When to start trapping coyotes
The easiest way to start trapping - Episode 33 - Coyote Trapping School Podcast
hey y'all welcome to the County traffic
school podcast in this episode order to
talk about an easy way a cheap easy way
to get started in tracking so a couple
of couple episodes ago we covered some
topics or we covered the topic of the
cost of getting into trapping and I'm
mainly talking about predator traffic so
talking about coughs bobcats foxes
raccoons things like that but what you
can catch all of those with and the you
know it's not an inexpensive it's not a
cheap thing that you didn't then there's
definitely time and serious money costs
in there I mean you know the the
consensus was you're looking at three
five hundred bucks to get started that
doesn't include waders moves you know a
vehicle gun things like that you know
kind of take for granted that most of us
if we're for hunters if we're interested
in trap we'll probably got that stuff to
begin with but there's there's some
people I'm sure that don't um so that's
and I guess kind of not knowing what all
goes into it I could definitely see
where somebody would be hesitant about
jumping in and dropping five hundred
bucks to get traps and ahhing in and
then realize as you get into it what all
because it's it's a lot of work there's
no doubt about that
um but there is a really cheap I don't
say cheap but a lot less expensive way
to dabble in trapping and see how you
like it and I think it's a really like I
think it's a great way to get kids
involved you know if you've got if
you've got a deer camp and you go you
know every weekend during deer season or
something like that to the hunt camp
this is something that you can do you
know in conjunction with that check a
handful of traps turn the middle of the
day while you're waiting and you know
get kids involved and so what I'm
talking about is using dog proof raccoon
traps and so here's an example of a dog
proof raccoon trap right here and these
are really simple and easy to use very
effective with kitchen raccoons and a
handful other things you catch possums
with them I've caught a grey fox in one
you could catch
skunks you catch more than raccoons but
you can really easily set them to target
Coons so I say that's one one great way
that you can kind of dabble in it get a
handful you know maybe get six traps and
start doing it if you get your if you
get some deer feeders they're feeders
that your deer lease guarantee you get
Coons coming in and stealing your corn
so you could buy a half-dozen trap
half-dozen dog proof traps and probably
recoup that in corn cause pretty quick
but I just wanted to I wanted to go
through this because it that's something
that's really like I said cheap and easy
can get six traps you can run really
easy in conjunction with other things
you're doing for less than 100 bucks
easy and kind of get a feel for trap and
get a feel for I'm telling you it's so
exciting
checking those traps every morning and
waiting to see what you call your if you
go this far you might as well be
planning on how you're gonna spend this
that extra money to get into it because
it is it's just so much fun but let's
get let's talk about these these traps
right quick like I said they're so
simple and easy to use and very they're
not they're not easy enough for kids to
sit but um this simple the kids can bait
them and and really get get them
involved too which is that's just a
great a great aspect to me anytime you
can get kids involved with doing stuff
outdoors I like that so what this is a Z
trap so there's there's probably by now
dozens of different models of dog proof
traps and of course they all have
different costs and have different
features and you can you can go up to 15
16 bucks a trap with these but what I
would recommend is just just starting
out if you're if you're really just
wanting to kind of test the waters and
see what you think
Duke sells a dog proof trap and Dukes
typically are the cheaper cheapest traps
on the market
Duke sells a good dog proof trap that
you can buy so price them in a couple
different places just to give you a feel
for what what cost you could be looking
at so you can actually buy do
don't prove traps online it from Amazon
they they are sold individually for 17.6
t95 each with free shipping so that's
definitely something to take into
consideration then you can also buy them
from a different buyer for $135 a dozen
and that's for free shipping so that's a
pretty darn good option I say that a lot
of people feel a lot more comforting up
a new account or anything like that
everybody's got an Amazon account pretty
much set up so you can just one click
and all your informations in there
you're done personally I like to kind of
support the trapping industry and so
buy-in from some of these other buyers
that's just me but but if you're just
getting started that can be a great way
like I said everybody's already on
Amazon you pulled app up on your phone
one-click purchase and you got some
traps coming your way so that is one
option and it's very economical option
probably be most when you factor in
shipping and pretty much any travelin
supply company is gonna carry you don't
proof traps and the Duke no proof traps
but I just pulled up when I put pushing
in I just pulled up the first few that
showed on on my search snare shop sells
them for twelve thirty eight each or one
