I am looking to buy my first coyote traps. Any reason to avoid Bridger #2 Dogless 2 Coil Offset traps?

I am looking at this starter kit from Iron Trail which seems to be a really good value for the money.

I guess the other trap I am looking at is the No-BS K9 X-treme JR Kendall's choice 4 coil. But I am at $199 for just 6 traps with chain super stakes added. No extras included.

The Bridges will just fine.And if you go with the NO BS,if it were me,Id get them 2 coiled.That will save you a few bucks and you'll hold coyotes just as well

Hunter8282,

I'd skip buying the starter kit. Some items there you don't really need.

You can use deer meat for bait. Cut it into chunks and freeze. Thaw as needed and use fresh.

No real need for lure, but I would invest in a pint or two of red fox urine.

Logwood dye...not needed/wont adhere to new traps without surface rust anyway. Wax would be beneficial on new traps, but I'd go ahead & use them as is for a season or two...then do the dye/wax or dip treatment after cleaning them up good.

Use your fingers to sift dirt over traps. After a set or two, you'll develop a feel for rocks and sticks. Finger sifting creates a more natural-looking dirt pattern anyway.

Go to Walmart and buy a bag of polyfil stuffing in the craft aisle. Use an egg- sized wad of it under your pan. One bag will be enough to last you for years. Much cheaper than buying precut pan covers.

Buying the traps with the chain SuperStakes is a plus. You will need a driving rod for the SuperStakes and a decent hatchet will get you by...unless you have hard/packed soil...then you'll need a sledge hammer...2 lb or 3 lb head.



BTW...the Bridger 2 dogless traps are great coyote traps. I have been using several dozen for about 10 years now. The NoBS footholds are very good traps too....very heavy built, but are more expensive.

Great info guys. Keep it coming!

Nothing wrong with The #2.IF on a budget Fleming Traps has some Duke 550 on sale now.I run them with my MB 550 no issues so far.Ol Swamp Wolf gave some good info above.

@Swamp Wolf

So you'd recommend just getting this:
Traps
Fox Urine
Driver

My wife already has polyfil.

You'll need a sledge hammer to drive the stakes and possibly a hatchet....or you can purchase a modified trapper's sledge hammer with the welded on digging/cutting blade. Either way...you’ll need something to cut roots out of the way in the trap bed.

Just for another set/smell option....purchase 1oz of coyote lure.....I'd get one with a skunky odor.

You can use the driver rod to make dirthole sets...put bait in some, lure only in some. Make scent post sets with just urine, others with a dab of lure or buried bait.

Make sure the wife's polyfil doesn't have any odors....you want it clean...right out of the bag.

Don't be messy with the bait, lure, urine....keep it off the traps, other gear and your hands. Harbor Freight nitrile gloves are the best bargain.

Seeing as you're in Michigan, you are going to have to deal with frozen ground, something Swamp seldom has to down in his neck of the woods. So however you deal with that will also have to be added to the list. Personally I think waxed dirt/sand is the best solution if setting in dirt, and wax paper over and under the trap if setting in snow.

I'll second the Harbor Freight gloves, and if you need a hammer you can pick one up reasonable there. If you know how to weld it is nothing to make your own digging hammer. I've found a chunk of old leaf spring to work best as the digger, it won't bend like other steel.

X2 on Swamp wolf
Make sure the wife's polyfil doesn't have any odors....you want it clean...right out of the bag.

Don't be messy with the bait, lure, urine....keep it off the traps, other gear and your hands. Harbor Freight nitrile gloves are the best bargain.

I prefer the regular dog on traps, they're cheaper and for me easier to work with. I have and use some Bridger dogless but I prefer the dog on ones.

…. I run #2 bridger dogless…. 4 coiled mine

everyone has there favorite, mine is the Bridger #2 Dogless, mine are laminated and 4 coiled

Same here, one of my favorites too and mine are set up like yours.
Jim

@verminater71
@jabNE

Are these the traps you're talking about?

I have a large arsenal of #2 Bridger dogless two coiiled traps. I’m not a fan of four coils but those work well for others.
The 2-coil dogless #2 bridgers are THE current workhorse on my coyote and cat line. I have quite a variety of traps I use but far I run the most of this trap size and make.
It’s a nice all round predator trap for my like.
Some of mine are laminated and those came four coiled but I removed the second set of springs to make them two coiled.
Most of my #2s are not laminated though, as in the following pics.
I actually run my new traps a couple of seasons before I dye and wax them, so that could save you dyes for first season or two if buying new.
I’m not concerned about scent here we have a lot of farms and acreages and there is human scent around everywhere.
That may not be case in your area and maybe you can’t get away with I’m able to here. Who knows.
Jim

I figure if I buy the 4 coil and don't like them for some reason, I can always remove the 2 additional coils like you did jabNE. Thanks for the additional info!

Get some drags for frozen ground, we use them a lot in Wyoming.

these are pretty much ready to go rite out of the box
https://mntrapline.com/collections/traps-1/products/dogless-2-modified-bridger

AH! I didn't realize the ones I linked are not dogless. So many traps, so confusing! THANK YOU!

you're welcome,

if you have a chance to get to a convention i highly recomend it, you can put your hands on a lot of traps, then decide what feels best to you

… used to run two coil … had 2 coyote and 1 cat pull out of pad catches right in front of me .. 4 coiled after that

… one is too many