# Disposable Stakes



## Coyote Chaser

I was wondering how these work and the pros and cons of them. I have always just used t-handle rebar stakes but I'm getting to many traps and the stakes are getting to be a pain to carry around. I 'm hopping to lighten up the load alittle, I will be using them mainly for water sets for raccons. any info would be helpful !!

Michael


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## xdeano

I make my own, It is a version of the pogo stake. Just a washer with a j-hook attached to a 3/32 cable. I made my own driver. They work well. I have several different lengths for different soils or mud. Anywhere from a foot to 2 feet. The washers are from 1 1/2 to 2 inches depending also.

They work very well. there are many different companies out there that have different variations on basically the same thing. they do work.

xdeano


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## Coyote Chaser

come on guys I need some more feed back, let me know


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## ND trapper

Coyote Chaser said:


> I was wondering how these work and the pros and cons of them.


IMO they work great. I still use rebar when the situation calls for it but the rest of my land stakes are washer stakes (Pogo's). For water I use 6 inches or so of conduit for my stake, punch a hole in the side of the conduit and run my cable through. Like already mentioned the length of cable and size of stake end will depend on the soil or mud you are working in. When water trapping ***** I can usually get my stake 1 1/2 to 2 feet down.

The cons are that they are disposable (hard to pull out) so you have to make or buy more. To me that is more of a pro than a con. Cut the cable as far down as you can and go. I do however pull (dig) up my Pogo's if I am trapping the edges of harvested fields.


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## xdeano

There is an easier way to get them out of the ground. I'll take a picture of my puller and post it here. It is basically a 1" steel square tubing with hooks on it to attach my stake loop. It works great. If you try pulling them out by hand, you'll break your back before you get them out. My way takes about 3 seconds.

xdeano


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## xdeano




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## ND trapper

Thanks for the pic xdeano. What is the overall length of your stake puller? Do you attach the end of your stake to the first hook and pull the stake partially out and then attach the stake to the second hook to finish the job?


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## xdeano

I'm guess off the top of my head that the overall length is around 5 feet
the angle iron is probably a foot. If you make one get the heavy gauge tubing, the thin stuff will bend easy.

The shorter one is for the shorter stakes. Once you hook on all you have to do is pull up on the handle. I could have gotten away with just a single hook. I would make it as high up on the handle as your stake is long. ei. (24" stake, put the hook at 24" that way it will still work with your 12" 18" stakes etc).

xdeano


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## ND trapper

Thanks guy, I'll definitely have to make one.


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## coyotehuntern

Why are you pulling DISPOSABLE stakes?? kind of defeats the purpose. I cut the "J" hook and leave the stake and 3/32" cable in the ground and use it again next year. I just throw on a new "J" hook on the end swivel and move on to the next set.


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## ND trapper

coyotehunternet said:


> Why are you pulling DISPOSABLE stakes?? kind of defeats the purpose.





ND trapper said:


> I do however pull (dig) up my Pogo's if I am trapping the edges of harvested fields.


Leaving cable in a farmers field is a sure fire way of getting booted of their land and leaving you a bad name with the rest of the land owners in the area. I am a guest on their land and I treat them and their land with the highest respect.


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## coyotehuntern

Then why not a drag? Or a rebar stake if you just plan on pulling it. I understand not wanting to leave equipment in a field but why use a disposable stake then if you have to pull it?


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## xdeano

you don't have to pull them, just tie a flag above where you left it and go.

But for some of us we'd rather leave the land a bit less messed up. Sure you can use a drag, around here you'd better have a good nose to catch up to one on a drag. 
Stakes suck, especially if you plan on getting out of your pickup and get to some remote spots. If you use a 4wheeler their easier to transport too. I can haul 10x more disposable stakes than i can rebar, I'm not a really big guy so I'll take any shortcut i can find. Didn't your mother ever tell you to work smarter not harder.

xdeano


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## ND trapper

coyotehunternet said:


> I understand not wanting to leave equipment in a field but why use a disposable stake then if you have to pull it?


If I was only running 20 or 30 sets I could get by with just using the rebar stakes in the field. But when your running a couple hundred sets over a large area than speed and simplicity becomes the name of the game. Disposable stakes take up less room in the truck, are lighter to carry, and for me they go in the ground faster than rebar does. Another big plus is that one Pogo stake with a 2 inch washer does the same job as cross staking with rebar when setting for coyotes. I use a tile spade to get out the disposable stakes that are in fields and I can get them out just as fast as pulling up rebar stakes. However, I will be looking into a stake puller like xdeano posted up.

Using a drag in south eastern ND would be a losing battle from the get go. The only time I have used drags is when I'm setting for water **** and there's no way to put in a stake because of to many rocks.


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## coyotehuntern

I use a dog when trapping so drags are no problem. I trap full time and don't have time to dig up disposable stakes. I run a 30" rebar stake if I need to for coyotes and drags If I have ground that does not allow for pounding in rebar or a disposable. I grew up in Eastern Nodak and the soil is little different there than were I am at now. You would kill yourself off in short order trying to dig up a bunch of disposables. I use a 4' pinch bar to get my rebar up and some guys out here use the wench off of their 4 wheelers to pull them. They drive right up to set when pulling out and hook on, then pull them straight out with the wench. I can get a 30" stake out pretty quick with a pair of vise grips and a pinch bar. I trap and snare all winter so diggin up disposables once we have freeze up is impossible. *I understand why you use them*, I just did not understand taking the time to dig them up. I was thinking you trapped after freeze up and that taking the time to chisel a washer and a piece of cable out of the ground would seem like a lot of work when you could just cut and run. If you can dig them up with a tile spade then I am assuming that you are pulling before the frost is deep. I use the Iowa disposables and have used the High Plains Spear as well. In most soil they work great but in gravel or chalk rock I use drags. The dog does the work, I just drop him and he finds the cat or coyote. If it was easier for me to dig up the disposables maybe I would to, you can't beat the dirt in the valley.


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## ND trapper

coyotehunternet said:


> If you can dig them up with a tile spade then I am assuming that you are pulling before the frost is deep.


Yes. I pull my sets generally when snaring season opens which is late November. Of course this depends on the weather. I found that for me it is way more productive to run a snare line late in the season than to run footholds.


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## xdeano

A 30" stake, I don't see that being very fun especially with a hard frost. When it comes to freeze up, i'll go back to my steel stakes just because of the issue with getting a washer into the ground.

For snares, I'll use steel stakes or the brush that their going through, and most often than not, i'll use the brush because I'm not into pounding stakes into frozen soil, ie concrete.

Don't get me wrong, if I use a ds and it freezes up, I'm not going to break my back getting them back up, I'll tie a flag on it and go, I can always use it the next spring, or pull it up then.

I use quick connect links on all of the ds to attach traps or snares, so when i need all I have to do is unscrew the link take the trap or snare and i'm off to the next spot. quick and easy. smarter not harder...

xdeano


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## coyotehuntern

I run a bunch of snares but in some areas where I have livestock trail snares are not an option. I love snareing though. easier to keep running in snow than traps but nothing beats a spinning tail when you walk up on a set. Dead coyotes and cats in snares is like walking up on road kill, I'd rather be trapping.


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## xdeano

You're right the interaction with the animal is very enjoyable.

xdeano


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