Looking ahead to next season, I’m planning to spend a lot more time in the water. Prices are down, so figure it’s a great time for some hard knocks training.

I’ve caught coon, skunk, mink, and rats but always in DP’s or colony traps. But I’m wanting to work on my pocket hole, top edge set game.

I run Wolf fangs on my canine sets, and like them just fine, but my real question is, how do berkshires hold up in creek bottoms and mud? I want a cheaper alternative to Wolf fangs since they’ll be on cable and likely to get cut instead of pulled.

I thought about pogos as well, but we have rocky creek bottoms around these parts, so not sure how the driver would hold up.

I’ll likely buy and test over the summer months, but wanted some feedback with everyone’s thoughts and ideas.

When I first switched to earth anchors, I used Berkshire standards and HD. I did like that it was easy to make drivers for them anytime I needed one. I didn’t care for Berkshires. The HD tips would straighten out very often in our clay soil if I didn’t make a pilot hole. The standards would fold in half when I’d pull on them at times.


Once I switched to wolf fangs and bought a quality driver, I was completely satisfied in their holding power and strength. Wolf fangs had actually been cheaper than Berkshire’s when I was buying them, so I really had no reason to consider any other type. Now I see they’ve gone up.

To be honest, I’d probably give pogos and a quality driver a chance before I’d go back to Berkshires if I had to stop using wolf fangs.


That’s my opinion. I know a lot of people like Berkshires

I use the Berkshire standards and they have worked very well in a variety of soil types. Held coon, fox, and coyote so far. It is about 50/50 when pulling them if they fold. I always straighten and reuse. I haven't been trapping long, but so far so good. Only had one that the driver ripped through the eye. That was only because I hit a tree root.

Standard berkshires is all I've used for coyote trapping. Haven't used them in creek bottoms or mud but I'm sure they'll do fine. No big deal if they fold in half. That's what I like about them. They can be pulled easily and reused. Just bend them back out with pliers and reuse. You'll only be able to do that about 3 times and then they'll weaken, crack, or break at the tab the cable is attached to.

I always use the Bershire soft ground anchors in the water and they work very well. I had some pulled by beaver and very large coon but it's only happened in very sandy creeks. No problems at all in clay.

I use the standard bershire:s with about 12inches of cable for years and not lost a critter yet by pulling the anchor.

I run standards and HD berks for a long time, both water sets and coyote sets. Pilot holes necessary in hard dry or frozen ground. They work.
I have some pogos I put on snares because they are cheap and easy to build at home. My 3rd or 4th pogo driver now now, went through a lot of drivers when using them for dirt trapping so I only use them on snares or water sets some.
Jim

I run the soft ground Berkshires on about 30" of cable on all my water traps. Sometimes you need all 30 inches in soft mud, sometimes you need half of that or less in harder bottom. This set up pretty much covers all situations for me.

I have used the HD and sand stakes for years now and have no complaints.

It you don't have hammer them in fairly hard ground berkshires work real well.

For water sets I make my own cable stakes from 3-4" pieces of 1/2" conduit. It holds great and is very cheap to buy and build them. Its about $5 for 10' of conduit that'll make 30+ stakes.





The driver is just 1/2" rod with a conduit T and short piece of conduit as a stop so the driver won't hurt the cable inside the stake.

I made up a bunch of ADC’s conduit and already had a driver. My snares are on 6-10 ft extensions and driven into the top of the bank. Since the beavers pull sideways, the conduit anchors hold extremely well.

I’ve also used standard berks as well as the heavy duty type in river sand and they all work because the critter is pulling sideways. When I pull them out, I stand over them, bend my knees and pull with all my might. From sand, they come out fairly easily. But in dry sets, I have to cut some off or dig them out.

For dry sets, Wolf fangs never come out without digging. But, I’ve caught most of my coyotes with standard berks. Maybe I’ve been lucky.

If I were to use berks again, it would be the originals. Not the HDs because I'm not ever going to predrill a hole for disposable. I'll go back to cross staked rebars before that.

I once felt the same way. IF it didnt go. I went from a 3 lbs hammer to a 6 lb hammer. OR 8 lb cut off sledgehammer. BUT now at 50. I predrill holes ! Bad knees and 2 fused up disks and get old. Have changed my mind on = predrilling holes for disposable stakes. I have been trapping coyotes for 35 years now. And making things easier on my body is what I know try to do. Like = Move to West Texas !

x2

Drags or extensions are a lot easier on the body and prefer those whenever I can.

I also like drags. Using them lots in West Texas. Great = until a mule deer takea them for a ride ! Spent 2 hrs. Just the otherday looking for MJ 600 and 10 ft of chain and Saber Tooth drag. Only went 300 yards. But. Its easy. In rock to miss a drag mark. I just was looking in wrong place. Founf trap bout 3 ft up. In fork of bush. Glad to find it to!!! LoL !!!

I went from rebar years ago to Bershire HD. Love em