Dog proof traps?

[jd]

I bought a dozen of the grizz's when they first came out and caught a few coon in them but they really didnt work for my trappings situations. For starters I need a trap that can be pounded into frozen ground. The other problem I have is most of the areas I trap are very sandy and the Grizzs wouldnt anchor very well in the sandy soil. The river bottom is all sand. I'm looking at Z-traps, coon daggers, and dukes. Which of these would work best for my situation? I would prefer traps with a two way trigger. How does the pellet bait work in them?

Thanks in advance

[doyleflory]

Coon daggers is what i have settled on i have all but if you have sand and mud daggers is the only one.

[motrapperjohn]

You dont want to pound any of them in the ground. The Dagger has the only system that allows you to use a seperate steel rod to drive into the ground and then slide the support of the dagger onto the rod. The Dagger is the only trap on the market that has a STABLE 2-way circle trigger, with a Safety. The 2-way ring trigger is the only way to go with pellet bait, otherwise you will still have the bait theft. I have been selling a lot of triggers to the Z-trap owners. The Z has a straight trigger

[motrapperjohn]

One thing you must remember is that you NEVER what a dp to get frozen - in. As if you connect with a coon he will ring out. The dps will catch coon just laying on the ground if you ever have that situation

[Getrz]

Jan 31, 2013 20:22:34 GMT -6 motrapperjohn said:

You dont want to pound any of them in the ground.

I agree 100% with that statement. You wouldn't believe how many trappers use a 3 lb hammer to drive the DP trap into frozen ground and then blame the trap for not functioning like it should.

Case in point...... In 2002, I initiated a voluntary respring program to change out springs from the first production run of Grizz Traps to the SuperStrong Spring of the 2002 models and had trappers send back the traps to get resprung. One guy sent back a half dozen Grizz's and included a letter stating he was having problems setting the traps as well as the traps not firing....I finished the letter and pulled the traps from the box. Truthfully, I just stood there looking at the traps and just shook my head in disbelief....I should of taken pics of the traps.

I called the phone# that was wrote on the letter and asked the guy just how big a hammer he used on the traps to drive them in the ground....he got a little flustered with that comment and proceded to tell me thats what you do when you trap in freezing weather. The top of the Grizz's were mushroomed down to the point that the restraint bar would not retract all the way back making the trap hard as hell to set. Pounding also forced the dog to bottom out in the trigger notch. The Grizz anchors were either bent flat against the bottom or were oval shaped. I went ahead and fixed everything and sent the traps on the way.

jd, to answer your question about which DP trap would work best for you....just depends. If you need something now, pick and choose what is available. If you wait a couple months.....make your choice then.

Gary

[trappincoyotes39]

Daggers are top of the line and perform very well for me. The trigger is great!

[trappnman]

put any of them where there are coon, and the reuslts will be the same.

staking, etc are different on different traps, but the end result, is the same as if using a SC 1.5 or a victor 1.5 on mink.

ford chevy kind of deal.

[motrapperjohn]

Gary, I had some a guy did the same think to. Only he fixed them. I had to tell him that is what the punch out in the support was for. Drive a rod in the ground with the hammer them slide trap onto that.

[trappincoyotes39]

Tman have you used any coon daggers?

[trappnman]

no I never have- nor Z traps, nor the myriad of similar traps out there

do they hold coon better than my Grizs? Thats the question, and I know the answer. and that answer, based solely on coon looses from the traps used, is no, they could not, nor do not.

cause thats, to me, what a trap needs to do- hold what they catch. Never had any problem with my Grizs, or my dukes or a few experimental models I have

you might like features of a certain trap (ford or chevy) but in the end, they all do the same thing

I'd never argue if a ford or chevy is better- owned both, they were no different in anything but name in what they do, or what I needed to do to them.

sure, they have some anchoring problems at time, but 15 years ago, I figured out that all you needed was a rebar and twist ties- I didn't need a new trap or system to acomplish the same thing.

bottomline- catching and holding coon- ford or chevy

[trappincoyotes39]

Well I do argue as Fords to me are junk, our dept bought low bid vehicles not 1 or 2 or 3 multiple trucks at one time, but I always got a chevy some how LOL. You can look at the maintence log those fords had far more problems than did the chevy's. I would never own a Ford for any reason. They also had a flaw on the prairie as the catalytic converters where far more prone to start grass fires than the chevys due to design and placement........

The Dagger has a far different trigger and is a 2 way trigger nothing else compairs to it, so we can argue coon catch in each various model but we are talking two totally different traps. Once they fire I agree they all hold coons but that isn't why I like the dagger over the others.

[trappnman]

and I had no doubt you would......LOL

[trapperpatt]

I believe coon daggers and z traps will out catch dukes and lt grizzs. Just because of the two way trigger. Common sense!! Which ones better z's or daggers? Z's come already coated and cheaper than dags , but daggers have the circle trigger!! Which one is better? Only for the ones that have used them!

