Rewind Arc. 3

by Hal Sullivan
(This article was first published in "The Trapper & Predator Caller" February 1991)

In a standard scene from one of today's television cop shows, the hero, who has lost or emptied his main weapon, reaches down into his sock and pulls out his backup piece with which he continues to blaze away at his target. In the same fashion, a trapper who finds himself without any bait, also needs a backup if he is going to continue after his target. Unfortunately, a trapper can't pull bait out of his socks. However, other sources can be tapped to yield up some emergency bait on short notice.

There are any number of reasons why a trapper might not have any bait. You may have run out, or your bait may have been lost or thrown out by a well meaning spouse. Or, maybe you just neglected to get any. Trapping requires a certain ability to improvise on the part of the trapper. Tapping into an alternate source of bait during hard times can help keep you on the line.

One obvious source of bait is the trapline itself. The carcasses of the animals you have skinned can often be used as bait for carnivores. Muskrat is a very good bait that appeals to any meat eating animal. If you are running a muskrat line, you will undoubtedly be generating a good number of carcasses. It is often wise to bag up a few dressed muskrat carcasses and stick them in the freezer for later use. Even if you are not targeting muskrats, it would still be a simple matter to go catch a few if your bait supply is running low. Beaver is another nearly universal meat bait, but might not be quite as easy to acquire as muskrat.

If you are targeting canines, there are a couple of other trapline critters that will make acceptable bait. The incidental skunks that often come with an upland trapline will make good canine bait. More and more trappers are learning to kill skunks without having them spray, and in this condition they are not at all unpleasant to skin. I don't propose to explain why canines like skunk meat, but they do.

You can also use meat from the fox you catch as bait. And you can catch fox using fox for bait. I know this doesn't set well with some of our Judeo-Christian teachings, but the fox don't seem to have many qualms about cannibalism. Of course, coyotes find fox to be tasty anyways.
Another good source of bait that can be gathered from the trapline are road killed animals. This could include rabbits, squirrels, and animals up to and including deer or other large critters. (Check your state's regulations before using a game animal for bait.) In some localities, domestic cats show a propensity for becoming "one with the pavement". These critters make a good canine bait.

If push comes to shove, you can even dip into your aging carcass pile for bait. During cold weather many of the carcasses will be somewhat preserved by natural refrigeration. You may be able to salvage a bait from some of these carcasses. It is not necessarily a pleasant job, but if the meat is not too spoiled, it will still be usable for canine bait. Don't take anything that is truly rotten, but slightly tainted meat is okay and sometimes preferable to fresh.

Another source of backup bait is your own kitchen. Coon are notoriously easy to please, and many kitchen items will appeal to their sweet tooth. Honey, jelly, molasses, pancake syrup and nearly any other sweet smelling food is attractive to coons. So is peanut butter. Apples make good coon bait, and are also very attractive to muskrats. Other vegetables like carrots and celery can be used for muskrat bait.

One very good source for meat type bait is the family freezer. If you are an outdoorsman, chances are you have some fish or game stashed in your freezer. I don't necessarily advocate using edible game for bait, but if you sort through the freezer, you will probably find a few packages that are too old or freezer burned. Other domestic meats (beef, pork, chicken, etc.) could also be used for bait if it is no longer fit for human consumption.

The original source of many of your kitchen items is the grocery store, and the supermarket can be another place to pick up some trapline bait. Canned fish is a popular bait with many trappers. The cheaper varieties, like sardines and mackerel are preferred simply because they cost less per pound, and seem to work as well as the more expensive kinds. I wouldn't recommend buying canned salmon for trapline bait. Likewise, shrimp also makes a good trapline bait, but the cost is prohibitive. In the meat department, you may be able to purchase low quality chicken parts at a reasonable price, and this will make a fairly good bait for any carnivore. It is also possible to obtain scraps from the butcher shop for a meat bait.

You can also get bait from your supermarket dairy case. Sharp cheese is an old standby for fox trappers and is also attractive to coons. Usually, the sharper the cheese smells, the better the bait it will make, up to and including limburger cheese. Eggs can also be used for a bait with the shell left at the set for a visual attractor. Egg shells alone could be used for an attractor at a set, but the addition of the egg itself offers some feeding opportunities for the animal.

One bait that I have heard of some trappers using is pet food, both canned and dry. While I'm sure this has an attraction for wild animals it should be used with care because it is obviously designed to be appealing to domestic animals. This type of bait could be used for trapping in isolated areas where free roaming pets are not a problem. However, using pet food for bait in settled areas is unadvisable and would be irresponsible.

Another way to get bait is to trap it, but this time I don't mean trapline catches. Mice and rats make a very good natural bait for many furbearers. You may have a few of these critters lurking about your property, and a few well placed traps, of the proper size, might yield some bait. If you don't have a supply of mice or rats, you would probably be welcome to conduct these operations on any of the farms where you trap. It is possible to run a trapline within a trapline by setting a few mouse and rat traps at some of your daily stops.

