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(Posted for May - June, 2009)
The High Water Gang Sets
by Hal Sullivan
(This article was first published in The Buckeye Trapper Jan/Feb 1993)
 There are any
number of reasons for making gang sets, but primary among them is the fact
that they help to produce more critters from a trapline in a given period of
time. They also give the trapper an opportunity to score a double or even a
triple which would be all but impossible if you have only one trap set in a
given area. This is a pleasant reward in gang setting, but it is not the
major goal.
Today, I use gang
sets at a majority of locations I select for traps. This has not always been
so. When I was first starting out, and had a limited number of traps, I
usually tried to make do with one set and one trap in each location. I would
like to tell you that experience has prompted me to use more gang sets, and
in fact it has. Gang sets have simply proven themselves to be more
productive. However, there is another major factor involved.
Over the years, I
have amassed an ungodly number of traps. Experience had definitely revealed
to me that traps hanging in the fur shed, or laying in the back of the
truck, do not produce a great deal of fur. I may as well set the traps, two
or three at a time if necessary, and at least have them in a productive
mode. It is generally the case that trappers who have a few years of
experience under their packbasket, are more prone to make gang sets. I can't
necessarily say that this comes any more from an increase in wisdom than it
does from the quantity of traps a person tends to collect as they go along.
There are two
main advantage in constructing gang sets. A gang set can give you two or
more chances to catch a critter as it passes through an area. Should an
animal miss or avoid one set, there will be another waiting nearby. The
other advantage in gang setting is the aspect of having at least one set or
trap in active condition should one of the other traps be put out of
commission.
I find this
second feature to be very helpful especially when I'm on my home trapline.
Much of my water trapping is done along the rivers and creeks that flow into
the Ohio River. As I have explained in some previous stories, the Ohio is a
major route for barge traffic. The river is an endless series of locks and
dams that are used to maintain the depth of the river for navigation and
flood control purposes. The locks are opened or closed to raise or lower the
water level in the pools between the dams.
Like any other
trapper who works on a free flowing stream, I can expect the water level on
the upper reaches of my traplines to rise with a rainfall and drop with dry
weather. But as I near the "Big" river, the rules change dramatically. Here,
I am not so much subject to the whims of mother nature as I am to the whims
of the Army Corps of Engineers. They decide when the locks should be opened,
and when they should be closed, and how much the river level will rise or
fall accordingly -- rain or shine!
A two or three
foot rise or fall in the water level in a twenty-four-hour period is not at
all unusual. The worst I have ever experienced is an eight-foot rise
overnight. Needless to say, this makes trapping in this environment a real
challenge. That's where gang sets come in.
In this
situation, I put in at least two sets, or at least two traps, to guard
against fluctuating water. I make sure that the traps are set on two
different levels. Generally, I base my construction around some type of
pocket set. A set I favor is one illustrated by Charles Dobbins a few years
ago. It consists of a pocket with at trail leading down the bank to it.
Placing one trap at the mouth of the pocket, and one trap above the pocket
on the trail, I have precluded a rise in the water level by some amount.
Sometimes I will construct a ordinary pocket set in a location that offers a
natural blind set nearby. Again, I make sure the traps are set on two
different levels.
The elbow set, as
described by Bob Noonan, is another set I use to help account for
fluctuating water. This set is constructed by digging a regular pocket then
tunneling into it from above. Generally, I place a foothold trap at the
lower level, and a #110 bodygrip across the upper hole. The lower trap will
take just about any critter than comes along. The #110 is used for insurance
in case a mink should wander by when the lower trap is submerged.
Whenever
possible, I like to rig my water sets to produce a drowning catch. If I
select the proper locations, where the bank is fairly steep, I can construct
a drowning set that will still function with a two or three foot change in
the water level. Generally, I employ a slide wire and use a long stake to
reach deep water. By first fastening the wire near the bottom of the stake I
can then reach out and shove the stake into deep water without getting a
bath. With this arrangement, the drowner will still function if the water
level drops -- most of the time.
The problems
really start when the water level changes three or four feet overnight. When
this happens, the only thing to do is construct new sets. That is the
scenario I went through this season at one spot which was fairly close to
the backwaters of the Ohio.
When I scouted
the location, I had half-dug a pocket at the waterline in a steep bank. When
I returned to set traps, that pocket was high and dry by 18 inches so. I
moved over a few feet and dug an elbow set nearby. This remained operational
a couple of days and produced a coon, but on a subsequent visit the lower
end of the elbow was completely submerged. The rising water had created a
force about 20 feet downstream where a small ledge on the bank now offered a
dry walkway for the critters passing through. I hid a #1 coilspring on that
ledge and fastened it out in the deepening water.
The next day the
water was almost over the top of the elbow, had covered the trail set, and
was up to the level of the original pocket I had started on my scouting
trip. I finished digging out that pocket and put a trap in front of it. At
this point, I anticipated that the water might continue to rise, but I also
knew it could fall just as fast as it came up. Accordingly, I considered the
fact that I could no longer rely on my drowning systems, and the set might
actually go high and dry overnight. With this in mind, I employed an #1 trap
at the set.
The water didn't
go down. It went up another three feet that night. The water was now about
six feet higher that when I had made the original elbow set. I moved with
the water, higher up on the bank and put in a new pocket with a drowner
slide three feet deep. Then just as fast as the water it came, it left. The
next day the new set, including the drowning slide, was high and dry. I
pulled the set and went down the bank. Pocket number two had reemerged, and
I added a fresh shot of lure.
Finally, I saw
some action. A coon got into the pocket set and went straight down the slide
wire. Straight down to the mud flat that had been exposed by another three
foot drop in the water. It had done its natural coon thing which was trash
out everything in sight and turn the mud flat into a regular hog wallow.
Eventually, it had wrapped the trap around the stake, which was supposed to
be under three feet of water. Being well greased with river slit, it then
managed to power out of the #1 trap.
It was long gone
by the time I got there. Well, it wasn't actually long gone. It was in fact,
about ten feet away in the blind set I had made along the narrow ledge when
the water had first started to rise. You might say that coon had bad luck,
but by the same token, I had planned for whatever critter walked along that
ledge to have bad luck. Although this was an extreme case, tenacity and gang
setting had paid off in a critter that would have otherwise not got to ride
in the back of my truck.
