I am always looking to save time on the line as my trapping time is limited due to three kids and all of their activities. I use alot of drags for coons so I precut them before season and have them where I need them. I would love to here anyone elses time saving tricks that could help out. NE Coon

P.S. Thanks for the website Hal!

Well instead of useing drags for coons stake them and keep them were you can find them easyer.
I make up Drowning weights before season and always have a few in the back of the truck. I carry chop sacks but I dont like to have to fill them with a narrow shovel, so I pre-make the others.

I place out all drownding weights during the summer and atach all drags to traps right after waxing and I also cash some equipment in thoes hard to get to places .Also maintain some of thoes sets that produce year after year.

I made about 7 dozen 4-pronged drags out of 1/2 inch rebar. I attach 5 foot of chain to the trap chain so I have about 6 foot of chain a drag and I use different size PVC pipes so no pockets to dig either. This is my main water coon line method now. I have several dozen cable drowners for the closer to the road and where snagging materials are not readily available.

When running a wadable river rat and coon line I use a large old type Otter sled. I can get several dozen traps, stakes, diggers, bait, lure etc. in one and also on check days a nice place to put catches and a good place to carry the dispatch pistol as well. It slides on the ground nice also and both hands are free all the time and it is a good thing to balance on at times when wading slipperey clay bottom streams and rivers.
When I dispatch foothold coons on the water line I was them clean and most are quite dry yet and are much drier earlier in the shed as well which saves time and they skin easier as well.

This year on dry land footholds I carry my sifted in and that speeds up setting quite a bit. I use the pVC there often as well.

I would love to stake my coons but in one spot I might have to have a 3 foot stake to hold them. Then I might wade up that same creek 50 yards and not be able to drive a stake. I have too many soil conditions to have anything compatible at every set. I drown everything I can but most of my spots are only 4-5 foot wide and a foot deep.

Have "pre-loaded" used film canisters with bait & or lure for use on the 'coon, or mixed water line. Simple to pop the top, & put it where needed. Adds a visual attractor too depending on color and type of set.

Suggest you store them in a bucket or large ziplock labled by type of contents as it takes to long to mark each container.

Regards,

Wheather using 20 or 100 body grips I cock the springs and set the safeties before heading out to the field. If you have enough bodygrips you can even switch out traps with animals in them with a quick connect and a new precocked trap.

Dated for search.