If the water is not frozen, a minnow trap could get you some fish type bait. Again, you may have a place or two along your trapline that has a healthy population of minnows. A baited minnow trap can be left in the water overnight, and the minnows can be collected the next day. It is possible to catch enough bait with one setting to last several days, or the trap can be left in place if more bait is needed. A seine can be used to collect minnows for bait, but this process is a little more involved and may require the aid of a partner.

It is also possible to order commercially prepared trapping baits from a supply house, and get them in a short period of time. Thanks to modern technology and banking practices, you can place a telephone order and charge your purchase towards a credit card. Most suppliers accept credit card orders and will ship the same day if your order is placed early enough. An order placed with a local supplier and shipped UPS may arrive the next day.

Although I have designated these options for obtaining bait as alternate sources, they could just as well serve as primary sources in many cases. If you are using commercial baits, you can order them at any time as long as they get to you before you're ready to trap. Quite a few trappers use canned fish for bait, and this can be purchased ahead of time or as needed. Muskrat flesh always makes a good bait, and can be packaged and frozen for an upcoming season.

In most instances, it is best to procure and prepare a sufficient quantity of trapline bait ahead of the season. However, this does not mean you are totally out of luck if you don't have bait on hand or if you run out of bait part way through your line. You may have to fall back on some non-traditional sources, but there are ways to come up with backup bait on short notice.

by Hal Sullivan
(This article first appeared in "The Trapper and Predator Caller" June 1989)

I was standing in water a little more than knee deep, examining a rubble retaining wall for mink sign, when I felt it. At first I assumed that the cold water had chilled my sometimes sweaty feet, but soon I noticed that one foot was considerably colder and damper than the other. Before I had traveled the length of the wall, there was almost as much water on the inside of my right boot as there was on the outside. Leaky boots are a plague to the water trapper, but like any other malady, the severity can be lessened with proper prevention and cure.

Prevention of leaks starts with the avoidance of sharp objects. Trash piles and barbwire fences can and do take their toll on waders. Also, sharp things in the back of the truck can puncture waders if they are carelessly stored there. But one of the biggest causes of premature failure in rubberized footwear is off season neglect. Waders that are simply thrown in a heap, or hung out on the porch for the summer will probably not see another season. Heat, and sunlight both cause rubber to rot at an accelerated rate. Waders stored in a cool place, away from direct sunlight, such as a basement or cellar, can last several seasons. Also, suspending them by the feet and allowing the upper half to hang straight and loose will help. If the rubber is stored creased or folded, the prolonged stress at that point can weaken the material.

Even with the best of care, leaks can (and most assuredly will) happen. The first step in effecting a cure is to find the leak - a task that is not always simple. Any hole that is large enough to let the water come "pouring" in can, in most cases, be readily spotted. Others just seep slowly, but in time leave your foot every bit as wet. One sure method of finding even the smallest leak is to fill the waders with water and watch where it dribbles out. These "pinholes" can be circled with a felt marker or ball point pen for future reference. It is often easier to do this if the waders are suspended by their straps to keep them upright. A skinning gambrel is useful for supporting the waders.

One word of caution: Do not hang chest waders up to their full height and fill them completely with water. The weight of the water will tear the buttons from the waders. If you think you have a leak at the top, hang them so that the legs are folded on the floor. You can use a lesser amount of water, and by raising the feet you can chase the water into the upper part of the waders.

The most common type of patching kit available today is the cold patch kit. There are many different brands of kits, but all usually contain a few standard size patches along with a larger sheet of patching material for cutting large or odd size patches. This material has a plastic film that covers the sticky side of the patch. This film is left in place until the moment the patch is applied and prevents the material from becoming contaminated with dirt. The other item in a cold patch kit is a tube of cement for gluing on patches.

Once a hole is located, the patching process begins. The success or failure of a patch depends on the care with which it is applied. The first step is to rough up the area surrounding the hole. This is done so that the glue has a fresh and clean surface to which it can adhere. Most kits contain a metal "scratcher" for this purpose; sometimes it is built into the lid of the container. However, my own preference for this job is a small (2" diameter) grinding stone chucked in a hand held electric drill. A coarse grit stone is preferable. This method is faster than the ordinary scratcher and also makes it easier to get into inaccessible places.

Fast Forward -- I've found that a piece of the open mesh screen commonly use for sanding drywall makes an excellent scratcher for scuffing up a boot to be patched.