Interestingly
enough, on that very same day I had another coon utilize two traps at a gang
set. This was a combination pocket with trail set, and when I peered over
the bank, I saw one very drowned coon. It was considerably closer to the
bank than I thought it should be. These traps were each on a six-foot slide
wire, and the wires were angled away from each other to prevent any captured
animal from fouling the other trap. But the best laid plans of mice and men,
and trappers, often go astray. I had hind-legged the coon in the trail set,
and it had managed to reach out and stick a front foot in the trap at the
pocket. The traps did not get very far down the slide wires, but they
created some serious problems for the coon that was stretched between them.
These are just
two examples of how gang sets can pay off. The first coon would have been
long gone if there had not been a back up set directly in its path. Although
this is not necessarily the design of a gang set, it still illustrates the
point of having an alternate set or trap nearby in case one becomes
non-functional. But generally the trap is put out service by a captured
critter, not an escaped one. The second coon? You might say I just ganged up
on that one.
###
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(Posted for March - April, 2009)
TRAPPERS, GUNS, AND AMMO
by Hal Sullivan
(This article was first published in The Trapper and Predator Caller, April
1993)
I recently read
an article in a shooting magazine in which the author touted the merits of a
certain small frame, light weight .22 Magnum revolver. "This would be an
ideal gun for trappers," he stated. Obviously, the man didn't know very many
trappers.
Many trappers do
carry a gun on their trapline, but usually this is in conjunction with
dispatching animals caught in traps. On occasion, trappers may carry a gun
for other purposes. For example, you might carry a center fire rifle, or a
slug filled shotgun if trapping overlaps deer season. Wilderness trappers
may also be in the habit of carrying a fairly powerful gun if they are
taking large game for subsistence.
But the average
trapper, on the average trapline, needs no more power than that supplied by
the standard .22 rimfire ammunition. And most of the time, a trapper will
find it advantageous to use the less powerful loads in this line.
My first trapline
gun was a small .22 caliber "boy's rifle" from the earlier part of the 20th
century. It was a standard hardware store model, with a flat one piece
stock, a 20" barrel, and a sloppy rolling block action. It probably sold for
less that three bucks when it was brand new. It wasn't very pretty, and it
was just barely serviceable, but it was a very good trapline gun.
It was very light
in weight and not much over 30 inches long. I fashioned a sling out of a
piece of rope and could easily carry the gun on my back. This is important
to the man who has to check his traps with a bicycle. It is a shame that no
one makes this type of small, cheap, lightweight rifle anymore. They would
still be good trapline guns for young folks--or adults.
Fast Forward -- Some of these short light weight .22 rifles
have reemerged as "youth" model guns.
I've used a
number of other .22 caliber rifles on the trapline. They preformed well, but
they all had one major drawback. A rifle is just not very portable on the
trapline. You can carry it over your shoulder with a sling, but it still
seems to get in the way or flop around on your back when you try to bend
over. If you are carrying a packbasket, you have no other option than to
carry the rifle in one hand.
That's why many
trappers, myself included, prefer to carry a handgun on the trapline. A .22
caliber handgun is the best choice for trapline work. Preference is for
revolvers because they can be carried safely, and are easily loaded and
unloaded. Most modern revolvers can be carried safely with a live round
under the hammer. However, older single-action revolvers may require that
you carry the gun with the hammer resting on an empty chamber. To be
completely safe, semi-automatic handguns should be carried with an empty
chamber.
Handguns can be
carried in a holster which leaves both hands, and your shoulders, free for
trapline work. However, you must be careful to abide by the law governing
concealed weapons. In most places, you can wear a gun on your hip as long as
it is obvious. Wearing a long coat that covers up your gun is taboo. You
might also find yourself in trouble if you pull on a pair of chest waders
over your handgun. There are other laws that govern transporting weapons in
your vehicle, and you should also familiarize yourself with these
regulations.
Fast Forward -- Many state are issuing concealed carry permits
to law abiding citizens these days.
Western style
revolvers have gained popularity over the last couple of decades and many of
them see trapline use. Other trappers prefer a more compact light weight
gun. Harrington and Richardson made a line of these guns for a number of
years that were, and still are, popular among trappers.
I have a H&R 922 that dates from the early fifties. It has a four inch
barrel and weighs exactly a pound-and-a-half, fully loaded. It has a drop
out cylinder that holds 9 shots. I never considered this cylinder to be a
significant advantage over a regular six-shooter, and the only thing I ever
shot nine times was a rattlesnake--I wanted to make sure it was extra dead.
I should give
partial credit to the author who said his light weight, compact .22 Magnum
would make a an ideal trapline gun. Light weight, and compact are good
features, but the .22 Magnum chambering is significantly more than the
average trapper wants or needs.
Trappers need to
be concerned about pelt damage when they shoot an animal in a trap. In the
overall scheme of things, a .22 Magnum is a low powered round compared, for
example, to a .38 Special. Still the .22 Mag generates enough energy at
close range to shoot completely through an animal, and leave a gaping exit
wound. Shooting trapped animals with a .22 Mag, or other high powered
cartridge, requires that the trapper shoot the animal from the side to
confine the wound to the head area.
The plain old .22
long rifle cartridge generates more than enough power to kill trapped
animals. In the course of doing butchering chores, I have killed 600 pound
hogs, and 1500 pound Holstein cows with this round. Of course this was done
using brain shots, but almost all trapped animals are killed with brain
shots too. Many trappers use the long rifle cartridge. For one thing, it is
readily available and often can be obtained at discount prices. But like its
bigger brother, the .22 long rifle cartridge can have too much power, and
shoot completely through an animal.
But exit wounds
are not the only problems created in shooting trapped animals with a
cartridge that is too powerful. Blood loss is also increased with a more
powerful cartridge. This blood can get in the animal's fur and contaminate
the set, leaving you with a mess to clean up. A lower powered cartridge,
especially one the does not exit, causes a minimal amount of bleeding.
Fortunately,
there are lower power .22 loads available, although you may have to search
to find them. For a number of years, I used .22 shorts exclusively. These
have about half the power of the long rifle but still have more than enough
energy to kill a trapped animal at close range. Most any store that carried
ammunition had a box or two of shorts tucked away, but in time it became
increasingly difficult to find shorts.
Strangely, as
shorts became scarcer an old and nearly forgotten round began to generate
some renewed interest. While looking for box of shorts to stuff in my
trapline gun, I came across one manufacturer's new line of CB ammunition.
The CB was a popular plinking round before World War Two but nearly died out
through the fifty's and sixty's.
