Trap Sizes?

[MrPike]

Hi Guys,
Just found this site today, very happy to know it's here now.  I recognize a lot of you from another place- I wondered where everybody went. 

I'm going to get back into trapping after about 20+ years away, mostly to give me something else to do in the fall/winter, plus I used to enjoy it quite a bit.  When I quit before, I got rid of all my traps, and now need to do a little gearing up again.  That's where I need some help, as a lot has changed.  I used to trap fox and mink, so I had 1 1/2 coilsprings.  Now with coyotes being my primary target, but probably even odds of catching fox, what size traps do I need?  I know bigger than 1 1/2, and in Ohio nothing bigger than a 2 is allowed on land.  Should I go for a 1.65, 1.75, or do I need a 2?  Also, how much value do all of these modifications add (baseplating, D swivel, laminated jaws, etc)?  Finally, how well do these earth anchors work in firm soil?  They seem easier to me than hauling around a bunch of rebar, given that I usually have to hump pretty far from the nearest road.

Thanks in advance for any help!

[FinsnFur]

Welcome to the site Mr Pike.

Figured I better slip that in before everyone else starts replying to your questions...which I cant answer, not being a trapper. 

[studabaka]

Here is my two cents...... ultimately if you decide to trap for several seasons, you will build an inventory of traps and other goodies..... and you will want to try first hand different sizes and designs in different situations. There is no 'one' answer, but there are some 'boundries'.

I use a lot of 1.75 OS in land sets. I like the pad catch and there are a fair number of domestic critters in my area. This size has been reasonably friendly to them and allowed me to release most with little more than a sore foot. I have yet to have a yote, cat, or fox pull out of one of these. Having said that, I do, on ocassion set larger traps when I'm specifically targeting yotes or beaver.

Cable stakes do work well. So far, the one I like the best is called a 'bullet stake'. Some of the others I have tried have not held as well. I do use a lot of rebar stakes as they hold well laterally, but are usually easier to pull out than a cable stake. What type of soil your working with has a lot to do with what you use and yotes have a greater ability to test your stake vertically vs other critters. For them I use something 18" - 24". But I also attach a grapple on all my land sets. In part this is beacuse I never want my trap showing up at the neighbor's dog's house and part is cause some of these critters are amazingly strong. I have had yotes pull 18" rebar stakes out of firm clay soil, but found them close by tangled in brush because of the grapple.

I hear ya on the weight, though a successful morning will have you puffin a whole lot more than a load of setting gear. After one successful morning on a fairly remote beaver bog, I learned to carry my skinning tools and a few plastic bags with me. Another strategy is in planning ahead and stashing stuff at staging areas. I do this a lot with dry dirt, stakes, and traps I'm planning to use in water sets [ like 330 conibear].

Other than ADC work, my eason is almost over, but I'm already planning on what I will do in the fall.

I sure do hope you get back in it as it is hard to beat a successful set as the sun rises on a cold morning.

[MrPike]

Thanks for all the good info, Stu.  Never really thought about stashing some of my equipment to save carrying the weight, I'll have to think more about how I could do that.  Most of the private property I have permission on is scattered around, so it will take some thinking to find a way to make it work out.  Good idea though, and I'm sure I can take advantage of it somehow.

Any suggestions on brands of trap?  I know you get what you pay for, and the last thing I want to do is have problems because I tried to save a few bucks.  I know I don't want Dukes, and I used to use Victor way back when but I haven't read the most favorable things about them lately.  I see some makers don't offer a 1.75 (Bridger?), so any suggestions are appreciated.  I guess at this point, since I won't initially be buying a ton of traps, that I would rather overspend for quality than buy a mid-quality trap and possibly have a problem somewhere down the line (or a lot of extra work on initial setup).

[studabaka]

Hopefully OKTrap will weigh in on the different brands. I have several brands and not many problems with any of them. I would guess that of the problems I have had they have occurred mostly with victor and I have some 1.75 dukes that have dozens of catches to their credit and are still going strong. I have a few sleepy creek traps and they are solid and I recently picked up some MB's from OKTrap and they have done a good job on beaver this season.

[OKTrap]

Okay ... here we go. Sorry for the late showing on this ... but we've been real busy lately.

I personally use the new KB 5.5 Compound with laminated jaws. It has a 5-1/2" jaw spread ... where the typical #2 has a 5-7/8" spread. They are a bit more expensive than some traps ... but they are American Made and ALL QUALITY.

However ... if $256.95 per dozen is not your bag of tricks ... then any #2 would more than work. Definitely get them 4 coiled and tricked out ... laminated, base plate, D ring, in-line shock springs, extra crunch proof or heavy duty swivels.

Brands:

#2 Full Modified Bridger's are a good choice ... but they need the stock dogs replaced with "Top Dogs" ... which are much heavier and "Yote Chew Proof". But these need to be fitted if you put them on.

I personally don't like the lack of quality I find in the "New" Victors ... especially for the money they cost with little quality.

Sleepy Creeks are a decent trap.

MB's are a high end trap like the KB ... great quality and American Made. The MBs are offered in 550, 650, and 750 ... which are 5.5" jaw, 6.5" jaw and 7.5" jaw.

You don't like Duke huh? Duke #11 are the only one's with problems ... the springs are too strong for the jaws. Here is a stock Duke #1-1/2 ... Berkshire earth anchor holding a 52 pound Texas Beaver to prove Duke to you.



ALL of my land sets are made with either Berkshire heavy duty earth anchors or Super Stakes ... which are another type of earth anchor.

They hold wonderfully in mud, soft soil, rocky ground (this is where the super stakes come in to play, because you can drive them through bed rock).

Here are a few taken this 06-07 season ... all with the trap I use, and all with earth anchors in soft soil.

Female:


Male:


Alpha Male:


Alpha Female: Same set, next day:


Do you wonder if they will work on smaller critters? Here's an Opossum in one:


Now here is the trap that I use on all land sets now:





I know you will have questions ... so fire away.

I hope this helped.

Bye the way ... all of my yotes were taken in the KB 5.5 Compound laminated in the 06-07 season. None had hide damage ... and all were directly across the pad on thier front foot.