The area that is scuffed up should be slightly larger than the patch itself. This insures that the edges of the patch are securely fastened and do not come loose. It is often helpful to cut or select the patch first, and use it as a pattern when scuffing up the hole. If the patch must go over an area where two layers of rubber come together, such as a seam, the edge of the upper layer must be ground off so the two layers meet with no discernable step. Care must be exercised to see that you do not wear completely through the lower layer while doing this, but if the two layers are not ground down to the point where they are welded together, water can follow the edge of the seam and get underneath the patch.

Once the area is scuffed up and clean, it must remain that way until the patch is applied. Do not use your hand or fingers to clean the rubber dust from the patch area. Oil from your body can contaminate the clean surface and keep the glue from adhering properly. Use a clean rag or brush to remove the particles of rubber, or simply blow off the dust with your breath.

The next step is to apply the glue to the area. No glue is applied to the patch itself. To make sure you get the glue out past the edges of the patch and to aid in centering the patch later, lay the patch in the position you want it (with the plastic backing still in place), and trace around the edge with a ballpoint pen. Next, squirt a liberal amount of glue from the tube and work it into the patch area. A clean smooth stick is good for this job. Personally, I use the side of a finish nail or my knife blade to rub in the cement.

After the whole area has been thoroughly covered, use the stick or nail to scrape any excess puddles of cement off the patch area. The cold process patch depends on a tight bond between the surface of the rubber and the surface of the patch. Leaving excess glue under the patch does not strengthen the bond, in fact it makes it weaker because the thick layer of glue keeps the two surfaces (patch and waders) from making good contact.

After the area has been given an even coating of glue, and the excess scraped off, the patch can be applied. Peel the backing off the patch, and press the sticky side down on the glued area. The patch must be exactly right the first time because once it touches the glue, it cannot be pulled back off. This is one very good reason for drawing the outline of the patch as explained in the previous step.

The patch will adhere much better if it is firmly pressed onto the surface of the boot. One method for accomplishing this is to use a round object such as the lid of the kit, and rock it on edge back and forth across the patch exerting heavy downward pressure. If some type of roller is available, like an old wallpaper seam roller, it can be used. I have very good luck using a narrow bladed roller that is designed for installing screens. If the patch is in such a place that it cannot be laid on a flat surface to roll out, use your hand or a rounded block of wood inside the boot to give a surface to press against. A small patch on a flexible place such as the calf or leg of the waders can be successfully pressed into place by pinching it in a bench vise.

Fast Forward -- A few years ago, I discovered what I consider to be the ultimate in boot patching material. It is a liquid made by LaCrosse called Urethane Boot Patch. It is a heavy liquid glue, and you simply smear it on the hole. You do, however, still have to clean the area and scratch it up well. If the hole is large, you can put a piece of duct tape inside the boot to cover the hole and smear the glue over top of it. This stuff works really well around seams because it is liquid and flows into the hole. The only disadvantage is that you have to lay the patched area down flat while the glue dries, or it will run off. The stuff dries overnight. It will even patch gauntlets. If you decide to buy and use this product, here's a little tip. It comes in a tube, and the tube will "dry out" if you just leave it laying around. However, if you store the tube in the freezer, it will last indefinitely. When you need to use it, just get it out an hour or so ahead of them, so it can thaw.

An occasional puncture or seep in a trapper's waterproof footwear is a fact of life. But, you should be able to repair most leaks successfully and permanently with a standard patching kit. By carefully following the steps of roughing up, applying glue, and pressing the patch into place, you insure your greatest chance for success. And you can keep the water on the outside as long as you remember the cardinal rule that applies to any pair of waders -- they all leak above the top.

by Hal Sullivan
(This article first appeared in "The Trapper and Predator Caller" December 1989)

The weather had been in the sub-freezing range for the past several days. But this morning had dawned bright and clear, and the forecast called for temperatures in the mid forties by afternoon. I hurried in and out of the farm lanes and tractor roads taking full advantage of the rock hard pavement that mother nature had provided, and pulling some traps that would be accessible only after a long walk if she decided to turn the frozen road bed back into slop.

By 11:00 a.m. the exposed dirt in the fields was beginning to take on a shiny, glazed appearance indicating that the first inch or two of the ground was thawing. Fortunately, the route to my last traps was a narrow strip of sod that lay between a pasture fence and a creek. I knew that the sod would not thaw as fast, and I pulled off the gravel lane and through the gate towards the traps. I had gone about a hundred yards with no problems, but then I had to cross a spot where the farmer had put out a large round bale of hay for his cattle sometime earlier in the season. The fence on one side, and the creek on the other precluded my avoiding this area, so I charged right on through.

Correction. I charged halfway through. In milling around the bale, the cattle had worn away the grass, and the bright sun had thawed the bare earth. Although my speedometer registered 15 miles per hour, the fence posts to my right, and the trees to my left refused to slide by the windows of the truck. I was stuck!

