P100X asks-
Any tricks to get a solid bed with hulls?
Years ago, Andy Stow first marketed Buckwheat hulls. I bought a bag and had trouble bedding and trouble with snapped traps. Lots of misses.
Next summer at a trappers convention in Hughesville, Pa., I talked with Andy about my miserable experience with his hulls. 'You gotta few minutes, Hern?' Andy ask. 'Sure I do, Andy' I replied.
Andy gathered some equipment and hulls and we went behind his trailer. He told me to set the trap, dig a bed, use the hulls and make a dirthole set 'they way I made 'em with his hulls'. I did just that.
I finished in good time, but other folks gathered. Andy took this opportunity to give a little demo and show me the proper way to use hulls.
-My bed was too big and hulls made the trap slide and move. Andy made a cone shaped bed slightly larger than the trap itself, lined it with light coat of hulls and bedded trap. Very tight fitting trap.
-I covered trap and pan with hulls and light coating of dirt,. Andy explained, when a Fox stepped on the pan, the hulls slide causing the trap to fire and time for Fox to pull paw resulting in misses. Andy covered his trap with hulls, but not his pan. He did put a dirt cover over hulls and pan.
And that's what Andy showed me 100x.
Andy did not belittle me, but show me his way. He was a good teacher. After that behind the trailer episode, Andy did many years of demos on the use of Buckwheat hulls for many different State Trappers Rendezvous.
And what's this 100x handle? Are you 10 times better? lol