DP Traps

[CoonDuke]

Very valid point on why bait above the trigger but with a sloppy bait/lure it can be tough to get in all in the bottom.

I might do some trailcam footage with some Dukes with the Carlis 2-way trigger on them. I want to see the catch ratio if just using a small squirt of lure.

[trappnman]

another thing about bait above and over trigger- freezes up.

does anyone else put a plastic tube like is used for whammys on the trigger? Was told to do that years ago, and feel it's a definite plus.

[Wright Brothers]

Insulation from a scrap extension cord fit my Duke DP triggers. Does it help? I don't know but sure sounded good at the time. The guy that told me about tubing the trigger runs a whole lot more of them than I do.

I need to get a bunch more to give these a fair shot. Need a dealer stocked in Western Pa hint hint.

[gcs]

I put the tubing on mine, but I messed up and dipped the traps with the tube on, ..don't do this.
But.. you can stick a piece of gummy worm over the trigger, sort of like a tube and bait all in one.
In my experience, with bait UNDER the trigger, you usually have the coon waiting for you. The only time I had a problem was when I failed to loosen the trigger pivot, on the Grizz, that pivot is pretty tight and it doesn't take much rust or crud to bind it up, otherwise no problem, and my BIG coon are under 20#.

[makete]

Jul 3, 2011 10:38:35 GMT -6 trappnman said:

another thing about bait above and over trigger- freezes up.

does anyone else put a plastic tube like is used for whammys on the trigger? Was told to do that years ago, and feel it's a definite plus.

On the DP trap I have, it appears to be dang near impossible to put tubing on trigger. How do you do it? Can you take the trigger off to put on the tubing? My fat fingers just cant hold the tubing and fit down the trap.

I have a very limited experience with a DP trap, but I have found that using a sweet paste and putting in down the trap and also smearing it around the opening, worked well for me. The only time I saw the trap almost cleaned out was when I found a mouse inside the trap eating away. Took a stick and killed the little bugger and left him in there and just added more sweet paste on his butt. Next day, coon.

[thebeav2]

Well Carlis a live coons foot swells up beneath the jaw of the trap. I have never seen a dead coons foot do that. What truck did you fall off.

Steve you hit the nail right on the head Lots more non target catches with a push pull type trigger.

Like I said before when I use my DP like a fish stick set I have never had a trap cleaned out like I do when setting on dry ground. That leads me to believe that It's being done by mice.

This season I'm going to use those same break away stabilizers on dry land that I use In the water. That should make them pretty much mouse proof. But time will tell.

[CoonDuke]

'Round here the mice leave droppings IN the trap. Started putting a marshmallow on top and it kept the mice out but that nice white spot on a dark background does attract crows.

I have no problems catching possums with a pull trigger so I don't think a 2-way will be a much bigger problem. Now non targets like small rodents, etc. might make a headache.

[trappnman]

it can be a pain- i used a needlenose, and flexable aquarium air tube

[motrapperjohn]

I guess I must be the hard headed one, maybe your coon do have much larger feet than our. But around here we do have problems with coon getting the bait and not getting caught. Yes mice still get to some of the bait, but that has been greatly reduced, as did my catch ratio go way up. Beav what I am talking about as far as holding power, the swelling of the foot has absolutly nothing to do with it, as anyone can testify if its been there long enough to swell it aint going nowhere. Its the design of the opening and spacing of the grip bars. It could be a rubber hose as far as that matters. Lets say the duke takes 75lbs of force to pull it out, mine will take 150 lbs. to remove it from the trap, and we are taking my springs and putting it on both traps. Thats what we did with the coon carcasses, same carcass, hide pulled completly off the foot, girz trap, one person with a good pull could pull it out, Dagger it would take 2 people and we would usually seperate the shoulder and once seperated it at the spinal cord behind the ribs.
So far I havnt noticed any increase in catching the possums over what I had when useing the griz. But I would rather get rid of them as soon as possible and get them in a dp than a fox or cat set.

[blackhammer]

Skunks and house cat catches will I bet go way up with two ways.I run about 80 dps most of the fall and maybe get 6 skunks and the same amount maybe less cats a year.I have on more than a few occasions chased cats away from set dps when checking and you will definitely get more grinners in two ways imo.Now if I find the two way can get me more coon I would change to them.I find my dps miss no more coon than a 220 or pocket.No tool is a 100 percent but I think the odds with a good dp are as good as it gets.Especially considering you catch a coon in one he is going nowhere.You should never have a coon pullout of a Grizz.Only exception would be on a frozen in trap and possibly if a coon got into a tree or branch and got leverage to pull although I haven't seen it more than once or just wrapped tight around a branch.I normal stake short and away from anything a coon can grab.But in using grapples in the winter really had no problems with the coon being there in the morning.They definitely don't fight a dp like a foothold.

