What's your favorite all around canine trap?

[dj88ryr]

It's top shelf stuff Terry, no hangovers Mon!! ;D

[trappnman]

Heck Terry...if I squint my eyes...I can see you standing there in the rain the morning after.....

[PAMINK]

Squint real hard Steve and it will probably happen. ;D ;D

[trappnman]

[Mooseman]

I would like to give my opinion on trap sizes.

I trap a lot of Eastern Coyotes here in PA and I have
learned my lessons hard. I set in at key locations and have about 5% non-target catches. They are usually a
stray Grey Fox and they are usually fine.

For ANY Coyote I run #3 Bridger, 4 coiled and D-ring base plate. 3 swivels on #2 chain. Many of my traps have 1/4 inch lamenation, but not all. I have held 2 bears (small) in these traps and was able to reset the same trap. MB 650's or 750's are great but expensive. Archery hunters can be hard on traps out here. I run 150+ traps at a time so I can't afford a 30.00 trap being stolen. #2 bridgers are fine, but in the event of a big Coyote here or in the West, they can pull out or dismantle.

For Fox, Any #2 will work, No substitute for kill area when it comes to Fox OR Coyote trapping. I run all Fox traps stock with a few exceptions. It is my feeling that one can have misses with 1 1/2's and even 1.75's. Fox or Coyotes can jerk their foot away BEFORE the trap closes. I'm off to Florida come Feb so i want to catch the critter NOW not LATER.

If strictly Grey Fox, 1 1/2 or 1.75 is fine. Any old Junk will work, Victor, Duke, S Creek....etc etc.

Its all i know.......

Moose-C98-F200-2004

[Steve Gappa]

So what exactly are "a lot" of coyotes?

A few things that I am having a hard time believing-

you are running 150 coyote traps in PA? In the rain?With a 5% non target rate? And #3 fully modifed are easy on gray fox? No skunks, no possums, no cats, dogs, etc like all the other PA trappers?

Also- the problem with smaller traps isn't that a coyote wil lpull his foot OUT before the trap closes- its the size of the trap itself.

Mooseman- I hope I'm just being paranoid- but something just seems out of kilter here. Tell you what- PM me today- I want a little more info here....

Your info can stay private- but as administrator, I want to know .

If you are on the up and up- welcome to the forum.

If you are a ringer- bye-bye.

[Mooseman]

Steve said:

So what exactly are "a lot" of coyotes?

A few things that I am having a hard time believing-

you are running 150 coyote traps in PA? In the rain?With a 5% non target rate? And #3 fully modifed are easy on gray fox? No skunks, no possums, no cats, dogs, etc like all the other PA trappers?

Also- the problem with smaller traps isn't that a coyote wil lpull his foot OUT before the trap closes- its the size of the trap itself.

Mooseman- I hope I'm just being paranoid- but something just seems out of kilter here. Tell you what- PM me today- I want a little more info here....

Your info can stay private- but as administrator, I want to know .

If you are on the up and up- welcome to the forum.

If you are a ringer- bye-bye.

Steve, thanks for your concerns,

Sorry I don't know how to PM and this info can be put on here. No problem with that.

I am a trapper from the PA mountains. I run 3-4 counties (not all at once) and for about 30 days or so i run 130-150 traps. All deep on state forest and/or game lands. Non-target animals are a virtual none issue except for Porcupines and Grey Fox. Proper set design and luring cuts back on those. I havn't caught a house cat in 8 yrs and there ain't any Oposum or Coon in those woods. Too many Bear and Coyotes.

I do set for Greys and Reds on some farms and then my % of non-target goes up slightly. But again, a good lure catches the Canines not the felines.

As for rain, it is not a factor with Coyotes in the woods. I don't run dirt holes, mainly blind sets and flat sets covered with leaves/ground clutter. In extreme rain I can have trouble but for the most part things work out well.

You have to understand, Northern PA is like the deep woods of Canada. Our temp can vary 10 degrees from North to South. I've lived here 40 years and have trapped for 30. I am done trapping Canines by Jan 10, most years. Feb and Mar, I am in Florida with my toes in the sand and a drink in my hand.

I don't disclose numbers as it is no ones business. I don't run in trapping circles and I only take my kids on my trapline. Still trying to figure out what a ringer is. ??

Just giving my opinion, thats all.

-moose

[Steve Gappa]

Fair enough- welcome aboard.

Ringer: sometimes children and immature adults like to play- so in this case, I meant portraying someone other than what was stated.

so- how do you run 150 traps on a 24 hour check in forest land? Are you driving lumber roads and gangsetting 3-6 at each location?

You are correct on numbers- numbers are relative- yet, they do quantify...

But again, a good lure catches the Canines not the felines.

(yes, I saw the smile.. )

At the National Wildlife Research pens in Logan, Utah- tests showed conclusively that lure ingriedients that percentagewise caught the most coyotes- caught the most incidentals.

What is super attractive to 1 predator/scavenger...is attractive to the whole range in that territory.

My personal opinion on lures that "don't attract" non target animals- is that the number of target animals would be the same with or without the use of that particular lure.

Most people that use a very, very mild lure or none at all are setting smack on location and letting the visual of the set do the work- or, as you do, set blind trail sets.

[Mooseman]

Steve,

Here in PA we have a 36 hr check. As I said in another post, I am fortunate enough to be able to trap full time in the Fall. I run mostly forest roads, deep game land access roads and a lot of loging roads. I normally set 2-3 traps per location. I put on anywhere from 100-200 miles per day up here. Deal with a lot of theft and shot animals from hunters. My normal day is usually a 10-12 hour day of checking.

There simply is not much of any other furbearers in these Mts. I catch more Porcupines than Opposums or Housecats.

Luers are very selective. But the fact that i have so little junk critters up here is a bonus. On farmland however, I do deal with a few stray dogs and cats.....and a few Coon. But, proper locations and lure usage keeps the junk away from your sets.

Nice chatting with ya's. Glad to be here.

Moose--