hundred twenty seven dollars a dozen
which one works out to be like 1062 a
dozen Minnesota trap line for twelve
dollars each or 120 a dozen fleming
sells them for $11 each and that's just
flat eleven dollars each whether you buy
one order doesn't skew me and like I
said everybody else sells them but you
can see for the most part they're right
around at twelve ten to twelve dollars
depending on how many you buy and you
can you know most places you male 1 you
can buy six you my 12 or anywhere in
between
typically with trapping supply places
you know if you're buying a half dozen
or dozen increments you're gonna get a
little bit of a discount per trap so and
this is the one great thing about these
is and the Dukes this is a Z trap but
the Dukes are very similar they're
powered coded
so you don't have to worry about dying
painting anything like
they come and they're ready to go you've
just got to have some way to secure them
and so what the easiest way is to have
an extension cable and that's just a
piece of 3/32 or in some some places you
can find this heavy-duty with a 1/8 inch
cable but that makes that or you can
just wrap the cable around the tree and
depending on I actually made these I
made it specifically for for my dog
proof traps and they have a big a big in
the one end that I can put the set trap
through so once I attach my extension
cable to my chain I never have to take
it apart and I like that but a lot of
places don't sell them with the open end
some places will sell them with an
adjustable in which is really nice but
some of them are just fixed ends and
they're fairly small so if you can find
them with a large end then you can just
set the trap loop it around the tree
feed it through put the trap in the
ground and I'll show you setting this up
in just a minute but you can do that and
you're ready to go if you buy extension
cables that just have the small ends you
can use these are these screw and quick
links you can also use another Hoosier
trapper guys I've never used them but
they use those large rings the Lord is
like a keyring I can't remember it not
snap rings but I've never used them if
they use those a lot and announced that
that would that should work just fine
and you're just using it to attach the
ends to your swivel and then if you've
gotten if you've got some Esso tools an
Esso tool you can use a j-hook in the
end of your swivel to hook it right to
there too but you know in those cases
what I would do is loop your extension
cable around the tree feed it back
through the loop itself and then attach
your trap to the end that way you guys
take your trap somehow and so you can
buy the disposable stakes and drive
those in use rebar if you want to you
can use trapping wire and tiles but
these these cable extensions are the
easiest way you just loop that thing
around a tree pull it through and it's
done you don't have to worry about it
and it's good and secure and so I looked
at the cost of those two in several
different places sell those you
can't get them on Amazon they actually
sold through Dakota Line snares and you
can get them on Amazon for 1850 a dozen
with free shipping so that's a that's a
little bit of a high price for the
extension cables themself but we throw
in free shipping because unless you
catch a special most of the traveling
Supply places don't offer free shipping
so if you've got if you're close to one
you could probably get a little bit
better deal if there's any way you can
avoid the shipping typically you can get
a better deal going straight to your
you're traveling supply dealers snare
shop sells them for $12 a dozen and they
times they'll come in a lot of different
lengths I prefer about a six foot length
that's good enough because you know a
lot of times you can find a fairly small
tree to wrap it around and that still
gives you you know four or five feet to
play with so far is put in the put in
the trap in the trail or you know
something like that but sometimes you
know the only option is a large tree a
large tree takes up a lot of cables so
now they sell them in two four and six
and eight and a lot of times foot
increments and to me that six foot is
just about right and a lot of times what
I do is use I'll use our beaver snares
if it's not too bad kinked up and those
are usually five foot and you'll have to
if you if you use a have to lose the
last six eight inches depending on your
catch but getting back to the task at
hand F&T sell some for fifteen dollars a
dozen and then fleming sells them for
sixteen fifty a dozen and so you're
looking at on amazon for a dozen traps
and the cables the extension cables
you're looking at about 155 shipped so
that's not bad at all with the snare
shop and i didn't look up their shipping
shipping varies usually a lot of times a
lot of times with trapping supply
dealers it's more based on the melt the
the total check out amount so if it's
over a hundred bucks it may be fifteen
dollars over
bucks maybe $20 something like that it's
kind of tiered that way so Minnesota the
shipping was gonna be twitch I don't
think I've ever I don't think I found
extension cables on Minnesota site
that's one thing that a little bit
disappointed with but most of the places
Minnesota is $125 120 a dozen for the
Duke traps and then $25 shipping so
there again you're putting you're
getting there at that 140 145 150 range
and like I said all the other ones are
