I am going to buy my first ever traps, I have read the Archives, but I have 2 quick questions.

I will be targeting Bobcats and Coyotes.

1- Should I get the Bridger number2 regular jaw, or the Duke number3 regular jaw?

2- I don't know how to do mods( I have never owned a trap), so will this chain setup work? Factory trap and chain, quick link, 4 links of chain, Berkshires double stake swivel with J hook, and two 24" rebar stakes.

Like I said I am new so all help and pointers appreciated.

Thanks

last year was my first real year trapping and i got the fully modified bridger #2s (so i wouldn't have to mod them) and i just quick linked them to fox hollows finned super stakes with 18in #2HD chain. caught a bobcat,3grey fox,and a red fox and some coons. for a little more money you could get MBs. i dont have experience with them but everything ive read on here about them have been good. (didnt catch a coyote like i wanted but didnt have time to leave sets out like they should have been)

There are lots of fully modified traps available to purchase. Minnesota Trapline Products will even do mods on any trap that you buy from them. If you go with MB550s you don't need any mods and they offer the whole Bridger line with the mods already done. Personally I would go with a Bridger #2 or #3 fully modified for what you are after, they will last forever and give you a little more jawspread than the 550 would. I would not go with a Duke until you have a better understanding of trap modifications and know how to adjust them properly, they are not ready to go out of the box.

Hardin96,..buy yourself some MB-550 four coils, add a "T" bar shock spring and a Chestnut double stake ring, and go catch some fur.
Your reo bar stakes will be fine doubled up with those.

Cheers,
Ted.

one mb550 will catch more critters than 2 dukes

wacotrapr, that makes no sense at all. Its not the trap, its the trapper. i can take those dukes and modify them and catch just a much fur as the MB550. The MB is a better trap, but it is only as good as the trapper using it.

Bridger #2,s if those are your only choices they will hold both right out of the box but i would night latch chuck the factory screws for #10 screws and adjust your pan tension at minimum these 3 mods are very easy and require only a flat file and a drill also double staking refers to useing rebar stakes not cable stakes youll be fine with a single hd bershire

Those are not the only two traps I am thinking about using. I would like to purchase some good equipment, so that would be one less thing to worry about when I start trapping. I would use any coil spring trap that does not cost an arm and an leg to buy.

Would cable stakes be better than rebar? If so, how hard are they to pull out of the ground?

Were can you purchase the night latch kit, and what is the benefit of it?

Thanks for all the help I am just learning to trap so if I ask a dump question I am sorry.

I have never seen a night latch kit for sale other than PIT systems, replaces the whole pan. I prefer rebar stakes myself, I trap in several different locations and rebar is much easier for me to pull.

The benefit of night latching traps is that you have very little pan travel and an audible click when you lower the pan on the set trap. You can go to the archives and search "night latch" for pictures of what they look like and how to add them to you traps.

Just my $.02

What is night latching? I thought it was like the PIT system were you replace the whole pan.

A night latch is a smaller secondary notch in the pan shank.When setting the trap you put the dog in the original notch and as you pull the pan down the dog slips into the smaller notch creating the "click".This smaller notch has less engagment area and creates a cleaner pan break with less pan travel before the trap fires.

Chris

I personally feel that there is no neeed to night latch traps, especially if you are just a beginner.

As for traps, if I were you, I would go with the Duke #3 or really a Duke #2. Just asking, but why did you not consider the Duke #2? If your worried about the strength of the trap,trust me they are plenty strong, not to mention cheaper.

A main benefit of using cable stakes over rebar is that they are lighter and easier to carry. Do they have more holding power, maybe, it depends on the kind of soil you will be trapping in.

I would never pay extra money for a modified trap.If you have ever used a drill, metal file, screw driver, or bolt cutters, the mods that are necessary are very easy to do, and take a minimal amount of time.

I would be more than willing to help you mod your traps. A few pictures with explanations, and your traps would be modified and ready to go.

