What is a good brand of conibear and are the round ones better than the square ones??

IMO - You can buy the cheapest - Dukes, they will work. Or you can buy the best - Belisles. They work better, are safer, make catches like paws that would escape from others. They don't tangle all up and have spring eyes go around the corners of the trap. The safeties are best by far, they don't fall off like others. They are a pleasure to work with.

No reason to buy any other brand body gripper, you're only paying more for the name. The only exception to this is if you don't want foreign made traps for whatever reason.

I don't see any advantage to the round traps and they are a pain to set and deal with.

Pretty much any of them will work fine, as ADC says, you can pay for quality, or you can go cheap and they will still work but maybe not be as convenient. I think all the new brands of square bodygrips have "ears" on the corners to keep the springs from going around them. I've never messed with the round ones, so can't comment on them. They look like they would go great in a pipe, but all I've ever heard from everyone who has used them is, again as ADC says, "they are a pain to set and deal with."

Dukes do still spring around the corner, but once you get the hang of them, you can all but eliminate that. I don't have any 220s, but have some 330 Dukes and have good experience with them.

Almost every other brand will, victor, duke, nw, bridger, SC... all them. It's not a really big deal but it's another small straw on the camels back. It's even more a pain when the dog gets through the spring eye too. It all adds up to them being less user friendly, but trappers as a whole are cheapskates and hard to convince the convienence of the Belisle trap and the added catches make them worth the extra money. For those who won't be convinced then Duke is the trap to buy, like I said they do work, no reason to go anywhere in-between IMO.

Trust me It's not fair to the coon to have It caught and held by a paw In a BG. It's one of the main reasons that I got rid of my belisle 220s.

I do not care for the 6 year old Bridger 220s.
Just like the Bridger 330s of that age, the eyes are too small.
Maybe that has been changed. I would look closely.
Best wishes.

A person would have a tall order trying to find a better 220 than belisle. Safest brand on the market combined with other features I like such as magnum jaws, excellent triggers, springs that don’t have to be chased, and consistent, rock solid stability on my H-stands—-all factory features.


I use other brands too, because I have them to use. A bodygrip needs to have a 4way trigger to even be considered in my opinion. Those that come factory are okay, but the 2ways I own were modified before use.



Belisles’ higher price isn’t for fun, it’s for features, and they’re in a class of their own.

Totally disagree. No different than a larger foothold trap from the dozens I have caught that way.

How many coon have you caught by the foot In 220 ? It Is not the same.

100 percent agree with you on this Beav. I don’t want coon by the foot in conibears .

I agree with ADC.

I have even caught coyote by the front foot with 220

I have not caught coon by the foot in a body gripping trap. How does it differ from a single jaw leg hold? Does it have something to do with what the coon is able to do; once, caught?

Can’t argue with that kind of ridiculous logic .

You don’t want feet or even legs in magnum bodygrip traps. Foot traps are designed to restrain. Bodygrips are designed to be lethal. I don’t want animals trying to grab bait or pull bait back through the jaws, so I personally don’t use buckets/baited cubbies with bodygrips, and if I did I would only use wide open wire configurations or pans.

Blended, pinch point water trails and trail sets where non target risks are extremely low are where bodygrips shine, both risk and reward wise in my experience, and that’s where I keep them. I guess I’d describe it as forward motion sets.


I don’t say these things without experience with foot catches in bodygrips, although my experience comes from beavers, the basics are the same.

You guys ever catch a coon in #5 sized foothold? Its the same deal. You don't target those catches with either trap but it's not the end of the world if you catch one that way. It is certainly no reason to stop using the traps for their intended purpose.

You still haven't said that you have caught a coon by It's foot In BG. IT"S NOT THE SAME.

Here's one of many Beav.

I have foot caught a number and they wouldn’t make a good picture. IMO

In #5s or Belisle 220's? I agree Paul, but I don't sell them to the live market.