KoBear

after i complete the course, i will be trapping for raccoon, fox, and muskrat. i was wondering, what size traps will i need for these animals? what do u use for bait? how often do u check the traps? how much will this sport cost me? any other info u have will be very appreciated and i want to know if trapping is for me. thanx

opposumboy

trapping is a lot of fun and a good learning experience. muskrats are the easiest to catch. find a good run (a trench in the bottom of a stream or drainage ditch) that the rats have made and stake 110 conibers in the center of the runs. No bait needed! I've also pulled the forks off the ends of field tiles and set #1 1/2 jumps (footholds) inside the tube, tied the trap to the forks, and replaced them as they were and caught rats and mink!! simple. Fox on the other hand are much harder to catch. Your first year or two will be live and learn. read, read, read, and experiment. Here in MI. we use the dirthole set at about 90% of our sets. In the early season use a food lure in the hole with a little rabbit fur and sprinkle fox urine around the trap. Don't burrie the trap too deep! dig the hole at a sharp enough angle that he really has to dig to get that smell out. When you bury your trap, use a pan cover to keep the dirt from getting under the pan and keeping it from firing. cheese cloth or suran wrap works well. use rubber gloves and boots at all times and make sure that the traps are properly cleaned, died and waxed along with the stakes. if a fox smells even the slightest trace of human scent or even rust the game is over. as far as traps I like the # 2 double coilspring for both fox and coon and they will hold the ocasional coyote, but use long stakes. gland lures work well in the winter or breeding season. same set but can use a lump of sod or something natural as a backstop to encourage the fox to stop and urinate. if you have red and grey fox in the area use red fox lures. Greys spook and kill reds. when trappin fox limit the sets in a square mile to no more than three. fox will cover about five sq. miles a night! coons are very simple to catch and you shouldn't have any problem with them. check your traps at the very least once every day. its best to check them twice a day. stay back from the fox sets twenty yards or so as to not contaminate the area with scent.

P.S. use good, fresh lures & urine

Good Luck and hope this helps!!!

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KoBear

hunterrex, what do u mean when u say:
put a hole half in and half out of water?