This may be a dumb question but I've never actually figured out what exactly guarding the loose jaw is? What does it do and how do you do? Pics would be appreciated... TIA

Never heard that term before.

Usually involves putting something that an animal won't step on next to the jaw. If you're bedding your trap deep enough, this isnt a problem

I don’t worry about the loose jaw but due about the dog. A dropping is the go to. The loose jaw needs to be stable.

This was mentioned at one of the demos in Sioux. Can’t recall if it was Rusty or one of the 4 legends that were at the table together. I wasn’t 100% sure of it either, but assumed it was something like sniperbbb mentioned. Kinda blocking the loose jaw.

This guy gets it.





It was a catch phrase to catch trappers.

If it were today it would be “trending”.



If your traps bedded well, there’s no need to “guard” anything.

Thanks!

John Graham talks about it a lot in his fox book. It's a very common method for people using a walk through type set. Some very good trappers use a lot of guiding on canine sets.

Its a wording thing I suppose. We want the animals to step on the pan, so guys try to crowd them over the pan. Which is fine. But in the name of "protecting the loose jaw or dog" is nonsense. Outside of trail sets or bobcat sets, stepping guides are mostly useless if your sets produce any foot traffic at all. Its the sniff'n'go sets and trail sets that need a bit more help.

From a water trapper's point of view . . . "guarding the loose jaw" is very important to me when making pocket sets along a bank that has shallow water for at least a foot or so.

Be it a coilspring or longspring trap, that loose jaw is susceptible to the roving paws of a 'coon searching the bottom for goodies. Doesn't take much of a lift on the 'coon's part to flop that loose jaw up and over, even if that trap is snugged into the substrate.

A foot long stick the diameter of a pencil stuck next to the loose jaw can be enough to guide the paw away from the loose jaw. Foot long so you can stick what you need to in the bottom so it continues to stand up to waves, current, debris, etc. If you're concerned about current bringing leaves to the stick and causing problems for the trap, a simple "wingdam" can be made upstream to divert garbage away from the set. And if the trap is placed in the proper spot/position, the target foot should instead land squarely on the pan.

Sounds like a lot of foo foo rah I'm sure to some, but if repeated over and over again with every pocket set it becomes second nature to make your set this way. I keep a bundle of such sticks in the boat just for this purpose.

No loose jaw to worry about on a 750. Over kill for fox & coyote, but an offset will still keep the little bugger there.

whats the difference between it grabbing the loose jaw and flipping it over vs grabbing the fixed jaw and flipping it over?

Set a foothold trap. Place it on a table top. Take your index finger and place under the loose jaw. Slightly raise your finger just enough to raise the loose jaw. See the loose jaw go up?

Now take your index finger and place under the dogged jaw. Slightly raise your finger with the same minimal force as you did the loose jaw. Did it go up?

Note from my text above . . . Doesn't take much of a lift on the 'coon's part to flop that loose jaw up and over, even if that trap is snugged into the substrate.

The guide stick accomplishes two things: guides the 'coon's foot onto the pan, and guides it away from the loose jaw.

Like I said above, this becomes part of making a pocket set. With thousands of repetitions it becomes natural. It's all about percentages over time. Multiply the repetitions by seasons setting and by the time you're too old to wade the shoreline anymore your extra effort should have generated a marked increase in the catch rate.

But, of course, how would you really know. Right?

again so if the coon grabs the locked jaw and pulls the trap out of the bed. whats the practical difference? You have a trap that is out of position or commision either way

Sometimes I'll put a small dirt clod or two or a small twig at the loose jaw or wherever I don't want the animal to step. I just make it look natural. I've seen where they stepped on dirt clods at dirt holes before though, so I'm not sure it even helps much.

You won't catch me putting a bunch of unnatural looking sticks and guiding at canine sets though. I like natural looking sets.

If you position the trap so the dogged jaw is not in the direct line of travel to the pocket, the chances of a flipped trap are greatly reduced. If you'd like pictures, please advise.

This quote by James Clear takes me back to 1986 at the NTA rondy in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Kermit Stearns gave a classroom presentation on mink trapping. His detailed explanation of the bait holder in the back of the pocket initially struck me as a waste of time. Why, I thought, couldn't a fella just toss the bait into the back of the pocket and move on? Fortunately, I opened my mind, listened, and took notes. Still have 'em somewhere.

His bait holder was a Y-stick. A branch he cut in the summer that was perhaps 10" long with a Y at one end, the other end sharpened. He allowed these to dry prior to season. The bait was skewered onto the stick and the stick thrust into the roof of the pocket in back. The Y end kept it from falling off. As the stick swelled from the moisture in the roof of the pocket it locked into place. Yea, lots of foo foo rah.

What did it accomplish? Kept it out of the water, didn't spoil as quickly. Mice couldn't get at it as easily. Waves couldn't wash it out as easily. Easily seen by target critters. Place it far enough back in the pocket and a 'coon can't reach it without going in a bit.

From that day on I incorporated Y sticks into the river trapline. Eventually I got to grinding carp, wrapped them in cheesecloth bags, and froze them prior to season. Skewered the twisted end of the bag with the Y stick and there they hung like a set of gonads in the back of the pocket. The white cheesecloth gave the extra visual.

Repeated over 30+ years and who knows what difference it made in the long run;. Important thing is, it made me feel like I was improving my game.

Same goes for the guide stick.

I'd like to see some pictures. I think I understand what you're saying but what if you put the loose jaw towards the pocket instead of towards the stream?

I shall provide pics next week. Too darned hot this weekend to set it up.

Loose jaw faces the middle of the stream.

Perhaps. Its just frankly not an issue I have here because we generally dont have clear water unless trapping the odd rocky creek, Clear water, coons get grabby and need to set the trap further off the bank. Also, I almost never put the trap in front of the pocket unless its for mink specifically in which case it goes in the pocket. I prefer to blind set the pocket on each sides which does a few things, less worry about said grabby coons because their attention is on the pocket instead whats under their feet, gets coons away from the pocket saving it from having to be remade since i long chain, easier to gang set 1 pocket with multiple traps instead of digging pockets for each trap. and generally better chance of catching every possible critter as they work the shelf instead of relying on them actually working the pocket.