Trappers wanted more and better options with the trigger wires. We heard it regularly, so we came up with two new trigger wires for the 9x11 because wires sometimes broke and wires got bent after catches were made and had to be straightened inside the cage. The first new trigger wire was a clip on trigger that can be attached in seconds at any position on the swing bar. It is made to fall off after a catch is made. These are a plus because a trapper can use as many or few as he likes and position them anywhere he wants on the swing bar. Wires can get bent a bit, but after falling off they can be straightened outside of the trap and replaced. Second we made a pop on trigger from stainless spring steel with coils on each end to go onto posts on the swing bar. The ends pop on in seconds. These wires are also made to fall off after a catch is made for less damage to the wires. Two come on the swing bar, but with some animals only one is needed, like an adult woodchuck or armadillo for instance. There are 4 posts on the swing bar so that the wires overlap at center. With the new designs there are no points to potentially poke an animal, so the new triggers satisfied several issues.

With all internal trigger components these are the only traps that have the ability to set and function in any position without worry, like upside down or sideways, even vertically, but with that many new things were learned from something that had never been done before. When these traps are set with the doors closing from the side the triggers can be made to hang from the top and also come up from the bottom. All options are open. When the wires come up from the bottom it forces animals into them better, impossible to avoid. When using the beaver traps upside down the wires come up from the bottom in the same way. My friend Tim in Ohio has set our traps with the triggers coming up from the bottom and found that coon more or less left them alone and did not bend them like they did when hanging from the top or coming from the side. The just walked on them. But, from trappers we have learned that there is a vast difference in animals from one section of the country to another in how they react to all sorts of things.

I can tell you when anyone shares their experiences with us about something unexpected that happened, we were on it. Raccoons have absolutely been the worst. We used 1x1 mesh on early traps, including doors. After a year we heard that coon could actually reach through the mesh to pull on the lock bar. A trapper told me on the phone, "all you have to do is put 1/2x1 on the door to stop it." We did it, changed the next day. Because of the versatility of traps and guys setting them upside down etc. we learned things that never would have ever been an issue with standard traps set only right side up. The new setting possibilities opened up new challenges never anticipated. The gap at the top of the door was about an inch on the 9x11. It took 10 years before we heard of a coon again reaching through the opening when the traps were set upside down because a coon could lay on his belly and now reach under the top of the door that would never happen when set normally right side up. Set upside down changed the game. I was on the phone to manufacture in minutes and the gap was closed in hours.

I know from 55 years experience, if something happens once to one trapper, though not always, it will likely happen again, so changes to existing equipment are never avoided, but embraced. We want to hear about whatever needs attention. The challenge in creating is engineering simple, small, practical, solid, unbreakable and escape proof to name a few, lots to think about. It's not always one size fits all as changes are sometimes merely trade-offs, good for one and not for the other.

In my opinion the internet creates too easy access and and too many opportunities to criticize a person or manufacturer.

Definitely is the case. We don't deal with personalities, just mechanical issues, function etc. I guess all you have to do is put yourself in the place of someone producing any product to realize that the last thing they want or intend is to make something that doesn't work or has problems. Every time the product gets shipped a manufacturer's reputation goes on the line. The only time I even consider going public with a purchase I have made is when issues are met with hostility. You have to understand that it's not always the guy making a product that is the problem. We took back a couple of squirrel cage traps from a trapper who swore up and down that the traps had no triggers. He said, "I've been trapping for 45 years and your traps have no triggers." We said O.K. and apologized. He sent them back. Guess what, the traps had triggers and worked fine. We try to be objective and give the benefit of the doubt to the trapper first when we get questions. Most often questions are just a case of slowly working through the perceived issue to come to a positive resolution.

Myself and several others at different conventions have mentioned these issues to Jim in person.

Even at the NTA this year.

I also talked with Kirk Dekalb about the issues with his traps a few years ago.

Only one of those two actually wanted to discuss the issue.

Airport

One sided conversation with a narrow minded wall. You are not being listened to. You are just being told what you are missing for using a Dekalb trap

As an aside. I went to thrift store and bought a bunch of spoons. Bit of bending and I have a top mount bait holder for a baited cage

A good source for info on cage traps is Ronnie Vincent.

Because he exclusively uses yours....

Not sure about that, but he is the only one I know of who has had quite extensive experience with both traps and made the decision to liquidate his advanced traps and replace them with ours as you baited me in to say.

I can name others who done the opposite... 2 are on Tman..

We have been involved in different positive trapping projects with researchers as well as with hundreds of trappers over the past 11 years that sometimes events are momentarily forgotten. I just now remembered that several years ago an Illinois student did an otter study for 3 years using primarily our 12x12x36 traps with a few of our 12x18x39 traps in which he published his findings. While the program was a great success, trapping and tagging dozens of otter and catching more than 80 incidental beaver, most important he had no issues with the traps. He was very pleased with the results and never had any complaints, which of course was our biggest concern. The results spoke for themselves. He even caught several otter more than once. This line of traps has been used with great success for fisher and otter study as well as nutria control work. Most recently we made some heavy duty transport boxes for a beaver re-introduction project.

He had great success compared to what other cages? That's the key. Like I have said before, they're not bad traps, but there are traps that catch better.

How does he know he didn't miss any otter?

Jim - you are a good man.
Nobody wastes that much of my time without paying in cash in advance.

Why is the wire put on cage so there is a bump every inch on the lockbar? The lock bar hangs up if stopped part way thru cycle. Ideally there should be a pair of stainless runners for lock bar to slide on.

It is made that way so it locks as it goes down. Animal can’t back out. Com stock promote setting his trap upside down. This makes it more difficult for the animal to push the door open and back out. The dekalb traps prevent back outs in a normal set

Never had problems with your traps Kirk. But other traps the door hangs up if door hits him halfway down and doesn’t close. So the coon turns around and pushes out. So if I guess I can try and increase lock bar tension. And this was on a long trap. Guess using Pam would help

I'm just trying to have a discussion

It seems like what Jim is trying to say is that it is easier to make the bar shorter on top of the swing bar than it is to make it longer.

Some people like it the way it is. Some people would rather it be modified to be shorter. Easier to grind some off than weld a longer tab on.

Perhaps they could be special ordered with short tabs and both parties would be happy. Just a thought lol.

There’s a whole archive about modifying traps. Trappers love modifying traps to suit them even if that trap wouldve worked out of the box.

Airport - you may claim that you are “just trying to have a discussion”. However that is a very sanitized misrepresentation of your bickering, badgering, challenging, disagreeing, questioning, provoking, time-wasting and insulting commentary about Jim Comstock’s traps.

Why do you not have your own trap design and manufacturing facility?
Why are you not nationally known for designing and manufacturing high quality animal traps?
Why are you not in direct competition with Jim Comstock selling your ideally and perfectly designed traps?
Why don’t you make a massive cash offer to buy out Jim Comstock’s business so you can correct the flaws and defects?

It is probably best if we all formulate our own answers to these questions.

Why would I? There are already better traps out there.

My point was he claims to have designed the best , however it is just not so. I never said they're not good traps. They're towards the top.

Are you aware of the definition of a discussion? It includes to debate.