2025/2026 Trapping season.

[Nine Banger]

It's always a beautiful day outside.

Another male and a heavy sow.

 

[go_deep]

It's always a beautiful day outside.

Another male and a heavy sow.

Ufduh, that's rough.
I'd much rather check in the snow than the mud for sure!

 

[tuffcity]

lynx from last week.

 

[medvedyt]

lynx from last week.

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wow the fur looks great. did you notice any overflow on lakes and rivers? we met a few around whitehorse.

 

[tuffcity]

About 3 weeks ago after coming off our -45 cold spell.

 

[tuffcity]

wow the fur looks great. did you notice any overflow on lakes and rivers? we met a few around whitehorse.

I have a small creek and a few tiny ponds and that's it for water where I'm at

 

[Nine Banger]

About 3 weeks ago after coming off our -45 cold spell.

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Dude that's awesome.

My neighbors think it's cold here today...sunny 34-49 today.

I picked up a male raccoon today.

 

[Dexter Grayson]

So far this year I’ve got 1 bobcat, a skunk, a grinner, and a rabbit. I’ve also had 4 misses. Anyone got any tips or tricks on the misses? Very new to trapping. Doing dirt hole/trench sets with duke #2.

 

[go_deep]

So far this year I’ve got 1 bobcat, a skunk, a grinner, and a rabbit. I’ve also had 4 misses. Anyone got any tips or tricks on the misses? Very new to trapping. Doing dirt hole/trench sets with duke #2.

Sometimes, adding pan tension can help with misses.

 

[Nine Banger]

Some ideas:
- put the dirt hole no further away than your hand and then right or left the width of your hand from the pan
- use double dirt holes often
- take extra time bedding the trap so it doesn't rock when you push on the jaws
- I think roaming domestic dogs roll on them and don't get caught
- deer...move it youre in a big game trail not a small game trail

My misses this year:
- me hitting it with RTV or my pick up and not seeing it until next day
- coons and opossums digging them up. Usually these are caught animals but I think my pans tension is high from rust.

 

[Dexter Grayson]

Some ideas:
- put the dirt hole no further away than your hand and then right or left the width of your hand from the pan
- use double dirt holes often
- take extra time bedding the trap so it doesn't rock when you push on the jaws
- I think roaming domestic dogs roll on them and don't get caught
- deer...move it youre in a big game trail not a small game trail

My misses this year:
- me hitting it with RTV or my pick up and not seeing it until next day
- coons and opossums digging them up. Usually these are caught animals but I think my pans tension is high from rust.

What do you mean by double dirt holes?

I think a deer got me once and whiskers in my last miss. Didn’t think about roaming dogs.

 

[jwhit]

Got my first bobcat today. There's still another in the area, though it saw this one in the cage so hopefully that set isn't burned...

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Hopeful for a bobcat this year too!

 

[Nine Banger]

What do you mean by double dirt holes?

I'll put a dirt hole on both sides of the pan sometimes to keep them on it longer. Sometimes I'll fill the other hole after the bait goes in.

 

[tuffcity]

Ran the line today and discovered I had "leashed" the first top dog of the season.

 

[go_deep]

Ran the line today and discovered I had "leashed" the first top dog of the season.

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That is awesome, congratulations!!

 

[Dexter Grayson]

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I'll put a dirt hole on both sides of the pan sometimes to keep them on it longer. Sometimes I'll fill the other hole after the bait goes in.

Ok, I understand what you’re talking about. Next question. I only get to trap on the weekends since I live 1:45 from where I trap. Last weekend when I left I just deactivated the traps and buried them on the side of the hole. My plan was to reset and rebait them this weekend. Is that normal practice or should I move them and make new sets?

 

[go_deep]

Ok, I understand what you’re talking about. Next question. I only get to trap on the weekends since I live 1:45 from where I trap. Last weekend when I left I just deactivated the traps and buried them on the side of the hole. My plan was to reset and rebait them this weekend. Is that normal practice or should I move them and make new sets?

I know several people that trip their traps, leave them right there, and reset a few days or even weeks later.

 

[Nine Banger]

Ok, I understand what you’re talking about. Next question. I only get to trap on the weekends since I live 1:45 from where I trap. Last weekend when I left I just deactivated the traps and buried them on the side of the hole. My plan was to reset and rebait them this weekend. Is that normal practice or should I move them and make new sets?

I've only ever trapped on my own property except for a buddy that just asked us to come get him set up with a half dozen that he is monitoring.

I'm ready to take a break right now because I'll be out of town for an entire week in February and the daily grind of trapping is taking its toll. Like right now I'm getting ready to go out and check the line at 1006 PM here. I had to do the same thing last night...

I will pull my traps instead of letting them sit tripped for a couple reasons:
- its really wet here. My traps get funky, rusty and slow pretty quick. I need fresh traps that are clean and waxed if I go back in.
- what if I don't get back on it. Then it's just a thing nagging on me to either go pull them or get back on it
- what if I forget about a trap or two when I get back on it
- I bet the sets have an odd odor being reset 5-6 times

I have a pretty easy set up too. I can pull mine with my SXS and a chain with a hook on it. I stopped setting traps where they were hard to check or pull out.

I learned a cool trick from an old timer last year for super stake removal where you take your drill and auger (if you make dirt holes like I do) and drill right next to the anchor and then you can jerk the entire chain and stake into the hole and then straight up and out. Makes the expenditure of effort minimal to move your trap minimal and less likely to want to leave them in the same place.