In several threads I have seen references to different staking methods but no real detailed information. My main targets will be bobcat and fox and I'm sure the occassional yote will show up. Could some of you explain your staking methods like "double staking" and also include the length of chain, swivels, etc. I will be trapping in Mississippi where the cats don't get quite as big as those up north however the yotes do get rather large.

that depends on what soil you will be staking in.there are many ways to stake traps and all are good in diferent situations,what kind of area will you be setting in? sand,clay,dirt, or rock soil .see what i'm getting at.

I use disposable cable stakes in water and in the right soil (not to rocky). If rocky I'll often double stake. I use 16" or 20" rebar 1/2" wide for double staking. Double staking is simply driving a stake at and angle then driving another at an angle to for a sort of X under the ground. To attach the stakes to your trap you can get 3 links of large chain and run one stake through the end link and the other through the other end link. Attach the trap chain to the middle link. Or often is easier to use a pre made metal stamped double stake bracket and it has a swivel in the middle to attach your trap chain to. And last but not least is a piece of cable 3/32 with loops on each end. Run cable through the chain swivel, place one stake in one loop and the other stake in the other loop and you have it. Mine are about 5" long when complete.
If I could always pull them up easy I'd stick to disposible anchors as they are light and hold verry well in the soil I trap in. As stated above the lenght of your stakes are dependent upon the soil type. lol don
P.S.- don't underestimate the usefullness of a good drag especially on bobcat traps. One-it gets them away from the set and they don't tear it up so its easier to reset. Two-Animals once they tangle up they can't get a solid lunge and escape. Three-Once tangled up many settle down quicker in cover as they feel hidden. Four- You don't have to drive a stake but you do have to deal with the extra bulk when bedding a trap. And do not set in an open field as the animal may go along ways and be tough to track. I set them with brush nearby and seldom do they ever get more than a few yards from the set

There are just too many variables in this topic for it to be covered easily or quickly.

888: You need to steer away from thinking about the stakes so much and think of this as a whole ?fastening? system.

There are a whole lot of variables. Since you have to hold on to coyotes you?ll need a pretty good fastening system because they?ll test a system to its limits.

You asked about chain length. You can use a long chain if you want, up to say 3 feet. A longer chain can help to preserve a set area. By the same token a longer chain allows the animal to lunge more against the trap. It could escape or injure itself. I would recommend a shock spring in a longer chain.

Some trappers, including me, prefer a short chain. Short chains prevent lunging and shock springs are unnecessary.

But there is another factor. Coyotes can stand on their back legs and pull straight up on a trap. With a short chain, you need a solid ?staking? system. Cable stakes have been recommended and they are good. You asked about cross staking and I?ve included an illustration. If you are going to hold a coyote on a short chain, with a single stake, it must be extremely long. Nothing less than 24 inches will do, and frankly I personally wouldn?t trust single 24? stakes to hold a coyote. With crossed stakes, you can use two shorter stakes. Crossed 16? stakes will hold in most conditions.




If you want to use a longer chain, then you can get away with a single stake, because the coyote can?t get a straight up pull before it runs out of chain. It kind of boils down to this, you?ll need extra stake or extra chain. It?s really your choice.

If you have any more specific question about this, don?t hesitate to ask.

Anybody else care to contribute?

-- Hal

I like using a short chain with a Retrievable Cable Stake. The RCS can withstand pumping and the coyote does not get much room to lunge.

If I can pull it up by hand, I don't feel good connecting a trap to it.

The chain set-up I have settled on is; a center swiveled trap, one double link of twin loop chain or one link of 2/0 chain from that swivel,an inline spring, one more link of chain,a heavy duty universal swivel, one link of chain, and stake connector of your choice.This comes out to about 12" of hardware, the spring adding the most length. I like the shock spring to cut down on damage to dogs from fighting the trap, and I think it helps with pullouts. I usually use a laplink and I double stake with 3/8", 24" re-rod. I am trying the cable stakes this coming season as I have to walk alot. We have clay soil with rocks and the 3/8" re-rod seems to bend around them easier and still holds.I mostly have fox here and coyotes are still rare, but I need to be able to hold them, as well as a large dog. I also use drags that I make myself that are 10" between points and have a 10" to 12" shank. They are made out of 1/4" by 1 1/8" flat stock, shaped like to opposing hooks and welded together.They have about 6' of chain attached with extra swivels in the chain close to the trap.I use these same drags on my coon traps also as they are fast to set. Just drop in the shallow cricks I usually trap and go, as it's impossible to drive a stake in them.As an aside,I recently have made some very good drags from used up roto-tiller tines. There are right and left side tines on a tiller and if you just weld them together and add a shank it makes a great drag with similar dimensions as the ones I described above.

Drags from worn out roto-tiller tines????

Now that's thinkin'!!!

-- Hal

About the drags I made from the tiller tines. I have a large garden and one of the rear tine tillers , and a set of tines lasts about 3 seasons in the abrasive soil we have before they need to be replaced.They wear down to a sort of knife like edge when they are done. There are 16 individual knives in a complete set and 8 have points bent to the right and 8 to the left. Was looking at them one day while cleaning out the scrap bin in the shop and on a whim took a right and a left and welded them together. Then made a shank about 11" from another piece of scrap and welded that on. Made a perfect grapple with one point bent up about 2" and one point bent down when laid flat. They are spring steel to boot. and won't bend and aren't to heavy either. I got 8 grapples from the old set of tines that I probably would have thrown in the re-cycle bin. Just goes to show that if you keep your eyes open and use a little imagination you can make alot of stuff for fastening traps from scrap. I use the Charlie Dobbins idea of using old tire chains for chain parts for instance, and have 3 pairs in my junk right now that I'm using. Best part is I didn't pay anything for them. They were all from the garbage.

If I can pull it up by hand, I don't feel good connecting a trap to it.

River Otter I fully agree. In shale country I have pounded on rebar for what seemed like an hour to get it in, only to have it loose in the hole.