single vs double door

Other than cost, is there a reason you would prefer one to the other?

Double door since a positive set works whether the animal is in or out. Otherwise you need two traps facing opposite directions. Plus a double door can be a single but a single can't be a double.
The only thing better is a double catch.

I live in a area where a lot of people trap raccoon and skunks and let them go out of town. They get trap shy real fast. I just like giving them another way into the trap. Easier to bait. But a good double door is heaver. In most cases a chipmunk will not trigger a double door that has the wire hanging down. But remember is am a small operator. JMO.

Unless length was a concern in order to stack many cages on a truck, I cant think of a reason to go to a single door trap except for cost. Even if space was a primary concern, I'm learning that shorter powered door traps do quite well on just about everything. I'm loving my advanced traps from Kirk, and with the doors operating simultaneously, I could always set just one door open instead of them both. I think my days of buying single doors are over.

With double door traps we can obviously catch animals coming from multiple locations. It also lets the animal see all the way through the trap, instead of looking at cage wire in the back.

If you're looking for a "do it all" trap, Check out the versatile trap from www.advancedtrap.com . I can see using mine on den sets for dillos, woodchucks, and skunks. Chimney/soffit sets for coons is another option. I may have to see if I can squeeze a beaver in one soon, too. The possibilities are truly endless.

single door for me, but my baiting methods are different than most of you.

Jonesie, if I'm doing a straight baited set then I'm with you one door open only. But the convenience of one trap for everything is best done with one of Kirk's double door traps. Just cause it got two doors doesn't mean you have to use both of them.

Kind of a dumb question, if you ask me. What are you trapping? Will Jonesie catch more in a single door than warrior will in a

two-door? Who knows? They don't exactly live next door to each other. Do I love a two door trap? You bet! What is my favorite job in

the whole wide world? Answer: Catching anything running around in a building! Would I use a two door trap? Not so far in 27 years! If

I have to go into a house to catch a red squirrel that is driving the owners up a wall, ( Like I did a couple of days ago ) would I

use a two-door cage? Probably never in a million years! Would I set a two-door over a woodchuck hole? Yes, every time! I would even

drive home to pick up a Comstock if I had used them all up. You use what works for you, not what works for me!

sigh....

Okay Dave, why is it that you can say the same thing in a single word, that I need two paragraphs for?

It typed a really smart reply a few times. Ultimately, I was speechless.

Paul, I wouldn't set a trap for armadillos that wasn't a double door walk through as all armadillo trapping is walk through sets. But ninety percent of the time for raccoons and one hundred percent of the time for feral cats I use only one door to keep them focused on the bait.

The beauty of the advanced trap is I have the option of both in the same trap. Yes, I pay a little more and carry a little more weight but no driving back to the house for a different trap.

Jonesie, will flat whip my arse with a havajunk no less.

Mercy.

My big question here is: Most of my family are plumbers and despite what you may think, they are really good plumbers that work for

great companies and probably make as much as we do working less hours. My question is: Do they have half as much fun harassing their

fellow plumbers as we do?

Perhaps this group has the passion.......whereas they have the professionalism (even with butt cracks).

Wow Dave, Great answer! Did you by any chance see my cousin's husband fixing our water softener?

The only dumb questions are ones you dont have the answers to, but next time I will be sure to exclude you from the discussion.

If it is a body grip trigger just hang the bait on the trigger. If the trigger needs to be more sensitive lift the dog a little after setting. You can also make the target area smaller by placing sticks or rods on each side of the trigger.

Another thing you can do to fine tune your set, is to use a four way trigger, that just has to be bumped. A BMI works best with a matched dog for the trigger, especially for feral cats.

With a 4 way trigger you can just place the bait under the trigger that is hung low. The squirrel will bump the trigger with its tail as it moves and spins after the bait or moves between the wires.

I was going to just leave the short answer be, but this morning I am in one of those moods, I would rather be duck hunting today than working( the teal and woodies are here in the big numbers and I want to get mud on me) so I need to get the aggressiveness out before I talk to a few of my customers. So I will have the passion without professionalism with you all.

