The short traps may be fine for the smaller animals, but for the trap to be most universal it needs to be larger, whether longer, taller, or wider.

For example: You can take one of our powered double door 36" x 12" tall traps (even 36x12x10) and catch beaver, otter, coon, possum, feral cats, muskrats, nutria, skunks, ground hogs, turtles and others. The traps can have one door a swing down and one a guillotine or both of each kind. The guillotine can be set as powered or gravity. They can, for a few dollars more, be changed out in the field to have a one way trigger to allow the trap to be set as a multicatch situation or just catch the animal leaving or catch the animal entering. The trap can have bait wired to the trigger or change trigger to a short trigger (down one inch and over 2") and hang the bait from a string to bite and pull.The trigger can also be changed easily to a four way or bump trigger. (the new dogs and bmi triggers work well in that application) You can't do all of what I mentioned above with a 24" trap. You can do much more with a 30", but not as much.

All of our swing down models now are made to where the doors are easily propped open for trigger adjustment or replacement. It also allows animals to be easily remove or dumped out in the double door models. The smaller (10"x12") swing downs now come with 1/2" x 1" 14ga wire.

The shorter the trap the more limits it puts on the capability of the trap over all. In specialty situations I could see a much shorter trap. Just starting out in an ADC business I would think you would want versatility.

Price is also a factor. I would think duke,s or Williams traps would be hard to beat in the price category for baited sets. The difference is the versatility of the trap for other applications. You just have to decide what that is worth. The trap may cost twice as much but your limitations aren,t the same.

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Jim Comstock said:


I have patents that allow almost unlimited design in/of a cage trap. I guess if a statement is repeated enough, it becomes true.

Kirk DeKalb

I was a little shocked at the shortness of the 18 inch Comstock myself. After catching dozens of raccoon in them, I'm now more amazed than shocked. I think our raccoons must look at the cages as a challenge. Otherwise I can't imagine why they would try to run through if they didn't have to.

If I get a woodchuck or skunk job now, the 18 inch is the first cage I grab.

P.S. Happy Easter, Kirk and Jim

Sounded like the Williams trap idea was good for his situation. Just need some bait- apples- whatever.

I don't have any Comstock 18s but my 24s work so well that this discussion has inspired me to order a few. Room in the truck is at a premium these days as Armadillo season is in full swing. Will call you next week Jim.

Just went online and ordered 2 18" Comstocks.

Ron.. just a simple question on your chuck set.. is it necessary to anchor the comstock trap like you have it? ive never anchor one of his traps.. i might prop a brick or log next to it to keep it from rocking.. but have never anchored one. Now the gravity door traps Always get double anchored. Just curious..

I anchor both the nose cone and trap on posi-sets for groundhogs. I've had them push up or dig under if they aren't staked solid. Not often.... but once is too much when you're driving 35 miles one-way to a job!

You make a good point about set-ups on long jobs, Ron.

Surely does not hurt to err on the side of caution with staking, especially since you have had a chuck or two dig around a trap. I have, to date, never anchored a skunk or chuck trap that were roll over proof in a positive set and so far, knock on wood, have not had any dig around them. I usually dig out the ground out, work them into the dirt and also sometimes put stuff up against a nose cone if it is readily available. I make sure there is no apparent opening, no air space for them to see out so that the trap and cone appear to be solid. I suppose my day of surprise is waiting for me, maybe just been lucky so far, but none of the last few hundred chucks and skunks, none have gotten me, yet.

Jim, I usually just do the same..... shovel out a trap bed, backfill a little after setting. Stabilizes the traps and provides the dirt floor. I'll sometimes use pieces of cardboard on the sides and pile the dirt halfway up the trap sides. Provides that "open tunnel/passageway" effect. I just get a bit over cautious the farther I have to drive to a job! It takes 20 seconds to shove the stabilizer rods in the ground, so it's not like I'm spending measurable extra time doing it.

I really enjoy and learn a lot from these conversations. I felt just like Jim. Normally I don't get too excited about anything except putting the cage where the 'chuck can run through it.

So my daughter says, "Kind of flimsy fencing you put around that deck when you were showing my husband how to do it. The woodchuck dug under in three different places."

Me: "Was the woodchuck in the cage when you got there?"

Stacy: ( My daughter ) "Yes."

Me: "There are two woodchucks, dumbazz." ( She calls me dumbazz a lot. This was a shining moment for me )

P.S. I caught the second woodchuck two days later in the same cage. Guess who got paid? It wasn't me.

More often than not I will anchor my positive sets. Mostly unnecessary....but I have a streak of OCD. Always have to put in one extra screw or zip tie when I mount a squirrel trap etc. I even anchor small cages for Chippers etc to try to keep some low life dog or cat from toting it off.

I can relate to OCD, overdoing, but with long travel distances to just do that little extra is a great insurance policy at a very tiny cost, in a few seconds of work, to punch in a stake or add a screw for peace of mind is worth it.

I do the fencing thing too, with light scraps of aluminum, some are a foot and a half long, others longer. I have a pile of left over pieces that are light and take up no space in the truck. I can take a half dozen of them and fence off 5 or 6 feet section in a few seconds. Being solid, the only apparent opening for the chuck is where the trap is, so they go right through trap. I have wooden fencing also, but I like the aluminum for space saving. If you overlap the pieces you can use one small stake to hold up the whole fence on a side. With nose cones a client will sometimes ask, "couldn't he just push it over, dig under or avoid what you have?' The answer is of course a resounding "yes," followed by, "but they don't."

Please take note of Jim's last sentence because it is so true. Animals are attracted to fencing the same way I'm attracted to Rosie O'Donnell.