The CB is a very
low power round and is not actually intended for hunting purpose, although
it can be good pest control round on rats and starlings. However, shooting
animals in traps is not hunting, and the CB fired at close range has
sufficient energy to penetrate the skull of all but the largest trapped
animals. The bullet uses up most of its energy doing this, and a CB usually
does not exit the animal.
I will admit I
have seen cases where individual shots did not penetrate an animal's skull.
This usually happens when the angle of impact is low, and the bullet tends
to glance off the skull. A subsequent shot, more carefully placed usually
remedies the situation. I will also admit that I hesitate to shoot coyotes
straight in the forehead with a CB. But a CB will kill a coyote stone, cold
dead with a well placed shot through the ear canal.
Fast Forward -- I don't advocate CBs for coyote dispatch
anymore. It is just too hard for most people to get that perfect shot down
the ear canal, myself included.
CB's are offered
by several different manufacturers, but the CCI brand by Omark Industries
comes in two styles--CB short (or just plain CB) and CB long. These two
rounds are identical as far power goes. The only difference is in the length
of the casing. The CB long utilizes the standard .22 long rifle case, and
the CB short uses the .22 short casing. There are a couple of features that
may make the CB Long the more desirable of the two rounds.
First, the CB
Long completely fills the chamber of all guns chambered for the .22 long
rifle, and most are. The short case, on the other hand, only goes halfway up
the chamber. Prolonged firing of short cases in a long rifle chamber can
cause damage to the forward walls of the chamber that are not protected by
the shell casing. In all honesty, you would have to fire quite a few rounds
of short ammunition to do any damage, and shooting a few shorts for trapline
purposes probably won't damage your gun. Still, given a choice, I would
prefer to have the CB long.
The CB Long has
another advantage in that it is easier to handle than the short. The long
case makes the round easier to grasp, hold, and load than its short
counterpart. Those using single-shot guns or working with gloved hands will
like this feature.
I am sure there
are arguments in favor of carrying various types of guns on the trapline,
but a trapline gun sees it main use in dispatching animals that are caught
in your traps. Since most shots will be taken at stationary animals at close
range, extended power and accuracy are not critical factors. A small light
weight rifle is alright for this job, but it can't match the portability and
convenience of a handgun. Combine this with a low power .22 cartridge, like
the CB, to minimize pelt damage and you will be ready to take care of your
shooting chores on the trapline.
Fast Forward -- Most recently, I have been using segmented
hollow point ammunition made by CCI in my trapline handgun. Sometimes this
is advertised as "Quick Shock". This ammo fires at normal long rifle
velocity, but the bullet breaks into three small pieces, which lose momentum
rapidly. I have taken to using a heart shot to dispatch coyotes because it
reduces blood loss. This ammo, because it separates into three pieces, gives
me a much better chance of hitting the heart with at least one of those
shards.
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(Posted for January - February, 2009)
Logging Rats
By Hal Sullivan
(This article was first published in "The Buckeye Trapper" July-August 1992)
The set was very
easy to check. From the top of the bank, I could see the trap was gone from
its bed. I slid down the bank and waded out into the creek. With my trusty
hook-stick, I fished around until I caught the trap chain. A slight
resistance told me I was pulling up more than an empty trap. I removed the
catch and set the trap down on the old tree trunk that was lying in the
water. I had logged another muskrat.
Anyone who is
familiar with muskrats knows they have a propensity for crawling up on
objects that are floating or partially submerged in the water. One reason
for this is that these floating objects offer a quick escape for a muskrat
that might be pursued by a predator. All the rat has to do is dive off into
the water and submerge. Some trappers use manmade float sets with good
success to take muskrats. I've used a few of these, but I prefer to use a
more natural set when one is available.
Quite often, the
aquatic habitat that muskrats require is accompanied by growth of brush and
trees along the shoreline. As these trees succumb to natural forces, they
topple, and many of them end up in the water. Some of them actually float,
but most become waterlogged with some portion remaining above water. Others
fall with roots or butt ends still attached to the bank with their top
portions submerged in the water. In any case, muskrats will often use these
trees as climb-out spots.
Freshly fallen
trees often do not provide good opportunities for sets. If there are a lot
of limbs and branches on the tree, they may create an entanglement situation
that could allow a rat to foul up the trap and chain and escape. The most
likely candidates for sets are the older weathered and rotten trees that
have only the main trunk and maybe a few main limbs remaining. On the up
side, it seems as if muskrats prefer these older logs too.
It is good to
note that muskrats don't use just any or every log floating in the water. If
you find one log, and it is the only above water object in a wide area,
there is a good chance that the muskrats, if present, will be pulling out on
the log. However, in an area where floating logs are commonplace, you will
find that many, and probably most, of them are not being used by the rats.
The only way to determine if rats are using a log as a climb-out is to check
the sign.
The most obvious
sign of muskrat activity on a log is a pile of droppings just above the
waterline. The more droppings, the greater your chances of catching a
muskrat. One or two old, weathered droppings are not good indicators that
the log is in current use. Fresh droppings, even though they might not be
numerous, indicate that the log is currently being used by the muskrats.
Another sign to look for is the remains of chewed vegetation on which the
muskrats have been feeding. Again, these are usually found above the
waterline. Sometimes, you will find floating muskrat garbage right at the
waterline on a log. In this case, try to determine that the log is actually
in use. Sometimes, muskrat cuttings will drift in on the wind or current and
merely get hung up against a log.
Once you have
determined that a log shows potential as a muskrat set, placing a trap is
the next consideration. Unlike setting a bodygrip in a run or plopping a
foothold at the bottom of a slide, setting a muskrat trap on a log entails
several variables. One of the biggest concerns is how you can, or will, bed
the trap on the log.
The trap of
choice for this application is the foothold trap. As with any set, you must
stabilize the trap to the best of your ability. This isn't always easy when
you are dealing with a round, hard object for a trap bed. As I said, there
are many variables involved, so I will start with an ideal situation and
detail the procedures for bedding a trap.
If the trapline
gods are smiling on me, they will give me a log that is very rotten. Here, I
can dig out a trap bed in the rotten wood almost as if I were working in
dirt. One of my favorite trapping tools is a mason's hammer, sometimes
called a brick hammer. It has a narrow flat blade opposite the hammer head,
and this is what I use to dig my trap beds. On very punky logs, it is easy
to chop out a bed for the trap. Even if the log is not completely rotten,
the mason's hammer makes a pretty good wood chisel, and I can still get in a
trap bed.