Maybe I am wrong and if I am I will apologize but DaveK first sigh and second mercey must mean you are bored with this post. or perhaps maybe I am just a deadhead this morning and things are going right over my head. throwback asked a question because of what ever reason. it is of importance to him. he asked it in a nice way. so we should give answers if one wants to or don't read the post. Again maybe I am a dead head this morning and I need to say I am reading this wrong.

Kirk hit the nail on the head. most of us, deal within a little bubble, otherwise known as our area. and we learn that area or bubble real well, but we mistakenly take our bubble as every where. I have had the privilege to work and trap in many different areas, and also have had the privilege to get my butt kicked by animals in those areas. they showed me that I thought more highly of myself than I should of and put me down a peg or 2. How we do things is based on the bubble, our background and how lazy or full of energy we are that day. I tend to go to single doors because when I started in this stuff the only double door was a hav a heart junk trap. The single door traps, woodstream, Williams, custom, later came safeguard, and the many more in the mid 80's was good traps that could hold a coon. The difference between drop lock and spring loaded doors was the only question. Fur trappers tended to go with the drop locks and adc leaned to the spring, and again that was because the trapper did not have to take the trap off the roof or out of the attic where adc had to worry about door opening. So I learn my style of setting traps. I don't just put a cage down I am more analytical about cage trap placement than I am about my snare placement, and in my area I have a lot of multiple coons in the homes and in the early trapping season, Unless the target animal is a older male coon, then it will be one, every squirrel job I have is going to be a family group of 4 to 7 squirrels. if I set a double door trap back in those days, at the family group job, I would get a lot of sprung traps due to the 2 or 3 animals trying to get the baits from both ends of the trap at the same time. I would shut one door but because of the firing and trigger so sloppy and the cost of those trap, I learned to trap a certain way with more than one dependable single door trap. As stated above by someone, I am also in an area where every homeowner has a cage trap, catches animals and lets them go. so trap shyness and smart is a common thing. so I learned to catch the animal by letting it do what it wants to do, rather than me trying to make it do what I want it to. I have Kirks and Jims traps. And I like them both. And will be in the future getting more. But for me, If I have a groundhog that I know is in a one hole den, I will force it, but it will be a single door 7 x 8 x24 shoved down in the hole. if I don't know if the groundhog is there, then I may place Jims or Kirks trap there, unless I think it is 2 or more down there and I will place more than one trap. This year every job had 2 to 4 ground hogs at the site for some reason well past the normal family group time frames.

I was just in NY giving a wildlife talk and Mike Goldstein from Woodstream was there. We go way back probably close to 25 years now and really have a good time messing with each other, and have done many talks at the same venues. He knows I hate the hav a junk double door and warns the group if he is speaking before me to not listen to me about that trap LOL but that trap is still one of the top selling traps they have. so someone is buying them. By the way warrior I am a safeguard user on the single door and I make my own drop door LOL Hey By the way if any of you are bored with this post, then better not come to the wct because I have 2 session to give on the dumb squirrel so you will really be sleeping there. OK now I am feeling better time to go talk to Mr and Mrs Butt head.

I am annoyed with the constant...my trap is better than your trap...contained in multiple threads of late. Frankly, this type of gorilla marketing completely turned me off. It started with the hsus-Toma thread. Call it marketing gone wild...and it backfired. My appologies to the answer seekers. Ron...I am a little bored with the same questions, but I do appreciate reading your posts.

Maybe I could use a lot more duck hunting and a lot less tman.

I don't prefer one over the other. I prefer to have both.

Every location is different and it's good to have the best trap for the job at your disposal.

When I first started out I thought standardizing my equipment was the way to go but that soon lead to compromising. I've found a variety of sizes and types suits me far better.

