Hello,

Are body grippers meant to kill or just hold the catch? more specific: will a #1 body gripper as sold in Bass Pro do a squirrel in 20min?
Thanks everybody

I'm not seeing a "#1 Body Gripper" on bass pro's website but they are a trap designed to dispatch the catch immediately upon catching them. Outside of catching an animals leg only in one I have personally never heard of something being alive in them or taking as long as 20 minutes to do it's designed job.

Designed to dispatch quickly, however bad hits or misaligned hits can occur and not allow it to function as designed. Much can be done with tuning of the trap dog/trigger to allow for quick firing as well as how the trap is postioned and guiding used to ensure the target animal is best positioned to recieve the hit.

As for squirrels you're going to want a 110 or better yet a 120 trap.

You must mean #110... And yes they are designed to "do" critters almost instantaneously. I have caught a dozen or so squirrels in 110s and they're always "done" immediately.

@warrior

Sir, can you refer me to some video showing how to do the tuning, guiding?
I have never used a body gripper and find it difficult to figure out.
Thank you.

Described for larger BGs, but same concept for the smaller BGs.

https://www.trapperman.com/trapperman/Basic_Sets_Bodygrip_Adj.html

I was hoping for a video showing how to load the trap. Loading the regular #1 regular trap trap was extremely difficult and dangerous (for me). This one looks even more dangerous and they actually sell a tool for loading. So, a vid showing how to use the tool would be great.

https://www.basspro.ca/p/bridger-bodygrip-tool

or

https://www.basspro.com/p/bridger-aluminum-body-grip-setter

Something seems a little off here.

I’m guessing you just plan on whacking a few squirrels? For me, the bigger the trap, the easier it is to set.
Best to get in touch with your local fur council if you’re from Ontario, there’s a ton of trappers that’ll help.
https://furmanagers.com/staff-board-of-directors/
Here’s a ton of additional info…..
https://fur.ca/

X2

X3

It's not rocket science, with all the information provided by members above.





X4

x5

Trapper noob, how old are you? What, if any, trapping experience do you have?

Body grippers are a tool designed to be a quick dispatch. But it’s not instantaneous. For squirrel sized critters, I’ll bet it’s less than a minute. Over the years, I’ve taken countless muskrats and mink in this sized trap. Most never moved the trap after it fired.

From your profile, you live in Ontario. I’ll bet there is an Ontario trappers association, or some companies that do animal damage control (adc). I’ll bet you’d have a blast talking to them. Then you’ll be able to ask and see the tricks of the trade. YouTube is a good place to start, but nothing beats having a mentor who can lead you to your own discoveries.

I am over 50. I have no experience.
Yes, in ON there are companies that charge $200 to remove pests, but the pests will arrive again. and I am not paying $200.
I used the regular bridger trap and it caught a squirrel, but then I had to face it eye to eye and it was very difficult to put a noose on a fast moving animal. it also decided to destroy some of my wood lattice under the deck. This is in an area where people come in my baclyeard, so I had to spend time and money to fix my lattice. that is why I want to try a body gripper.

Not sure what all the others find suspicious in my posts.

@ Shakeyjake
these folks charge $80 per catch. and there is no friendly advice etc. I will try my luck with the body gripper.

Hire a licenced trapper.
You are going to catch someones pet and ultimately give professional trappers and the industry as a whole a black eye.
In ontario it is illegal for an unlicenced trapper to posess traps exactly for that reason.
Those laws were advocated for and passed due to a push by Ontario trappers to keep people like yourself from harming the profession.
Whats your address,Im sending the game warden over to your place.

Geez....

everybody:
location question: let's say I have the trap, what is a good positioning and do I need some kind of bait? do I set it in front of a tree, dig a small hole in the ground etc?

Check out "Trappers Tip" above, that should answer some of your questions

Just so you know: It is illegal for any person to possess or use an operable body-gripping trap, except a licensed trapper or a person who has been licensed as a trapper in the past five years or a farmer or any member of the farmer’s family who resides with the farmer on the farmer’s property.

https://www.ontario.ca/page/ontario-trapping-regulations-summary

Boco already stated this, but just in case you missed it!

Darn it anyway

The original body grip trap invented in 1958 by Erving Two Smokes Conibear (some called him Frank), works like an anaconda. the more the animal wiggles, the tighter the trap becomes with no means of relenting, resulting in rapid demise.
The man was a genius, more so than he probably realized at the time he created it. No one has come up with a better design for the job since.