Or so I’ve been told.

In Pennsylvania, the maximum jaw spread for foothold traps is 6 1/2 inches. That really isn’t big enough to target back feet of beaver so I always set for a front foot catch.

Sometimes rising water levels turn a front foot set into a back foot set. This morning I caught one that didn’t know he wasn’t supposed to get caught by the back foot in Bridger # 3.

It happens sometimes but, as you can see, there’s not a whole lot of room leftover and this was not a giant beaver, a 28 pound two-year-old.

I've caught a lot of beavers by the hind foot in Northwoods #3, which is the same as a Bridger #3.

I catch a lot of beavers here in Pa by the back foot using #3 and #4 Dukes. A beaver on a drowning rig isn’t gonna be able to really fight a trap for more than five minutes before it dies. With back foot catches, deeper water is a must.

same here Paul, still have my Northwoods 3s-4s

I've back footed a lot of them in #4 dbls, which is about the same size as your Bridger #3 coil. I usually always set for front feet, unless there isn't a good spot to bed the trap for a front foot, but sometimes the situation dictates a hind foot set, or as you said, the water rises. Most of my old beaver traps have teeth on them though, and that helps hold on a less than ideal catch on that hind foot. I've even hind footed them in #3 dbls without a problem, quite a lot when I was starting out, because a)I wasn't big enough to set a #4 (had never heard of trap setters back then either) and b)I was not as good at trap placement.

I backfooted one in a duke 1 1/2. Muskrat set.

Sure thats a lot to ask of a #3 for the whole foot but for webs they are fine.

This was a few years ago and it was a big beaver.

Backfooting in Bridger #3s is all I do. I have a bunch of these from coyote trapping and it’s nice not to buy other equipment for beaver work. Recycling dirty coyote traps to the water line works great. The Jaw spread on the #3 coil Bridger is seriously about same if not maybe even a little wider than on most #4 longs, and gosh how many beaver have been taken in #4 longs over history?
Jim

Not much room left over there Lug! lol

This one filled up an MB 750. Big pregnant female.

Would this also work if the trap was offset?

Can and should are two different questions


Caught a bunch in Bridger 3s my first years of beaver trapping until CDRs and TS 85s came out. Can't say that they many that I got by the back foot were full buries. Mostly held by toes.

I like to use them on rivers that water levels fluctuate. Here in Wi the Bridger 3 is the largest size trap allowed unless it is under water. Might be a technicality but I worry that a legal beaver set could become illegal if the water drops and a 750 is high and dry.

I have a dozen Victor No. 3s for trapping beaver. I always set for the front foot, but caught and held several by the back foot. It's not ideal, but it works. Have held several by a toe or two with those tough little Victors. It goes without saying that all of these are on drowners.

Sometimes they’re hooked up hard ( #3 Duke #4 Dukes )







Sometimes, not so much…

Son of Griz, I am not a big fan of offset traps and I have very few of those.
Jim

Thanks Jim. I was just curious because I was thinking of getting better coyote traps and I liked the idea of using them for both.

I’ll take any incidental coon I can get and offsets were not helpful to me there.

Jim

Duke #3 for me for coyote and beaver. Just last week I got my first toe in a beaver trap. Most are above the middle of the foot, I aim and hope for rear foot catch, they do not pull out of them. Mine are mostly3 coiled some weaker ones have 4 coils. They just work!!......jk

Don't think this 1 is going anywhere in the#3.

I ran Duke #3s for a few seasons years ago. Got along good with them on beaver. They don’t compare to the mb750s I run now though.

Pa spread laws "are" different.
More than once been told 1.75s
are too small but 3dls are ok.
I do own a yard stick or two.

Trapset, first thanks for what you did for me. But I would rather carry in 5 d-3 then 5 750s.......jk

I did it once in a victor #3 dls

Oh fer sure on the carry jk!! I would also rather get my hand caught in a Duke 3 than an MB750!!
I know from experience I can get out of a D3, not sure what I'm going to do when/if I get pinched by a 750.

Wouldn't be be one bit afraid of using a #3 Bridger coil. I mainly use Bridger #5 coils but if I run short I have a couple #3's that are not laminated that go in.

Anything is possible. Ive toe caught a beaver in a bridger #2 when I didn’t have a extra #3 to spare.

Small traps work on beaver but not something most of us are going to use. I couldn't believe I had a muskrat feed
pile set with a #1 Northwoods coil spring. One morning I checked the set and I had a smaller beaver get caught and held by a front foot. Lucky for me and not him. So it can happen.

First one I ever caught was a front foot catch in an offset MB550. Was the biggest trap I owned at the time and he decided to start attempting to flood our woods.

Took every square inch!