[trappnman]

I wonder if a 2 way, would allow catching fox. nothing burns me more, than seeing a "catch circle" all around a dp from fox.

anyone getting fox with a 2 way?

[blackhammer]

It might.Seems like for some reason gray fox might be likely to get caught with location and coon type baits.I've seen a few pics of reds caught in regular dps.Believe Coonduke may have posted one once.

[Coon King IV]

Ive only had 1 pull out ever. If the coon can leverage the spring up against a tree or sapling it can release the tension enough to get out. A freak deal really.

Ive caught plenty of pole cats,grinners and ferals before unmodified triggers. The adjustment is too much of a plus to worry about that IMO.

[CoonDuke]

Rode with Maineman two seasons ago and got to see this oddity. If I remember right he said it was baited with a marshmallow.

[motrapperjohn]

I have heard of one other red and a grey besides this one.. I tried to catch grey fox when out west last fall. No luck. Caught plenty in footholds. The first animal I caught with the first dz griz I bought in 99 was my wifes cat, and both are still with me. You will catch just as many cats in pull type traps as you will the push when useing baits they like. Just get a small olive jar and put some fish in it and fasten it to where a cat cant turn it over ans WATCH him go fishing. I have yet to catch a skunk in a dp. Now you watch, I ll catch 10 of them the first week!
I had 2 pull out this year both in griz traps, and one last year. I have lost probly 60 or so since I started using them, whichisnt much to some but to many for me.

[TurTLe]

Instead of using rubber tubing, just use twizzlers over the trigger. If they come off, your just giving the coon one more thing to eat.

I catch skunks in Dp's every year with the pull type triggers.

Beav's coon must be something else, because I have caught coon, and the entire tube will be packed with much below the paw. I have no idea how they get so much in the trap with their paw in it, but it has happened multiple times over the years.

I am with Beav on one thing though. I can't remember ever having a Griz snapped off that wasn't holding an animal.

[thebeav2]

Then It must be a location thing.

Most of my DPs are set In the water and are hooked up to drowning cables or slide rods. No mud build up there. If I'm setting trails they are placed near a culvert and are hooked up to a slide rod. No mud build up here either.

The mud must be getting In when the coon drags the trap along the ground. Most likely through the slot where the trigger Is entering the trap body. Because I doubt the coon Is packing the mud In the trap.

In both of my set locations the coon Isn't moving the trap around. So that probably explains why I don't have a mud problem.

[braveheart]

I got a trailer load of skunks last year running my DP with the push pull trigger only 1 or 2 grinners at the most and 2 cats a lot of barn yards with high skunk population .Out the 690 plus coon I caught half were in the DP.Mice gave me some problem but either moved a little or putting a small piece of tubing over the trigger made a big difference.I got the mouse right away.I never used anything except my bait and only 6 pellets in the trap a liquid trailer when below 0.And the dp was nice and clean after the catch unless in mud.With the better staking system I can now put them in frozen ground and take them out.Like I said I tried them all and had only 1 pull out.Have the mid chain swivel to change out the trap on a swollen foot no messing around trying to pull it out.

[motrapperjohn]

Beav, had a guy that uses nothing but DPs tell me that those who are drowning their coon in dps are shooting themselfs in the foot. Try gang setting high banks and trails, keep the traps just far enough apart to where the coon cant fight and see what happens, you will be plesantly supprised.
No wonder you are not haveing any mud problems when you are drowning them. Here you let me argue with you for the last 4 days, only to find out you are drowning. Now set up the bank where they cant drown and you will see what I am talking about!

[possumpincher]

I will also throw my 2 cents worth have tried and use all three Duke,Griz,Dagger I put 2 way trigger on all. They all work and work well. In my experience grizz will stand up to a lawn mower better than the duke's (summertime possum control) Out of the three I will be getting more Dagger's. Carlis was talking them up about ease of clean out and his 2 way trigger. I thought no way just blah blah but after using them I see they are much better .
For my trapline. all new DP traps I buy will be his traps. COme on Columbia.