A trap is born.

This is a Todd Strohecker (CoonDuke) designed trap. Made by Gary Haupt (hammer).
Dubbed 'The Pennsylvania Trap'.

Gary uses a #5 Bridger with an 8 1/2" jaw spread. He removes jaws, cuts down jaws for 6 1/2" to achieve legal jaw spread in Pennsylvania. Doing this, keeping the extra width, lever to lever plus and keeping the huge pan.
Todd's design & Gary's reshaping makes this an excellent Beaver trap with added jaw spread & large pan.

Left--- original #5 Bridger
Right- HMR Bridger #5 aka The Pennsylvania Trap






Gary & County Cletus tested this trap the past season with good results.
They will be available at PTA Rendezvous in June at Gary's booth.
Thanks to Todd & Gary for giving Pa. folks another trap size option.

Here's a video Todd sent me-

So both dog on and dogless ?

Great traps. too bad I don't have the opportunity to do a test.

Yes
Standard jaws or offset jaws

Our warden would measure it axel to axel and it would be too wide. My opinion is not legal for Pa. I’d have to get it approved in Harrisburg first

Show side to side measurement please

I’ve seen where jaw spread was left to the wardens discretion. I’d have to hear from to top before I’d use them

I always wondered why someone didn't make a trap similar to a #4 Blake and Lamb dbl under spring that's has similar dimensions.

Hope they do well with it!

Had a argument with the wardens in the Pa game commission camper at the Clearfield rosy a few years ago. I presented a off set duke #4 with the pressed offset. Both measured and both had a different opinion. One measured inside jaw to jaw. The other measured outside jaw to jaw. With the outside pressed offset it was not legal. Tip to tip or across the pan, outside measurement cannot exceed 6.5 inches. They agreed finally after a call to Harrisburg. I’m Leary of your new design.

No dis to Wardens but if I was asking approval,
I'd ask the Magistrate or Judge, or Lawyer.
Someone will be along with the written law.

Way to go guys, good luck.

:

Kev you spelled excel wrong

Been busted by GP so many times I just had to lol.

Exceed. I got it right. Or is it wright? Lmao

Why can’t you guys use beaver traps up there? Is it that the law has never been upgraded to reflect the newer beaver traps that are not named #4? I’m assuming that since your jaw spread limit aligns with that.

Thought you meant axil
said the gear head, that now rides a,,,,never mind lol..

Nice looking trap, but how much are we talking on the price?

I'll be that guy.

The written law, at least what I can find is vague, intentionally vague like a lot of our Game Code if you want my opinion.

Pennsylvania Statutes Title 34 Pa.C.S.A. Game § 2361.

Unlawful acts concerning taking of furbearers

(a) General prohibitions.--Except as otherwise provided in this title, it is unlawful for any person to:

(8) Use a pole trap, deadfall, poison, explosive, chemical, leg-hold trap with teeth on the jaws or with a jaw spread exceeding six and one-half inches or any device prohibited by regulation of the commission.

No mention that I can find on how that trap is to be measured. So I take it to mean not exceeding 6.5" outside to outside of the jaws on any axis. Keep it completely under 6.5" and you have taken any arbitrary discretion away from the warden.

If your warden measures frame post to frame post that’s not the legal measurement. If so then every bridger number 3 is illegal and very well used trap in pa.

I agree .you measure across the pan. not lever to lever.

I agree, that's the commonsense way and should be the only measure of jaw spread. But I couldn't find anything in the code that stated that.

Very gray area and some wardens have different opinions. Run it by the office in Harrisburg

I just walked down to the fur shed to check one of my Bridger # 3's. Inside to inside of the frame posts (where the jaws go through) is 6.5" which would be the actual outside jaw spread in that direction. 6.5" across the center line of the dog and pan too.

You should contact the state enforcement supervisor by e-mail to get a written clarification/interpretation of the law,either directly or thru your state trapping federation who should have direct contact with the enforcement supervisor.

