Sacrificial Sets

[ozarkmountainman]

I shared this idea a few years ago, but since we have an entirely new crop of folks on 'board (neat play of a word, right?) I thought I'd put it here again.

So, you spent all that time making your bobcat sets (you did put in at least two, right?) and you're ready for the big 'cat, only to find a 'coon, or maybe a lowly grinner has tore one, or both, sets up. It's a problem and one of the main reasons that we preach multiple sets at a location.

A few years ago I decided to remedy this situation a little, and this has worked well for me and also increased my catch. And since I now use the dog-proof (Daggers!) traps this has really simplified manners.

I simply put a couple "Sacrificial" sets near wherever I put those bobcat, and to a lesser extent, fox and coyote sets.

For the first five years or so I would bed a 1-1/2 coil at a PVC set, baited with fish and fish oil. ALWAYS anchored securely just in case, and yes, I caught enough 'cats and fox in the sacrificial set to take it seriously. I would put one or two of these sets within ten feet or so of my bobcat sets, in plain view. And it worked well, taking the pressure, at least to some degree, off my predator sets.

Now with the DP traps, things just got easier. They work better yet (although of course they kill the "extra predator set" part of the theory). Build your MULTIPLE predator sets, then throw in a couple DP's nearby. Bam. Done deal.

This doesn't work as well for coyotes and red fox because of their reluctance, and especially the songdogs phobias, to go to weird sets like that smelly PVC pipe sticking out of the ground. And it's still not a cure-all- 'possum are about as dumb as bobcats, and there's way more of them.

Hope ya'll find a use for this tip.

Dale

[silverfox]

Great tips, Dale. For some reason I feel all of my sets are sacrificial sets,this year! Thanks for sharing your wisdom, Dale.

[townsendtaxidermy]

Great tip! I'll start building the alter, pounding out the goblets, and collecting the bonfire wood! But I'm kind of like Marc, all my traps are sacrificial. But Willie and I are going after the Almighty yotes this weekend. Oh, and my first ever deer! My tag is burning a hole in my pocket!

[bigjohn]

Dale,I had a DP set at a timbered point,next to some unpicked corn.For two nights in a row,a coyote used it for a marking post lol.Ofcourse the laugh was on him,since I planted a #2 Northwood next to a charred piece of wood with a shot of fox urine the second day he marked that DP and had him this morning.
Your southern coyotes must be alot more paranoid than these yankee yotes,as I've caught several in PVC sets for coons.Matter of fact,I'm thinking of rigging some 1/2 inch PVC up for scent posts,just to see how good it would actually work.

[ozarkmountainman]

EXACTLY- woods coyotes are touchier than farm dogs, for sure.

Now, any coyote (relatively speaking) will get used to any set if it's there long enough. It becomes normal to them- they get used to it. But put a PVC pipe in the ground within twenty yards of my yote sets, and it's goodbye songdog for a week or better. just plain fact.

Dale

[ozarkmountainman]

And Marc, nothin' wise about it. Unless you can count wisdom as hours and hours, weeks and weeks, and years upon years of screwing up, and trying to figure out how to FIX those screw ups as wisdom, so be it.

I don't feel very wise.

Dale

[crow1971]

Thanks for the info, definately gonna try it, sick to death of the grinners, coons ok, grinners not so much, at least I'm thinning out the herd, LOL

[silverfox]

Mar 22, 2014 2:27:14 GMT -6 crow1971 said:

Thanks for the info, definately gonna try it, sick to death of the grinners, coons ok, grinners not so much, at least I'm thinning out the herd, LOL

For the past two years I have placed six live traps around my farm on opening day and trap possums, skunks, feral cats, occasional armadillo, and a afew coons. When I set my predator sets in Dec., I have thinned out a lot of the possums and other non target critters.