Hey Asa or any other canine trappers...

[Davetrp243]

What do you use as a trap antifreeze?? The coldest it gets here is usually 0-5 degrees F. How do you apply the antifreeze?? Thanks for any help!-John Bruning

[Wackyquacker]

I use waxed dirt.  I find that the cold is only part of the problem.  If it stays cold and froozen hard some things work better than others.  Same goes for how much moisture is in the soil.  In my parts we have freeze thaw cycles daily (40 plus degree day / night temperture shifts).  The waxed dirt works well in these conditions.  However, get a bunch of moisture and low temps ...nothing works...septin snares!

[Asa Lenon]

Here in Upper Michigan there is generally plenty of deep snow by the time the temperatures get down to zero to +5.  Then I make snow sets rather than trying to keep dirt sets working in these tempertaures.  Waxed dirt is about as good as it gets as Wackyquacker has pointed out.  I don't find it practical for running a long line, one would be making waxed dirt half the year.  The old fashioned method still works pretty good down to moderate cold temperatures.  This is mixing glycerine 50% - 50% with water and applying it to the set from a spray bottle in thin layers as the set is being covered, a thin layer of dirt, spray, add dirt, spray, etc. until the set is covered  The last thin layer is just dirt so as to avoid the wet look on the set.    Ace  :-)

[trappnman]

constant freeze, thaw makes things tough. Waxed dirt or dry dirt with antifreeze is onlt solution. RV antifreeze DOES work good without digging problems.  Only problem is it isn't much good under 20 degrees or so. I mix a little urine in it to give it.

Aropnd here- fall is usually dry, and once temps stabilize I can get by MOST OF THE TIME LOL with dry dirt.

[jim-NE]

Freeze/Thaw conditions are plain tough for dirt trapping, but I've come to realize it is part of the game too and periodic & routine set maintenance is key to keep things going each night.
I've tried coverhulls, dry dirt, waxed dirt, coal slag, etc. and all have worked to some degree or other, but plain fact is that if there is any moisture in the ground or air at night, a light coating of frost is OK for one night, maybe two, but beyond that the crust will be too much to allow the trap to work properly when fired.
Waxed dirt so far I've found is the best at fending off moisture...but it takes some work to put it up in quantity needed for a decent line. Coverhulls are nice and light to carry, but can be expensive and they too will crust over after a frost or two, or even a misty or light rain.
I've even gone back to plain dry dirt with a mixture of table salt or calcium blended in, and that too will freeze over but it is "dirt" cheap and not nearly as labor-intensive to put up. I store mine in clean, gallon milk jugs, as this is a handy container to tote around and I can stash them near set locations in brush piles, etc. so I always have a supply close by. Of course, pick up the jugs after season is over...but so far that has been the game plan I use for canine trapping. I go out couple weeks ahead of season and start stashing jugs wherever I plan on making sets. Its real handy after freeze up to rebuild or remake a set when the dry dirt is only a few paces away stashed in a brushpile or weedy fencerow. I think key for me to battle these tough freeze/thaw conditions is some hard preseason work and planning ahead with stashing supplies where I need it most under these conditions. The capped jugs keep the dry dirt/salt (or calcium) mixtures dry and weather-proof all season long for me, and by stashing them ahead of time, the extra work involved with carrying the stuff, remaking sets, etc. is cut down substantially.
I also use a piece of fiberglass insulation under my trap pans, and this seems to help keep dirt from compacting under the pan, and seems to help it fall more freely when fired. This insulation too will get damp after a few nights of freeze/thaw conditions, so be sure to change that as necessary when performing your set maintenance routines. Test fire sets once and awhile if you are not sure how they will work. Take a stick and poke down about as hard as a canine would on that pan. But, keep in mind that during the day the "thaw" conditions may be present and the trap may fire fine. At night if that set crusts over or the dirt has sufficient moisture content to freeze solidly, the same effort to fire that trap during the day may not be enough at night under the "freeze" conditions. If I have a set that has not been fired or worked for a few nights like this and under these conditions...I try to test fire those right away in the morning when the "freeze" conditions are still there. Its about as close to duplicating the animal firing motions and set conditions as I can duplicate during the season. I rebuild the set either way, but at that point at least I know I am going into that night's activity with fresh, dry dirt and a potentially more "able" set trap awaiting the next canine that comes by.
Jim-NE

[jim-NE]