Getting his vehicle mired down or hung up somewhere, is not the type of thing a trapper likes to brag about, but it is as much a part of trapping as wading in over your boot tops. There are any number of things a trapper can do to get himself and his transportation in an unyielding situation. The trick is not how to get into these predicaments, but how to get out.

To aid in discussion, let's separate the problem into degrees of being stuck. First there is "kind of" stuck. This is a situation where a vehicle is momentarily detained, and can be freed with a minor effort. However, being kind of stuck often degenerates into being "real stuck". In this phase, more strenuous and time consuming measures are needed to extricate the vehicle. And when these efforts fail, you are "plumb stuck". Call a wrecker.

The best thing to do, when your wheels start spinning and your vehicle is going nowhere, is to stop and get out. Look under the vehicle. If you can see all the way under the vehicle, and the tires are not buried to the rims, there is a good chance you can be under way again shortly. The trick here is to provide friction so the tires have something to grab on to. Some course gravel laid in a path in front of the tires might be all that is needed. Sand can serve the same purpose as could dry dirt -- even if it comes, God forbid, from your set making bucket.

Another alternative is to use any dry, course material at hand. This could be small branches, dry weeds, grass, or bark. In the incident that began this article, I got unstuck from the slightly thawed ground at the feeding area by gathering up dry corn fodder and building a "road" across the slick spot.

When you reach a spot where your forward progress is halted, it is often helpful if you can back up a little and get away from the spot. Then you can get out in front of your vehicle and take steps, like laying down some course dry material, to prepare the spot for your crossing. If you can't go either direction, you might still get out by packing the rough material under your tires. Use a trowel or hammer to beat the dry material into the mud and against the tires.

When the tires sink into a hole, they have to not only go forward but also upward to get out. Conventional wisdom calls for rocking the vehicle to free it. This entails shifting rapidly from forward to reverse to get the tires rocking back and forth in the hole. When the tire climbs to the back of the hole, the driver shifts into first, and tries to use his forward momentum to go through the hole and climb the other side. Sometimes it works.

Sometimes you can help yourself along by making the hole smaller or bigger. If you can back the tire part-way out of the hole, there is a chance you can fill in the bottom of the hole. A few strategically located stones could give you the boost needed to get out. If you can't rock the vehicle or can't fill in the hole, you might need to ditch your way out. Digging a gradually tapering trench in front of the tires will eliminate the abrupt rise at the edge of the hole and possibly allow the vehicle to gain enough forward momentum to clear the spot. Of course, it helps if the trenches are lined with some friction generating material.

If you look under your vehicle and see parts in contact with the ground that are not supposed to be, you are real stuck. This usually happens when the differential begins to drag on the ground -- commonly known as being "high centered". However, the lowest parts of the front suspension are also prone to coming in contact with the ground. There is no cure for this problem except to dig the vehicle out or drag it out. If you have a winch or a come-along, and there is a tree handy, you are a very lucky person. Otherwise, you're going to be on your hands and knees, and probably on your belly, with a shovel. Yes, I have dug them out with a yo-ho, but a tile spade works better for this. Since the blade on a tile spade is in a straight line with the handle, it is easier to use than a regular shovel in the close confines under a stuck vehicle.

Before you undertake to dig out a high centered vehicle, consider what you are going to do when you move the next few feet. Here again, you may have to lay down some rocks or old boards (watch for nails) to raise the wheel up when you do get going. But if there is no prospect of reaching higher ground within a few feet, you are probably wasting your time.

There are some little tricks that you can employ to keep from getting stuck in the first place. When your wheels start to spin, try to reduce your engine speed and regain your traction -- don't stomp the pedal to the floor. Shifting into a higher gear and idling down will transfer less power to the wheels and may give them a chance to bite in. Slipping the clutch on a manual transmission can have the same effect. By partially disengaging the engine, the wheels can roll forward without spinning.

Bob Best, from Pennsylvania, recently reminded me of an old trick for helping to gain traction. Use the emergency brake. On a two-wheel drive vehicle without positive traction, all the power is transferred to the wheel that has the least resistance--the one that is spinning in the mud. Applying some slight resistance from the emergency brake will tend to even out the power transferred to the wheels. One wheel will not be as likely to spin when it hits a slick spot if the brake is holding it back a little bit.

The best aid in preventing sticky situations is good judgment. Don't go places where you think you may get stuck. Of course, if you thought you were going to get stuck, you wouldn't have gone there in the first place! The alternative is to use good judgment when you do get stuck. Don't sit in the truck with the engine roaring and the tires digging deeper holes. Take stock of your predicament and try to figure out the best means of getting out on the first try, because with each successive attempt your chances of getting unstuck decrease.