Throw Back, sorry about that "dumb question" thing. I was thinking of something entirely different when I wrote it. Lord knows I've

asked more than my share of questions!

sqs answer was the best one I've read so far. That part about "standardizing equipment leading to compromising" sure hit home for me.

Paul - its the dumb answers that really throw me for a loop.

everyone could shoot a few more ducks.

Threadjacking here.... but you mean to tell me teal season ended here in georgia in September and the teal are still 900 miles north of me?

I think the important thing is add your 2 cents without subtracting others 2 cents or the total is zero. We can't learn from others experiences if we don't listen (read). You can't listen if your concentrating on talking (typing)

Double door traps seem to be best when using live bait. The responses have been the most in testing. Here it is not legal to use live bait, but if you lock the doors open it is legal to see how the animals respond. The presentation is the key and having the holding cage to best make the bait comfortable and still give maximum attraction.

With a double door trap, to get the animals to lose it, is to use a very active bait such as a pigeon. I chose white ones cause the grower said the hawks always kill the white ones first. I used two females and a male so the male was constantly after the females to keep movement. I tried various types of bait cages and configurations. One of the best ones was to place a bait cage the same length of the trap next to a round existing hay bale and place the trap next to it and cover all with loose hay. When set the approaching animal flushes the birds causing them to fly to the other side, leading the predator right into the trap. This will work with a pan trigger or a conventional pan trigger. If the doors are not powered the trap must be longer. I set a critter collector on the hay to attract predators to the set. The camera showed much activity and every predator that was in the camera field went in the trap. The difference was when the trap was set in the woods off of a field. I still got activity , but not as much. The predators were also not quite as aggressive about going in. I believe it was the presentation. I was using a wire trigger trap. In the woods I placed a smaller bait cage in width on the floor next to the side on the inside wall of the trap. I believe the hay set just looked more natural than a new object set in the woods with brush on it. Even had snakes come in looking.

By using a standard double door design it was easy to take a bait cage with live bait and place on one end. This worked well but, not as well as the above description with a big bait cage next to a hay bale. Bobcats seemed to react best to having the bird in the back in a standard cage, as a single door set. The other animals entered but not in a run. The single door set would probably be the best set for gravity door cages.

The cage I used also had access doors on the sides (in the middle) for a regular bait cage. This allowed for an animal depending on the trigger used to enter with a feeling of more security and allow for a shorter trap. For example: If a wire trigger is used the trigger is set to where the animal will set off when working or stick its head in the bait cage. This forces the animal to turn allowing for a shorter distance the animal has to be in the trap to get caught when the trap fires. By having a center bait or access door it also makes it easier to adjust trigger, whether a pan or not. If you use a 4 way wire trigger set 14" or more above the floor it reduces the chances of catching a small animal such as a coon or grey fox.

There was an advantage here in using live bait. We don,t have harsh winters. Water and food easily keeps the birds fed for 7 to 10 days without having to disturb or leave human scent. They are constantly messing, making attractant. Depending on the set up, the birds are comfortable as if they were In a coop. Trap can be checked from a long distance.

Something else I did, I made a slot 2" wide in the center of the trap. This allowed me to make a dirt hole in the center of the trap and fill with lure or bait. The animal has to turn working the slot to be able to dig, firing the trap.

Something also that can be done ,depending on the size of the trap and the construction of the trigger, a pee post can be placed in the center of the trap. If a pan trigger is used you just make the pan a little narrower to set the post when using a standard pan type trigger.

Probably the best presentation Would be to have a live bait cage placed between two double doored cages. Cover with grass and hay. The only way the predator could get to the bait would be to go in the trap. The caught animal would help catch the next one in the trap on the other side.

I know of a man that is suppose to be trying that this month.

I have shot ducks in my native Wisconsin whose slogan is, "Wait until the northern ducks get here!" So I went north and hunted in

Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba and the locals in all three provinces said and I quote, "Wait until the northern ducks get here!"

