I trapped all through grade school and high school. In my opinion its hard to beat conibears set in buckets. You can catch just about anything in them and they are dead when you get there. No bullet holes and much faster to set. If you are "off the grid" you shouldnt have to worry about catching peoples pets either. I did use box traps if I had to. Usually only when I was on the edge of town. They work fine as well, but are more time consuming.