When it comes to the point that a vehicle is completely mired down, there is little choice but to have someone pull you out. If you carry a length of tow chain, you may be able to get some aid from a fellow traveler. But most likely you will be knocking on some landowner's door looking for help. This is not only an embarrassing situation, but also an inconvenience to the people who have been gracious enough to let you trap, and it may have a bearing on whether or not you get invited back. Applying a few little tricks for getting yourself unstuck can save you valuable time. It can also save you the cost of a tow, and save you from a potentially embarrassing and damaging encounter on the property where you are a guest.

by Hal Sullivan
(This article first appeared in "The Trapper and Predator Caller" October 1989)

My first traplines were along the banks of the ditches that were cut a hundred years ago to drain The Great Black Swamp in the western Lake Erie basin. My quarry was muskrats, and I used twelve-inch wooden stakes which I pushed into the muck with my boot heel. Today, much of my trapline runs along the rock and gravel strewn creeks of Southern Ohio where I now live. And the only thing I can push in with my boot heel is the bottom of my foot!
It is probably easier to teach a pig to fly than it is to drive a stake through solid rocks. So far, I haven't developed any special breed of soaring swine, but I did learn to anchor my traps where driving a stake is impossible. If rocks are a problem where you are trying to anchor a trap, they may also be the solution.

There are some basic requirements for a rock anchor. First, it must be heavy enough to detain the largest critter that will get in the trap. If you want to hold the animal "in place", you need a rock that is significantly larger than the animal. If the rock serves as a drag, it can be of equal weight or slightly heavier than the animal. Personally, I like to keep the critters in one spot, so I almost always use a big rock. Sometimes on a mink line, I will use smaller rocks, but I make sure they are big enough to keep non-target coon from getting too far away. Rocks that are used under water, like on the end of drowners, should be extra large because their underwater weight is decreased by the amount of water they displace. A rock that is as big as a gallon bucket weighs eight pounds less under water.

The standard material for fastening a trap to a rock is annealed steel wire. I use both 14 and 11 gauge, depending on the target animal. In all cases, this wire must be wrapped snugly around the rock so it will not slip off. It is also a good idea to use a different piece of wire, fastened to the wrapping wire, to hold the trap. If a single strand of wire were wrapped around the rock and extended to the trap, it could easily flex and break at the point where it is twisted around the rock. Using two pieces of wire, you can make a hinge joint at the rock.

To wire up a rock that is not smaller in the middle, use at least four turns of wire around the rock.

It is best to use a separate piece of wire to for the trap fastening system. Making a looped hinge joint like this will helps to preclude the wire breaking at the rock.

The easiest rocks to fasten to are those man-made rocks like concrete blocks and bricks. These are natural objects along many streams, and animals are not afraid of them. Simply running a wire through a convenient hole will suffice to hold a trap. A natural rock that has an hourglass shape is also relatively easy to fasten. As long as the rock is bigger on both ends, a wire wrapped around its middle will not slip off.

The next best thing to finding a rock that is smaller around the middle, is making one smaller around the middle. I do this with the aid of a mason's hammer, more commonly known as a brick hammer. I usually select a square edged rock and use the hammer to chip a groove in the square edges on each side of the rock. The wire must be drawn tightly in this arrangement, because slipping out of one of the grooves could cause the wire to go slack and slip off the rock. Sometimes I use a double wrap to give the wire a cinch effect.

A rock that won't take a single wire or can't be chiseled is a basket case. Here, I use two or three turns of wire running in different directions to make a wire "basket" for the rock. The easiest rocks to basket are those that have a relatively square shape. This type of rock can be wrapped in the same fashion that you bundle newspapers. The wire is run around the rock, crossed on the backside and brought up the remaining sides to the beginning. Rounded rocks are harder to wrap, and may require a few extra cross and turns of wire. In every case, draw each turn tightly against the rock and avoid loose wire.

Fast Forward -- There is one other method for rigging a rock that is quite simple. So simple, I overlooked it in this article. Just put the rock inside a sack and wire the sack off. This doesn't do much for the natural camouflage effect a rock has and many rocky streams have clear water. But if the theft potential is low, or the water is muddy, putting your rock in a feed sack is a pretty simple way to utilize it.

So far, I've stuck to the basic "on site" fundamentals of hooking up a rock anchor. After all, who is going to pack around a bunch of heavy rocks? Me! Now, I don't go running off with a packbasket full of boulders, but I usually carry a few pre-wired rocks in my truck to use at curbside sets. Most of these are perfect specimens that I have collected over the years. And at the end of the season I bring them home and store them in a pile behind my barn. However, I prefer to store most of these rocks right on the trapline, especially at those places I set every year. A rock tucked away along the top of a creek bank doesn't attract much attention, and barring natural calamities will be available next season. This saves rustling up a new rock every year. I often wire these permanent anchors with a heavier gauge wire because it will last more than one season.