So I finally went to Alaska for big game but while I was there, I managed to get in a lot of duck hunting and I shot some really

trophy mallards. So we're taking pictures ( I actually guided two guys from California on the King Salmon river ) when this native

Alaskan Indian comes up and says, "Nice mallards, but you should see the size of the northern birds!" I am not making this up.

lol yeah Jeremy. The blue wings went through back in Sept, there are a few of them still here, but the green wings are like flies. Saturday was our opening day for the southern zone. we have flocks buzzing us from every direction. the green wings will be here until ice around mid Dec as with the woodies. We have a year round black duck population but Dec, they will really be here, those northern birds with the red legs. lol that is when our mallards and pintail come in hard also along with the widg, blue bills and broadies, ruddies, buffys, cans and redheads. and if there is limited ice they will be here the whole season. Then just 50 mins drive east to the coast I can get I can get sea ducks, I really love the long tails. First migration of Canada's are coming in right now along with our res, and the snows will be here to stay in another few weeks along with the brant. so you can see why I want to hunt ducks, this is what I wait for LOL








and to keep the post on track

Tis that time of year that most of us look forward too. Most of us old timers were hunters,fishermen and trappers long before the early nuisance wildlife era came to pass.

The outdoors called to me at a very early age. So much so that I lived in a tent in our cow pasture on our farm every summer for many years until my late teens.My dad had no outdoors interests, he just worked alot on the road as a salesman for many years until he retired.Mom was a teacher until her retirement. They humored their son the best they could.

I guess we can blame it on the milk man.

Then there was this young man with all these off the wall interests in bugs, birds and animals. Now look where it took me. Its been a good ride and I can honestly say I walked my own path in this world. I dont really think I would change too much if I had a choice.

Trapping season is almost here again and I am ready to roll shortly. Nothing more enjoyable then being out in fields and along the waterways.Seeing, smelling and hearing nature in motion is what keeps me going.

I agree with the whole standardized scenario. However trying to keep every tool at your disposal is near impossible, unless maybe your service vehicle is a W900 with a 53 foot van lol. The key is finding a handful of good quality traps you can multi task with. The only honest way to determine what those traps will be is experience in your area. So I agree with the whole standardized quote almost, I'm more of a semi standardized kinda guy. If you guys are carrying one of everything then I see why the sprinter van's are so popular on here.

Travis, your absolutely right. That why I like to use equipment that packs as many options as possible into one package.

Not to keep beating the same drum but that's the main reason I like two doors on my traps and of the many two door options I prefer one spring bar door and one guillotine on the same trap.

You can accomplish the same thing with a two door trap with a flush mount at one end. Add the power doors, and you can set upside down too. There is a chimney adapter too. Good trap to standardize with.

I am going to buy me a bunch of double doors what the best one to get LOL

very nicely wrote Bob and so true, the old dogs on here long for the outdoors and you can see it in them. hey by the way got 2 wood duck this morning.

Heading out to pack and ship some orders, set up and check a mole job, come back and mix a bunch of dry dirt/peat in the cement mixer then meet with my accountant early this evening for 3rd Qtr. payroll tax prep. All in a days work.

Good deal on the wood ducks Ron. I wish I lived closer to a good fly way as I use to really enjoy duck and goose hunting when I use to have the time. Only thing better then hunting waterfowl is eating them.

So far I haven't come up with an all purpose trap for our two most popular species, squirrels and raccoons. The squirrels seem to hop

right over the pan on the raccoon traps but even more difficult is squeezing the raccoons into those 5 inch squirrel cages.

Fields development has a very good system for squirrels and the one we use most of the time along with a small excluder.Squirrels in my experience need to be forced or squeezed into the smallest area if possible. If trying to single catch a bit larger is best.

Never used a coon sized trap for squirrels but have caught some as incidentials on occasion when set for other animals on the ground.

Your post made me think how inefficient it would be to trap a squirrel in a $100 coon trap. Leading to the thought....that squirrel trapping is more profitable than coon. Hmmm. Off in a new direction of thought....

But...yeah....we use smaller traps for sq.

