Dig the Bed

• Once you've found a spot to set a trap, use the claw end of a hammer to dig a depression in the soil roughly the shape of the set trap and slightly larger.
  
  

Position the Trap

• Wearing a clean pair of gloves to keep your human scent off the trap, set it into the depression and wiggle it back an forth to press it solidly into the soil.
  
  

Stabilize

• Test the stability of the trap by pressing around the edge of the trap where the animal could step without setting it off. Use pebbles or short sticks wedged under the trap to add stability if there is any wobbling.
  
  

Pan Cover

• Tear a piece of waxed paper slightly smaller than the inside dimensions of the trap and drape the paper over the pan or trigger on the trap. This will keep dirt from getting under the pan during the next step, which would prevent the trap from firing.
  
  

Cover the Trap

• Sift the soil dug out of the trap bed across the top of the trap through a quarter-inch mesh screen to sift out any large pebbles or debris that could interfere with the mechanism. Cover the trap completely with about one-quarter inch of soil.