nazz
New Member
Posts: 4
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Post by nazz on Feb 15, 2005 22:30:15 GMT -5
im new to trapping and snaring so i bought a doz, #2 traps and a book on trapping coyote ,i have yet to catch one but have had a few get out of my traps ,im doing everything by the book ,i even set two traps at each set and had one get out of that,the book says to loosin the pan setting to make like a hair trigger, is this the problem or do i need to go to a bigger trap ? is a offset trap better ?if so is it possible to make mine offset ? im not going to let these dogs beat me ,but i may need some help,, ;D
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Post by Snareman on Feb 15, 2005 22:49:56 GMT -5
Hello Nazz,
Welcome. I gave you some info. in a prior eMail. There will be others here soon to help you with your question. In the mean time, if you have other questions, now is a good time to post them... or look around.
Take Care,
Snareman
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Post by levesque on Feb 15, 2005 23:29:00 GMT -5
Hey Nazz , Welcome  Glad to help . The traps you have are adequate for coyote . I personally prefer the #3 coils simply because we get alot of snow here. The problem could be one of many things . First , poorly bedded , the trap needs to be solid as you can get it . Second , make sure your trap is never higher than surrounding soil . Third , the hair trigger is not what you are looking for and is probably the factor if you are bedding well. You want a crisp trigger that happens to be a hair trigger . What I mean by that is you want the least amount of pan travel when the paw steps on the pan but you want the animal commited by his weight transfer to that foot . one way to do this is to bend the dog up at the end that meets the pan . Another is to use some form of pan plug under the pan , like fiberglass of wool . You can put enough under the pan to creat a pan tention without tightening the nut on the pan post. Always have a freefall pan and creat pan tension some other way . One other thing to think about is pan wobble . Factory pans are stamped out and are rounded . They need to be removed and filed flat on both sides. I them add a nylon or brass washer to each side of the pan neck . What you are shooting for is a strait clean freefall up and down with zero slop . |
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Post by Snareman on Feb 17, 2005 21:53:21 GMT -5
Hey Nazz!
Did you try adding tension to the pan so it is not so loose or drops too easily? Levesque layed out some good info for you to try.
I know when there is added pan pressure, it takes more of a downward commitment to fire the trap which promotes a more solid pad catch and less toe catches.
If your chains are too long, you also give a lot of running room for the coyote to pop his paw out of the trap. It would help to restrict the length of your chain and even add shock springs which help in pullouts.
Snareman
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Post by yottey on Feb 17, 2005 23:58:48 GMT -5
Couple questions, How well are the traps bedded? What make of traps ?How much pan tension?How are the traps set-up? With a little info we can help you catch a few! ;DDon
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ADC
Seasoned Veteran
Posts: 335
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Post by ADC on Feb 18, 2005 0:08:20 GMT -5
Don't over look the importance of a clean dyed and waxed trap. And avoid leaving much human scent around the set.
Oh, and watch out for coons they are notorious for digging up traps and flipping them over or tripping them.
Yottey is correct though we need a little more info. to correctly diagnose the problem.
I also have a question about chain length, snareman you said "short chains, shock springs, etc..." why do prefer them set up like that?
I like a long chain for coyotes. I use about 18” of chain and 3 swivels. The reason for this is I don’t want them to jack the stake out of the ground. If they can pull straight up as they do with a short chain, and the stake pulls up even a little, when they come down the swivel slides down the stake, then the next jump the swivel catches down there and they pull it a little more, over and over until the stake is free. Slide a trap on a stake and see. Also coyotes will grab the stake and pull it out with their mouth so even when double staking if they pull them up a little they can pull one out like that and the other one at an angle and loose isn’t going to hold em'. Plus in my area I catch several badgers, and a badger trapped close to the stake is going to have a good chance of digging it up. Now if you use a pogo or other cable stake this eliminates the stake-jacking problem and you could use a shorter chain if there were no badgers in your area. Also though, the long chain lets them run out and get a good jerk on their leg, this probably causes a little leg pain and the next pull won’t be so hard. It also makes setting the trap easier because you can reach it to your knee if you need to.
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Post by levesque on Feb 18, 2005 15:03:19 GMT -5
I too like a short chain , no shock spring needed . Depending on soil type , longer stakes are required when double staking , if they are easy for the coyote to jack out , they have to be pretty easy to drive in , go longer . Also , less leg/paw damage with shorter system , my observation, and when you think about it , and like you said ,getting a run and hitting the end of the chain is pretty much a guarantee of skin breakage , bad news I think . I use softy #3's and padded jakes as well with a few Bridgers w/reversed jaws for offsets and modified. L
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nazz
New Member
Posts: 4
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Post by nazz on Feb 20, 2005 22:34:53 GMT -5
ok ill try to let you guys know what im doing but first let me say thanks for the info ,just from the info i have now i see i was doing alot wrong ,i was setting my traps and not bedding the jaws ,i would cover them with wax paper and than add leaves to cover it,i also had my pans set so loose that any thing would set them off (i had a crow in one last week) funny but true,also my traps have long chains,,so far i have cut my chains down to 8 " and added shock springs ,i added some tension to the pans,redyed and rewaxed and read up a little more on bedding a trap,i thank you all for any and all info,,
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Post by levesque on Feb 20, 2005 22:45:50 GMT -5
Go get em Nazz and please keep us posted . Remember that sometimes , even when you do everything right , some animals lead a real charmed life some days and will put your skill to the test . Don't get discouraged , you learn far more from the things you do wrong than what you do right.  |
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Glad to help . The traps you have are adequate for coyote . I personally prefer the #3 coils simply because we get alot of snow here. The problem could be one of many things . First , poorly bedded , the trap needs to be solid as you can get it . Second , make sure your trap is never higher than surrounding soil . Third , the hair trigger is not what you are looking for and is probably the factor if you are bedding well. You want a crisp trigger that happens to be a hair trigger . What I mean by that is you want the least amount of pan travel when the paw steps on the pan but you want the animal commited by his weight transfer to that foot . one way to do this is to bend the dog up at the end that meets the pan . Another is to use some form of pan plug under the pan , like fiberglass of wool . You can put enough under the pan to creat a pan tention without tightening the nut on the pan post. Always have a freefall pan and creat pan tension some other way . 