Coyotehunter.net

What length of chain do you use for your coyote traps? How many swivels per amount of chain? Where do YOU prefer to attach swivel/chain to traps? What lengths of stake (whether the stake be cable or rebar) do you use for coyote trapping? What about these same questions but for trapping raccoon Gotta get set up for the fall and some opinions would be greatly appreciated!

If your serious about trapping you need to read the "hoof beats of a wolfer" alot of your questions will be answered.

Hoof beats of a wolfer is definitely the trappers bible when it comes to trapping coyotes.

Then how 'bout coons? What are you folks running for them?

1shooter, although i have not read hoofbeats I will share with you what I know, the length of the chain has been debated forever and will continue.

To sum it up, if you use shorter chains your coyotes may pump stakes up more because of the pull angle, shorter chains with swivels may clog with trash causing a ring off. Shorter chains are helpful when using marginal traps for the job because the coyote tends to not generate as much force on the ends of it's runs because of the shorter distance.

Long chains create a great deal of energy on a run and if staked soloid traps off lesser quality have been known to explode. Long chains have to have many swivels in line along with ones on each end especially if on drags so there is somewhere in the chain when entangled to swivel or again you will have the ring off.

Ring off is when the trap will go solid, no swiveling action and the animal will rotate in the trap breaking bone and twisting or ringing off.

Most guys settle for an 18" or so chain with a swivel on each end and maybe an inline staked solid when you can. it is the happy medium if there is one.

Everyone has different needs, you will most likely be staking traps solid and if your using marginal traps you will want to keep your chains on the 18" or less side with functioning swivels. If you go short, I know some who use under 12" better use earth anchors.

Base plating the trap to get a centered anchoring point for the chain in the middle of the base of the trap helps keep the energy centered on the traps strongest point and not on a corner of it like most factory traps.

If you went with 15' to 18" of chain on coon traps with a swivel on each end and one in the middle you will be fine. Weld the J Hooks shut and use a lap link on the anchoring end. I would recomend the Sterling swivels and some machine chain to do it right the first time along with base plating them if you are serious about doing this for a long time. Or you can invest in some higher end traps that will have it done already. You get what you pay for, your young enough to see the benefit.

Thanks Randy, that's what I was looking for. I will check in to the Hoofbeats of a Wolfer book sometime too though. Anyone else have any thoughts on the subject?

Below is what i run for all my K-9 land sets. If i was in an area that held a lot higher coyote densities than fox, i would swap the #2 bridger out for a #3.

Lots of info in Randy's post

lyonch wrote:Below is what i run for all my K-9 land sets. If i was in an area that held a lot higher coyote densities than fox, i would swap the #2 bridger out for a #3.

So 46 links of chain....there's about 10 links of #3 straight link per foot of chain, so that comes to roughly 38" of chain that you're using (minus swivels)? So you're running roughly 3 ft of chain on your coon and coyote sets, is that right? I looked at this picture before in a pm you sent me.

Here is a link to the chain that i got.

http://www.fntpost.com/Products/Chain/+ ... +USA+Chain

This is the same chain that came on the trap, so that is what i used. I would have to measure to verify what length chain i am running. I can't remeber off the top of my head.

I run more chain than a lot of guys just personnal preference. I run from 3-5 ft of chain but i'm trapping ONLY for coyotes. When dragging if you have a GOOD drag 8ft of chain. Always at least one swivel at the trap one in the middle and one at the stake. Randy said a lot in his post read it well.

Im a cross staking short chainer.

#2 twist link with two swivels comes out to 15". The last few years I trapped seriously I cross staked ALL dryland sets as coyotes were just too prevalent than, and now. Ive held plenty with one stake, but ive also had a couple in fox sets with 8" of chain that had 3-4" of stake pumped up by the time I got there too (close one!). That was the problem with the circular single stake swivel, once he got some stake out of the ground, that swivel would bind up on re-bar, creating a "jack" effect.

IMO you can NEVER overstake. It takes me 20 seconds to drive that second stake and allows me to run shorter chain which is faster and easier to bed.

Im gonna play with earth anchors this year, in which case ill just keep the chain length I have. The only thing thats kept me away from them up to now is recovery. Im a cheap skate and don't like leaving stuff behind, and leaving em in the ground year to year really isnt an option in cropland. Harrows and discs are hard on trapping gear.

I run 3' of #2 machine chain. swivel at trap, mid chain box swivel (12" up), and a box swivel at the end where I attach most with a disposable stake. If I am useing a rebar stake in poor soil I like to use a heavy 65-85 lb shock spring about 6 links. your soil, traps, and length of check will all play a part in the type of stake and chain set up you use. I would use a drag on every set but not always practicle. A whole nother discussion. Hoof beats calls out for a long chain and 30" stakes. It is a little dated in that respect. Craig is using aobut some where around 3' of chain with disposable stakes, lots of swivels. He uses shock springs on some. Springs help when you have a poor trap, bad soil and wet conditions. Lots of other things help these conditions as well. Nothing beats a good trap to start with.

The trap is the most important thing, you dont want to go cheap!

I'm all disposable stakes but don't have the cropland issue so i can see where that would certrainly change things.