Bridger 3 worked uo

[bogio]

Typical catch with my #3 montys. Don't know how you can ask for much better.

Never, do you see what I was talking about?

[bogio]

Another. Stock pan, steel screen.

[bogio]

This one shows a good solid catch while showcasing those silky hides that I was referring to. Bring on the $25 a shot coyote iron!

[Deleted]

Never, do you see what I was talking about?

Yup, I'm with you Bogio!!

Even though I switched to all PP's, they're not a "cure-all" in my opinion. Sure, no bolt/nut for pan tension and no filing BUT you have bending of the dog for pan tension AND the pan is directly dependent on the spring pin! This means that if the spring pin moves, and it does, so does your pan change in from level!!! Everything is a trade-off in my opinion. They most certainly work and I like them well enough that I won't go back to stock pans but there is nothing holy about them.


I should also mention that I use no screen or any other typical/common pan cover.  I use either peat with a dirt skim over or straight peat under snow at scented sets.

[braveheart]

Bogio
That is a nice SW Iowa select?I like my dogless traps.But use only screen.

[dtraper]

Jun 21, 2014 9:38:59 GMT -6 trappnman said:

trade what? bridgers for montanas? If I had more than the few Bridgers I won, I'd trade I na sec

if you want me to trade montanas for bridgers?

no

not a bridger fan, but will try some of the dogless eventually to see if they are the equal of the montanas

Ya that's what I was talking about new montana's for Bridgers-- can't see ever trading a 3 Bridger for any trap-D-

[trappincoyotes39]

Bogio you have deep holds and so do those using dog on traps so really what is the difference? I liken a lot of this to the taller jaws of both traps to a degree.

I used sterling mj600 traps for years and love them minus the filing to keep,pan tension, but the reason they work well and screen serves them no benefit is the pan size in relation to jaws. A circle pan to me is more beneficial than a rectangular pan , the PIT pan legs look a lot like a sterling mj600 pan and how it is connected to the frame.

[bogio]

Jun 21, 2014 19:33:12 GMT -6 trappincoyotes39 said:

I have deep,holds so no,worries there and with the higher jaws on a Bridger over a Montana which in relation is really more of a size 2 trap than a 3. talk jaw height here not width. That those taller jaws reach up and hold more. Also I do,not like the narrow,pans found on the standard Bridger, Montana or Montgomery's .(quote]

Simply an answer to the above statement.


Braveheart- I looked through the NAFA grading descriptions sheet and am not quite sure where that beauty would fall. No doubt Top Lot in it's respective category.

[trappnman]

T,an not liking a smaller pan

TC, we had the debate countless times

nothing wrong with changing your mind- I do it quite often myself

[trappnman]

dtraper-

I found the bridgers I bought maybe 10 years ago, to need a lot of work out of the box concerning pan/dog. I can see by never's system, and others, that with mods, the bridger pan/dog problems are eliminated.

but montanas are out of the box, I like the look and feel of them, and they work for me like they work for bogio

my thought is you could modify the dog, or eliminate it

six of one.....

[Nick C]

Bogio,

Some of ours in the opposite corner of the state look okay at times. Then again we might get some dakota/nebraska drift genetics here at times.

Took 5 coyotes here off the pile, 4 pups and an adult male. Snared an older female 1 section to the West of here. Pups brought $50 a piece finished from Groney this past February.






How the Eastern guys do it:

[trappnman]

deja vu all over again...lol

I's rather get the pups fur wise- the bigger and older the male, the crappier the fur is it seems

[trappincoyotes39]

Tman never changed my mind on pans at least I don't think I have getting older so who knows

I have always liked a pan that fills up the correct amount of space N,S,E and W inside the jaws like the sterling pan. Too much is not a good thing either like the O'Gormans add on's to the sterlings he wanted Glen to do, those pans covered 90 percent inside the jaws and led to a lot of catches far less than what I am looking for. Nice collector traps due to a smaller lot made up that way, but not a good coyote trap, even Glen S told him bad idea but he wanted them that way so money talks and made them up for him that way .

I have found A pan that is narrower and longer at times can lead to a print here and there without a catch, hence another reason some guys started the screen use age with these style of pans on traps. Love a circle inside of the jaws of traps for a pan.

[trappincoyotes39]

Here is what I loved about the sterlings bottomed out holds as long as I kept the notches maintained always locked up no worries about coyotes escaping form these traps what so ever, but still maintenance to tend to. I don't that with the Bridgers with PIT pans that is my key deep,holds no maintenance to worry about none.

My ultimate trap,would be a bridger trap with wire levers and aluminum wide cast jaws and a cold rolled heavy dog like found on the coyote cuffs of old and a PIT pan held on by a welded pin oh boy what a trap that would be! The old coyote cuffs prior to Tom B when made down in Texas are one heck of coyote trap IMO!

[trappnman]

bottoming out occurs with any trap, if the tension is high enough

[trappincoyotes39]

Not if the pan is too big in relation to a coyotes foot. I also stated if the traps are maintained with that tension properly maintained if not then more toe catches which I am sure everyone wants to avoid,

[trappnman]

are you saying- if a pan is bigger than a coyotes foot, you cannot get a full hold?

ALL pans on 3s on up are bigger than a coyotes foot.

I don't understand all the hype to get a full hold- it seems pretty SOP to me with a properly tuned trap

[trappincoyotes39]

No talking an oversized pan that the further away the less tension it takes for it to go snap. Anyhow just not a rectangle pan fan is all, unless somehow that it is well centered which with the shape of a rectangle would be harder to do.

center the foot is not as big a deal with good bait and lures and most coyotes I do agree.

A dozen set ups just waiting for chain that I have to cut yet and some quick tack welding then onto the traps they will go. I like the versatility of is setup.

[trappincoyotes39]

Ok here are the new Bridger 3's I have worked up, these are the newer models with the welded and riveted base plates,mSo called better j hooks, while thicker still made of very soft metal, do not know why Tim doesn't just add MB crunch proofs to all the 3 bridgers and at it to the price?

Any how these are set up with the chestnut rings, shock springs, always stay with the standard springs until they lose power and then switch them out, use MB crunch proofs and American 3 chain the stock chain is suspect to me and has shown issues in the past. PIT pans and reinforced dogs and welded on as well. Also spring pin tack welded I place to keep it from getting moved around, have some more to do once my new welder arrives. A very versatile trap IMO.

[trappincoyotes39]

Completed trap now jaws are right at 5/8 thickness. Like the way these turned out.