what causes a toe catch?

[stranger]

Well guys, I really enjoyed the tread on 4 coil or not, and while I have a lot of opinion on causes of toe catches, there are a lot of good trappers on here and I think we can all learn from a thread on this issue specifically. Someone suggested it so I'll kick it off. Now I don't target coons with off set jaws, but generally speaking, in your opinions: what factors lead up to a critter being caught by the toes?

[CoonDuke]

Heavy, wet mud covering over and around the trap coupled with underpowered springs.

[bobwendt]

foot on the jaws and pan at the same time.

[GUTPYLZ]

I think it could be a lot of things. One a cautious animal at the set and low pan tension. I only had one Toe Catch this year and I felt it was because of the terrain, he had to walk up into the set. That kept him putting all his weight down on the set. Won't do that again. In the beginning of learning how to Trap, I had a lot of them and figured that it was because of to much coverings and and a combination of other factors.

[bfflobo]

I agree with Gutpylz. First thing to try is increasing the pan tension, with a hair trigger and beded well. Most people would probably just shake their head if they saw how much pan tension I use. Works for me.

[pastortrapper]

Stranger, I started the "4 coil or not" thread and it did open up lots of questions and opinions. It gave me lots to think about and much to do different. After sitting back and thinking on what I was doing different than what I was doing earlier in the season, I came to the conclusion that it was pan tension, (which I did change,) along with being over-confident. Got to a point where I was setting traps hastily and was being wreckless with my technique. You heard the saying, "One bad trap-set is worth two traps in the truck." Same goes, "One set made well is worth three junk sets."

[RonMarsh]

Buried too deep. There is so much space between the pan and the Jaw if you fill it up with dirt you will have a toe catch or a total miss.
my 2c

[bobwendt]

what ron said. I see guys advocating 1" or more of covering and just shake my head.

[jim]

An unlucky day for a coyote. Whats wrong with a toe catch other than you think boy I almost missed him? I have no problem holding them by two toes and along with bloodless dispatch some people think I must have found them dead because they can't find any blood or mark on them.

Jim

[dabrock]

I have some traps where the pan sets above the jaws rather than even with or a little lower. I think the high pan can result in toe catches.

[trappnman]

You are always going to get toe catches. You can do everything right- and you still are going to get toe catches.

You are going to get toe catches for 2 reasons really-

1) when the trap closes, it closes on the toes. This can be many things as mentioned- too much dirt, slow closing trap, standing on jaw, pulling back when the trap fires, etc.

2) the coyote pulls his foot enough so the final resting place of the jaws is across the toes- I think this happens more then one thinks, esp in smaller traps.

Unless you are getitng more toe catches than not- and even here-if no or few empty traps- why worry about it?

[stranger]

Well, I was more posting this thread for all the other trappers out there. Pastor trapper posted the other thread and as he said, he learned much. You guys have pretty much covered all my thoughts on toe catches, why does it matter? Well, a lot of guys are satisfied with just making a catch, don't matter if it is by the tail. In the old days, we were limited to smaller traps, with dbl long springs, here a toe catch was a constant way of life. Several of us trappers became proficient with it, then why did we come up with better equipment and bigger traps made legal. Because as trappers we wanted to do better. Seems people forget and go backwards with bigger better equipment sometimes. This is why the BMP is such an issue now a days. Because more trapping styles and expert uses of different equipment are not explored. I can take a #2 dbl long spring trap and catch coyotes on a drag, or a #3 coil. And so can many other trappers. Just my 2 cents.