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Conditioning traps is something many new trappers may not be familiar with but it is an important undertaking to ensure your traps are ready to go when trapping season opens.
Rusting Traps
Rusting your traps prepares them to be dyed and waxed and is easily achieved.
Begin by placing your traps in a mixture of soapy boiling water for about thirty minutes. Once this is complete rinse the freshly boiled traps with clean water and hang them outdoors allowing a light coat of rust to form (this part of the process may take a week or two).
Dyeing Your Traps
The process of waxing and dyeing your traps is the next step after rusting them and completes the process of preparing them for use. It seems monotonous, but before dyeing and waxing your traps you must clean your body-grip and your foothold traps by once again boiling them in water. Once this is complete it is time to dye them. The boughs from evergreens found in your neck of the woods, hulls from walnuts and the bark from maple trees are all great choices for use as your dyeing agent. You can also purchase a ready made
Logwood Trap Dye 
at a very reasonable price. Add your choice of these to the boiling water allowing the water to pull the natural dyeing agent from it. Next place the traps in the water and simmer for about an hour. By placing the ring of the trap chain between the jaws of a foothold trap the whole trap will be able to be dyed. Be sure you are using enough water to keep the traps submerged throughout the dyeing process.
Waxing Your Traps
Once you feel comfortable that your traps have been sufficiently dyed, it is time wax them. Waxing your traps will enable them to function properly. You can purchase Duke Traps Pure Trap Wax
or you can make your own by combining one third beeswax with two-thirds paraffin wax. Place the wax in the water with the traps and allow it to melt (you will see a layer of melted wax floating on the top when it is ready). At this point it is time to slowly lift the traps out of the water one by one allowing them to be coated evenly with a thin layer of the melted wax. After the wax has dried, foothold traps should have the wax removed from the ends of the dogs (the mechanism used to hold the trap in the open position when set) and the pan notches (the notch that the dog hooks into to keep the trap in the open position when set) to ensure they will remain set.
Body-grip traps should never be waxed as it will cause them to become slick causing them to be extremely dangerous when attempting to set them.
Always preform trap maintenance outdoors and store your traps away from human and pet odors. Allowing your freshly prepared traps to absorb these odors will make the animals you are attempting to trap leery of them and cause your trapping season to be much less productive.
If you liked this post, you may like Dog Proof Traps For Raccoons.
- Any day in the outdoors is a good day
