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Post by tony1967 on Sept 10, 2020 12:33:59 GMT -5
Thought I’d start one to talk about trapping related activities and hopefully leave politics, etc out of it.
I got my traps all waxed this week and today just got some dirt dried and stored. Didn’t need much in the way of supplies but did just get my order of some new baits/lures from F&T this afternoon. I still have 5 weeks of vacation left this year for my hunting and trapping so I am looking forward to a fun season in the woods.
What about you guys?
Tony
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Post by milkie62 on Sept 10, 2020 12:48:08 GMT -5
Hello Tony, this year my season will not be much of anything except some nuisance beaver and a few rats. I do want to experiment with trail cams on large see through cubbies for cats,coyotes,fox & fisher. I also would like to put trail cams on some running poles with tied open conibears just to see how they react to different baits. I have a fairly large property that is great for trapping and a powerline that runs through a corner of it and is also excellent for trapping canines. I am leaving for a Wyoming Elk hunt in 2 weeks so that is what I have been focused on lately.
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Post by trapperjack on Sept 10, 2020 12:57:05 GMT -5
All set to go! Trapping shed cleaned and painted inside and out. Even the floor was painted. Traps dyed and waxed and tuned. 4- 5 gal pails of waxes dirt. Scouting to begin this weekend. Retirement is great!
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Post by joemarshditchrat on Sept 10, 2020 13:58:35 GMT -5
All my traps are ready to be dyed. I will do it when we get a cool rainy day.
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Post by dinorocks on Sept 10, 2020 16:43:47 GMT -5
Thanks for the post Tony! I’m just about ready and very excited! I’m not sure why, but I love busting my butt setting, checking, and putting up fur...as most know, it’s lots of work and commitment around family, friends, and career!
My traps are boiled...just need to wax them. A friend put some inside lams on a dozen traps I bought at the end of last season...No BS K9 Extremes...a bit more trap then I was expecting but the price was right so I figured I would give them a try. I made wax dirt for the first time this season and collected and dried some grass clippings. I’m going to prep some spots for beavers behind my house...much easier now with low, warm water. I know my property very well so not much scouting needed here...I will make some mock sets and prep some blind sets with stepping sticks...not really needed but enjoyable for me! My goal is to continue to keep working at being more selective and efficient...and hopefully tag along on some other lines again...can never learn enough!! I also hope to mentor some people I know who are interested in trapping this year.
Good luck and be positive! Dino
Ps. Wish there was an easy way to post pictures here!
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Post by tony1967 on Sept 10, 2020 18:34:38 GMT -5
Dino, let me know how it goes adjusting those K9 traps. I bought a half dozen last year and feel I had some misses due to not being able to adjust the tension down like I wanted.
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Post by SawmillCreek on Sept 10, 2020 19:29:20 GMT -5
We started boiling a couple days ago. Last batch will go in tomorrow. Still have about 4 dozen of Linda's traps to paint pink and roughly 12 dozen coyote traps to wax
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Post by trappermac on Sept 10, 2020 19:48:03 GMT -5
Ahead of the game this year myself, got traps dyed and waxed early in the covid stay at home period. Only concern I have is a knee replacement is required, so when that gets scheduled decides my trapping and hunting opportunities this year. Just waiting on insurance approval now. Dino..did you get the regular no bs traps or the juniors, I use the Jrs and thats all the trap I need. I still reach for a mb550 or a laminated Bridger 2 dogless though given the choice.
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Post by tony1967 on Sept 10, 2020 20:12:44 GMT -5
Mac, I bought the jrs myself and had trouble adjusting. Did you try any adjustments? If so, how did you do it?
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Post by trappermac on Sept 10, 2020 20:21:47 GMT -5
Tony I got a dozen of them and I did not adjust them, they seemed fine as far as pressure for yotes. If I miss a few 5.00 reds because of it I'm ok with that. I'll take a look though and see if I find a way to adjust these lower.
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Post by tony1967 on Sept 10, 2020 21:35:43 GMT -5
Mine just seemed really stiff, even for yotes. Randall at NO BS said most guys just wax them and they are better, but I just didn’t like the tension on mine. Still trying to play with them to see what I can do.
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Post by trappermac on Sept 11, 2020 5:31:41 GMT -5
I did wax mine, and it did seem to help. Mine are 2 coiled as well.
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tmc
#2 Newhouse
Posts: 2,447
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Post by tmc on Sept 11, 2020 9:03:46 GMT -5
I've buried a few (FRESH! EXTREMELY FRESH lol!) roadkills; I bury them so they're at least 4-6" below the surface, then use a rebar/branch whatever I remembered or not to bring along to make a "stink chimney" hole down to the roadkill. Then I let them work the set until season opens; THEY tell me where they want to put their foot so I don't have to try to make them do it. Works? Meh, not as often as I'd hoped, but I still do it because other sets on trails leading to the set can actually be better (and avoid non-target species), AND because I keep learning from them especially when there's a game camera pointed their way.
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tmc
#2 Newhouse
Posts: 2,447
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Post by tmc on Sept 11, 2020 9:10:08 GMT -5
Maybe this doesn't qualify, but yesterday I was up at our place in 5H (Forestport), and the otter sign... off the charts. Fisher sign good, marten sign great. Canines, so-so. But with grampa potentially having to take over homeschooling twin first-graders, I may not be able to make the trip every other day. Here's hoping!