If your interested, PM me. If not, good luck this year.

PA Long Spring

For the life of me I can't understand why people want to modify traps when MB 550s and MB650s and Jakes are ready to go right out of the box....especially someone that doesn't have the stuff to do mods. I am a tinkerer and have access to a full machine/welding shop and I don't mess with mods. To each his own of course!

Barehunter,...I couldn't agree with you more. I have a full workshop and love modifying traps,..for others. I use Jakes and MB's exclusively myself.

And the other side of the coin is why on earth don't all companies make their traps ready to go out of the box? If you buy a new pickup truck you can usually drive it straight off the lot without having to add tires and a transmission yourself. If you build a coyote size trap make the thing so it will hold a coyote!

Barehunter, you hit the nail on the head!

What about the Bridger#3 is it ready to go out of the box?

The MB's and fully modified traps seem REALLY HIGH are they worth it, I still have to buy lure, stakes, tools, etc. If it is that much difference though, I might try to get some higher end traps.

Are there some mods. that a beginner could do, If so what are they and what tools do I need?

Thanks for all the help.

I can't imagine spending at least $10 more for a trap that does the same thing as a cheaper one after a few minutes of work. That's just a waste of money to me, especially someone like Hardin96, who is 15 years old and says he doesn't want to spend an arm and a leg on a trap. To me MB550's and MB650's cost an arm and a leg!



I would compare tires and atransmission on a truck to springs and jaws on a trap, and I'm pretty sure every trap you buy comes with springs and jaws. On that same note, how many people do you see driving down the road with add on's to their truck. I don't know about you, but I see alot. Different tires, lift kits, head lights, sometimes even a new engines. Add on's to a truck is just like mods to a trap.





What "coyote sized" trap won't hold a coyote? This has nothing to do with mods, this is just your opinion. I will gaurentee that any "coyote sized" trap will hold one just as good as your expensive MB's, after 5 minutes in the shop with me, and still cost close to half the price of a MB. Brass screws cost $0.23 each,#2 chain costs $0.45 a foot, and you don't need a whole foot per trap, and heavy duty swivels cost $0.41 each X2 so $0.82 for swivels. So to modify a trap, it costs $1.50 if you use a whole foot of chain. And how long to mod each trap, less than 15 minutes. That's why I can't see spending at least $10 more per trap. Modifying traps can also help you come more familiar with them, something that most new trappers are not.

PA Long Spring

Hardin96,



That's really all the tools I use to mod my traps. The only other tool I use is a pair of pliers.

Like I said before, the mods that are necessary are easy, and don't take long to do. You really don't need to spend all the extra money on the MB's, never used them, never will.

If you would like some help, PM me.

PA Long Spring

My thinking is...if you can do it for $1.50 and 15 minutes, the manufacturers could probably do it for $0.75. Wouldn't add much to the cost of a trap and a kid wouldn't have to worry about the money or the mods. Not trying to get in an argument over it just expressing my opinion which probably isn't worth much! To be fair about it, I've never purchased but one kind of trap that I felt needed mods just basing my statements on what I read and hear... so many people buy a certain trap and start adding baseplates, center swivels, jaw laminations, different chain, swivels, new brass screw, paws-i-trip pan etc etc. The only traps I ever modified were Bridger #5 DLS and out of the box they seemed a little junky compared to the traps I was used to. As for what coyote sized trap won't hold a coyote, the only one I've seen personally is a #2 Duke with the jaws pulled completely out of the frame. How often does that happen probably not much but I've seen for myself that it can happen. I understand what you are saying about my truck analogy as well. Lots of mods done to them all the time but they at least oughta be road worthy when you drive off the lot.

A quick search on Minnesota Trapline shows the MB550 only $4.10 more than the Bridger #2. Take your $1.50 off of that and they are only $2.60 more. Figure your time worth minimum wage and you might save a dollar. Or you can buy the already modified Bridger #2 for $0.75 more than an MB550!

