Can somebody explain why they use drags. Foot hold traps aren't allowed here. Body grips below waterline (with some strange exceptions) or snares is what everyone uses. Never seen a drag. It seems like letting the catch run around, even if they don't run very far, is a bad idea. Why is a drag better than an anchor?

To hide the catch is why I've used them in the past.

Can keep the set from being ruined for when you remake.

Preserves the original set location with limited disturbance by allowing the animal to move away after being catch.
Drags can be arranged to force an animal in a general direction away from the set.

I don't use drags but some advantages is a catch doesn't destroy the set and in rocky ground were anchors don't want drive in

My main reason is I set right in the middle of a two track with the drag buried under the trap. When a yote gets in the trap he pulls the drag to the woods. So no coyote bouncing on a chain in the middle of the road for people to see and my catch is hidden till I get there.

They have their place 4 sure. But, bear country isn't their place.

Round here in many places there is no possible way to drive a stake in the ground, it’s solid rock, and there are no trees, so drags are the best option. In other areas drags make more sense because the soil is straight sugar sand and you’d have to use such ridiculously long stakes it’s just impractical. And in yet other spots, I want to preserve the site so I can remake the set exactly as it was, and staking solid would destroy the set.

There are many reasons to use drags

I've got a couple places so hard a masonry drill bit won't drill a pilot hole for a superstake in the ground. Those types of places are what drags are for I reckon

Ground is frozen rock solid.

Depends on what kinda you using

I only use drags in the winter when the ground is frozen. And they are for wolves. I don’t use them to hide a catch or not to ruin the set location.
Footholds are a better method for taking wolves and the frozen ground means get the drags!

I feel educated. Thank you.

Drags is something I wish I could use. Busted two anchors today. One cabled wolf fang snapped at the lower loop. Brand new when put in the ground. The other, a chained superstake, straightened a quick link. You can imagine the effort expended to do that with a puller.
Can't use them in subdivisions and backyards.

They dont work every where. They dont work for some trapping styles. If your trying to average 20-30 coyotes a day for example you dont have time to look for drags. If your trapping high dollar western cats on an extended check in BLM or National forest you want that cat to get hid good.

I can think of a few places drags would work for me, unfortunately I wouldn’t have time to chase them down unless I took off work or get up extra early to check.

I use drags for wolf. They are much less wary in the wide open windblown tundra,or river bar etc. those places are hard to hide a toggle, and drilling and freezing an anchor in is time consuming. Other places I use them to allow the wolf to get into the tree line out of passers by immediate field of view.

The older you get driving and pulling stakes gets harder. Laying that drag out and just picking it up is nice. I’ve gone to about 90% drags here. My Airedale likes to find the animals.

I am with shark hunter but I use 15 feet of chain and run it to the side of the road and hide the drag there. I also add a 5 pound sash weight to the chain to slow them down......jk

I like drags because the ground is super rocky and /or muddy.