When I have my
"druthers", I prefer to bed the trap above the waterline flush with the top
of the log. There are a number of reasons for this. One, if I get a rise in
the water level, the trap may go under, but it will still be shallow enough
to make a catch. Also, it is much easier, and I stay much drier, chopping
out a trap bed above the water level. Finally, I think it is easier to catch
the rat when it is walking on the log. There is little or no opportunity to
offset the trap at one of these sets. A muskrat swimming up to the log will
still have its feet spread. However, when it climbs out , it will walk right
down the center of the log, where the trap is placed.
When I have a bed
carved out, I line it with some mud to help stabilize the trap and erase any
"white" wood I may have exposed in the chiseling process. If I'm expecting
freezing weather, I don't use much mud, just a smear to cover up the exposed
wood. I break up the outline of the trap with a few pieces of naturally
occurring debris like rotten, black leaves or some of the vegetation the
muskrats have left on the log.
As you progress on up to logs that are fairly sound, it becomes nearly
impossible to dig a full bed for the trap. Sometimes it is possible to
simply cut a groove in the log to hold the trap frame and spring while the
jaws rest on top of the log. I usually use longsprings traps for this
application, but I also carry a few #1 jump traps.
Fast Forward -- The little #1 coilspring traps also work
exceedingly well on logs.
I can bed one of
these small traps on a log with a minimum of chiseling. However, when the
trap lies above the surface of the log, the set looses some of its
effectiveness because the rats have a tendency to step over the trap.
Sometimes, if it's convenient, I will lay a guide stick about the diameter
of my thumb in front of the trap. This forces the muskrat to climb onto the
trap to get over the guide stick. But, I only do this when I can't get the
trap bedded below or flush with the surface of the log.
In a worst case
scenario, I may find a log that is as hard as iron, and impossible to
chisel. Of course, stability is a terrible problem in this case. It's like
trying to bed a trap on top of a stove pipe. Setting a trap above water is
out of the question. It sticks out like a sore thumb, and more than likely,
a muskrat will knock the trap off the log before it gets caught. Here, I try
fasten a trap to the log about two inches underwater, and catch the muskrat
as it swims in.
There are several
methods for fastening a trap to a log in this situation, and there are
several concerns. First, the trap must be stable enough to make a catch, yet
not fastened down so solidly that a trapped rat cannot pull the trap off the
log and drown. One way to stabilize these traps is with small headed
finishing nails. Nails can be driven into the log (not an easy task
underwater) and bent over to catch the frame of the trap. Some longspring
traps have a hole in the front of the frame and this can be hooked over a
nail driven in the log. Again, with this method keep in mind that the trap
cannot be fastened permanently to the log. The trap must be loose enough to
come off the nails when an animal is caught.
Another method is
to use wire to fasten the trap to the log. To do this, I prefer to wrap a
couple of wires around the log and twist them tight on the top of the log. I
leave some long ends stick out where the wire is twisted. These long ends
can be folded over the frame and over the bottom leaf of the spring to hold
the trap temporarily in place. Another method I have used with some success
employs a spring type clothes pin. I fasten the clothes pin to the log by
driving a large headed roofing nail through the coil of the spring. I hold
the trap in place by clipping the clothes pin to the frame of the trap.
Anchoring a trap at one of these sets is usually not a great problem,
especially when the surrounding water is deep enough to drown the rat. My
favorite method is to drive a fence staple into the log. I buy the longest
staples I can find, preferably two-inch. It is quite often necessary to have
a staple that long to reach solid wood. If I am uncertain about the staple,
I give a couple of tugs on the trap chain to make sure it won't come loose.
I don't staple the trap chain directly to the log, I drive the staple and
then wire the trap to the staple. This makes it much easier to remove the
trap when I am done with the set.
If the log is too
rotten for a staple, I will often encircle the log with a wire and fasten
the trap this way. At times, I simply stake the trap. Sometimes this is a
necessity if the water near the log is not sufficiently deep to drown the
rat. On occasion, I have run slide wires off the log to drown the rat.
These log sets
need little further enhancement, especially if the log shows a great deal of
activity. If the set is marginal, I may add a lure stick or some fresh
vegetation to the log to attract the attention of the muskrats. Sometimes I
add bait, like a slice of apple. I usually drive a finishing nail into the
log, and spear the bait on it. One word of caution. If you bait these logs
with apple, make sure your traps are fastened extremely well. I've turned up
a number of coon on these apple baited logs. These sets will also nab an
occasional wandering mink.
I can't say that
floating logs comprise a majority of my muskrat sets. I still rely on dens,
runs, and slides to produce a majority of my rats. Still, I rarely pass up a
log that shows a lot of muskrat sign. Log sets can be especially useful in
areas where dens and runs are hard to locate. Sometimes, it requires a
little labor to construct one of these sets, but once they are in place
catching rats can be as easy a falling off a log--pun intended. But they do
add to my catch, and each season, I put a few extra entries in the catch
column of my notebook as I log a few rats.
###
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(Posted for November - December, 2008)
IN ANOTHER SENSE
by Hal Sullivan
(This article was first published the "The Trapper" November, 1992.)
In our quest to
become better trappers, we focus a great deal of attention on baits and
lures that will prove attractive to a critter's nose. Attend any trappers
convention and you can find these odors to be so abundant that you would
know where you were even with a blindfold on. There is no question that
scent attractors play a vital role in the success of most traplines;
however, animals rely on other senses to steer them through their
environment. And primary among these is the sense of vision.
In the basic trap
setting process, most of us do try to account for the animal's ability to
see what it is getting into. In a canine set, we bury the trap carefully to
keep it hid. For less wary critters, grass or leaves may be used to break up
the outline of the trap and camouflage it from the eyes of the animal. It is
important to hide your traps at a set so the animal doesn't see them, but it
is equally important to consider what an animal does see at a set.
Rarely, very
rarely, is a set constructed that does not play on the target animal's
visual sense. A blind set made in a trail might be one example. However, the
minute you add a stepping stick to this set, you have prevailed on the
animal's sense of sight. Animals don't step over sticks by smelling them. On
the other hand, some sets work on visual attraction alone. An artificial
slide rubbed in the bank of a creek will catch muskrats without the addition
of bait or lure. The only attraction for the animals is the sight of the
slide itself.
Most other sets,
excluding blind sets and trail sets, employ a combination of visual and
scent attractors. By ganging up on the senses of an animal, we increase our
odds of catching it. Although we usually think of the bait or lure as the
key element of a set, it is obvious that this is not always true. Animals
must be able to smell the odors for them to be attracted. Granted, an animal
might smell a set long before they see it when the wind conditions are
right, but if the air currents are wrong, an animal could pass within a few
feet of a set and never smell it.
