Offset jaw traps, catch and release trapping

Gonna share my experience with an offset jaw trap and my subsequent opinion, which is sure to get some people up in arms

Bought a duke #2 OS square jaw from rural king last year, which was a really solidly built trap felt good in the hand, added my usual 5 or so feet of #2 American chain to it and hit the woods, ended up setting it in a high bank trail along a creek as a blind set, chained off to a sapling.
Idk how long it sat before it had caught, but when I walked up on it, it was yanked from the trap bed and sitting in a small catch circle with nothing in it. This trail was way too thick and overgrown to be a deer trail, I would bet I had a coon or possum step in it, or mabey even a squirrel or something, but was able to pull right out because of the gap between them jaws.
The trap now serves a purpose as an weight on a setline I put out from time to time... and I will not own another offset jaw trap again. I'd imagine it would be great for coyote or fox or large coon, but for me, smaller game makes up the bulk of what I trap. In this fur market I have no reason to put out a huge line and tons of effort into putting up numbers of coyote, fox, large raccoon, etc. I run small strings trapping for meat to keep my grocery bill low. A small coon or possum, or a fat squirrel, or whatever I lost that day, would have made an excellent meal and had I used a regular jaw trap I probably would have had it. When your only running 10-15 sets and one hits but is sitting empty when you come around to check, it kinda sucks.
Lots of fellers talking about higher lockup more humane all that, idk my regular jaw traps hold what gets in em and rarely do I ever have damage done to a critter, this trap failed at its job. I don't do much catch and release fishing, I don't want to do much catch and release trapping either. Won't touch another offset jaw trap and I don't understand the appeal of em. You wouldn't crack your door and expect to keep things out, why have a gap in the jaws of a trap and expect to keep things in?

Use what works for you brother. The offset jaw is not causing you lost game.

Not much luck holding a toe caught coon in an offset jaw trap. Tighten pan tension for higher catches. Do what u must.

Sorry you had a bad experience, I like my os.

Offset or not a two sized foothold is a lot of trap for a coon. Use the correct size hardware for your target critter and you should not have any problem.

To each his own

This^^^^. Tapered legs and offset jaws are a formula for pullouts!

Wow 1 trap, 1 miss and they are all no good. I've only been trapping for 1 year and had a few misses but never blamed the trap.

You got one thing right, you do need a different trap.

I'm at a loss as to what to say because it will go right over the OP's head

You cannot use the wrong gear and blame the gear.

low fur prices are not what's preventing you from catching large numbers of anything

If it’s meat your after get some DPs

A 1.5 Duke is a good coon trap. I like to stake mine and keep them away from anything they can use for leverage.

Trap didn't fail, you just picked the wrong trap for your intended job. Duke #2 OS is not a small coon, possum, squirrel or rabbit trap

Truth

A long time ago I removed the pads from some #3 Soft Catch, welded a lamination on them, added a shock spring. I staked some and dragged some. The staked traps held Grey Fox,coons,cats and a couple porkys, the ones with the drags were wound up past the shock spring and empty. The offset is 5/16 on these traps, there is something else going on with your loses, if I was targeting coon, possums etc. my choice would be an 11.

"Bought a duke #2 OS square jaw from rural king last year, which was a really solidly built trap felt good in the hand, added my usual 5 or so feet of #2 American chain to it and hit the woods, ended up setting it in a high bank trail along a creek as a blind set, chained off to a sapling."

That sentence says it all. #2 OS, 5 foot of #2 chain and chained to a sapling. You are lucky you found your trap.

Exactly. It's like setting a 330 for mink and wondering why they aren't working.

Catch and release ..... is that not called the "Brandon set " ???

My guess is you held a deer for a few seconds

Can’t count the number of mink, rats, coon, etc. I’ve caught in offset jaw traps. IMHO it had little to do with the trap that you came up empty!

If it's meat he's after he should forget trapping &
head for the grocery store and see the butcher !!!!!

w

I use a lot of #11s especially in pocket sets, but for my blind sets in trails where it's possible something bigger may come down the trail, usually I use a #2 of some variety, I have a dozen wolf creek dogless #2s that hold what gets in em and I set all my traps up the same, 5-6 feet of #2 American chain, several swivels near the trap.

I suppose that is possible, this just didn't seem like a trail a deer would be able to fit down...

I forget which guy giving demos always always said 16 inches is ok and so is 6 ft. Anything in between is asking for trouble.

JMO I doubt the offset jaws were even a contributing factor but trap size and chain set up is all wrong for coins. Whenever one gets into my #3s it basically becomes a crime scene which is why thinning out the trash b4 the cats prime up and the big toms start to roll is a good strategy for me.

Season open there already?

This was last year, I was out on my boat running some catfish lines and saw that hunk of junk and decided I'd share my story

;), gotcha

Use equipment you have confidence in and performs for your style of trapping. When going for new equipment, select target species specific sized equipment.