My favorite muskrat traps are the #1 stop loss.I make sure I stake for the largest animal around---While I don't purposely set this trap for beaver and coon--by staking correctly,I have taken hundreds of beaver and coon in my muskrat sets, The largest beaver I have taken in a #1 stoploss weighed 53 pounds. A few years ago;I redesigned Dukes Stoploss for them
Tom

Well, first one, right? I attempted to make a box trap a month or so ago.. I don't think I'll talk about it... It's a sad story lol

But I mean failing is good because it teaches you how to build a better trap

I’m not offended you said it was bad because if I ask ya what ya think give it to me straight. I know it sucks lol

Oh boy my first box trap was so bad. This trap sucks but I have a resivoir that has so many small bluegill so I will set it there and just pull it up every ten minutes and I know it will catch. Im so dissapointed ngl I spent money and time to fail… again… and again… even more… yep keep goin. Litterly every single thing I’ve made of wire has failed. My colony traps worked but I had a mink in one and he bent the door all the way out and it was 16 gauge wire and it was a long door was it would have been hard to bend out

1 inch by 2 inch is what I use and the one colony trap I love is as made from like 10 gauge wire. If you could buy a peice of 1 inch by 2 inch wire that is like the same gauge as hog panel it will keep its shape better and is easier to work with then flimsy wire