270 win.

Hey guys a buddy of mine just gave me some duke leghold traps. one is about 3 inches across with a single long arm and the other is about 4 inches across with the 2 coil springs. I will be trapping coon,fox,coyote,bobcat. I am going to use the dirt hole set up because it does well here. But my question is do these break the animals leg or simply hold it, just curious?

zak123

The traps just hold the animal. If used correctly, they do not even hurt the animal in any way.

Look on the trap pan (the "trigger) and post what numbers are etched into it. The 3" trap sounds a little small for coyote, but the numbers will tell us the truth.

270 win.

The smaller one says #1LS, The larger one says #1 1/2 CS.

mez

The number 1 is a little small for anything you listed, especially in a longspring. That is a muskrat trap. You could set it for coon but will have to have it on a slide to drown them and that is iffy. The 1 1/2 will be good for coon and fox, it probably won't hold a coyote unless you 4 coil it. It will also have to be set very precisely at a coyote set because it is a little small.

Criggster

I don't fully agree with that. It will break the skin of the animal, and depending on the size of the trap and temprament of the animal they can inflict a lot of damage to their feet. I've heard of instances where they chew their leg off to get out, but have not experienced it. Most of the animals I caught had some damage to their legs, but would heal with time.

270 win.

what do you guys use to dispaatch the animal when its caught and if u shoot it where head or chest. I will be using a 22 probably unless something else is recommended.

270 win.

oh, and another question what do you guys recommend for staking these traps down?

Coastie

A guy I work with had this discussion with a PETA person awhile back. She was putting on an anti-trapping demonstration during an outdoor event complete with a #1 1/2 trap. She struggled with the trap demonstrating how strong it was even going to the extreme of standing on the springs to set it. Once set, she took a pencil and showed how the trap broke the pencil when sprung. My co-worker then walked up, took the trap from her and set it again, laid it down on the table in front of her and sprung it using his fingers straight into the trap pan. He held it up, wiggled his fingers around to let everybody see his fingers weren't broken nor his skin bruised or bleeding then, using the thumb and forefinger of the opposite hand, proceeded to remove the trap. The key to trapping is to use traps of the proper size for the animal being trapped and checking them on a regular basis. Sets for canines should be checked early in the morning, as in sunrise to avoid pull outs. The use of a drag will further reduce pull outs and using traps with offset jaws or padded jaws further reduces injury.

Coastie

270 win, before you go on your merry way setting your trap line, may I suggest you get some help. Your traps are inadequate for anything except the smallest of furbearers such as Weasel, Muskrat andGrey Fox.

Go to www.ohiodnr.comfor starters and check out their trapper education website, continue on to the North Dakota furtakers website for additional information. North Carolina has a very good site as does Minnesota. Trapping is fun, but it is hard, cold back breaking work as well. Your sets must be checked everyday without fail in all weather conditions and every state has different requirements as to how trapped animals must be trapped. Most states have minimum requirements for gear you use such as a choke stick for releasing domestic or non-target animals and requirements on what to use for dispatching animals you do catch. Georgia requires trappers to have in their possesion a choke stick and a .22 rimfire, just as an example. Seasons and licensing requirements vary from state to state as well, so before you go out, do a lot more homework. If I can help, send me an email or personal message and I'll do what I can to assist.

it flies it dies

Both of the traps you have are too small for anything other than mink or muskrats, you are better off to get larger adequate traps before setting because a pull-out will only educate the animals. 1 3/4 - 3's are the more appropriate sizes for fox to coyote sized animals. Don't underestimate the ability of these animals being able to pull out of your traps. I have lost several in #1 3/4 that were accidentally caught in my coon traps. If you intend to stake your traps I like to use 2 ft rebar stakes; however I found that using drags helps to avoid pull-outs. Just use a larger log, etc. and wire your trap to the log then use the log to kind of funnel the animals to your trap. By doing this when the animal is caught it will be able to barely drag the trap and will tire quickly. This creates less resistance pulling back for the animal to get enough leverage to pull out, however I will only use this when i am trapping in an area with brush or something to allow for easy tracking to find your trap. They usually will not make it more than 20-50 yards, but it's always nice to play it safe. If you do use stakes be sure they are securely planted. Fox and Coyotes are powerful animals and are capable of pulling stakes. Hope this helped...

If you have access to a slough the traps you have would be great for muskrats... 'round here we can just remove the top of a lodge and set the trap inside, then cover the lodge and come back early in the morning... works great and they are fun to catch. But be sure to check your traps early, I can't count the number of 'rats i've had chew their feet off to get out of my traps...