If you can absolutely assure no domestic bycatch then I would choose a 160 over a cage any day of the week. You will catch skunks at the same sets as they will hunt and check out any burrows they find. Raccoon sized cage traps with corn husks layered on the bottom, corn cobs in the back and a small cantaloupe smashed into two. One customer I caught 7 in 3 days with the cages that way, and another customer I took 9 in 160s the week before. Depends on where and when. If you have bycatch don’t use a coni especially on a client you’re not close with.

Yeah conibears work really well but you WILL catch the occasional skunk and possum as well over a chuck hole. Which is fine by me as they are nest raiders anyway.

Tommy, down by us there are way too many stray feral cats. I have cages get plugged up with the occasional cat, I’ve even had a stray in a fisher box deep into the woods. So if you can block off around where you are setting then it works well. Typically if I have to crawl under a deck or trellis to get to a den hole and can’t fit a cage under there I’ll set a 160. In a situation like that you can kinda eliminate the chance for a cat but they will get into trouble EVERY where they can fit

I have several strays that come through but I use a bucket conibear near my foundation where the chuck hole is. Cats won't go in those, we have to place the trap 4" in from the front of the bucket. Slots have to be 8" long too here in buckets. Cats walk under my back patio all the time near the bucket set. So far they show no interest at going in my Comstock cage trap.

I also like the comstock traps. I've caught a lot of groundhogs in the 9 × 11 ×18. Easier to set and I have taken some huge hogs in them. Not sure how they work, but they work. They have to be getting smacked by the doors on the nose and the butt at the same time. I think that the strong springs on the doors make it possible.

And then there was a guy who did this and killed the neighbors cat. . .

A Safeguard trap with a hole in the trap floor will work just as well.

Honeydog. The history behind the short Comstock 18 inch groundhog trap. We had been using a 34 inch long trap, which was more trap than was needed, taking up space in the truck and at the location, requiring a more open area to set. Got thinking shorter might also work. Made a 30, then went to a 24 just to see, but having no doubt that it would work, and it did. Barely a week later I woke up one morning with numbers in my head. An 18 inch trap is 9 inches to center, not long, but the power doors stick out 6 inches, which is now a 15 inch span. Because a wire trigger is a net plus, meaning that it allows the animal to go past center before the trap fires, you can add on another 3 inches for trigger travel, which brings the catch portion to 18 inches, which is adequate for even the big chucks. I knew the trap would appear short but after catching 50 chucks in a short time, I knew we were all set. They also work great on skunks and 'possum, while Stan Thain in Georgia even caught 10 armadillos in a row in the 18's, though he and I both would recommend a 24 just to be on the safe side. It was the combination of the moving trigger with the powered doors that made it work.

Only on rare occasions will we use conibears in very safe areas. In the hot weather the 'chuck bellies go green in a matter of a few hours, pretty stinky.

Following this and see majority suggest cage traps, my situation is different as My client wants a major reduction of marmots/rockchucks/,grounds hogs removed from their Alfalfa field without someone sitting their popping caps on a 22 mag, thinking a small double coil just inside the burrow opening. Any recommendations on size of trap other than 2 dozen colony cages. Says we'd be talking 35 plus chucks probably closer to 50

Time spent is a major consideration when trapping for profit. I'll set 3-4 cage traps on a single hole and fill all of them. Do this on the most active holes and you'll clear them out fast. Fill in the least active holes to channel their behavior. I want to get in there and figure out where to set, set, and then come back when convenient to collect and reset. Footholds will do the job, but you aren't stuffing 4 down the hole and catching 4 every visit.

One and a halfs in the mouth of the hole will work it you insist on going that route. Just stake away from the hole. The wise use of cages mentioned above will be more efficient.

Quick note...I saw a mention of the Comstock traps being harder to set...I would encourage use of the setting tool that is available for those traps. Part of their effectiveness stems from the strong springs. The setting tool comes in handy for overcoming the resistance of the spring and makes the job much easier. I would hate to see someone shy away from them on the basis that they can be tougher to set. I would really miss my Comstocks for groundhogs.

Ditto, the reason a Comstock Cage is a bit harder to set and therefore more effective is due to the much higher spring tension on both the door and lock bar that closes the doors in a split second, less chance for a miss. The doors each have about 11 pounds of pressure. Most other cage traps have springs only on the lock bar and lighter springs at that. The setting tool, actually designed by Dave Sheldon of One Handed Trap Setters, does make setting super easy. The setter will even work on the larger 12x12 and 12x18 beaver traps. I have never used a setter myself after setting so many over the years. We catch some pretty good numbers of chucks at the same locations annually with the double door cages and nose cones, usually 30 a year at one spot. Ironic, but they just called five minutes ago.

I've never used a setter either, but know a guy who had his hand slip off a trap and break his thumb. I assume he wasn't paying attention.

I was setting a 110 once in the morning and had my thumb slip off the wet trap. That woke me up!

I'm not a big guy (thin) and 65 years old and I can set my Comstock fairly easily. You learn how to do it pretty quick. Lift it up with the left hand and rest on my thigh, grab the top of the door with that left hand then set the catch with the right hand. Nothing is getting out of those traps, those doors are pretty strong and fast!