For this reason,
it is usually considered good practice to place sets in locations that allow
a great deal of visibility. Take, for example, a pocket set. This set could
be placed just about anywhere along a creek bank and would have some chance
of success at taking animals that travel the shoreline. But if the set is
constructed on a fairly open bank, and is not camouflaged by brush or other
shoreline growth, it can be more easily seen and will probably be more
productive. Fox sets placed in open areas are supposed to function better
because they seem safer to the shy fox. But it may be that they function
better simply because they are easier to see.
Sometimes extreme
measures are used to give a set more visual attraction for an animal.
Flagging a set is the most blatant form of visual attraction. This is done
by hanging a piece of fur, feathers, or some other light material from a
limb or stick so that it blows in the breeze like a flag. This can attract
critters over quite a distance. It is also appealing to critters, like cats,
that are primarily sight hunters. Pocket sets, besides being placed on an
open bank, can be made even more obvious by using a gloved hand to slick up
the bank around the mouth of the pocket. This makes a pocket look like the
bull's-eye in the center of a target.
Overall
visibility will improve the long distance "calling" power of a set when the
air currents are working against the bait and lure odors. But it can also be
important even when an animal can clearly smell the scent attractors. Giving
an animal a visual clue can help it to quickly home in on the odors it has
detected. When the animal gets a whiff of and interesting odor, it will
usually begin to search for the source of the odor. There are distinct
advantages in making this search as easy as possible.
In the first
place, the quicker an animal locates a set the less chance there will be for
it to lose interest in the odors of the bait or lure. In the same vein, the
faster the animal gets to the set, the less chance there will be for
something to go wrong and scare off the critter.
Before we
continue, it would probably be wise to point out the fact that sets which
are highly visible to animals are in general highly visible to humans too.
This can often be a consideration in set construction. The same visual
factors that arouse curiosity in the target animal, may very well attract
curious humans as well. In high traffic or theft prone areas, the advantages
of a high visibility set may be offset by the potential for having the set
disturbed or vandalized.
It is also
important to consider what an animal sees as it approaches and starts to
work a set. The rule of thumb is to keep sets natural looking. But within
this general rule, trappers have a lot of latitude. Take for example, the
pocket set where the mud bank outside the entrance has been slicked down. I
believe you could search forever and not find a naturally occurring bank den
with this feature. Still, these slicked-down pockets are very effective in
taking furbearers.
When you are
constructing a "natural" looking set, it is important to remember that
animals, although they possess definite survival instincts, have no ability
to reason. Yes, specific animals can learn to avoid certain set
constructions, but this response is without fail generated through a
previous bad experience with the set. There are any number of situations
that you, as a human, might reason to be unnatural. The slicked down pocket
set is just one example.
Frankly most
sets, including my own, are unnatural; that is they appear to be constructed
by none other than the human hand. However, when an animal visually analyzes
a set, it only relates to the factors presently observable, and it does not
try to reason out how or why the set got there. Look at the standard
dirthole set. Rarely will you find anything in the wild that looks like a
trapper constructed dirthole -- a nice round hole with the dirt scattered
evenly in front. But this set accounts for thousands of fox every year, and
these critters are notoriously wary. Critters have a much more fundamental
definition of what is natural. The fox sees dirt, a hole, and probably
smells some food or foxy odors. Never mind that the dirt has a clean even
appearance and the round smooth hole shows trowel marks; these all register
as natural occurrences to the fox.
Most of the time,
the visual construction of a set helps to directly guide the animal into the
trap. It is obvious at the dirthole set that an animal will have to approach
from one direction to peek down the hole. The same factors prevail at a
pocket set, but there is another visual aspect to consider here. Pocket sets
usually work better if they are deep. This prevents the animal from seeing
into the back and invites closer inspection.
There are times,
however, when you want to keep visual stimuli at a set to a minimum. The
trail set is a good example. These sets are usually made with minimum
disturbance to the surrounding area. Such a set is not made to attract an
animal but rather to ambush the critter as it passes through. Therefore, it
is best to surprise the animal at the point of capture and not offer any
visual stimulus. That is why these are commonly referred to as "blind" sets.
In a blind set,
no visual objects are used to attract the animal to the set. In fact, a
trapper can sometimes use a visual object to attract the animal's attention
away from the trap. Charles Dobbins, in his book "Land Sets And Trapping
Techniques" details one such method. Canines, with their super sensitive
noses, can sometimes detect a freshly dug trap bed by its odor. The odor
could give away the trap location at a blind set. By placing a small pile of
freshly dug earth a few feet away, in full view, the critter may be deceived
to register the odor as coming from the pile of dirt it can see and not the
invisibly concealed trap.
Critters rely on
all their senses to steer them through their environment, and a trapper must
take this into account in order to be successful. There are some electronic
devices that emit sounds a critter can hear, but primarily a trapper relies
on the sense of smell and the sense of sight to outwit an animal. Both are
important, but we tend to dwell on smell. What an animal does or doesn't see
at a set is equally important, and we shouldn't lose sight of that fact.
###
For scent attractors visit our
Lure, Bait & Urine department.
(Posted for September - October, 2008)
DOWN AND AROUND ON THE FARM
by Hal Sullivan
(This article was first published in "The Trapper" December, 1992)
Although
there are tracts of public land available for trapping in some areas, most
of us trap on private land in the rural communities where we live. More
often than not, this is agricultural land. Farms, including ranches, are
primary targets for establishing a trapline. Once you have gained permission
to trap on a farm you have opened the door to a new and potentially fruitful
trapping area. How you conduct yourself as you travel on and about this farm
can have a definite influence in opening other doors for you. However, if
your host finds your actions irresponsible, you can have the door slammed in
your face and your name blacklisted in the community.
When
you are trapping on a farm, you are a guest. That phrase is often repeated -
probably because it's too often ignored. Some trappers (hunters too) think
that simple permission to be on the land gives them free run of the place. I
won't charge them with any of the atrocities, like fence cutting, and
vandalism because I think this is done mostly by trespassers. But there are
other instances where you can run afoul of your host, and there are ways of
making your presence a welcome one.
One
of the stickiest problems in trapping a farm is where you can or can't,
should or shouldn't, take your vehicle. Some farmers may tell you to go
anywhere you want, while others may not even want you to drive continuously
on their lanes when it is muddy. It is important to ask. You will find that
most landowners are somewhere in between and ask only that you use
discretion.
