How does " 32sissy40 " my new screen name sound ? I think it has a ring to it...........no more grabbing traps for me......

Haven't you heard...man purses are cool nowadays.......especially with shoulder strap.....glock fits real nice and easy to access.......had to lose the holster......the spare tire around my waist was causing problems....hope you guys never loose the sense of humor.........every body is so serious these days....

Caught ?? No. Hit ??? Yes.

Was cleaning debris from a 330 in moving water at a culvert. Apparently.....as I was nowhere near the trigger...... a stick musta flowed through and fired the thing. Hit me across the meaty part where my thumb conneccts to the rest of the hand. Blew my hand outta the water up over my head. I was past elbow deep in the water with no gauntlets. Just rolled up sleeves. Air temp was like 5° or something. But the pickup was running with the heater blasting 6 feet away on the road. I re-set and finished. Got in the truck. Drove 1/2 mile and my hand started to warm up...... Gad-freakin- ZOOKS !!!!!

For 6 months or so, any time I'd raise my right hand above shoulder high, my hand was like it was on fire. Some kinda nerve damage or something.

As far as hurting yourself goes, the old adage about "if your gonna do dumb things, you better be tough" applies to trapping, I mean come on.....the guy setting the trap knows it is there and how it works. I have a Jake trap that is pretty hairy, I have to tear it apart and see why sometime. It bit me again this week, but I keep setting it, and it keeps doing it's thing and I keep setting it.

Those Jake rubbers sure do hold onto a finger or thumb good don’t they.

I had a bad experience with a 330 Belisle about a dozen years ago that I’ll never forget. I was back in about a 1/2 mile from my truck on a frozen over flooding and was pulling a “swinging Susie”. The ice was snow-free, glare ice, and I’d splashed water on the ice I was standing at. I went to step back from the hole and my feet went out from under me causing me to fall backwards. The trap went up in the air as I was falling and as I hit the ice on my back I threw my left arm across my face. The 330 landed `on the arm in front of my face, clamping across my wrist & just above the elbow.

I carried a safety rope in a pocket and it was a struggle to get it out because I was laying in water on that slick ice so I couldn’t get a purchase very well. Between the rope setter and me wedging myself against a couple of willow bunches while laying on my back I was able to set the trap and get out but it took long enough that I had to stop and rest a couple of times. Let me be very clear, that incident scared the living bejesus out of me because the trap was going to hit me in the face/head if I hadn’t thrown my arm up to block it as it fell.

I have a steel bar that extends from the back of my left hand 1/2 way to my elbow and it’s not far under my skin. The Belisle left an imprinted mark right to the bar right through my coat sleeve.

Seldom, I've often thought of how one would get a 330 off if you fell and it managed to go over your head onto your neck. Way I figure it you're a dead beaver if that would ever happen.

Those were my EXACT thoughts BP. An experience I’ll never forget!

Scary story. I’m glad you reacted quick enough to protect yourself. That would been really bad if you hadn’t. It really hammers home the idea that we aren’t playing w/ toys. Personally I’m glad my grandkids were there so they could see how quick things can go wrong if you don’t give traps the respect they deserve.

I still rarely use the safeties though. I hate it more when I get home and can’t find my safety anywhere in my bag, truck…nowhere. Then you look at the pics you took of your sets 40 miles away……lol

Now, my traps are 90% Belisle and just leave the safeties on until I’m almost done, the odd time when I’m by myself I’ll forget to swing em off.

Some guys put their safety device on a rope/string and tie it to themselves.

I've never used a safety device. Never saw a need. I can hold the jaws easily in my clenched hand and that's safe enough for me.

I do the same thing if I have to mess around with one that's set (cleaning debris off the trigger or whatever I'm doing)

Yes, they can really get a grip on ya. That Belisle necklace would be worse. Glad you avoided and survived that one.

I wasn't paying attention last year and got myself caught in a 220 Belisle.

Earlier this week I went to brush a leaf off of a fully modified #3 Bridger regular jaw that I had just bedded. Put more pressure on the pan that I realized and snapped it on my hand. Had gloves on, made me cuss mostly because I had to start over and it was already dark.

That's what I do. When I 1st started, I watched a video of an old time beaver trapper. Very informative guy. His name escapes me now. I figured that if any one who is going to know what to do and what not to do it would be an old time beaver trapper. Anyway, He said putting it on is the 1st thing he did and taking it off is the last thing he did. He also said he always kept it tied to himself because sooner later he would get out of his routine and forget. I have been following his advice ever since. He was right.. I use the bright yellow safety. Visually it reminds me. Plus I can't walk away.

I won’t set a body grip unless l have my rope setter with me. I carry the locking setters with me but l won’t even throw a 110 in the truck if l don’t have my rope with me.
I remember years ago I went to see old varmitshooter and he’d got snapped on by a CDR that morning and l could not believe he could move his fingers. One finger was split from the middle joint to the tip and flat as a pancake. He’s way more tougher than l ever was or ever will be.

Of course out of concern, l think l told him l had seen animals hurt worse that got well. I wondered why he did’ t just wring it off.

I've only caught myself with a #1 but that's it, I guess I'm that good.

I've caught myself with: a #1 once, and a #0 a zillion times, and I think a 110 once...

dude im 14 and catch myself all the time it dont hurt in footholds, 110s aint bad either but i had a brand new out of the box bridger 155 and i lost feeling in my thumb for a year and a half because it snapped me so hard. if you pay attention to what your doing yo will be fine.