Frozen sets, wax dirt and new tricks

[deerkiller300wsm]

Ok guys, I love trapping before and after a snow storm because of the low temps. I make wax sand, 50lbs at a time and have been too cheap to buy flaked wax. So I flake my own. It's a pain.
I have had wax dirt lock up so tight it won't let the trap fire (maybe it is too much wax?).
I hate running salt or antifreeze bc of what it does to the traps, and I personally think either can be smelled.
My new favorite is sifting peat , then storing in garage attack all summer to dry out. When done this way it acts as a great filler between the jaws to cut back on wax sand usage. I don't run pan covers or under covers. Occasionally use polyfill.

What about y'all? How you keep your set firing when temps are in the teens?

 

[rem270]

We got about 5" of snow Friday. I should've uncovered and put new moss down yesterday but got back from doing it just now. None of my traps were frozen up. I use peat moss and do mix a little antifreeze over the top then filter in with my hands.

If I'd done it yesterday I possibly would've had a coyote. Had tracks all around one set and followed the tracks all the way from my back field to my back yard.

 

[hammer33]

just saw this tip on youtube last night. Use your stake driver to bang a couple drain holes in the bottom of the trap bed before bedding your trap with peatmoss. Gives the water a place to go instead of pooling in the bottom of the bed where your trap/peat is.

 

[readonly]

I have always thought of waxed dirt as something best suited for the west, where they don't get as much precipitation, and where temperatures dive low enough to make salt and conventional anti-freezes non effective or less effective.

Salt does work fine for me. It won't effect traps if they are waxed. If you have a catch, after you pull the set you will need to retreat the trap, but that's the case even if you don't use salt. The downside to salt is that it does attract rabbits and deer.

For me, peat moss combined with salt is the perfect combination and I've been using it for close to twenty years. With peat, I use such a small amount of salt that it does not attract deer or rabbits. I don't use a pan cover. Sets remain functional even after huge down pours with 3+ inches of rain. There's really no downside to it.

If I were to use a different system, it would be propylene glycol with pan covers during a period of excessive mud.

 

[square]

I use dry peat moss with underalls to bed my traps. They froze solid 2 weeks ago. They've been covered for a week. Going back to camp Wednesday to uncover and rebed with peat/ salt. Does it take much salt? Do you mix it in as you sift the peat?

 

[readonly]

I use dry peat moss with underalls to bed my traps. They froze solid 2 weeks ago. They've been covered for a week. Going back to camp Wednesday to uncover and rebed with peat/ salt. Does it take much salt? Do you mix it in as you sift the peat?

Does not take much salt. I dig the trap bed and dust salt on the bottom. Dirt from the bed is used to bed the trap solid, packing only on the outside of the jaws. A little bit of salt over that dirt. Dry peat under the pan and inside the jaws. Peat over the bed keeping the pan as the low point. A slight dusting of salt over the peat. Be careful blending it. If you use too much dirt to blend it will draw water and could freeze....so use just enough to blend and keep peat from blowing away in high wind.

Before I used peat, I would commonly have issues with deer and rabbits, but have had not issues since. So while still using salt to keep it from freezing down, it's a very small amount.

 

[square]

Does not take much salt. I dig the trap bed and dust salt on the bottom. Dirt from the bed is used to bed the trap solid, packing only on the outside of the jaws. A little bit of salt over that dirt. Dry peat under the pan and inside the jaws. Peat over the bed keeping the pan as the low point. A slight dusting of salt over the peat. Be careful blending it. If you use too much dirt to blend it will draw water and could freeze....so use just enough to blend and keep peat from blowing away in high wind.

Before I used peat, I would commonly have issues with deer and rabbits, but have had not issues since. So while still using salt to keep it from freezing down, it's a very small amount.

Thanks!