This
usually means judging the ground cover and moisture content of the soil
before you take your vehicle off any of the beaten paths. Driving across a
dry sod field to check a fox set may be alright, but you won't score many
points if you cut two brown ruts through that field in the rain. Sometimes,
you will be allowed to travel on untilled cropland because the plow will
erase your ruts, but if you get yourself stuck and have to ask for a tow,
you've made a nuisance of yourself. And I'm assuming no one is so stupid as
to drive over freshly planed crops or tilled soil, or dumb enough to ride
down unharvested crops. These latter restrictions apply to walking as well
as driving.
Frozen
ground is usually a boon to the trapper in getting around a farm, especially
on bare soil. But you can damage certain kinds of grass and hay by driving
on them in freezing weather. If the ground is frozen solid things are okay,
but if only the top layer of soil is frozen, driving across the grass breaks
the soil into small pieces and severs the roots of the grass. More succulent
plants, like alfalfa can be damaged anytime it is frozen. I saw this happen
a few years ago when three teenagers spent their Thanksgiving vacation
racing through an alfalfa field on their ATV's. By Christmas their
playground was a four-acre brown spot.
You
not only need to be considerate of where you take your vehicle, but also
where you leave it. If you park in the middle of a bridge and run off to
check an hour's worth of traps, you may return to find a farmer that you
have put fifty-five minutes behind schedule. If the middle of the lane is
the most logical place to park, do so in an area that will offer a detour.
If necessary, leave the keys in your vehicle. I can see the paranoids
wringing their hands, but statistics show that your vehicle has little
chance of being stolen on the back-forty. But I am sensible enough not to do
this when I am parked right next to the road.
If
you trap on farms where there is livestock, you are likely to encounter
gates and fences. Closing gates is one of the first rules you learn about
trapping or hunting on someone's farm. Actually the rule is to leave the
gate as you found it. Always close gates that you find closed, but don't try
to be helpful by closing all the gates you find. Sometimes farmers open
gates to move animals to a different pasture, and sometimes they leave gates
open for easy access when there are no animals on that tract. If you are in
doubt, or an open gate appears to be an obvious mistake, opt for closing the
gate and report your actions to the landowner. Volunteer to go back and open
the gate if you have done wrong.
A
gate is the best way to get through a fence, but they are not always handy
for the trapper. Most farmers won't mind if you climb over or through a
fence as long as you don't damage it. To do this, you must climb a fence
near a post where the wire is well supported. When I climb a fence, I grasp
the top of a post, put my feet on both sides of the post, climb up, swing my
leg over the post, and climb down the other side. Climbing a fence between
the posts stretches the wire and causes the fence to sag.
A
fence that is old and brittle will be hard to climb. If an old fence has
definitely been abandoned, and you have express permission, you may be
allowed to cut a hole for a crossing, but NEVER cut a fence on your own
initiative. Usually old fences suffer from gaps and sags in the wire, and
you may find a natural hole in the fence that you can slip through. If there
is livestock present, remember that these gaps can also provide an escape
route for the animals. They may generally ignore these spots but may
suddenly be attracted by your scent. Yes, cows and sheep can smell too. Be
prepared to make a temporary repair where you cross. When you are finished
trapping, you may want to make a permanent repair as a favor to the farmer,
or at least report the problem to him.
This
is another aspect of your travels around a farm. By reporting problems such
as open gates and broken fences, you may be saving trouble rather than
making trouble for the farmer. Trapping may carry you into places where the
farmer rarely ventures, or you may discover something in your daily travels
that the farmer might not see for a week.
Sometimes
quick action is called for to remedy a situation. For example, if you find
livestock escaping through a broken fence you may be able to herd them back
in, or at least make a quick repair so that no more escape while you go for
help. Sometimes the situation can be critical. Last season I pulled out of a
farm at dusk, and found a holstein cow standing in the middle of the road.
It was nip and tuck as the farmhand and I chased the cow up and down this
busy highway. I wasn't sure what would happen if a car came head on with a
full grown holstein, but I envisioned hamburger either way.
It
is also good to find out who else you might be encountering on a farm. Some
farms may be open to anyone, and on others you may have sole permission. You
should note the activities of others around the farm, and alert the farmer
if other people are making mistakes that you could be blamed for. If you
question whether or not they have permission to be there, alert the farmer
that he may be the victim of trespassers.
If
you are trapping on a farm, you need be concerned with where and how you
travel, and also when you are going to be there. If you are on a farm during
"normal business hours" you are not likely to create much disturbance.
Fortunately, farmers and trappers usually keep the same general hours--early
in the morning 'til late at night. However, if you must run your traps
during non-daylight hours make sure you have the blessing of the farmer.
Most
farmers feel obliged to investigate any intrusions that occur after dark and
before daylight. There is justification for this because it is during the
night hours that they experience most of their losses to thieves and
vandals. And like trappers and hunters, farmers are firm believers in our
second amendment, which gives citizens the right to bear firearms in defense
of themselves, and their property. Go on a farm unannounced in the middle of
the night, and you may find yourself looking down the barrel of a gun.
But
this does not mean that you can't check traps in the dark, as long as the
farmer knows you are doing it and you maintain some respect for trouble you
will be causing. If you can stay away from the houses, and not wake anyone
up, you probably won't cause much bother. Still, the landowner should know
that you are doing this, in case you are reported by neighbors or
passers-by.
Sometimes
the only entrance to a farm is right past the house. You should give serious
consideration before you rumble through somebody's yard in the middle of the
night. You will almost surely wake someone in the house, and this may wear
out your welcome. If this is your only alternative, agree to keep the same
hours each day until you are finished trapping. This way, a farmer can look
at his clock, and know that it is you passing through and not someone he
needs to investigate.
These
are general rules of behavior for traveling on and about a farm, but please
bear in mind that there is no universal code. Each farm may have unique
prohibitions or restrictions. These may be spelled out to you when get
permission, and if you are in doubt at that time, or any time in the future,
ask before you act.
Even
if you are acting in a permissible manner, you should be prepared make
reparations if you cause incidental damages. If you damage a fence by
crossing it, make sure you restore it to its original condition before you
leave, and tell the landowner what you have done. Last season I had to
apologize for cutting ruts up a grassy hill when I misjudged the amount of
rain fall. At the end of the season, I smoothed out the ruts, and sprinkled
a little grass seed on top. This was the same farm where, two years before,
I had been unable to get stopped on an icy grade, and slid through one of
their gates. That was a little harder to fix, but they were satisfied with
my repairs, and they joke that gate works better now than it did before.