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Post by markg on Sept 12, 2020 6:30:39 GMT -5
Unfortunately I am behind schedule, picked up a few bat proofing jobs so all my free time is directed towards those. Should be able to start boiling and waxing traps In a few weeks. Need to put a few more deer in the freezer so I may not even start setting till we’ll after thanksgiving.
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austin
test results are back... I am joerat's daddy
Posts: 483
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Post by austin on Sept 12, 2020 12:22:58 GMT -5
Need to dip all my bodygrips in something... enamel paint most likely. I used that snare dip on some of my #160s for woodchucks, stuff wore right off and/or rusted thru. It appears to be latex paint. Could use one of the gasoline dips but I like painted traps better. Not to mention endless choice of colors to pick from, too.
Not sure if I'll get any early-season water trapping in, and if the southern zone opens on 11/10 this year I'll miss that week too. But with our six-month drought still entrenched and no relent in sight, muskrats across the southern zone will be spotty and concentrated in pockets. Once again, most of my trapping may very well be up north this season ahead.
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paintedpaw
Retired NYSDEC Lake George Ranger
Posts: 691
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Post by paintedpaw on Sept 12, 2020 15:38:13 GMT -5
Austin,
I spray paint my conibears with cheap flat black or camo that I get in Walmart.
I trap the south east Adirondacks and I have never seen the rivers so low. You can walk across in most places. My mink streams are almost dry, some are. Muskrats? What are they?
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austin
test results are back... I am joerat's daddy
Posts: 483
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Post by austin on Sept 12, 2020 16:13:22 GMT -5
Austin, I spray paint my conibears with cheap flat black or camo that I get in Walmart. I trap the south east Adirondacks and I have never seen the rivers so low. You can walk across in most places. My mink streams are almost dry, some are. Muskrats? What are they? I've done that too and it works great... but I have five dozen #330s and pry twenty dozen 150s - 160s to coat. That would take a whole lotta rattle cans to cover! lol
The Genesee River here in Livingston county has been at summer drought level, rocks showing on the bottom for three months. We never had one single rain system pick it back up even for a day or two. The 1" - 2" rainfalls that hit once per month got sucked up into the ground like a sponge, never even knew it rained the next day. The consistently driest year I ever recall. Most creeks, ditches and shallow flows are bone dry with weeds growing in the bottoms.
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Post by joemarshditchrat on Sept 12, 2020 18:38:50 GMT -5
use a mixture of 1/2 rustoleum paint and 1/2 acetone....dip them in the mixture.
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Post by milkie62 on Sept 12, 2020 22:13:21 GMT -5
Austin, I spray paint my conibears with cheap flat black or camo that I get in Walmart. I trap the south east Adirondacks and I have never seen the rivers so low. You can walk across in most places. My mink streams are almost dry, some are. Muskrats? What are they? I used a combination of green & brown Walmart spray paint on my MB 1216's and seems to hold up very well. Maybe better steel ??
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austin
test results are back... I am joerat's daddy
Posts: 483
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Post by austin on Sept 13, 2020 3:16:16 GMT -5
use a mixture of 1/2 rustoleum paint and 1/2 acetone....dip them in the mixture. my plan... pry a light gray color, mimic old dead branches that look easy to swim thru if sight matters
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austin
test results are back... I am joerat's daddy
Posts: 483
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Post by austin on Sept 13, 2020 3:19:09 GMT -5
use a mixture of 1/2 rustoleum paint and 1/2 acetone....dip them in the mixture. my plan... pry a light gray color, mimic old dead branches that look easy to swim thru if sight matters I've used rattle cans from Dollar General and WalMart, work great but I've got too many traps to treat at once for that.
The dip I used this spring was one of those mix-with-water types that sell at trapping supply houses. It has to be latex if it dilutes with water, nothing else does. Did not hold up, did not give a slick smooth coating to begin with. I'll be stripping all my traps and coating with enamel paint
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Post by milkie62 on Sept 15, 2020 11:17:05 GMT -5
my plan... pry a light gray color, mimic old dead branches that look easy to swim thru if sight matters I've used rattle cans from Dollar General and WalMart, work great but I've got too many traps to treat at once for that. The dip I used this spring was one of those mix-with-water types that sell at trapping supply houses. It has to be latex if it dilutes with water, nothing else does. Did not hold up, did not give a slick smooth coating to begin with. I'll be stripping all my traps and coating with enamel paint
Austin, I used 1/2 acetone & 1/2 Rustoleum rusty primer. It seemed to been kinda thick. Are you using an enamel Rustoleum ?
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Post by tony1967 on Sept 25, 2020 19:10:59 GMT -5
Talked to a couple landowners recently and renewed permissions. Also threw out a few pre-bait holes baited with deep fryer grease. Gets them digging and visiting an area for future sets.
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austin
test results are back... I am joerat's daddy
Posts: 483
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Post by austin on Oct 1, 2020 6:14:22 GMT -5
Thought about bid lease on Montezuma this year, even though it's a 90-minute drive from home each way. Looked over the unit's report today, see that more than half of the units were and still are bone dry due to extended drought. That leaves four units holding water for everyone to fight over. If in fact there will be much of a fight for pre-buying $2 avg muskrats.
Unless I can find some easily-accessed pocket populations of muskrats here in the southern zone, all of my trapping efforts will be northern zone beaver & otter as weather conditions permit. Mid-winter thaws or spring ice-out work. Busy chasing whitetails across several states from now thru mid-December. Won't know what's out there surviving this epic drought until sometime November when first hard freezes spark the house-building process.
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