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Under Construction
The sets on this page
are meant only to give you a basic idea of what they look like and how
they work. Every trapper should experiment as well as ask experienced trappers
for tips to make each set as productive as possible. It is better to make
a set properly the first time rather than wise the animal up to a set which
makes it harder to catch later. An excellent place to start asking questions
is the
CNTA Trappers
Forums!
It
is also up to individual trappers to check their provincial regulations
regarding trap sizes that may be used on land, if conibears for aquatic
animals must be completely submerged etc, as well as legal distances traps
may be set from houses, buildings, parks etc. Be sure to check your regulations
before setting.
Beaver Sets
In mid winter, under ice sets
with bait can be very effective. Once the ice has been on awhile, the feed
beaver have stored under ice starts to sour. Although still perfectly fine
for the beaver to eat, fresh poplar is far preferred over the stored feed
by beaver.
Channel Set
Channel or Runway sets can
be one of the most effective sets to take fall beaver. In their scurry
to store winter food supplies, beaver will travel more often and farther
distances to gather food. If you've ever looked at a beaver dam in Summer
and then looked at the same dam in Autumn, you will see the noticable difference
in activity. The channels & runs often get worn deep a few feet out
from shore it is very noticable where the beaver are swimming. Locations
that are only slightly wider than the trap you are using and allow the
trap to be fully submerged are ideal. However, other locations can be useable
with some modification.
The Beaver Float can
be used in areas of large open water such as rivers and lakes where good
set locations are tough to find. Fresh poplar bait with a good beaver lure
should be used. Traps and floats should be well anchored in case of high
water.
Canine Sets
The Dirt Hole Set is probably
the most common canine set used. Although there are many variations of
the set, the all have the same basic principal. The dirt hole set is intended
to imitate a location where food is or has been buried. A hole is dug,
usually at a 45 degree angle, bait and/or lure placed in the hole with
a trap buried in front of the whole. Some type of backing such as a tuft
of grass, vertical bank, small shrub, log or a host of other objects are
located in back of the hole. A good rule of thumb for size of the object
is something that the target animal can see over. Basic distance a trap
should be placed back from the whole is 6-7 inches for fox, 7-8 inches
for bobcat and about 9 inches for coyote. Whole depth and width is a matter
of preference, 10 different trappers may give you ten different dimensions.
The dirthole in the
above photo uses a log for backing and small pine cones for guiding the
animal to step on the pan.
Marten & Fisher
The Box Pole and Leaning
Pole sets are the primary sets for marten and fisher. One of the main purposes
for the sets being elevated are to keep the sets above the snow. The second
is to reduce the possibilty of non-target animals being caught in the sets.
Beaver is one of the most preferred baits used for marten and fisher. Because
the seasons usually run in the cold winter months, a strong skunk based
lure usually works best in attracting the furbearers.
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