Primarily thinking coyote/fox here in a #2 or #3 size trap:

What catches more critters with better holds--large pans or small pans?

It would seem the large pan gives a bigger 'kill area' but the small pan would locate the foot better for a high catch. What say you?

I would say the small pan as I have seen to many toe catches with larger pans, I do like large pans on mink traps but thats about it,

Small pans, especially on cat traps.

I'll stick with my stock pans

X2

Right on the Money. X2

this is because 99% of the folk that uses the bigger pans dont up thier pan tension...and with a longer pan you will have a major tension difference because of the folcrum point...the further away you get the less it would be....

personally i want as big of a pan as i can get....all you toe catch guys can say what you want but i dont care what they are caught by as long as they are there when i get there....99% of your toe catches will be there if the traps are checked every day....i can see them (toe catches) as a problem on you guys that run extended checks......

I have always got high catches with my small pans I generally set the pan tension for grey fox and mink

if ya cant catch them with a stock pan your not going to catch them with a large pan/ lol

i believe i can hold my own on the trapline.....with what ever size pan i wish to run....

I want the catch on the K9s pad, not above. 1.75 and monty dogless pan size I like, #3 RJ pan size too small IMO. A lot depends on the set the critter and the trap. I don't do as well with blind sets if using a little pan 1 1/2 as I do with bigger pan 1.75.

I agree with way cut down pans being old school, old equipment, and, blaming the trap design.

Been using the big pans for 4 seasons now. Not a toe catch yet, aint no going back.

How many fox have you small pan guys had step on either side of the pan? Had that happen to me a couple last year. The trap was even offset to the hole. I'm putting large pans on my traps this year.

What size trap were you using? Red or gray fox?

I'm guessing it had to have a pretty wide jaw spread for the fox to be able to get his foot around inside of it.

dosent matter...on a 1.75 and up trap a red fox can almost get its whole foot between the edge of the pan and the inside of the jaw...and on a 1.5 it could get its whole foot in the same spot without hitting the pan......

i dont know what brand trap your using but thats hogwash getting a foxes foot between the the edge of the pan and the inside of the jaw..i run alot of 1.75 and number 2 and i wouldnt use them if that statement was true...

Im buying some #3ls thos year just for the fact I can put huge pans on them.

Like one trapper said "if I could make the pan bigger then the trap and stiff catch fur, I would!".

well otter since you know it all here....and notice above i said ALMOST ...

bridger #2




duke 1.75





just how wide do you think a red fox and grey fox's feet are???????????

the measurments dont lie......

I was actually using Bridger #2's. It was also a grey fox if I'm not mistaken. Print wasn't big enough to be a red.