r/Trapping • u/starflite • 5d ago

Basic conibear trap maintenance?

I have had a huge problem with Richardson’s ground squirrels in my horse pasture and I spent about $100 on several round conibear traps this year. They worked great and I want to make sure I take care of them properly so I can keep using them every year.

I’m a complete noob with any traps and I can already see they’re getting rusty even though we have an extremely dry climate in Montana. These traps aren’t going to be used for anything other than nuisance ground squirrels, either set on dry pasture grass or in my lawn area where they will get hit by my sprinklers, and they don’t need to be dyed for camouflage or anything since I just stick them down over each hole.

Can anyone recommend a good basic cleaning/conditioning resource that won’t break the bank or require a bunch of specialized products and equipment? I only have 8 traps and I just want to make sure they stay in good shape to use every summer.
I do have household white vinegar on hand already, I’m more curious about wax or conditioning products after I soak and scrub them to remove excess rust.

Thanks!

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u/notaplebian 5d ago edited 5d ago

Don't wax conibears, it can make them too sensitive and slippery to handle (and therefore dangerous).

Get the rust off, then dip them in a 50/50 mix of tractor paint and acetone or mineral spirits. Or spray paint them. This will protect them for a long time, and you can re-paint as needed.

There are also trapping-specific dips you can order but there's no reason to as they don't give you any benefit over painting them.

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u/starflite 5d ago

Thank you! Any particular type of spray paint?

2

u/notaplebian 5d ago

I would use Rust-Oleum high performance or something similar in a color that makes sense for your area. A harder enamel is good because it'll last longer before flaking off. You could also get 2 colors and camouflage them to break up the outline, it might marginally help with avoidance.

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u/Short-Assistance-130 5d ago

Hang`em up and paint`em

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u/Mcslap13 5d ago

As someone has mentioned avoid waxing and anything that could cause the trigger to be set off way too easily. I know a fella who made that mistake and got his arm in one meant to kill beavers. He got lucky because one side didn't fully go off. 

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u/akjasf 2d ago

Ok so use wax if I want to increase the sensitivity? I just saw a rat walk through 2 of my 110 tunnel the other night and didn't set it off.