I got permission on some new ground I’m going to trap and know there’s still some traffic through there. Obviously I try and keep my sets out of sight, but there’s a chance someone might stumble upon my traps.

I double stake most the time, but was thinking about putting a chain stake on and then have a link of chain with a double stake swivel handy I could quick link on in a less traveled area. I know it might be a losing battle, but would like to know what you guys do for trap theft prevention?

There is no such thing as theft proof, as proven this weekend in Caracas.

Theft resistant is the best you can hope for by making it as difficult as possible. If it were me I'd go with the hardest to pull earth anchor, superstakes, heavy chain with every j hook welded.

Even then, it wouldnt surprise me in the least to have one come up missing or damaged. Dang crackheads and antis will expend 40 dollars worth of labor over a five dollar trap.

Had 2 750s stolen last week. Good luck!

Earth anchors, chained or cabled, no quick clips.

Make em at least blow their back out trying to pull it.

Yep, cable earth anchors j-hooked to the trap

If they want your trap their going to get it.

The only way I know of to not have a trap stolen, is to never catch anything.
An animal in a trap gives away the location of your trap
I don't use visual attractors at my set's where other people might go, it makes it to easy for someone to find it
I go with a poke hole, and I blend the set, sometimes so well I have trouble finding them,

If you are worried but still going to trap use reasonable traps. The best chance they might stumble into is if there is something in the trap. If you can check early and from a distance.

This^

And welded J-hooks. I've had jaws bent up where they hooked onto my trap with a fourwheeler and tried to pull them, they dug big holes spinning the tires and bent the jaws of the trap up, but it was still there. I also had someone take two one time that were set up like this with the anchors drove through a shot rock road. Two catch circles, boot tracks in the patchy snow leading up to there, and no traps. I've NO idea how they got them out of the ground, I figured on using bolt cutters to cut the chain when I pulled them.

I'd use reasonable priced traps or traps you don't really like and make them difficult to pull. If they really want them, they'll get them. But if they can't pull them by hand, the opportunists will leave them.

Yep. Always keep a few good functioning but more beat up or less expensive traps on hand for spots where there's a higher chance. Same goes for water trapping.

I appreciate the feedback, fellas. I pretty well thought that's what everyone would say for the anchoring, but wanted to see if anyone else had other ideas or experiences I hadn't thought of. As for the traps I had the same thoughts, it's not like I was going to use MJ500's.

I just figured it in as part of it.
Thought I had it figured out one year, and they where packing bolt cutters.
Some thing that has helped I don't flag my bobcat sets anymore.
I figure about 5 percent trap loss , and up to 10 percent critter loss.
Have not had any traps missing yet this year, but someone got 3 critters so far.

On my cage traps I run a 10 -12 ft piece of 3/32 cable looped thru back of cage around the near by tree and run a lock through the loops on each end so locked to tree. Next thing will be FITHOPS perimeter trip alarms with 12 gauge blanks filled with glitter.

I’ve cabled off to trees and only attached the traps with j hooks, no quick links or split rings. That way they need to have something to cut the cable or chain or open the j hook. Deep earth anchors that are hard to pull by hand should work. I think if they can’t just walk off with the trap it will minimize theft.

I have been lucky, only had a couple traps stolen. I have had more traps ran over, might as well have been stolen but just part of the game.

wws