Just a curious question, in whatever kind of trapping you do how many tripped Empty Traps in whatever span of time before you start thinking something is off and you try to fix things? I hear the saying all the time "If you never had a snapped empty trap you never trapped" and yes I do agree with that. Happens to everyone but I see guys that have 2,3 or more snapped traps on every days check and don't think a thing of it.. If I had 2 or 3 snapped beaver traps out of even 30 sets it would drive me crazy(even one a day would) and Id be investigating like Holmes . Looking at placement and pan tension etc... Am I just being too OCD about it?
What's you all's thoughts?

I had 5 days in a row that I didn’t have a snapped and thought something was off-beaver trapping is not an exact science and things happen.Sometimes you catch a coon in a bottom edge set and then see a rat was swimming through the trap at the same time.

wow that sure is somethin

BG's trip for various reason on my line. Maybe the 330's trip and miss a rat. I have plenty of tripped traps when it rains and a bunch of debris gets stirred up and plugs traps.

Yea BG's like that are easier to understand.... What really bugs me and thankfully its rare, is footholds laying down the drowner empty

I'm gonna cut the pans down on my bridger 5 cs's. I hate when a well placed trap has nothing but a toe in it!

Some days it’s like the fishing when the fish bite soft.For me snapped traps,empty traps at end of drowner,toes,silted in traps come in bunches but still catch decent numbers that day and I just shrug it off.

Also after beaver get harassed by numerous trapper’s the unexplained snapped traps get more prevalent.

I had one a few years back that'd take set 330s on stands and throw em into deep water. Same beaver took two different bridger 5 specials and slid them down drowning cables. Weird thing was all the traps were still set. 330-Trapper gave me some great advice. Took two weeks to finally connect and when i did the beaver was missing toes on three of his feet, all were fully healed over so he was well educated.

Still hate seeing multiple snapped traps, and yeah, I investigate if the cause isn't obvious.

After the first 3 days of learning to trap and tweaking my system I never have a tripped trap unless there's an extra pale western coyote in it. All my guns shot one hole groups at a 100 yds with open sights too.

Got any bridges to sell?

That's why I got rid of my TS85's. Tripped in the bed, tripped part way down the drowner, and tripped at the end of the drowners... all empty. 4# pan tension too.

Should have used a COONDAGGER & you'd have got him !!!

w

Foot holds with traps empty down the wire/slide is often a miss because the traps too deep in the water when bedded on the banks. Set shallow or deeper on the bank and see if that helps.

With the conis I put the triggers on top if I think rats are springing them it avoids the kick of the rats setting the coni off and reduces kit catches some. If you find dead rats on the bank they probably were hit when they triggered a coni.

Thanks Law Dog a light bulb in my Tiny brain just went off.On those days I’m seeing a lot of snapped traps we’re always on a rise of about 4 inches so my trap wasn’t where it supposed to be but I caught awesome numbers anyway because the beaver go nuts on a raise (sometimes).

Any tripped trap gets investigated as to why. Any due to user error gets a good dog cussing of the dummy who did that.

If a critter did it I want to know why and what to try next.

But sometimes, especially with 330s, it just happens due to environment. Again I want to study on it to try to eliminate it.

Tripped traps happen but if you're paying attention they tend to get less common.

A beaver hits the bank with its chest setting off the traps if it hits that first the feet drop after that. Putting dead bump sticks in front of the trap helps a lot in getting them to drop their feet before getting to the traps. Helps in rising waters somewhat depending on the rise fall of the levels.

I agree pans are too big on 85’s. Add a dog and a CDR size PIT pan, problem solved, and now it’s my favorite trap.

Still not perfect though, that might take a 12” jaw spread. Which is not reasonable or safe in my world.

A smart beaver will give you fits I had a roadside one that who knows how many people tried to trap it. It avoided snares and pulled the conis into deeper water any steel above water level was screwed with or avoided.

I finally had to make a break in the dam and set a slide setup off to the side for when she went to repair it. It was a tough call not super deep so I set in deeper water for a back foot catch not an ideal situation but all I had to work with at the time.

Next trip the rig is pulled over the dam when I get there so I’m thinking the worse but there she was in the fast water by the back foot that made my day.

That's what I have did for years, cant take credit for it though. Paul told me about it 20 years ago. I put a ridge of mud in front of my trap that they breast on then walk over it into my trap