Freeze/Thaw conditions are plain tough for dirt trapping, but I've come to realize it is part of the game too and periodic & routine set maintenance is key to keep things going each night.
I've tried coverhulls, dry dirt, waxed dirt, coal slag, etc. and all have worked to some degree or other, but plain fact is that if there is any moisture in the ground or air at night, a light coating of frost is OK for one night, maybe two, but beyond that the crust will be too much to allow the trap to work properly when fired.
Waxed dirt so far I've found is the best at fending off moisture...but it takes some work to put it up in quantity needed for a decent line. Coverhulls are nice and light to carry, but can be expensive and they too will crust over after a frost or two, or even a misty or light rain.
I've even gone back to plain dry dirt with a mixture of table salt or calcium blended in, and that too will freeze over but it is "dirt" cheap and not nearly as labor-intensive to put up. I store mine in clean, gallon milk jugs, as this is a handy container to tote around and I can stash them near set locations in brush piles, etc. so I always have a supply close by. Of course, pick up the jugs after season is over...but so far that has been the game plan I use for canine trapping. I go out couple weeks ahead of season and start stashing jugs wherever I plan on making sets. Its real handy after freeze up to rebuild or remake a set when the dry dirt is only a few paces away stashed in a brushpile or weedy fencerow. I think key for me to battle these tough freeze/thaw conditions is some hard preseason work and planning ahead with stashing supplies where I need it most under these conditions. The capped jugs keep the dry dirt/salt (or calcium) mixtures dry and weather-proof all season long for me, and by stashing them ahead of time, the extra work involved with carrying the stuff, remaking sets, etc. is cut down substantially.
I also use a piece of fiberglass insulation under my trap pans, and this seems to help keep dirt from compacting under the pan, and seems to help it fall more freely when fired. This insulation too will get damp after a few nights of freeze/thaw conditions, so be sure to change that as necessary when performing your set maintenance routines. Test fire sets once and awhile if you are not sure how they will work. Take a stick and poke down about as hard as a canine would on that pan. But, keep in mind that during the day the "thaw" conditions may be present and the trap may fire fine. At night if that set crusts over or the dirt has sufficient moisture content to freeze solidly, the same effort to fire that trap during the day may not be enough at night under the "freeze" conditions. If I have a set that has not been fired or worked for a few nights like this and under these conditions...I try to test fire those right away in the morning when the "freeze" conditions are still there. Its about as close to duplicating the animal firing motions and set conditions as I can duplicate during the season. I rebuild the set either way, but at that point at least I know I am going into that night's activity with fresh, dry dirt and a potentially more "able" set trap awaiting the next canine that comes by.
Jim-NE

[trappnman]

Jim- you might want to try polyfil under your pans rather than fiberglass insulation. I find that the polyfil is "somewhat" more moisture resistent that insulation is- it doesn't attract as much moisture. I consider it far superior to any other under pan item I have tried. Seems to be odorless in the fact as I have had no digging problems associated with it.....trappnman

[jim-NE]

didn't mean to post twice...my browser locked up on me.

One other thing about freeze/thaw...set location really helps. sets in the shade don't get the direct sunlight and are less succeptable to thawing out in late season. keeping sets "frozen" (literally) and using the dry dirt will help insure that the moisture can't get to those sets and trap beds. My shaded sets, like on backside of hay bales, brushpiles, fencerows, etc. seem to perform better than the sets made out in open, direct sunlight, during these conditions.

[Wackyquacker]

Just to underline  yet another regional difference I always try to  set on the "sunny aide of the street".  We get so llittle moisture that when it comes a few hours in the sun and and most traps are up and running.   The feature of waxed dirt that seems to help on my line is it's tendecy to keep water from the surrounding soils from "wicking" into the trap bed.  

As for making waxed dirt, I learned a trick from an old, gnarly, stetson wearing, goofy guy, from the north...cement mixer and weed burner.  I collect my dirt in five gallon buckets and do one bucket per load.  I can make twenty buckets in a couple hours once the weather cools.  Then tight lids keep the dirt good.  Soil types and moisture are really going to impact on the volume of dirt you need to keep things going.  The soil around here is fairly sandy and drians well for the most part; this rapid leaching is very helpful.

[jim-NE]

I like the cement mixer/weed burner concept. Interesting approach to nice volume batches for short period to time to prepare. Any tips with this setup and how you handle the mixing, i.e. how much dirt ratio to how much wax, where do you apply the heat to the mixer (outside, inside, etc.) while it is churning, etc.

Also...good point about the region one applies techniques in (sunny vs. shaded).

I think consisten point in all this discussion is that there is no sure-fire, easy way out to maintaining a dirt set under these conditions. You get back out of it about what you put into it for effort and resources, etc.
Jim-NE

[Wackyquacker]

I use flaked wax.  The first stuff I got was more like sand and called for 3/4 lb per gal of dry dirt.  I found that for me in my soil and my weather I can get away with 2.5 lbs per 5 gal of dirt.  Your soil and conditions will determine what you will need.  One point, too much wax will impeed drainage of water through the trap bed which will lead to puddling and ice.  I think a light soil is best but then thats all I have to work with.  If you have heavey clay based soil you may want to add some sand to lighten it a bit and help with drainage.  I don't know if this will work but you could experiment a bit and make small batches and test it for drainage and then after drainage for some amount of time freeze a portion  in the fridg nd see how it preforms.

I put the dirt and wax in the mixer and let it run a few mins. to mix well.  I aim the burner into the mouth of the mixer.  You can't get too close for the flame will snuff.  I hold the burnner in place for a few and take it away them back and so on until the wax melts in (dirt turns a dark "wet" color).  If light white smoke (wax vapour) appears stop.  Let the mixer run until the dirt cools to a warm to the touch temp.  After a few batches you will get the feel for the timing and things will go very fast.  Empty the mixer into a wheel barrow, start the next batch, move the wheel barrow, heat the next batch, empty the wheel barrow into you bucket while cooling, drink some "soda" empty mixer...  This  process goes faster when the air temps are cooler...the dirt cools faster and this is the slowest step.  By letting the dirt cool in the running mixer you get no clumping.