110 conibear for coon

New here first post if it works , horrible with computers. I started trapping 60 years ago at the age of 8. I imagine the thought of a 110 for coons raises a lot of eyebrows but it’s no joke when done right. I came up with this because of fear of catching dogs and I want coons dead when I catch them. Bobcats alive coons dead. I found a 220 to be inconsistent on coon and same with the 160. Had some strange things happen. This is what I came up with for the 110. I had lots of old 220’s so I took off the springs and put one on a 110.I left the 110 spring on. I made wire cubbies a foot long out of old mink cages that just fit a 110. I cut one wire out at the spring hieght 2 deep to insert the springs into. When the trap fires it jumps out. The cage must be staked or weighted down. Now here’s the most important part. You have to bend the trigger 90 degrees back and then bend the last 1” to 1 1/2 down at a 45 degree angle or so. And bend the trigger wires like a wishbone about 2” apart. If you don’t do this you will get snout catches and empty traps. The coon sticks his head in the 110 and his snout or forehead hits the bent down ends of the trigger and it’s lights out. I was skeptical the first time I came up with this about 25 years ago. I set one out and on first check I had a large 25 lbs coon laying dead right were he first fell. I reset and soon had another same thing. He hadn’t even scuffed up the leaves. One coon I caught was caught center skull and the 110 had crushed his skull. Most have been behind head catches which you will get if trigger is set as I explained. The Bridger 5” is great also but I get the single spring and add a 220 spring because I had lots of old 220’s to weak for otter. I have no use for dry land 220 anymore. That’s my 110 story I only wish I could average $50 a coon like I did when all those 220’s were in use. Oh and at that time a brand new 4x4 pickup was $7,000 and gas was .35 cents a gallon that’s this old trappers 110 story don’t know if anyone has ever talked about this before.

So really what you are using is a 120 with a boosted up spring from a 220. Lots of coons have been caught in regular 120's. Main thing I have found is they have to be lined up straight to the trap. Cannot come into trap from even a slight angle or you can get a miss.

The 120 magnums will kill any animal that can get its head in it.

With the trap set inside the entrance it guarantees they are lined up and with trigger bent back at a 90 and tips bent down they really have to be straight in. It might be over kill with 220 spring but I’ve had live coons in both 220’s and 160 as well as others I’ve talked to. Every coon I’ve caught in this 110 setup has barley moved

Great idea can you post a picture and welcome to trapperman.

Welcome and thanks for the idea.
Always learnin

Only coon I’ve caught in 110’s have been by the leg. They reach in rather than stick their head in.

Yes...Welcome

It will kill them but a 160 is better unless you have a 5 inch limit on land

Interesting concept. Pictures would be great and welcome to Trapperman.

I can see lots of leg caught coon. Not because of the trap but the small entry of that box opening. You get enough refusals and leg caught coon In 160 boxes. And a leg caught coon In a BG is not a pretty thing.

I'd be interested in knowing what time of year and how you're setting the boxes
such as vertical with opening down in late December

I'm still stuck on the "inconsistencies" of the #220. Maybe we should examine that issue.

Even with a 160, I get refusals that I don't with a #220. Maybe if we were south of say, southern Missouri then we wouldn't (smaller coon) but It took me a solid 5 minutes to pry the head of a coon out of a #220 I got about 20 years ago. No way that coon could have got into, even a #160. And they say the head doesn't grow on big coon. False.

That said, There's many places we shouldn't be using the #220 but when we can, there's nothing that compares (other than a properly placed 1.5 coil spring.

I do agree with you on the modified trigger arraignment, however. This has to be done on even the #160s for big coon.

Due to our rules size of body grips on dry sets, I dabbled with the smaller traps. WCS sells a beast of a 5 x 5. This one......



Had concerns about it, so built a box with plexiglass side, then set it up in barn with game camera on it. Had triggers set up on it as OP suggested......bent straight back, then down. Was amazed how deep a coon could get in one without setting that trap off. Even the biggest of them that came along had no trouble slithering thru it if they wanted to. Same as any other hole in woven wire fence or a building opening. Suitcased one. Part of problem with that particular trap is tension on the dog from very stout springs and short trigger wires. I had better luck with triggers slightly offset and getting trap to fire from the side. But that was the 5 x 5.

This is a 120 box, being modeled in this photo by a Northwoods 120. As noted, if springs are all the way back, when fired, springs will propel trap out of the box. As an alternative, this one is shown with triggers in back position, and offset slightly. This one has a very light, four way trigger. It would be killer on youngsters in late summer, early fall.

For my use, I had better outcome using 160s in vertical box, bottom entry. They go in those easy and no reaching. But if one adheres to our rules, that limits where you can set them.

Also changed box design to solid top and bottom (will hold nails or screws) and thin plywood sides.

I'm not a BG box guy but I had better luck when I raised the front edge of the box to a 45deg angle. It was a lot easier for the coon to stick It's head In the box then It was for it to get down on It's belly and try to get In.
My 160s are set right at the front edge of the box no set back.

When we could use 220s In trail sets I liked to set the triggers off to one side . In theory I was trying to miss grinners and other non targets. Well that created a problem with the coon getting to far through and they were still alive. So I just twisted the wires together and moved the trigger to the center. This allowed most of the non targets to get by the trigger. But not the coon.

I don’t know how to do pictures maybe someday. If the bait is far enough in and the trigger is bent at a 90 straight back it’s very unlikely to catch by foot even if they stick it in which I have never had happen. My bait is in the back fenced in so nothing can reach it. I’ve caught some huge coons never seen one whose head won’t fit in a 110. My set is invisible when done just looks like a hole and coons stick their heads in holes all the time.