I agree, before a lot are made and used.

At hunter trapper ed classes, all wardens that I have conferred with measure across the pan.

Here's hammer testing the Pennsylvania trap-

These traps will be worth money on the collector's market down the road. Very few will be produced.

I am told wardens are instructed to measure jawspread at the dog outside to outside. To be frank, this regulation is due to the way our game code was written…a long time ago and not easy to change.

Hammer is making a small run of these for a niche market of PA beaver trappers. He figured out how to rework the jaws and gets full credit. I just asked him if it could be done an he made it happen.

To me it’s a judge all. If you place the trap for target animal to step Omer the trigger or dog , trap is legal. If you turn the trap for animal to step over lever trap is too wide and illegal. I would not push my personal luck. Too each their own

KC,
PGC outside jaw measurement is taken from dog jaw directly across center to opposite jaw, at same point. This is the standard PGC measurement.
Pretty simple to remember.
Like this-

Or lawmakers want to leave it intentionally vague so wardens can interpret regulations however they want.

That is certainly the way any foothold should be measured and it would be a great help to all involved if the Game Code actually had that written into it.

Many thanks to Todd & Gary for giving us another 6 1/2" trap option.

Or, WE wrote it this way, a more defined "rewrite"
would really give us something to bawl about.
Careful what you wish for.

Measurement is to be taken outside jaw spread at the dog like coonduke said. This I have checked on. For if aloud to choose personally how to measure the jaw spread then about every trapper in pa better start selling some traps for they are illegal some examples no bs jr illegal, number 3 duke illegal, bridger number 3s illegal, mb 650 even inside laminated illegal, outside laminated num2 bridgers very popular trap in pa illegal if aloud to measure a jaw spread how the individual see fit to. Some examples.

So why not just use a number 4 ? What am I missing here

Which #4?

I have never understood why any regulations refer to the outside of the jaws for the jaw spread measurement. The area inside the jaws is what determines the actual working area of the trap. In NC, jaw spread for body grips and footholds is defined by the inside dimension and there is an illustration for both body grips and footholds that clearly shows how it is to be measured.

For what it's worth, I typed in define jaw spread and this came up on top.1

You’re gaining frame length to be able target/better accommodate a beavers rear foot. Turn the trap and run it with lever pointing toward to bank or direction of travel and you won’t be trying to squish a rear foot into something too small.

Nice work Hammer! Keep your chin up and don't fall into their game!

Prior to using this new trap, I was using K9 Extremes for beaver trapping. You can see in the picture the difference the longer frame gets you. I don’t think you could ask for a more centered/perfect catch of a rear foot in a K9 extreme, and it’s all jammed in there. I know this trap is PA legal, there is no discussion to be had, and I’m convinced that this new PA legal beaver trap is by far the best option on the market!

There are some very good wardens in Pa and a great one just retired but there are others who have no concern for for you or wild life.......jk

Duke #4?

We sat down a few years back with our game dept. and clarified some gray wording on traps and snares. The measurement we came up within traps is jaw spread measured perpendicular to the hinges. We had holdover nomenclature that read #2 or smaller and #4 maximum. Since all the newer traps came out we went strictly to jaw spread definitions. We are not limited by any jaw spread for water sets. It can be 10 inches for a foothold.

#4 Duke (same size as #3 Bridger) is what we can use now. The new Pennsylvania Trap gives a bigger catch area but is still legal.

Watch Todd's video to see size different. #4 Duke vs. Pa. Trap, both legal in Pa.
about 3:45 minute mark-

I will check it out when I get a chance thanks Hern

Nice traps Hammer. Keep up the good work.

This is really pretty simple…if you are scared that your warden would not consider this trap legal, simply do not buy it.

If you can catch beavers is coyote-sized trap by all means continue to do so. I’ve caught lots in coyote traps but I have also caught them in real beaver traps. I’ve seen the difference in efficiency.

This trap gives PA trappers and option to use a somewhat more efficient trap.