As long as Mr. Jameson is on here, I need to tell him how correct he is about setting raccoon cages on the ground. Our guys probably

average 10 hours a day in the field. I don't have near as many customers and I probably average 2 or 3 hours a day in the field.

( Some of the guys claim it's more like 2 or 3 minutes but that's not true ) Anyway, all of my raccoon cages are on the ground and

just for kicks I added up everyone's raccoon total for the last 6 months. The other 6 guys averaged a little over 100 raccoons for

those 6 months, while I caught over 200. Thanks Mr. Jameson; lesson learned!

Man your right Bob, I use Dougs one way door traps exclusively. And that gutter board nose cone is great! I use WCS special squirrel cages exclusively for baited squirrel traps and if I'm out of both I make a basket out of 1/4 in hardware cloth a put a 110 in it. I had a Comstock squirrel cage but ran over it and haven't replaced it.

Now right there is a leading question. ( Besides the fact that a guy actually admitted to running over his own squirrel trap ) How

many of you use the WCS Special exclusively like Travis and I? ( Two great minds thinking alike, obviously ) I have been told by

the experts that the 5 inch by 5 1/2 inch configuration of the WCS Special is just not large enough for the Eastern Grey Squirrel!

Thank God that they only told me that and not the over 1000 Eastern Gray Squirrels we catch every year. Now I have to admit that if I

had to duck my tail to get at the bait in the back of a WCS, you probably wouldn't get me to enter, but then I'm not a Grey squirrel.

I use the WCS Special squirrel trap when I need a baited cage for gray squirrels. They work very well. I use the little double door Tomahawks if I need a cage for a runway set. More often, I use the tube trap now made for WCS. I probably use 120 conibears almost as often as the cages.

As you can see, I'd rather deal with my squirrels dead. When I can't, those little 5 inch cages do the job. The 7x8x24 skunk cages will work for grays too but are kind of overkill.

Another excellent post, Steve. I envy you guys that can use tubes and Conibears. I did when we started over two decades ago and

between the flack from the protectionists and the flack from my boss and our daughter, I figured I had to invent a better method.

When I took the time to put repeaters over the holes and set baited cages for any squirrel who might not be home, and I started

catching entire families in one trip, I knew I had this thing nailed! Now, if I could just convince all of our techs to do it my way!

haha, just tell 'em how to do it. You're the boss!

Or they can learn the hard way.

Jeremy, thanks for the vote of confidence! Our company, Advanced Wildlife Control Inc. is equally owned by three people; Myself, my

son P.J., and my wife Jessica. We have at least 10 full time and part-time employees. I can guarantee you that if you asked anyone of

them, who is the boss?, it wouldn't be me or P.J.

Paul, I realize I opened my mouth too soon! Jessica can chock this up as a win. That would be a fight neither you or I want any part of!

I'll second the quality of the WCS Squirrel Specials. I have however found that by using the equal quality AES 4x4 and 3x4 gutter traps my cage catches have actually gone up and my possum by catch has dropped to almost zero.

Paul I have caught coon so big in 7x8x24 traps set for squirrels on platforms attached to trees at shoulder height that you could barely see the wire due to the fur pushing thru the wire grid. If it wasnt for the slanting door the wire grid would have been invisible. I am sure if a coon wanted to get into a 6x6x24 cage it could get in it. I have seen coon use access' and move thru openings that would make Houdini jealous.

Even better than one ways and baited cages is Doug Fields one way with an additional one way on top. Works exceptionally well on reds especially when one is already caught.

Bob, I know whereof you speak. I once dumped a huge raccoon out of a 7x7 Tomahawk. My wife said, "look, he must be sick; He can't

move." I told her to just relax. The raccoon was so cramped in that small cage that he lost the circulation in his legs. Which is

exactly what happened. And to be perfectly honest, I'm sure we've caught more raccoons in those 7x8 Safeguards than anything else.

Not a 20 pounder but a 15 plus pounder. I to have caught big ones like Bob stated.