get in, but it sounds like a great set for coons and possums.
 
Kids and dog really are not an issue and my dog can't fit his massive melon through the holes. Wood sounds like a great idea, I would not even need to stake it down then. The strange part is I have trapped things without even baiting. I guess it just looks like a nice warm place to hang out.
 


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