Favorite coyote trap and why?

Coyote, Fox, Beaver, Racoon, etc.

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Coyotehunter
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Re: Favorite coyote trap and why?

Post by Coyotehunter »

take a look at the OGorman dog.........he has some 1/8" (?) flat stock welded to the top of it. It seems to do the trick. Fairly inexpensesive. I am sure the nail idea would work.
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Re: Favorite coyote trap and why?

Post by EO caller »

secondly the MB has a much larger "dead" area over the pan than does the MJ600 all due to the pan design, can be over come for the most part with proper foot guiding but that has be a known thing for years.

Could this problem be overcome by using Wire screen for pan cover? I run it on all my traps.
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Tim Anderson
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Re: Favorite coyote trap and why?

Post by Tim Anderson »

[quoteTim they are made at Tim Cavens at MTP correct?][/quote]

Yes and no... At one time they were made down where I live and then Tim Z. the guy that makes them moved up north close to Tim C. place.. I think Tim C. and Tim Z. are partners as far as trap sales go but the traps are still made by Tim Z. and his son. There was another guy involved but he decided to move on and become a full time cop. Last time I was at Tim Z. shop he was working on the 650's and also designing a trap simular to the coon-cuff or something like it..
I still run into Tim Z. from time to time when he comes down this way running his coon/Mink long line but he is usually in a hurry to get to the next trap we don't get a whole lot of time to chat..
As far as his traps looking like sterlings I'm sure they do as he was trying to make a better version of them I would guess.. You know take some of the good things about certain traps and then try to put them all into one and hopefully end up with a better trap. I know at one time Tim Z. goal was just to make a wolf trap and nothing else but you can only sell so many.. I mentioned to him at one time it would be nice if he could make the 750 in a smaller version for trapping Red fox but I suppose he saw a better market for coyote traps instead... later... Tim A.
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barebackjack
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Re: Favorite coyote trap and why?

Post by barebackjack »

I always liked the 1.75 Northwoods.

I recently traded some stuff for half a dozen 1.75 Victor K9 Pros. Four coiled, center swiveled, beefy base plate (not aftermarket baseplated), heavy offset jaws. Havent used em for nothing, but they seem like a stout built trap.
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Re: Favorite coyote trap and why?

Post by Prairie Ghost »

BBJ what is your advantage of using a smaller trap? I'm talking coyote and cat trapping only
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barebackjack
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Re: Favorite coyote trap and why?

Post by barebackjack »

Well, at a step down dirt hole or trench set (which is about all I use) its not hard to get a coyote to step where you need him to. A well designed 1.75 (like the old Northwoods) is plenty of trap to hold a coyote on a 24 hour check (which is all I run).

Smaller trap and short chain sets and beds a little faster (at least for me), smaller trap footprint means smaller disturbance to the location, and is less steel in the ground that may be sniffed out.

I also have some tweaked #2 and 3 Bridgers, and honestly dont see any performance difference in them over a QUALITY 1.75, except for kill area (which is nice to have at something like a flat set or walk thru cat set). Another nice thing about them is they're generally cheaper, which is nice in high traffic areas (like mine) where stuff tends to "grow legs". I dont think I could sleep at night if I had a line full of sterlings out in the ground around here!

I dont worry about bobcat as they are extremely extremely rare here, and we cant keep em even if we do catch one. But, I do have some "cat traps" if I ever trap cat country. :mrgreen:

If I was running a longer check period, id probably opt for something more substantial, but as a fur trapper, I want to go in, get the easy ones, get em out of the trap every day (a trap with a catch in it for 2-3 days isnt doing me any good) and move on to another area to pull the easy ones out of there. Ill come back a month later anyway with snares and work on the hold outs.

Ill also add, I dont trap frozen ground, once it snows I quit (usually long before, deer gun season is my quitting point). So I dont really worry about having to power up through partially frozen, or poor ground conditions. I also double stake on a short chain so they cant get much momentum in the fight circle.
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Re: Favorite coyote trap and why?

Post by EO caller »

barebackjack wrote:If I was running a longer check period, id probably opt for something more substantial, but as a fur trapper, I want to go in, get the easy ones, get em out of the trap every day (a trap with a catch in it for 2-3 days isnt doing me any good) and move on to another area to pull the easy ones out of there. Ill come back a month later anyway with snares and work on the hold outs.

.
How come a trap with a catch for two or three day does you no good? I understand getting the cream but leaving those sets alone for a couple of days will probly increase your catch, especialy with coyotes.
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barebackjack
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Re: Favorite coyote trap and why?

Post by barebackjack »

EO caller wrote:
barebackjack wrote:If I was running a longer check period, id probably opt for something more substantial, but as a fur trapper, I want to go in, get the easy ones, get em out of the trap every day (a trap with a catch in it for 2-3 days isnt doing me any good) and move on to another area to pull the easy ones out of there. Ill come back a month later anyway with snares and work on the hold outs.

.
How come a trap with a catch for two or three day does you no good? I understand getting the cream but leaving those sets alone for a couple of days will probly increase your catch, especialy with coyotes.
A trap with a coyote in it for 2 or 3 days isnt catching more coyotes.