gonna be pretty close than their
shipping is probably gonna vary a little
bit Fleming if I pulled it up right it
was $10 shipping it's $11 each you get
12 of them and that puts you at say $11
each you get ten of them that puts you a
hundred and eleven dollars and then 1650
for the extension cable so it's 136 126
and then $10 shipments of 136 so Fleming
is actually a pretty good deal well
that's only if you get 10 not 12 so 12
would be 122 133 and then your 1650 so
it would be about right about 152 it's
actually would probably work out to be a
little bit cheaper than Amazon so anyway
that's like I said if you're want to
dabble in a little bit maybe your kids
have asked about it
and you've got a little place even if
you don't have like a hunting club but
you've got a little place behind the
house if you keep cat or dog food
now you got a few acres odds are you can
there's some raccoons nearby that you
could catch so you don't have to you
know unlike with the coyote traps you
don't have to treat these initially no
once they start you see here I mean once
you make some catches they're gonna get
scuffed up this one is actually
weathered pretty good it's got a little
bit of the powder coat missing but for
the most part at least you probably go a
couple years unless they get real bad
beat up without needing to be treated
with anything and even then instead of
you know waxing or born died wax and
things like that you just spray painting
and calling it good so rent a little
maintenance real easy to use and then
the debate man this year I had great
luck with large marshmallows and caramel
syrup I mean these marshmallows are a
dollar a bag this caramel syrup was like
two books I think and so I just every
set I'd use two marshmallows
I stick one under the trigger but I used
also used some of the small marshmallows
but I had issues with stuff stealing the
small marshmallows and not firing the
trap so I went to using one marshmallow
under the trigger that way if that
marshmallow comes out that traps on fire
and then give a squirt of the caramel
syrup down and then put my other
marshmallow right there on top and add a
little bit of I appeal then probably if
I was a little ways from the trailer or
where I fought the Coons we're gonna be
traveling and you a squirt of caramel
syrup right there on the top and then
shoot it off tour my trail was and I had
a really good luck catching Coons this
year like that on a cheap and easy bait
and some some cheap and easy trap to run
and check so um I'll show you I'll take
out now and show you just how easy these
things are to set and set up and like I
said if you're if you're interesting to
dabble I think this is the this is the
ticket to kind of testing your toes in
the trapping water and seeing if seeing
if it's something that you really want
to move forward in and get going in so
here's my setup I got my dog proof trap
attached to my extension cable and this
extension cables probably about a four
foot extension cable this was a snare
cable put my large marshmallow under my
trigger and that can take a minute just
because of the size of the marshmallows
but they'll go pretty well under the
trigger pretty easy and we're on the
trigger itself then use my kind of turn
the trap into my thumbs and squeeze the
springs with my fingers
to depress and get my get my dog locked
in place then I'll take the large end of
my extension cable or just one end of my
extension cable if I don't have it
attached to my traps
I just cable around the tree this is
probably one of three inch diameter tree
plenty big enough to hold a
anything I'm gonna make sure of is it's
not too small
take it maybe get up over the top of it
or pull them pull this the snare off
pull the cable cable off but it's
attached so if you didn't have if you
use one of the extension cables where
you couldn't put the trap through the
end and feed it around loop it around
loop it in through the the end loop and
then you have your other end that you're
going to attach to the to the trap
swivel bye-bye
beats the green
a snap ring or you know what quickly and
then all you're gonna do is just shove
it in the ground and it hard ground is
easier is what I found is if you get to
setting these like on a creek bank right
by the creek a lot of times in the book
the soil is too soft really to do that
effectively if you're better off if
you've got a you know much of a bank
they're going top of the bank on the
high bank and try to push it into some
real solid soil because it that way it
holds and it doesn't move if they come
in and try to grab the baby fits in real
soft ground they may pull in the whole
trap may move so I got my I got my
marshmallow down there say my creek bank
or Road or feeder is right over here
she's gonna give a little squirt of
camera down the trap and a little
trailing scent going off the side there
and then I'll take them take my other
marshmallow put it right there on top
and it's ready to go I mean five minutes
you have a couple of these in and on to
the next location a really good
effective way to quick and easily catch
raccoons so if you're interested in
trapping go find you six eight ten one
two ever how many of these Duke
dog-proof traps and get it sitting them
and I think you're gonna be hooked on
trapping if you do because it's a it's a
lot of fun I could promise you good luck
we'll see you next time
