If you go the MB750 route don't buy the ones with offset jaws. A 1/4" may not seem much but there Is no need for a beaver trap having offset jaws.

I was referring to the TS85.

I have a pile of MB750's. It's all I would use for beaver legholds if I was dumb enough to trap beaver at these prices.

I hear ya. You just need to get paid to do It. I have quit trapping beaver for the fun of It.

Did you use the old Outhouse set??

The MB750 laminated jaw NOT offset is the best beaver foothold trap I have ever used. I have no interest in trying anything else. With this trap there are no snapped empty traps and no pullouts.

North Carolina has a 7.5 inch maximum jaw spread restriction. So, I've never had the chance to try the TS85.

The TS85 looks like it should work awsome but the two i bought weren't when i tried them i run them against a few 5 bridger LS .Theres no comparison the 5 brdgr is a trap that catches IMO THE TS85 is not.Maybe if i sgared the edges on the jaw or souped up the springs it might might hold onto somthing

Strangest trap I have ever seen, is no middle ground with the TS 85, trappers either LOVE them or HATE them, lol.

If your castor mounding for front feet stay away from them, before the fans say they catch by front feet yes ive had a few
by a front foot in them as well but way more snapped off and sitting in the bed, I only set them shallow to see if that was
the cause of so many on here cussing them for being snapped off cause at the time id only had ONE of those and it was
due to the water rising and putting my trap too deep and far out from the water line.

I use them in dam break sets so mine are set deep and far back for a back foot catch. MB's are great at castor mounds
on drowner's but i'll never like that pan set up, too much going on for my simple mind while standing in water.

CDR's are my work horse's for removing beaver, still have some of the older one's. New folks making them now but I
haven't seen any of those nor trapped with them so can't comment on them.

My advice is buy ONE TS 85 and try it out, if you like it buy more if not no big loss.

Huh. I love the TS-85. No complaints, at all. I use Belisle 330's when the set calls for a conibear, and TS-85, on a rod, if I need a foothold. Have yet to find an empty trap, if it had a visit by bucky.

http://trappingtoday.com/kyle-kaatz-episode-64-trapping-today-podcast/

See link above for an interview I did with Kyle on the podcast. At one point we discussed how they ended up owning the TS85. Awesome trap by the way.


I listened to the interview and enjoyed it. I can remember when Kyle was a little kid writing articles in Fur Taker magazine and very early stated he was going to make his living in a trapping related field. I also remember some old guys discouraging him......wonder where they are now?

I bought a dozen TS-85s for beaver. I haven't had a chance to try them yet. I'm glad I saw this thread before I did. It will be my first time going after beaver. So. This thread made me go look at them and I saw the problem right away. They are a BIG and well made trap but have one flaw that is most likely causing the issue. I haven't quite figured out ho to fix it but I don'y think it is going to be very difficult. If someone knows Kyle and those guys it's a simple issue. The jaw design. If you look at the jaws you notice right away that they are skinny right up to the top and widen where the lever stops on a fully closed trap. I pulled the lever down a bit and looked at how the lever engaged the jaws. Looks to me like when a beavers back foot especially is in the trap the lock up isn't as strong as it would be if the jaw was thicker further down which should cause a better lock up/holding power. I will do further test and try to come up with a simple fix. If I'm wrong speak up please. To me looking at it from a purely mechanical standpoint that's what it looks like.

The jaw design was WHY you could hold beaver in a 'weaker' trap, not having to four coil it. Fossil on here made the things, he can explain it a lot better than me.

My only issue with it is it need a debris gap at the bottom near the base, have had some get clogged which left the jaws open at the top.

I had the same experience as some of the other guys with 85's. Lots of sprung empty traps at the bottom of the drowner. They are definitely a rear foot only trap, I never did catch one by the front foot. I love 750's. They're all I buy now

Never liked them. Too many misses and pull outs.

I put one ts85 trap on my spring beaver line to try them out for myself. The trap was fired once in the bed, most likely by a beaver tail. Three high catches hind foot. One front foot catch.This was on two locations one was a pond, one was a stream. A water level drop on the stream is the reason for the front foot catch.

I like the trap so far. Easy to set and it does the job.

Haven't had any issues like some of the guys on here but mine all have teeth in them as do all of my beaver traps. Without the teeth they seem like they might be a little on the week side though....

750s all the way. Much better trap in my opinion .Much like comparing belisle to dukes. No contest.

All I use are the Montana #5's It is nice to have a dogless beaver trap and the price is reasonable. IMHO it is lost in the discussions of foothold beaver traps. It is a great back foot trap but it will hold them by a toe.

The only empty TS-85’s I have had yet were ones that hadn’t been set off. I think you will always be getting mixed responses because you have too many “fan boys” of a particular brand.... dogging on them because they hold a bias opinion. Fire back at me, I don’t care. But they are a very well made trap, and if they are empty, it’s because you are doing something wrong.

Everyone will have a fluke catch. Something held by a tail, toe, left ear, or nose whisker. If you want an answer to your question about what beaver trap to buy. Do what I did. Buy one of each “beaver trap” and decide for yourself which one you like the most. They all work well. The best beaver trap is the one with a beaver in it.

I can set double long springs over my knee without setters... require a little bit more to bed but they are solid. Sleepy creek are freakin stout and heavy. Bridget and duke are easier- and all hold beaver. So do the old victor #4’s.

Coil springs- like some have said Bridger’s have the larger pans, MB-750’s have a weird dog system that will need to be replaced if corrosion occurs too often (but hold great), CDR’s are pricey and good the same as the other’s.

If you tell a beaver to be caught by the front foot, a Duke 1.5 will hold him. But intentionally setting a smaller trap and you will more than likely will be eating your time and be trying to catch a ninja beaver who will evade you and make you think it’s more intelligent.

Too often I wasted my time reading the opinions of the “fan boys”. Learn from my mistake.

TS-85’s are a great trap.

I Like my MB750s. ...but if I had a chance sometime I'd try one