Solid trap bedding

Soil and weather(temp/precip) dictate how and what you use to bed traps. In general fall/winter freeze thaw conditions waxed dirt is used under, around and over the trap. The dirt needs to be packed hard up against jaws. The trap must not rock or shift/move when pressure is applied on the jaws. Some trappers like to use a tool to prevent trap from firing while bedding. And of course proper pan tension for the target animal helps prevent misfires. Watch you fingers while learning how to bed coyote traps. I use my trapping hammer to pack bedding(dirt) up against the outside of trap jaws.
 
I use MB550’s because a #2 is about as large as we can use down here. If you’re new to trapping, I’d start off bedding somewhere near your residence. Practice setting the trap, digging your bed, and getting it as solid as you can.
A solid trap should let you push on the jaws from any spot and it NOT move. I wouldn’t go as far as driving an anchor yet, but definitely set and bed. I haven’t played with #3’s but #2’s do sting a little when you catch yourself. Yes…I catch myself a few times a year, generally on resets and I’m still half asleep, lol.
Don’t be afraid of the trap, but definitely give it some respect. Hand catches don’t hurt. Single finger catches will have you saying words you may not say.
Not sure where you’re located, but we have no freeze thaw to deal with down here. We do have rain and sometimes lots of it. Different forecasts for the weeks I’m on a property will have me setting/bedding different ways. If it’s gonna be relatively dry I’ll bed the normal way. If I see it’s going to be wet the majority of the time I’m there I’ll incorporate Zagger’s method and use screen as a covering. Look up “his” pipe dream set and forget the pipe part, just look at how he beds his sets. I’ve caught on day 3 after 5” of rain dropped on the first 2 days.
I’ll also point out to try anchoring a set or two once you get the bedding down. I don’t anchor in my bed, I anchor to the side.
Also it depends on your area, but drags work well if the terrain is right. I’ve had coyotes move a drag all of 5ft in broomsedge. I also do a lot of prehooking around a small tree or in some really thick brush. I’ll use drags where I’ll have a hard enough time getting an anchor in the deck and I can forget about getting it back if I do.
I alternate the phrase if I can’t call’em, I’ll catch’em. Then again, if I can’t catch’em, I’ll call’em!
 
I trap/call in northeast Ks and we have about four springs lol thanks a bunch for the tips. Would you mind to tell me where you are located? No pressure
 
Practicing near your yard/home is great advise. I struggled for years with truly bedding a trap firmly. Tried every trick and gadget that came along. I use to buy and watch a ton of trapping DVDs. This was before YouTube. I watched them for the education, not the entertainment. But, most of them were entertaining as well. One day I was watching one of the most monotone, non entertaining guys I’ve seen on a DVD, instructing on the flat set. It dawned on me that the entire time this guy was talking, he was meticulously packing dirt all around his trap jaws with the tips of his fingers. He wasn’t describing bedding a trap and I don’t believe he was intentionally showing it. He was just doing what he does, as he described flat sets. And for the first time, as simply as it was/is, it clicked for me.

It really is that simple. I do have clay soil where I’m at, that helps. I’ll usually start by balling up a chuck of soil to place under each lever. Then I press straight down on the trap firmly and wiggle it ever so slightly. Then I’ll find a few chunks of dirt/sod that’ll fit down between the outside of the jaws and the trap bed. I’ll pack them in a bit with my fingers and repeat. Then sift a little and continue to pack around the outside of the jaws while carefully and lightly brushing the sifted dirt off the pan. I occasionally will then place my fingers on the far jaw and my thumbs on the closest jaw and press straight down, no wiggling. I’m just confirming it’s still on a solid bed. Once I’m ready to put the final covering of sifted dirt over the trap, I’ll take the tip of my index finger and push straight down on 4-6 spots on the trap (one at a time) to make sure there’s no wobble. If there is wobble, keep packing around those jaws. If none, start sifting dirt over top. Now put your hands in front of you palms down. Put your thumbs and index fingers together to form a diamond. Now press down over the trap bed palms down and use the diamond shape void to avoid pressing directly over the pan. Then sift some more dirt over it. I like to put a good half inch of dirt covering over the traps and I’ll typically then blend them in. I also use pan covers but didn’t go into that.

Maybe That’ll make sense to someone. Hope I don’t sound like I’m typing to hear myself type.
 
I can tell you not to bed with nails.I saw a few Youtubers bragged about doing it. It actually worked good on my first bobcat. I learned the hard way this year and lost an animal because the nail pull when the trap fired and left the Duke 650 jaws open about 2”. No more nail bedding for me.
 
You brought up one of the reasons I prefer regular jaws vs offset. Get a stick or pebble in between closed jaws when fired and I have an offset with a catch. Get that same thing between offset jaws and I have a pullout. Know your laws…some States require an offset for footholds.
 
The tool is called a "Trap Cap", it goes over the pan and you can pack dirt under the jaws without tripping the pan. We used to make them out of soup cans, before plastic one came out .
 
I use a old center cap from a boat trailer hub for bedding MB650's. MB require a tool to adjust pan tension. For adult coyote I use about 2-3#(Sullivans trap pan tester). You need to bend(curve the dog on MB's with flat dogs) and than bend the dog arm on trap to drop the pan below jaw(set trap on night latch) level. A screen sifter helps keep large material from preventing trap closure when firing. Definitely practice, I do otherwise the first few sets each fall are slow and inefficient.
 
If you’re just wanting to target coyotes go with 5# pan weight. I prefer all critters so all mine are at 3#. Some folks that just want coyotes and nothing else will go as high as 7# of pressure before tripping. They prefer to avoid coons/possums/skunks/fox.
 
Get on Trapperman.com, you will find a ton of trapping information. I always dried out dirt and stored in buckets and used it after freeze up time. You need to learn how to use wax paper. Never leave human sign around set. Trapperman .com will teach you.
 
Look up "pipe dream set" on trapperman.com or some of the youtube videos. The bedding instructions were super helpful to getting traps put in the ground without rocking.
Basically you dig a bowl shaped hole that the trap sits in. Nothing in the center of the trap is making contact with the ground. I'll use the hammer to tap the trap firmly into the bowl. Then hammer the ground around the jaws firmly against them.

Here's one video but the written instructions on trapperman are worth reading.
 
Last edited:
Song dog trapper said:
Hey does anybody have any tips to solidly bed duke #3? I am kind of new to trapping so tips are much appreciated
Click to expand...
I use mb550s and JC Conner Jake traps. I like the make my trap beds in the shape of a cone. So the jaws and levers are doing most the touching and the base isn’t able to wobble on the hard frozen ground like it does a flatter trap bed. I also have started using longer chain so I’m not trying to hide all the chain in the trap bed. I just stake it about 3 feet or so outside the trap bed. I hammer the chain in the ground about 18 inches outside the trap bed and they don’t pay attention to the chain and rebar stakes past that point if the wind blows leaves off I put over them.
 
Back
Top