I've read in books and seen on videos that it's important to have a coil spring trap oriented to where the approaching critter will step "through" the jaws and not "across" them. I'm guessing this means if the bit/lure and dirt hole bone or whatever is 12 o;clock the dog should point at 1 or 10 o;clock.

Maybe I haven't read enough or seen the video but I've not seen a reference to this regarding longsprings. Of course, just because of the configuration this doesn't seem like a very good idea when using longsprings.

If trap orientation doesn't matter with a long spring why should it matter with the coil spring trap?

Matters more water trapping.Not so much on dry land.

Water trapping, I want my trap positioned so that the jaws close around the foot. Levers or spring eyes are at 6 and 12.


Beaver and nutes have large rear feet. I want that foot nestled right in between the jaws.

I would think it might matter more with longsprings, for example, I like to guide both sides of #11's with guide sticks. Let's face it, you don' know which direction the animal is coming in from in many cases.
So it's more about guiding than with part of the trap is facing the attractor.

It only applies to the length of the leg. With short legged animals you want the critter approaching the trap so It steps between the jaws. Reason being that the jaw may throw the critter out of the trap If It hits the animals chest.I don't know If that can actually happen but that's the theroy.

The theroy behind placing the dog away from the approaching foot Is that the critter may step on the dog as the trap fires and will throw the foot or get you toe catches. In my opinion if the paw Is on the dogged side of the pan the traps not going to fire anyway.

Thanks, this makes good sense, especially with beaver.

I was not even thinking about water trapping when I typed up my question. Glad I didn't specify now.



This kind of makes sense but that means the animals leg would have to be less than 2 1/2 or 3 inches long long (a #1 or #1.5 trap). Maybe a mink or muskrat neither of which I've ever trapped.


I can definitely see this and it makes sense. I know if pan tension is too low and you apply pressure to the dog with your thumb the pan will drop and the trap firing will throw that thumb out of the trap. Of course it can and will still snap on the other thumb.

I think I'll add the quote "You don't know what you don't know to my signature line."

This, beaver trapping I always position my traps so they step between the jaws. Since I started out water trapping when I first went to land trapping I did the same, then later heard you were supposed to have the animal step over the jaws. If you look at most land animals (coyote for instance) their foot/leg is much thinner front to back than it is side to side, so you really want the jaws to close on the front and back of their leg/foot, if it closes side to side it will twist and slip until it is caught front and back by the time you get there. Probably not a big deal but could cause more foot trauma, I doubt it would ever cause a pullout.


I grew up hearing the same theories. Don't know how much truth there is to them, but a lot of old time knowledge on trapping was really some old trapper realizing that something upped his success a little bit, and sitting down and coming up with a reason this is so, whether the reason is correct or not is a whole nuther ball of wax.

X2.