Why dye your traps?

L

Lok8ayote

New member
I just purchased my first dozen traps and hopefully, going out to set them this weekend. My mentor is a well experienced predator hunter and trapper. However, when I asked, "Why dye", he didn't have a good answer. He has trapped in the Southwest (dry) all his life off and on, and as far as I know has never purchased traps new.

If it's for rust, I don't think I'll have that problem. If it's for visual concerns, it's underground, nothing will see it anyway. I went with him this weekend to set some, and all of his traps had a very light coat of rust on them, but like he says, them banging around in his box on the back of the 4 wheeler actually keeps them quite clean. So why dye? He told me to get on the bulletin board that I've been telling him about and ask.
 
Dye and wax, both have a purpose, rust is a major concern, if you are going to keep em working during the winter, you will get em wet, and if they get wet, the dirt freezes, and they don't work in a block of ice. So to keep them from freezing you add alittle calcium chloride to the dirt(salt) and you WILL have a rust problem in the southwest. Waxing adds alittle more protect and makes them alittle faster and longer lasting. As far a color goes, probably alittle more important in water trapping then in predator trapping. But you will get your pan covers or under plug dug, on occassion, no matter how clean you are, mice and the likes will find it, and dig you. And alittle exposed black or brown is always better then bare steel.
 
Thanks for the tips!!

So the dye is for visual for accidently exposed traps. Does it add rust protection too? And the wax that was my next question. That is primarily for speed and protection, right?
 
Yep, you want to clean your traps so that there is no oil, even a good lye bath, rinse em good and let them get a very light coat of rust(very light) and then dye em, Blueing on a rifle is just a coat of polished rust, but it protects the white steel. Same thing with alittle rust and then dye. The rust gives the dye something(small scares) to bite on.
 
Thanks GrayGhost,

I just boiled my first batch of traps tonight after work. That was a challenge. I had both the stove top burner on my barbeque grill going and a weed burner. Four down, eight to go.

Now that I know why, I'll get some dye ordered. I'll use the traps un-dyed until the middle of December. That is when we have to pull them up in my neck of the woods. They block access to a lot of Unit 10 for wildlife during the winter. We can still trap, but not miles in, no way to get there. Once I pull them up for the change in locations, I'll dye them. They should have some rust on them by then I guess.

I just went and checked some of the traps that my friend and I set the other day... Nothing... O well, I'll check again tomorrow.

What part of New Mexico are you in?
 
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