I dont have much time to trap prime fur before gun season starts, so I really have to cherry pick set locations and capitalize on my time at them.
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Re: Favorite coyote trap and why?

Post by coyotelatrans »

The 1.75 will hold coyotes but the efficantcy of the trap is it's down fall, meaning as stated the more room you can allow and using the trap with the proper sized pan means a great situation for maximum trap visit to catch ratio. Not over crowding helps as well. The advantages of a larger trap are there for sure and I want a proper jaw spread for coyotes. More flexability with setting techniques and in snow contions a longer chain helps as well as areas with decent vegitation.
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Re: Favorite coyote trap and why?

Post by xdeano »

The 1.75 NW trap is plenty a trap for a coyote. They're actually a very well made trap. For both cat or coyote, they would probably be one of the first traps that I'd pull out of my bag. They're a hell of a lot lighter to carry a half dozen NW into a spot than half dozen Sterlings, . The Sterlings are nice and they'll hold a coyote just as well. But most guys, me included don't have money to drop on Sterlings for personal trapping. We all know that the more traps you have out the more critters you'll catch statistically. They're good all around trap for coons, skunks, badgers, fox, coyotes, cats, fishers, mink...etc.

For the majority of trappers, the NW's have good holding power, great pan size (target), good closing power (if 4 coiled). The only thing that it may have a down fall over the more expensive trap would be breaking through frozen ground.

Some will say that the target or jaw spread is to small, all i have to say about that is if you're having problem with hitting the target, jaw spread isn't going to help you.
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coyotelatrans
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Re: Favorite coyote trap and why?

Post by coyotelatrans »

Xdeno I don't agree with the more traps you have out will always out do a guy that sets less traps but on better locations. I want maximum travel lanes for numbers and I'm better off hitting areas of major travel than setting on a travel lane or hunting corridor that has 1-2 animals traveling down it. Attracting the majority of critters to 2-3 locations or using the natural location I have found to be better . 2-3 locations where many are coming through versus setting 6-8 locations with singles or 2 critters coming through.

If I can set out 3 areas inside of say 10,000 acres of land with 2-3 sets total 9 traps, to me beats spending more time setting 20 traps spread out on many locations that offer less chance of dbl or tripling.

Natural sets for coyotes I have found to work well and with my approach walk thru types or natural sets I can guide very well but it ends up subtle and allows them to work the set's with less apprehension than using a smaller trap where "I" need to force them down to a smaller area. I like traps with more width and not worry as much about the height of the jaws if that makes sense. But I still like a trap that offers around 6" of area corner to corner for coyotes. Seems to make a nice and natural approach for them to work the set in that manner. I will add you get more area of space with a NW or Bridger sq jaw than you do the round jaw type traps more sq in a sq than a circle.

If you look at a jake it has 5.5 spread N-S but has more room corner to corner ans is a wider trap with higher jaws to grab a better hold, the sterlings grab well to, some traps designs are due to jaw shape just going to give a shallower hold.
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barebackjack
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Re: Favorite coyote trap and why?

Post by barebackjack »

coyotelatrans wrote:Xdeno I don't agree with the more traps you have out will always out do a guy that sets less traps but on better locations.
Thank you captain obvious. :D

I think what he was getting at, all else being equal, more traps are gonna put more fur in the shed.

12 traps on 12 good locations is gonna outdo 6 traps on 6 good locations every time.
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Re: Favorite coyote trap and why?

Post by xdeano »

Thanks BBJ, that is exactly what I'm saying. IF you trap key areas, place the trap where it should be, you won't have a problem. I'm not talking about stringing dozens of traps in a 100acres, just to waste time. I'm talking about putting out traps in the right areas and picking up the critters.

Anyone can set a trap, but it takes a trapper to catch the animal.

Going on, those Jake's are nice traps, but you also have to look at it on the regular guys salary too, at $35 bucks a trap, the NW are going to give a guy more bang for the buck. It's all about a pad catch, not a shoulder catch man. :lol: If I'm going to spend that much money on a trap, it had better not have rubber on it and had better be cast jaws.

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Re: Favorite coyote trap and why?

Post by Coyotehunter »

The NW 1.75 is a nice trap. Hell, the #2 bridger modified is a great coyote trap. Plenty stout and very reasonably priced. I use them more around stock and ungulate areas. You can't ignore the price issues with some of these traps. That being said the less expensive traps require more time to set up before you can put them in the dirt.
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Re: Favorite coyote trap and why?

Post by coyotelatrans »

We all know that the more traps you have out the more critters you'll catch statistically.

To me not that obvious of a statment I guess...........

When I fur trapped I still used sterlings efficantcy and not having to rework traps are a big plus to me. Sure other traps can be brought up to speed so to speak some like to tinker with traps and some don't. All comes back to personnel preferance again.

To me this kind of hold is practilly escape proof.
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Different coyote same results

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Same results different trap

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Bridger 3 but you do get some damage from time to time

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