They invite me back every year, and I think they secretly hope I crash into
a few more of the less substantial gates.
Getting
around on farms is second nature to me, probably because I was raised in
this environment, and I have done a little farming of my own. I always
follow the dictates of the farmer, and combined with my own better judgment,
I rarely make my presence on a farm inconvenient or damaging. If I can be
useful in reporting or correcting a problem, this will almost certainly
extend my welcome. I have the reputation of being a good guest on the farms
that I trap, and this helps me to get on other farms--some of which have
closed their gates to less considerate trappers.
###
For your trapping supplies visit the
Supply Line side of our site.
(Posted for July - August, 2008)
DRY DIRT
by Hal Sullivan
(This was first
published in "The Trapper" May, 1993 as a two part series.)
It is generally held that trapping on dry land is a little more difficult
than trapping in the water. It can be even more of a challenge when the
water gets in the dry land. Most land trappers pray for clear skies, but
sooner or later the heavens are bound to cough up some rain on the dirt
trapper. This can transform dirtholes into mud holes. Covering up a trap
with rain-soaked dirt is an often messy and sometimes impossible task.
A light rain on dry soil may not cause a problem for the dirt trapper. As
long as the dampened earth will run through your dirt sifter, it will
probably be suitable for covering traps. However, as the water content
increases, the dirt begins to cling together, in muddy clumps, and will no
longer fall through the holes in a sifter. Almost all trappers, at one time
or another, have tried to force wet dirt through a sifter. About the best
you can hope for under these conditions is a bunch of little mud marbles
which may or may not cover the trap. Usually, you end up with long mud
noodles running out the bottom of your dirt sifter.
It is a challenge to maintain a land set during wet weather. If the ground
becomes completely saturated, or puddles in a flat or low area, it may be
impossible to make or maintain a set. But usually, a trapper can dig out a
bed for a trap, or even a dirthole, when the ground is wet. The problem
comes in covering the trap. Ordinarily, you use the dirt dug up from the
set, but during periods of wet weather the land trapper often needs another
source of dry dirt for covering his traps.
Many trappers prepare themselves ahead of time by storing up dry dirt for
use during wet weather. Others may neglect to gather any dry dirt, or may
run out as the result of a prolonged rainy spell. In this case, you will
have to seek out some alternate sources for dry dirt.
The most direct approach to solving this problem is to get dry (or dryer)
dirt from some other source on the trapline, possibly within the vicinity of
the set. This isn't always an easy task because the rains that have soaked a
set area have done their best to dampen everything else in sight.
The best place to look for usable dirt is in a sheltered spot that has some
type of slope or drainage. A good example of this would occur where a tree
or log leans out over a bank. The soil at the base of the tree or underneath
the log will be protected from the direct rainfall, although it will soak up
water from the surrounding ground. Often you can find usable dirt between
the roots on the downhill side of a creek-bank tree.
Very steep or undercut banks are also good places to look for dry dirt
during wet weather. These drain rapidly and do not soak up as much water. In
the case of an overhanging bank, the upper rim may protect the dirt below
from rainfall. If you can find a bank that has a fairly good slope but the
dirt appears to be too muddy to use, you can try digging into the bank a few
inches. While the surface may be saturated, the subsoil may not be as wet.
Many times on a sod bank, usable dirt is available just below the sod line.
Bulldozer piles and uprooted trees are also good locations to seek out dry
dirt. By searching around a bulldozer pile, you will probably find a
sheltered pocket that will have dry dirt. If not, try digging back into the
pile where the rain has not soaked in. Uprooted trees usually have a lot of
earth clinging to their roots. Some of this dirt, on the bottom of the root
wad back up under the roots, may be protected from the rain.
While the consistency of any type of dirt will be changed with the addition
of water, sand is the least effected and the quickest to return to normal.
You may be able to get usable trap covering from a sand bank just the day
after a rainfall. Sand does not absorb water, and the liquid just seeps on
through. By carefully scraping up the surface of the sand, you will be
collecting the part that the water has already passed through.
Wet weather can be a real pain when you are trapping farmland, but I found
you can get dry dirt in the middle of a plowed field. I look for a place
where the plow has thrown up a miniature mountain of clods that will tend to
shed the water. Sometimes, removing the muddy clods on the top of the pile
will reveal some relatively dry chunks of earth in the center of the pile.
Another method I use is to find a very large clod that sits up off the
surrounding ground. Often, I can cut away the muddy outside, and use the
dirt from the center of the clod.
Fast Forward -- With the advent of no-till farming, this avenue for
collecting dry dirt becomes less and less viable.
Old barns and outbuildings that have dirt floors are a popular standby as
a source for dry dirt during wet weather. Even buildings that are partially
collapsed may harbor a dry spot or two. Frankly, I am not overly
enthusiastic about using this dirt on my canine lines. This dirt is usually
contaminated with foreign odors. If the barn is in use, the dirt may harbor
a petroleum, or a chemical smell. If the barn is abandoned, it is likely
that all manner of critters - mice, groundhogs, skunks, coons, birds, and
what-have-you have taken up refuge there and saturated the ground with their
wastes and odors. Since I intend to use this dirt directly over my trap, I
would prefer not to have these odors attracting the curiosity of the canine.
Another and possibly better source for dry dirt is the sheltered areas under
bridges. Though there may be water rushing underneath, the high banks near
the abutments may be totally sheltered from the rain. Newer bridges often
have a rock or gravel covering under them, but you may find some usable dirt
if you can move away this covering. If you do, make sure to replace the
rocks or gravel when you are done.
If all else fails, you could consider buying some dirt to cover your traps.
Peat moss and potting soil can both be used to cover traps in emergency
situations. You can find these items at garden supply centers. The potting
soil is a little expensive for a trap covering, but a bag of peat moss will
actually go a long way. You should plan on sifting peat moss because it
often contains sizable sticks.
A land trapline is certainly easier to run during fair weather. However, if
you are more than a fair weather trapper, you will want to keep trapping
during the wet seasons. Rain and mud are a harsh fact of life that the land
trapper must address. You may get through these times by seeking out the
alternate sources for dry dirt that have been mentioned here.
However, if you are contemplating any sizable land trapline, you should
consider putting up and storing a supply of dry dirt.