The final type of rock anchor that I use is sort of a specialty anchor that requires some work in the home shop. I developed this anchor for use at bridges and other high traffic locations to cut down on theft. One problem with wrapping wire around a rock is that the rock <I>looks</I> like it has wire around it. This is a dead giveaway to an experienced thief. I try to camouflage the wire with leaves, weeds, etcetera, but the results are limited at best. I needed some less conspicuous anchors. I finally came up with an arrangement that would pass all but the most careful inspection.

To make a nearly invisible rock anchor start with a flat rock no more than two inches thick. A flat rock is less conspicuous and is easier to work with as the following steps will show. Take a carbide tipped masonry bit, and drill completely through the rock about two inches back from the edge. (On square rocks avoid drilling the hole on a corner because this corner might split off.) Next run a loop of heavy wire, 11 or 12 gauge, through the hole and over the near edge of the rock. Most rocks have a weathered and an unweathered side; make sure the twist in the heavy wire is on the unweathered side of the rock so that it will be hidden when the rock is placed at the set. The addition of an S-hook can simplify fastening traps to this anchor, and an extra swivel is always a good idea.

These anchors are placed at the set weathered side up. It is then a fairly simple matter to hide the wire on the rock by covering it with one or two small stones, or a handful of gravel. Another trick that works well it to insert a finger sized stick through the loop, and adjust it so that it lies next to, and camouflages, the wire. A small clump of naturally occurring grasses or weeds could serve the same purpose.

Rocks will never replace stakes as a quick and handy anchoring for traps. But on the other hand, stakes can rarely be used where rocks are the predominant natural feature. To succeed on the trapline, you must adapt your methods to the conditions at hand. If rocks are preventing you from using a conventional stake anchor, then you might consider adapting some of those rocks themselves to make the basis of your anchoring system.

For wire and other trapping supplies, visit our "Wire & Chain" department at the Supply Line

by Hal Sullivan
(This article first appeared in "The Trapper and Predator Caller" November 1988)

If we had a graph that showed the number of hours a trapper spends at different tasks, there would certainly be a tall peak directly above "checking traps". This is as it should be, because checking traps is the fun part of trapping. Actually, checking a trap that is appended to a furbearing critter is the best part. Checking traps that look the same as they did when you left them is no particular thrill, and gets less thrilling with each passing day. And the entertainment value of a non-productive trap diminishes in direct proportion to the time it takes to check it--a trapper can stand only so much fun.

All kidding aside, a trapper spends a majority of his in-season time checking traps. The ease with which any trap can be checked has a direct bearing on the number of traps that can be checked in a given period of time. This may seem elementary, but checking a trap means seeing whether the trap contains an animal, or has been disturbed. Exceptions can be made for traps that have been covered by blizzards and floods, or contain animals that sound off or give off aromas; but the only reliable method is visual inspection. Put a fox set in a cow pasture twenty yards from the road, and you only have to slow down to check it. But as sets get farther from the road, and into heavier cover, they become harder to see.

The quickest way to overcome this visual handicap is with a pair of binoculars. Now you can see a fox on the other side of the pasture or peer through the brush at a slightly concealed set. You can also extend your visual range by standing on the bumper or tailgate of your vehicle and using the binoculars. But binoculars don't need to be limited to road use; they can sometimes save steps on a walk-in line.

Still, the best binoculars in the world won't help you check a trap that is on the other side of a hill, or a rock pile, or under twelve inches of muddy water. Here is where the average trapper can gain some time in checking sets. The best way to signal whether or not these sets hold a catch is to add an "indicator" to the set -- something to signal whether the trap has connected or not.

Take, for example, a muskrat trap that is set in deep water. If this water is very muddy, you probably won't be able to see the trap, and possibly if it did connect, you wouldn't be able to see the critter. To solve this problem, you need an indicator that sticks up above the water line. And for this purpose, a stick would make a good indicator. A small thin stick, long enough to reach above the water level, can be slipped through the trap chain and stuck loosely in the mud. If the trap is disturbed, the stick will pull free and signal that this trap needs closer inspection.

This stick trick is by no means limited to under-water traps. At many sets, including dry land sets, a signal stick can be added to improve the ease with which that trap can be checked. Let me give an example from my own line. I had a mink set along a small creek that could only be checked by pulling off the road and exiting the truck. I didn't mind the stop, until one day the county road-grader left a big pile of stones in my pull-off spot. I didn't care about leaving the truck on the berm of the road if I had to take a mink out of the trap, but I didn't like the idea of doing this every day while I tended an ordinarily empty trap.

Near the set, was a dead stick about three feet long, bleached white by the sun. This particular set was a rock cubby with the trap set just inside. I took the white stick, placed the bottom end across the front edge of the cubby and balanced the top end against a bush that was growing from the bank. If the trap was sprung, any animal leaving that cubby in a hurry would almost certainly knock the stick down, whether it was wearing a trap or not. I returned to the truck and looked back at the set. Things didn't look much different, but with the aid of my trusty binoculars, I could see the top of that white stick shining like a beacon. Thereafter, I simply stopped in the road and checked this set without ever leaving the driver's seat.