[trappnman]

common sense?

ok- lets look at it with common sense-

who is having all the problem with coon emptying single trigger dps?

not me.

nor many, many others, including guys that have taken 1000+ coon a year in them.

so- I believe it when some say they NEED a 2 way trigger-

but don't assume your problems, are problems everyone has.

[trapperpatt]

Anybody use the used both the z trap and dagger?

[trappnman]

you misunderstand the point

I'm sure both traps you mentioned, are great traps. Those that use them, tell me they are- and I count as friends the people that invented both, and they are fine upstanding people and the traps in my hands, seemed like that would be good to use.

thats not the point.

the point is simply this: some people- due to the size of coon they have, due to the bait/lure they used, hell for how they wear their hat for all I know- have problems using a pull trigger, and those problems were solved, for them, by using a push/pull trigger.

some even claim that some traps get WORKED more, simply because of the design. Now that, I can't discuss, having never used some traps- but let me go on record as I think that highly (VERY) unlikely to occur.

but most that swear push/pulls are the silver bullet, state that they, personally, have far too much bait stealing using single pull triggers and the p/p corrects that.

And I don't doubt that for a bit-

yet, guys like blackhammer, calvin, the beav- guys that use dps far more than me and catch far more coon than I do- say nonsense, that they have no problems with bait taken, and trap not holding a coon. and I think Griz might know a few folks that take 800-1000+ coon with single pull triggers, that might debate the term common sense with you.

And thats my experiences as well.

no problem- thus nothing to correct.

let me give you some forum advice. The tone here is if you can't dance, don't blame the dance floor.

[trapperpatt]

Well if a push pull trigger makes a trapper catch more coons. When the trapper was using a pull trigger and was missing coons. That would make push pull a better trap.

If a trapper takes a pull trigger and doesn't miss any coons. Makes him a better trapper! If it makes a 1000 coon trapper catch a 1001 that makes a push pull trigger a better design. That's commonsense.

If u didnt have any experience trapping and u were looking at dps. What trigger design would u pick using ur commonsense.

[trappnman]

for that trapper, yes, it would.

If a trapper takes a pull trigger and doesn't miss any coons. Makes him a better trapper! If it makes a 1000 coon trapper catch a 1001 that makes a push pull trigger a better design. That's commonsense

whats common sense, is understanding that what you said above, is, in my humble opinion, poppycock. first of all, having problems with one type of trigger, vs instant success with another kind, doesn't make anyone a better or worse trapper.

its called adapting-

but what you don't seem to understand- is that many very exprienced coon trappers, see NO problems with just pull triggers. as such, who are you or anyone, to say they are wrong, that they NEED p/p?

note I never said any trap was better than the other- there were ford/chevy differences, but nothing more.

I tried to explain it to you once- that the type of bait used & the SIZE of your coon (how big are your coon? 10 lbs a bigun'?. they come out of the womb 10lbs around here), explains why some feel a p/p is the only way to go.

so knowing to use a bait or lure that keeps a coon from cleaning it out (liquids, paste baits/lures) is part of the issue, and nothing you can do about the size of your average coon.

debating which is the best is nonsense on something like this, no more than debating trap brands because everyone has a different opinion and all, base that opinion on their own reality, and if that includes inexperience, so be it.

bottomline, I have NO problem with coons cleaning out traps (you do put something over the top, right to keep out the mice?) and no problesm catching them with a pul lonly trigger, and thusly, I see no need ot change.

as far as what I recommend to someone that had no experience trapping and now wanted to buy dps- I say buy whatever tickles your fancy-

and btw- I heard it that a guy only got 999 coon with push/pulls- and he blames not reaching a 1000 on not having pull only...

just sayin'.......

[trappnman]

and by experienced, I mean men that go out and fulltime and seriously slay the coon- men that if anything would improve their catches, would do it in a heartbeat.

if push pulls were indeed a silver bullet- do you not think THEY, among all people, would be the first to switch?

and thats not saying, that there aren't guys that pound the coon using push pulls- there of ocurse are.

but knowing those peole- I'd bet the farm their total catch at the end of te year- given they had to use one or the other- would be within a few coon either way.

In other words- its not the dance floor- its the dancer.

[blackhammer]

Feb 3, 2013 13:36:17 GMT -6 trappnman said:

and by experienced, I mean men that go out and fulltime and seriously slay the coon- men that if anything would improve their catches, would do it in a heartbeat.

if push pulls were indeed a silver bullet- do you not think THEY, among all people, would be the first to switch?

and thats not saying, that there aren't guys that pound the coon using push pulls- there of ocurse are.

but knowing those peole- I'd bet the farm their total catch at the end of te year- given they had to use one or the other- would be within a few coon either way.

In other words- its not the dance floor- its the dancer.

x2