Okay everyone. Used Berkshire Disposable Stakes for the first time this year. Really Bad Experience. Please give me your opinions on what you think happened.

Made a couple of twin dirt hole sets with bait in one hole, coyote lure in the other one. Set a MB450 in the trap bet utilizing a Berkshire disposable stake hooked to the trap chain with a 3/8 quick link. Three days later I came to one of the traps sets to find an obvious well defined trap catch circle, the disposable stake still in the ground but with the open empty loop end of the cable sticking up. The Quick link was attached to the disposable stake but was almost completely open. The trap was gone. There was a few drops of blood on some of the sticks around the catch circle but nothing substantial as if there had been a kill by a thief.

A. Am I an idiot and simply forget to tighten my quick link?

B. Someone found the catch, and dispatched it and stole the trap leaving the quick link?

C. The Quick link was worked loose by the K-9 slowly because the quick link was connected straight from the trap chain to the loop with the three swivels all being above the connection point, therefore allowing the cable and quick link to continually bind and work loose as the animal circled the trap anchor point over and over?

D. Other Opinion

I will take B.




I don't use quick links...but I can't imagine one working loose...and the opening isn't huge so there'd be some luck involved for the cable to slip out of left open. Possible...but 9 times out of 10 I'd imagine it would hold them even if open.



There's numerous ways to dispatch. If you're leaving blood... especially more than a couple drops, you're doing it different than me....

Not sure what size 3/8" is that you refer to, the 3 sizes available from trap supply houses are small (made of 1/8" steel) , large (made of 3/16" steel ") and extra large ( made of 5/16" steel ) I use the large size and have held 40lbs + coyotes. The smaller 1/8" size is only good for coons, I've had them open up pulling traps with rebar stakes fairly easily. Does the link look bent or threads stripped ? It is possible the nut, if left loose, could have backed off. How was the link attached to the trap ?

I would guess catch and trap stolen. I use quick links and carry a small wrench to tighten them, primarily to prevent theft

Sorry. 3/16 is the size of the quick link. Loop on end of cable is attached to quick link. Then quick link is connected to #2 chain about 4 links worth. Then to a swivel, then 7 more links of chain and then swivel at attachment to trap. The threads on the quick link that was left open and still hooked to the loop end of the cable is fine and I able to tighten and loosen it fine.

crayfish

I use quick links and tighten them with a wrench. I say someone has your catch and trap.

If quick link was tightened with a wrench or pliers it was definitely theft. Tightening with a pliers I have never had a quick link back off on the threads but doing it this way the thief needs a wrench, pliers or bolt cutters to get to the trap.

Sounds like the quick link was exposed after the catch was made and if the critter could get to it, it could have been bitten/chewed on. If it was only finger tight, it is possible that it could have loosened up more during the chewing and struggle by the critter. I say it is possible because I had it happen to me with a beaver trap on a drowning rod that I had only finger tightened the quick link. The water level was dropping so it was possible that the struggle lasted a while. When I checked the set, the trap was not in the bed and the lock was out of site. I pulled the drowner rod and only had a section of chain and an open quick link. I was really kicking myself for being a dummy and not tightening the link with a wrench or pliers.

But since the water was only about 3' to 4' deep at most, I put my waders and tater rake to work and a few minutes later I had the beaver and my MB 750 fished out. Still not sure I would have believed it if I had not had it happen to me. The quick link was not damaged, just open. Threads were fine. And the 750 still had a firm grip on the beavers foot. And it was only a few feet downstream from where the deep end of the drowner rod was. I still think the likelyhood of that happening is pretty slim but not impossible.

Not implying that is what happened in your case but it at least a possibility

I guarantee you that I use a tool to tighten quick links now.

I have not been using a tool to tighten my quick links. I have just been hand tightening and I noticed here lately I have been not REMEMBERING if I tightened them or not. I have been hand tightening them because in the past I have allot of times pulled traps but left the stake knowing I would come back a few days later when work allowed me to trap again. When I had tightened them before with a tool allot of the times they would then rust up so tight I could not get them off and would have to dig up the stakes. Guess I learned my lesson there. Better off tightening the heck out of them and having to pull stakes than having them work off.

Stop with the quick links and get the Sleep EZ hooks. That way three bad things have to have(or not happen depends on how you look at it). First the "nut" has to become unscrewed. Second, the animal would have to grab the clip or run it against a skinny tree or branch to depress the spring. Third, the animal has to work the chain out of the opening.

I’m still stuck on the 3 day check.

But out of all the possible scenarios, I’ll go with “B”.
As of yet I’ve never had an issue with the quick links. It would take a lot of brains and chain for a critter to figure out how to unscrew it. Mine are attached to the swivel and I have trouble loosening them after setting. Someone not only got your trap, but your critter as well.

What is the reason for the quick link anyways???

Why not loop the cable through the chain and close a ferrule?




Maybe I am missing something. Maybe I'm doing something completely wrong...I don't know.

Private or Public land would lean me in one direction or another and you can guess which way.... the mike

Quick links are just that.....Quick to attach\detach. Tightening the with a wrench makes it harder for the casual thief to steel them. Some use J hooks and carry a tool to attach\detach them. Probably even more secure

This year I was using quick links on my dog proof traps and had this exact same thing happen. I had the dp quick linked to the wolf fang anchor. I came down a hill and saw three catch circles and only two coon.. So I looked at my wolf fang anchor and the quick link was opened but still on the anchor and the trap was gone. I was starting to think thieves but why would they only take one of three? (I had set these traps the day before.) after looking around for a good hour I found my trap on a big coon that climbed up a tree and got hung up... I must've forgot to tighten the quick link. Needless to say that I'll just be cabling the anchors right to the traps next year so it never happens again. If a coon could do it maybe a coyote could to.

I use quick links all the time and I hand tighten. Never had one even close to open . You been robbed... Like and old guy once told me, Locks are only to help keep honest people honest....

me too!

I'll go with b. I run quick links on my coyote sets and have never had an issue.

I have never had a quick link open up on me. But I always tighten with a wrench.
Why use quick links. Because if you want to replace a dirty or messed up trap at the set your just seconds from changing out traps. If you can't get your anchors out It's easy to remove the trap and just leave your anchors.
Every trap and snare I have Is connected to my anchor with a quick link.