This leaning stick method can be used to great advantage at many other sets to save time in checking. It is a lot easier to see if something has been knocked over at a set than it is to see something that is already lying on the ground like the trap. However, there are a couple of precautions to be observed when using an indicator stick. The first is to not use a sick that is too big. A big stick could become fouled in the trap chain and allow the animal to escape. Preferably the stick should be thin or rotten enough to break up if the animal gets tangled up with it. The second precaution is to make sure the stick is not firmly implanted at the set. A stick that will not fall easily will not be a reliable indicator at a set, and a stick that will not move at all will create an entanglement situation for the animal.

You may think you couldn't use an indicator at a fox set, but many times I find this both possible and practical. I don't ordinarily use a wooden stick to mark these sets, but where conditions warrant, and it does not seem unnatural to the set, I use a tall weed stem as an indicator. In one case, I had a trap behind a large, round bale of hay which kept the set hidden from the road--and me. To make this set easier to check, I broke off a tall weed that was growing near the bale and shoved it in the ground about twelve inches from the set. This weed stuck out past the edge of the bale, and as long as it was standing, I was certain that no critter had circled that set with a trap on its foot. I have used this same set up to mark sets that were hidden in heavy cover. As long as I can find an indicator that is natural to the set and is distinguishable above the cover, it can save me time in checking that trap.

However, using binoculars and signal sticks is not a foolproof method for checking traps. While indicators can reliably predict a catch at a set, they cannot always signal a sprung trap or a molested set, nor can this always be determined from a distance with binoculars. Therefore, a set that does not signal any action in a reasonable period of time should be given closer inspection to see if one of these conditions exists.

There are some traps being used in research projects that are equipped with radio transmitters that can be checked with a scanner. The rest of us have to rely on good old eyesight to check our traps. By adding a pair of binoculars and using some indicators, the average trapper can more quickly and easily see what has happened at a set, and reduce the amount of time needed to check his traps. Considering the number of hours that are devoted to this aspect of a trapline, the savings could be considerable.

by Hal Sullivan
(This article first appeared in "The Trapper and Predator Caller" June 1990)

Without buckets, boxes, and bags; the organizational level of the average trapper would probably be around zero--or slightly below. These containers in their various shapes and forms are almost a necessity on a modern trapline considering all the "stuff" that we pack around. Not only do they help keep the gear in order, but they are also useful in transporting materials (animal, vegetable, and mineral) on the trapline. A look at these trapline containers may reveal some that you had not thought of, or uses for some that you may not have recognized.

The five-gallon plastic bucket is such a widely accepted and universal item among trappers that it bears little explanation. Suffice it to say that it will carry anything anywhere. If they have any failing, it would be their tendency to tip over on rough roads, especially if they are top heavy with traps or stakes. They can also be used to slip over a small critter for releasing it from a trap. Some trappers make use of these large buckets for cubby types sets, usually in conjunction with a bodygrip trap.

Smaller size buckets are also useful on the trapline. The five-quart ice-cream buckets are handy for storing or holding things, but they lack the durability to carry heavy things. The plastic buckets that peanut butter is packed in are more substantial. These come in two sizes. The larger 5-pound size is very good for packing dirt to the sets. It will hold enough for three or four sets, and doesn't take up much room. The snap-on lid will keep the dirt dry. Both the larger and smaller size peanut butter buckets are handy for carrying bait, but they must remain upright or the liquids will seep out around the lid.

Fast Forward -- It seems that five-quart ice-cream buckets are down to four quarts these days, and I don't think you'll find peanut butter in buckets anymore. Still, any of the small plastic buckets that come with a handle can be good for trapline use.

Since boxes are more stable than buckets, they are a better choice for carrying traps and other bulky items on the trapline. The plastic "boxes" that are used for crating milk are alright for carrying and storing traps, but they do have some drawbacks. Most of them are made with many holes in the sides and on the bottom, although I do have a few older ones with solid sides. Traps tend to get caught in these holes, making them difficult to remove. The problem can be partially solved by placing a thin piece of plywood in the bottom of the box to cover these holes.

Wooden ammunition boxes are good for storing traps, but they are not readily available. Solid wooden fruit crates are also good but hard to come by in this modern era. An alternative is to make your own trap boxes. One sheet of 3/4" plywood will make five trap boxes 12" X 16" X 12". A rope handle will make carrying the boxes easier, and the addition of some small "legs" on the bottom of the boxes will enable you to stack them easily.

