Boiling Traps

Weather was perfect, on the cool side, not much wind. I decided to boil my traps in preparation for a predator control project later next month. Some would consider this old-fashioned, boiling traps in logwood trap dye to turn them black and inhibits (at least in a small way) further rusting of your traps. The logwood trap dye turns your traps a deep blue-black color. Others choose to simply dip their traps in a petroleum based product which when dried leaves a shiny black latex coating on the trap. I use the faster DIP process for bodygripping traps but still prefer the age old dyeing and waxing process for my foothold traps.

In my younger days I used to have a spot out in the woods where I built a wood fire which I tended all day and used a 30 gallon barrel to boil all my traps. Now I opt for the faster and somewhat simpler propane method. As you can see nothing fancy, I just use a mop bucket filled with water and a 20lb. propane cylinder. To block the wind I use whatever is available, in this case some old desk drawers. I get the water to a rolling boil and add the red or black logwood powder, approx. 1 lb. per 5 gallons of water. I then place the traps in the water and leave each batch of traps approx. 30 - 45 minutes until they are a deep blue-black color. Then using a metal hook (watch it they're HOT)I hang each trap up to dry.

And lets not forget that tell-tale smell of Fall .....the smell of a logwood trap dye boiling in the pot !! :-)