I'm still with Barehunter on this. I have used quite a few different traps here in Oz trapping Dingos and red fox etc. I have caught hundreds of dingos in foothold traps, both double long spring and coil springs. The vast majority being in the latter, as I don't particularly like the size of hole I need to dig to bury a DLS trap.
I have had a few pull outs when using some of the cheaper traps. I have had to modify some of these cheaper brands with HD baseplates (centre swiveled of course), bubble tipped jaws, laminations, and extra welds on shitty spot welded crossframes etc. Then there is always some pan and dog work.
I would much rather spend a few extra dollars and get a quality trap straight up, and be confident in the equipment I use.

And just in case you guys are thinking that Dingos are bigger, more ferocious beast than a Coyote,...I doubt it. Most only weigh around 36 to 40 pound. The odd crossbred ones may go to 80 pound, but are much more the exception than the rule.

I don't mean to come across as a smart alec. I actually like to modify an inferior trap and make it a work of art that is meaner and more capable than when I purchased it.
I still like to USE a trap that is good to go out of the box.

Cheers,
Ted.

Man, PA Long Spring really wouldn't like my coyote and cat traps.

Jakes are the top of the market trap and it's silly to say a duke is the same as a Jake, in any aspect. Yes dukes are traps, and they will hold a coyote. But a Jake 9.99/10 times wont let a coyote slip, or bend the jaws, or screw the dog up(Jakes are dogless so no need to worry about that). IMHO.

And I'm 15 to, and a strong believer in QUALITY of QUANTITY, I think my line says it all? Jakes, Beliesle, Bridger. IMO those are dependable traps that I feel comfortable with and can trust.

And no doubt about it, the trapper needs to be knowledgeable about trapping and shouldn't base his skills off of his traps.

If ya have any question, feel free to ask.

Money is the main reason.

Some people like a CD player ,satellite radio,electric windows,power everything,heated seats,GPS,up graded suspension ,up graded tires,up graded paint and so on.

Just like the basic truck package and traps, you can use them as they come and they do work.

Some people have less money in their pockets.

I don't think the trap makers are saying their basic trap is a high end custom trap,they are entry level traps.

Too many people try to get away with something it is not,or a one size fits all.

Buy the traps ,for what they were intended to be used for.

Get the best equipment you can afford .

If money was not the question, a lot of trappers would be running something else.

For anyone that wants to have a chance to win a wolf or beaver trap,make your guess on my - wolf trap and lure giveaway !

It won't cost you a dime!

Here are my thoughts on it, just remember, free advice is worth every cent you pay for it! I run everything from Duke 1.75s to MB 650s. The dukes require tinkering to be more efficent, you must file the dog and the pan notch and bend the jaw tips up at a minimum and then you will need to level the pan and adjust pan tension. They hold coyotes just fine (we are on a 24 check in KY) they are cheap and other than being aggravating, when someone decides they need the trap worse than you, it doesn't hurt as bad as loosing a 650C. I also change the chains out to #3 machine chain and add swivels and replace the pan bolts which is probably not needed but it only takes a minute and costs less than a quarter.

I do the same thing to the Victor 1.75s I have as well. I also do the same mods to Bridger #2s but the overall cost is less because I recycle the chains and put them on my 1.5s. The only thing I do to the MBs is add a swivel and on the 650s adjust the pan tension.

Now with that said for a beginning trapper on a limited budget they are going to be able to purchase more traps if they go with a less expensive trap than the MBs. If you have more traps and set them on good sites you are going to catch more fur which means more money which increses your budget to purchase traps at that time you can start to get a little higher end traps. Plus if your area is like mine, you will find places where you are going to want to set a trap even though you realize there is a good chance someone will find it and possibly steal it thats what the 6 dollar duke is for and save the high dollar stuff for more secure sites.