Other smaller types of boxes are handy for storing small trapping items. Tool boxes are, of course, a good choice. Fishing tackle boxes, which usually contain several individual compartments, are very good for carrying small items like swivels, s-hooks, drowning locks, spare triggers, etc. A few of these items can be placed in each compartment, and the tackle box can be carried in your vehicle to provide a quick and untangled source for these things. Discarded lunch boxes can also be used for trapping items. They don't have compartments, but at least they have a lid that will keep the contents inside and not all over your truck or fur shed.

Bags are another important item for the trapper. The large size plastic garbage bags have a multitude of uses on the trapline, and I keep some in my truck at all times. They aren't very good for carrying heavy items, but they can't be beat for keeping moisture and odors in or out, as the case may be. An exceptionally wet or bloody critter can be wrapped in a garbage bag to hold down on the mess. They are also good for holding skunks that have recently sprayed. I keep a change of clothes in my truck securely bundled in a garbage bag to keep them dry at all times. Garbage bags can also make emergency liners for boots that have sprung a leak on the trapline, or can be used for emergency gauntlets. A serviceable rain coat or skinning apron can also be fashioned from a garbage bag. In essence, the garbage bag can be a survival tool for the trapper.

Small size plastic bags also have their place on the trapline. The sandwich style bags are good for carrying things like pan covers or cotton balls in your pockets. These thin sandwich bags can also be used for pan covers, and some trappers use the bag to enclose the whole trap when trapping under snow conditions. The zipper style bags are good for carrying bait because they don't leak. Bait can be frozen in these bags and taken directly from the freezer to the trapline.

Another type of bag that trappers find useful is the feed or "burlap" sack. Very few of these sacks are still made from burlap, most are woven from synthetic fibers. The woven nature of these sacks makes them strong, but not waterproof. One of the most common uses of these sacks is to make an onsite anchor at a drowning set. The empty sack can be carried to the set and then filled with rocks or dirt for weight. Some trappers also use these sacks to hold animals that are taken alive.

Trappers and traplines seem to have a way of becoming messy and disorganized of their own accord, but I think the average trapper would prefer to keep his gear and his trapline in some semblance of order. Without a proper supply of containers, this task is next to impossible. Nobody expects a trapper to be totally organized, but a few buckets, boxes, and bags can make life a lot easier.

To get five trap storage boxes from one sheet of 3/4" plywood, follow these instructions: First, cut three strips 12" wide lengthways on the plywood. Next cut one strip 10 1/2" wide, and you will have a strip that is approximately 1 1/2" wide left over--save it for making the legs. Now take one of the 12" x 8' strips, and cut it into 12" lengths. This should give eight pieces that are 12" x 12". Take another 12" x 8" strip, and cut two more 12" x 12" pieces for a total of ten pieces that are 12" x 12". These will make the ends of the five boxes.
From the remainder of the strip you just finished cutting (which is now 12" x 6'), cut four pieces that are 16" long. Take another 12" x 8' strip, and cut it into 16" lengths, and this should give you a total of ten pieces 12" x 16" long--these are the sides of the boxes. From the remaining strip (10 1/2" x 8') cut five pieces that are 16" long. These five pieces (10 1/2" x 16") are the bottoms of the boxes.

To assemble the boxes proceed as follows: Take one of the bottom pieces (10 1/2" x 16") and nail (or preferably screw) two of the sides to the opposite edges of this piece. Then fasten the ends on the box so they overlap the edges of the side pieces, and the edge of the bottom piece. When the box is assembled, turn it upside down and fasten on the short legs. These legs are made by cutting 2" lengths from the narrow strip that was left over when you cut down the plywood. These legs should be on the corners of the box about 1" in from either edge. This way the boxes can be stacked and the legs will fit inside the box below to keep the box from sliding off.
As a finishing touch, you can install rope handles on the boxes. Drill two holes in each end of the box, 1 1/2" down from the top and 3" in from the edge. The holes should be just slightly larger than the rope you are using. Insert the rope through the holes, and secure it by tying a knot in the ends so it can't slip back through the holes.

These boxes are easy to make. The cost is about $3.00 each, not counting rope, but nearly any sort of used or worn out rope will do for the handles. It is helpful if you have, or can barrow, a circular saw to do the cutting. You don't need a fancy grade of plywood; regular construction grade will do. You can also use 5/8" plywood to make boxes; just change the width of the strip you cut for the bottoms from 10 1/2" to 10 3/4". I have tried 1/2" plywood, but it does not work very well.

Small legs fastened to the bottom of the box (top) allow the boxes to be stacked safely (left) without sliding off. This is especially important if you carry them in your vehicle. The rope handles can also be seen on the left.

Fast Forward -- The cost of plywood has risen considerably since 1990. Still the cost should remain under $5.00 per box. Today plywood has been largely supplanted by OSB (Oriented Strand Board, sometimes called "Chip Board") but genuine plywood remains the best choice for making boxes.

Our Trappers' Pouches make a handy addition to your trapping bucket. You can find them here: Trappers' Pouches