a few years ago i asked a friend's son if he would like to attend the youth trapping class. he said yes and off we went. i learned a lot in the class but never put my hands to setting a trap (it was after all a youth class
).
i was excited and set about to ordering me some trapping supplies. bought a dozen mb550's, a dozen berkshire stakes, some lure, some bait, a bottle of red fox urine, a couple dozen crunch proof swivels and j hooks, extree chain, t bar shock springs, a trowel, a metal sifter, s hooks and pliers, name tags, dye and wax.
all those supplies sure resemble Hank's shopping list for new trapper's don't it?
didn't know him at the time. i just listened real well to trappers with decades of experience. made mental notes and bought what they said worked.
fast forward a couple years and me and the boy (Austin) had finished some yard work and didn't have anything on the to-do list. we gathered up the equipment and commenced to preparing the traps. i had previously cleaned them in the dishwasher...never do that again...and hung them to lightly rust on the fence. all we had to do was dye and wax. got them all finished and allowed to dry. placed them with gloved hands into a tote lined with leaves and pine straw. into the shed they went...
...until i decided i wanted to trap the coyotes we had been seeing on the game cameras. called a local trapper and arranged a deal for him to set the traps - so it would be perfeshional and done up right
. i would run the line so it wouldn't cost like it would if the trapper had to come over every day and run it (time is money. fuel is money).
it rained this past weekend so he scheduled us for monday morning. we made 5 sets. i only wanted the traps in a central location as it would be easier for me to check. this is why i think most folks don't want to trap - the daily checking. i could see it being bothersome if you had a huge parcel of land and not a lot of spare time. with that said...once you get the traps set...it is like Christmas. never knowing what you may see when you round the bend, crest the hill or turn a corner and see your trap, whether empty or with something caught between your run.
this set is a urine (pee) set:
breaking up the dirt (we have sand, sandy loam and clay on the property. oh, and we have ironstone!)
dirt broken up and ready to be removed to sifter pan
using sharpened end of 3/8" rebar to drive berkshire stake. only drive til swivel is to soil level
bedding the trap. make sure it is solid and does not move
adding some pre-sifted peat moss
dirt from trap bedding area sifted over peat moss. make sure pan area is ever-so-slightly indented from remaining area
getting ready to apply gland
applying the urine (after all, it is a urine set
)
the idea behind this set is that the male canine will hike his leg to mark his territory. he will be attracted to this set by the smell of something else in his area. does it work...
. i'm going to have to purchase a set of setters to give me leverage. Pete had to remove the yotes for me. 