During wet and rainy weather, one of the best sources that a land trapper
has for dry dirt is his own cache of material gathered and stored prior to
the season. When everything else has turned to mud, this supply of dry dirt
can be a valuable time saver for the trapper, and during prolonged wet
periods, it can be an absolute life saver for a dryland trapline. Putting up
dry dirt is not an exceedingly difficult operation, but it does involve a
little time and some advance planning.
The best time to gather dry dirt is towards the end of the long, hot summer.
The ground is naturally drier at this time of year, and you can take
advantage of the warm weather to complete the drying process for your dirt.
The first item of importance is to select a good type of dirt. Dirt is dirt
- you might say, but there are some things to look for when selecting dirt
to be dried out. Obviously, soils such as clay would dry to large hard
chunks and would be unsuitable for a trap covering. It is better to select a
loose, loamy type of dirt for drying. This soil will divide into small
pieces as it dries. Very fine soil may actually dry out to be a powder, and
this type of "dust" may not be very good for covering traps.
Personally, I don't like the fine dusty nature of plain old dry dirt. I use
a special kind of dirt that technically may not actually be soil. When I am
looking for dirt to dry, I seek out a very old and rotten log or stump
somewhere in the woods. Underneath these, you can find a rich compost of
decayed and decaying wood along with the rich black soil already generated.
When this material dries, it maintains its course texture because it is not
totally disintegrated to a mineral state like regular dirt. Also, this
material is considerably lighter than pure soil. This presents an advantage
when you are packing around significant amounts of dirt.
This rotted-wood soil also presents an advantage if the set is again exposed
to rain. Often, after a significant rain, plain dirt will settle and pack,
exposing part of the trap. The wood-dirt, on the other hand, tends to swell
as it soaks up water, and this offsets any settling that might be caused by
the rain. It is a little harder to come up with this type of dirt, and you
may have to find several well rotted logs or stumps to supply your needs.
If you are going to the trouble of drying dirt, you may as well sift it
before you start. You will have to sift it sometime, and doing this before
you dry it will cut down on the amount of dirt you have to dry by
eliminating the large objects. To do this quickly, I made a couple of large,
20" x 20", dirt sifters with a hardware cloth bottom.
If you make one of these sifters, make sure you cut hand holds in the sides.
When this sifter is full of dirt, it is very heavy and almost impossible to
handle without the grips. To make the handholds, mark the center of one side
and drill a one-inch diameter hole two inches on either side of this mark.
Take a narrow bladed jig saw and cut a straight line across the tops and
bottoms of the holes. Use a knife or rasp to smooth the edges of the handle.
 This
is one of the big sifters I use when sifting large quantities of dirt. |
I have found it beneficial, especially when working with rotted wood, to
have two sifters with different mesh sizes. If the dirt you are trying to
sift has a lot of large particles in it, they tend to plug up a small size
mesh and make sifting difficult. I found it was easier to first run the dirt
through a one-half inch screen and quickly remove the largest particles.
Then I finish sifting the dirt through the one-quarter inch mesh. I find
this to be faster and more efficient than running everything through the
smaller screen.
Another option is to take just the coarse sifter into the field and do the
final sifting as the dirt is prepared for drying. The coarse sifter removes
a good 85% of the junk that needs to be taken out. This dirt can be sifted
into five gallon buckets for carrying. At home, you may be able to do your
sifting over a large tub or right onto your drying surface. You can quickly
resift the dirt and throw away the small amount of debris.
When I am sifting dirt in the field, I usually sift it into five gallon
buckets because they are easy to carry. If you simply hold the sifter over
the bucket and shake, you will lose a lot of sifted dirt on the ground.
Instead, I set the sifter on top of the bucket, and use my trowel or a stick
to stir the dirt toward in the center of the sifter so that it falls into
the bucket.
The simplest way to finish drying the dirt is to pour it out on a sheet of
plywood. If you have a protected area, such as a building, you can put the
plywood down here and protect your dirt from the weather. If your dirt is to
be dried outdoors, you might want to elevate your plywood platform on a few
rocks or bricks. If it should happen to rain while you are trying to dry the
dirt, you can spread a sheet of plastic over the dirt to protect it
temporarily.
You can get the dirt to dry better if you turn it periodically with a
shovel. This also helps to keep the dirt loose as it dries. Here is one
little word of caution. If you have cats around, be they pet or stray, they
may decide to make use of your clean loose dirt for their toilet. Watch for
tracks, scratches, or wet spots in your dirt and be prepared to remove this
contaminated dirt before you mix it up with the rest of the dirt.
I use another type of drying rack that I made myself from an old window
screen. This rack is three feet wide and five feet long. It has window
screen on the bottom. After using it one time, I reinforced the window
screen with some poultry netting stapled to the edge of the frame because
the weight of the dirt caused the window screen to sag and nearly tear off.
I set this frame on a few bricks so the air can circulate underneath it. I
can dry dirt very quickly on this rack because the air can reach two sides
of the dirt. If I spread out the dirt in a thin layer, I don't even have to
turn it to get it completely dry.
You don't have to dry every bit of your dirt at one time. I usually go out
and gather a large amount of dirt. Then I sift the dirt into tubs when I get
home and dry it a little at a time. It will not hurt the moist, sifted dirt
to set around for a few days or even a few weeks.
When the dirt is completely dry, you need a clean, odor-free, container in
which to store it. This could be a clean garbage can, barrel, or bucket; but
it should have a lid to keep out foreign materials or odors.
You can also use the large plastic trash bags to store your dirt. It is
unwise to try to fill one of these bags too full because they will get
extremely heavy. The bags must also be handled carefully to avoid puncturing
them. You can avoid some of these problems by using a plastic bag and
cardboard box together. Using the plastic bag as a liner for the box, you
can fill the box full and tie the top of the bag shut. The box will protect
the bag and may make the dirt easier to move around and store.
As you need this dirt for your trapline, you can transfer it to smaller
containers for carrying. I keep a five gallon bucket of dry dirt in my
truck, and from this I fill a smaller container that I carry to the sets. At
the sets, I just pour the dirt from the smaller container - no sifting
necessary.
Collecting and drying dirt is a good off-season project for the trapper. A
good supply of dry dirt can help you weather through those times when a
dryland trapline is not so dry. Having a ready source of dry pre-sifted dirt
can save you hours of time you would spend searching for dry dirt, and save
you the aggravation of having to shove mud through your sifter. You can take
your chances and hope for fair weather, or you can take out a little
insurance against the elements--it's dirt cheap.
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For more information on trapping canines:
Canine Books and Videos
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