musher and others: Bear? wolf?

[jim]

Center attached chain might have held a little better.

Jim

[RdFx]

Basically a ctr chain mount just keeps paw if springs are strong from sliding to the opposite site of the trap. Its possible that with foot in center of trap jaws that the force exerted by animal is spread even on both sides of trap itself allowing a stronger holding position.

[jim]

Bigger bubble tip on jaw that came free may have helped, don't even need opposite end bubble tipped with that chain attachment. Remembering some old #3 victors when I first tried to catch some coyotes.

Jim

[trappnman]

very few times have I ever wished to have a trial cam set up- and this is one for sure

[irnhdmike]

the less sign there is the more likely it is a bear. I was raided by one last week.

[trappnman]

so do you think they power out, or use their mouth and crush the trap?

[RdFx]

I believe bear just power out. I seen the evidence with body grips and if using a substantial wire, the wire is straight as an arrow if wired to immovable object and and body grip has some bent jaws.
I have a sow with four cubs by me so i put my solar fencer back on , on my bee fence till it gets colder.

[trappnman]

I have a farmer that plants sweet corn every year, within 50 yards of a very good coon creek. He has a hot wire arund it, about 5-6" high- and coon never hit that corn. I would have bet the farm coon would go all over it.

with bear- are you talking multiple strands

[TrapperRon]

Usually if a wolf is caught in a coyote trap the jaws or a jaw on a trap like that will pull put first jump. If not the wolf proceeds to mangle and dismantle the trap which is not hard to see what done that. A bear would probably have pulled out first lunge. By the way the trap jaw is out of it's fastening I am going to say it was a large coyote that just had the trap in the right position to pull that jaw. This is one problem with 2 coil vs 4 coil traps. For those types of jaws they should be spot welded on the end so they can not pull apart.

Just my 2 cents from my observations and experiences.

[RdFx]

On the bear fence i have four strands. One 6 inches fm ground for skunks ( they are a big bee preditor), next approx 16 inches, 30 inches and 48 inches. Just took solar charger off this afternoon and place in storage. Hopefully with my management my bees can survive the winter... and save me replacement costs....

[trappnman]

they are spot welded

personally, have ruled out coyote by several measures

[Deleted]

Blood on balled-up screen- animal cut mouth chewing screen

Blood and scratches on trap- depending on blood location, bleeding mouth from chewing screen (cutting) could have caused it and tooth marks on trap.  Also small animal foot or dog.

Blood on trap-If blood on trap was in a location that is indicative of a caught animal with foot damage, unless your caught coyotes have foot damage and bleed, I certainly don't believe the trap would cause foot bleeding to a wolf and certainly not a bear.

No catch circle- small animal depending on radius.  Dog, fox, coon.

Wolf or bear- neither would have been in the trap very long let alone leave much of a catch circle BUT neither would have been in trap long enough screw around to chew screen!  Literally in-out deal!.

No tracks- depending on soil and ground cover a human can easily come and go without leaving tracks.  A coyote, wolf or bear would be more prone to leaving some sign as it powered out of trap because none just pull out and walk away.  Claws digging are claws digging not shuffling away from just being a trap and pulling out!  All would be leaving the trap by heavy force and heavy force leaves sign!  If a large animal powering out doesn't leave sign, why would a human leave sign if trying to avoid it??

I believe you had a coon dog (they leave a very slight catch circle) or a coon in the trap. Hunter finds dog or coon, removes animal and stomps trap!

Over the years I've had 6-#3 Bridgers stomped by people and the jaws looked very similar and only at one location did I find a track within 10'-12'.  All 3 instances, the people tried to NOT leave me sign to follow.  One guy and his father-inlaw stomped 3 traps and I didn't find any sign until they made a mistake crossing a ditch and left me 1 heel print!  Seriously, 1 heel print, two adult men!  I tracked them to a house 200yds away and after I confronted the property owner I sat in my truck in his driveway and was dialing 911 when he came rushing out and ask me how much restitution I needed?  Easy-peasy!

[trappnman]

could be- but the evidence I saw rules out people, dogs or coyotes.

first of all- no blood on trap- if I said that, I was wrong- scratches on trap, but no blood

screen wasn't chewed- it was completely balled up, with blood on it when I opened it up. so it was, according to the evidence, a grab ,chew spit reaction to the scree, which was mostly still in the trap

I am 100% certain it was not either a coyote, or a dog- unfortunately over the 30 years I've trapped coyotes in some of the best coon country in the world, I've caught a few coon hounds, and not only does a dog or coyote not have that "instant" power- they leave a catch circle of some type.

and I can rule out people- location was smack dab in the middle of a huge track of private land, and there was no reason that people would be there- and far enough off of road that was invisible to that road. plus humans leave sign

My true thought is bear (or maybe lion as pointed out)- something big and powerful- with big flat feet that left no sign that I could see, and we really looked, except for that divot, which musher says sounds like bear

but it will always be a mystery

[musher]

Any chance a bear licked the screen off the trap? They can be quite delicate. Lick off screen, mess around some more at the holes, and then step on the pan.

They broke lots of my boxes this year without springing the 120's.

If so, that would explain the balled up screen. Or the bear got caught by the face for a millisecond or so.

[trappnman]

could be-my original thought was that "he" grabbed the screen at first contact

[aaroncurtis]

I had a trap exactly like that. Trap jaw popped out and almost zero evidence of anything being in the trap....no catch circle, no blood....nothng. A real head scratcher. When I was leaving the farm the neighbor on the property south of where I was trapping said his lab had got caught in the trap and he had to pry its foot loose........hence the popped jaw. And since domestics are used to being on a leash he never fought the trap and that's why there was no catch circle.