First Successful Trap!

[MDYoungBuck]

Well this weekend was my first time trapping.

I went to GanderMountain and got all the goodies and set the traps Friday afternoon.

Saturday morning or afternoon I had nothing.

This morning I had my first success,an oppossum. I have some pictures on my camera I will share once the weekend is over.

I only had two traps out, along a creek. Beyond the traps is a large greenbrier thicket, where alot of fox have been seen.

My other trap, it looks like almost all the bait was eaten, but nothing set off the trap. Might of been poor bait placement (8"-10" from trap)

We'll see, hopefully tonight will bring more luck.

On another note, if I put this oppossum in a dighole, will that work on Fox or Coyote? We have very few Coyotes, so mainly aiming for a Fox...

Thanks!

[24/7 hunter]

Congrats! I bet you're hooked now.
Im not sure if the possum would work for fox. Are the traps dyed or waxed? If not, the fox will probably smell the traps.

[buckhunter14]

Congrats, now there's no stopping ya!

[SPIKEHORN11]

way to go!! I rememeber my first coon. It was the best.

[swnebraska]

Get rid of the oppossum it is very doubtful you will catch anything with it as your bait. You don't need to have you traps dyed or waxed. If they were new you do need to at least power wash the oil off the them.

[Lanse couche couche]

Keep the possum, they are paying at least a couple bucks for them at the fur auctions. That may seem like chump change, but it adds up and is at least partial pay-back for wrecking a good fox set.

[Lanse couche couche]

And don't pay big bucks for store bought lure at Gander Mountain. You can get a can of Frisky's Salmon Dinner cat food for 69 cents and it will bait several sets. Or, get some pieces of muskrat or beaver if you know anybody trapping and skinning them.

[MDYoungBuck]

ORIGINAL: swnebraska

If they were new you do need to at least power wash the oil off the them.

Doh! Well the traps have been inside all week because I have had a busy week in college.

They are going back out this weekend. I have the traps in a big pot boiling as I am writing this. I have heard that this should take care of most of the scent.

I am aiming for a fox this weekend. Can someone help me with my setup. Here is what I have planned:

I am going to set up the traps and then just put a little bit of the fox lure right over the trap. I was told that the Fox will smell this, come in and start pawing at the lure. So I will put a light skim layer of fine dirt over the trap to hide, and then put a couple drops of the lure on top.

Will this bring success? Anything else I should try?

The traps will be in a small clearing in the middle of a greenbrier thicket. In this small clearing, there is a spring head where animals come for water.

-Sam

[MDYoungBuck]

Oh man, I noticed some mice were getting into the dog food this evening.

Set some traps for mice.

They would work great in a dighole!!

[tkycaller]

Congrats on your possum.
Here is some very generic advice on a dirt hole for fox.
Never put lure or bait on the trap. The trap must be scent free.
Start by digging out a trap bed. About two inches into the ground. Just big enough for the set trap. Stake the trap in this bed. Put trap in the bed and make sure it is bedded solid! This is very important. If it moves the fox will dig it up. You may have to twist it back and forth to get it to sit solid and maybe even pack some dirt around the jaws and under them. After this you will have to make sure the pan is set to go off without much movement. You may want to use a pan cover such as a piece of wax paper or a coffee filter. This keeps the dirt from going under the pan and making it inoperable. Use a sifter to spread the dirt over the trap. Then take a rebar stake and make a hole in front of trap at about a 60 degree angle. The dog should be facing the hole or at a slight angle to the side. Place the lure on a grass balll and place in hole. Hole should be at least 6 inches deep. Hole should also be against some sort of backing. Like a clumpof taller grass or a small log or rock. Take the time to learn as much as you can and it will make for a more enjoyable time. It will also keep you from educating the fox in your area.
You should also prep your traps properly to make sure they go off correctly and the pan sits level when adjusted to go off with little movement. There is alot more to this than I can explain here.

Here is a site that may help. www.trapperman.com
They have a lot of info for trappers there.
Good luck.