That's mice or rats robbing your bait.
I am using dried cat food and mini marsh mallows, not together, on the marsh mallows I even took a stick and stuffed them under the trip lever thinking I was making it too easy for the *****. Nope got robbed that way too.
I bought two Bridger T3’s and did a side X side test with two FB1’s. First test first night I put marsh mallows in all four. Second test second night put dried cat food in all four, third test put marsh mallows in one of each trap and dried cat food in one of each trap.
After that I quit the marsh mallows and went to cat food only, seemed like the ***** liked it better.
Caught 12 animals in 5 nights, 11 ***** 1 possum. The Bridgers caught 10 and the FB1’s only 2.
It’s possible I’m getting robber by birds, mice and rats too.
@makeithappen stuffs a large marshmallow under the trigger. IIRC
I never put bait any higher than the trigger unless a piece hangs up above it. I usually have trail cams on **** cuffs. I haven't ever had a **** on cam toying around a trap that wasn't caught. I caught a small rat in a Z trap. Only its butt and hind legs were sticking out.
I notice that Oppossums caught in my dog proof style are always in the Z traps and not the Duke. I believe it is because they are push or pull trip.
I can loan you my Z Traps if you would like to try before you buy.
I never put bait any higher than the trigger unless a piece hangs up above it. I usually have trail cams on **** cuffs. I haven't ever had a **** on cam toying around a trap that wasn't caught. I caught a small rat in a Z trap. Only its butt and hind legs were sticking out.
I notice that Oppossums caught in my dog proof style are always in the Z traps and not the Duke. I believe it is because they are push or pull trip.
I can loan you my Z Traps if you would like to try before you buy.
I impale a full size marshmallow on the trigger, pushing it as far onto the trigger as possible. This helps in a few ways:
It shrinks the area where bait can be pulled up from the bottom.
It keeps some moisture off the bait.
The animals tend to pull at the marshmallow to get to the dog / cat food, triggering the trap.
Cat food had an increased catch rate of skunks. Dog food catches possums and raccoons mostly.
It shrinks the area where bait can be pulled up from the bottom.
It keeps some moisture off the bait.
The animals tend to pull at the marshmallow to get to the dog / cat food, triggering the trap.
Cat food had an increased catch rate of skunks. Dog food catches possums and raccoons mostly.
I've only used marshmallows like what @makeithappen does just without the dog/cat food. Our traps have the pressure plate at the bottom so I hold it up and put a big marshmallow under it then set. After set, I put a few mini marshmallows inside the trap with a couple tossed on the ground to pique their interest. Had very good success with this approach.
Funny thing though, this past year we had very, very few raccoons on the cameras messing with feeders or eating corn off the ground. Yeah, I know they ain't gone but weird how one year they're thick and I killed probably 15-20 then next year I didn't set any traps. Maybe the neighbor dogs running all over our property has affected them - who knows. Would like to see if the dogs aren't around if the raccoons return.
Funny thing though, this past year we had very, very few raccoons on the cameras messing with feeders or eating corn off the ground. Yeah, I know they ain't gone but weird how one year they're thick and I killed probably 15-20 then next year I didn't set any traps. Maybe the neighbor dogs running all over our property has affected them - who knows. Would like to see if the dogs aren't around if the raccoons return.
So interesting observation on that property with all those ***** and catches. I trap that place year around, but with just two traps on one side of the property and two traps on the other side near a tiny pond. Of the 35 I've caught recently, only 5 were on the "permanent" traps, the rest were on 8 other traps that I put out in between, across the property. So they must be relatively routine in their travels, and not just wandering around aimlessly. That also explains imo why turkey populations despite decreasing everywhere, they really plummeted in NW OK where at one time we had the greatest populations in the state. The same prime nesting areas in the NW part state, are also **** super highways.
Good info.
March 28 and still carrying both sides.
I feel like any buck around here doesn't drop until they start growing their next set, unless they're a 1 year old
