Food for thought. When you have a body gripping trap set with the trigger hanging down from the upper jaw the trigger will occasionally hang up on a jaw resulting in a poor catch and possible fur damage or an animal escape. When on the upper jaw when the trap is sprung and closing the trigger falls towards the opposed closing jaw. Whereas if set on a bottom/ground jaw the trigger falls away from the opposed closing jaw and cannot hang up on the trigger. Thus the question is why not always set on a bottom/ground jaw?

Only reason to really not set with the dog down is either using a support that isn't designed to accommodate that position setting in the ground and you don't want to bother cutting a notch under the dog or placing risers under the jaws to give you space.

I have found that setting with the trigger on the bottom in a strong flow of water wether in a culvert or stream the trap gets set off more times than not due to the pressure of the water on the square piece of metal that holds the trigger wires (plus the pressure on the wires themselves ) . That in addition to the the debris catching on the trigger .At least thats what I think is happening . When I set with the trigger on top and the wires bent slightly towards the downstream side they stay set . Less pressure on the trigger and less debris getting caught on the trigger . (that is with the trap not completely submerged)

VH60, I agree with you and should of stated except in water diving sets.

Perhaps if the trigger is on the top, it should be hanging from the jaw closest to the box opening , so as to get pulled instead of pushed , in that situation. The problem you speak of can occur either top or bottom depending on the travel direction of your quarry in a blind set.

My partner sets all his beaver body grips with trigger on top. I always set with trigger on bottom. His rationale is the safeties fall off sometimes before he’s ready with trigger on bottom. My rationale is that there is less hanging in the beaver/otter’s face. We both catch fur. I’m not sure we’re able to quantify a difference

Tell your partner to get a trappers safety pin(the yellow thing that looks like a 160 spring).

I like my beaver body grips with the trigger on the bottom.

I run mine with the trigger wire out of sight when I'm setting half in and half out of the water. I don't want anything In that beavers face.

As to safeties I don't use them when actually placing the trap . If you keep your hands on the springs your good to go.

If the top bars are out of the water (we can set 1/2 submerged), I want the trigger/dog on the bottom and the trigger wires in the water so the exposed part of the trap is completely open. Totally submerged with a dive stick, I will set the trigger/dog on top.

No, as I see it the trigger set on a bottom is always falling away from a closing jaw whatever direction it is entered. If you see it different please explain. Here's some diagrams I put together years ago re this situation:

A couple thoughts. On land, the trigger at the bottom will freeze to the ground, and cause failure to fire. In the water, it doesn't matter.

Two, the momentum of the trap is so fast, that I do not believe the trigger simply drops as the trap fires. More like it flips back against the direction of jaw travel, and so it generally would not hit or face the opposing jaw, or the animal.

I have never seen trap misfires or poor catches due to the trigger getting in the way of the other jaw.

I always set on land with trigger pointing down, for fear it will freeze down. In water, either way, but usually the same. Trigger down.

Trigger and dog on the bottom for water sets.Dont need the trapdog damaging a pelt by striking on the back,and when checking sets under ice,you wont fire the trap when feeling the top jaws with your chisel.
I use mostly LDL's mag for marten so I set the trigger and dog on top.Neither one can ever touch the fur.

[quote=Saskayote On land, the trigger at the bottom will freeze to the ground, and cause failure to fire. In the water, it doesn't matter.[/quote]
There are many ways to keep the trigger from freezing to the ground as per "SNIPERBBB's" post. With a box set, unless the spring slots are extremely narrow, pushing the springs down on the slots will generally lift the trigger dog up enough to provide clearance from pinching on the box bottom.

I looked at the diagrams. Any time the trigger can go into the trap when the animal enters is best, then the jaw pulls it and it cant hang up. Weather it is up or down. But if the animal goes through the trap to push the trigger on the jaw on the exit side of the trap, the jaw will have to push the trigger (weather up or down) and that can fowl the strike.

I found this to be especially true when I first tried wooden trigger pans, trigger on the inside jaw, pan in and once in a while the pan would flip up, catch the top jaw and hold the trap open.

OK, but another reason for setting on bottom IMO is I don't think animals like ducking under something any more than I do, but will push through small twigs or grass with their body..

I wonder if it would matter to a mink if I ran the bell shape with the monofilament fishing line loop, on the bottom pointing up ? I think they would see the little circle created by the mono, and still dart through it, but it would no longer be a belly catcher. There is a little dynamic there, with the loose fishing line dangling in a 2 1/2 inch circle within the wires of the trigger. I like that trigger on the entering side of the box.

The thing we are missing Is If that trap has been tuned or not. Lots of trigger movement In a un tuned trap.
I've seen where the trigger wires are flat to the ground and the trap Is still set.

I like the dog on a bodygrip to engage crisply on the jaw and trigger.Not a hair trigger.Then when waxed,it goes all at once with initial contact.No trigger creep.A good crisp trigger,when waxed,once it is started,it goes all at once by itself,does not require continuous pressure.
Les is correct about the trigger being pushed into the jaws if you can predict the animals approach like in a box.The LDL double jaw traps are actually a one way trap(,but will work both ways).

This situation is EXTREMELY RARE compared to trigger hanging from a top jaw.