Hello trappers! I'm not a trapper. Just a suburbanite redneck. I have minimal hunting experience and no trapping experience.

I realize this topic has been covered extensively in older posts:

https://trapperman.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/4377886/2
https://trapperman.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/6897241/who-make-a-built-to-last-cage-trap

But a lot of it is from a few years ago, and products change, quality goes up or down, prices go up or down... New products debut... Companies get bought and sold.

So I was hoping to see what the current consensus is regarding the best trap for the money. I realize spending slightly more may deliver a much more durable and heavy-duty trap with less required maintenance. When in doubt, spend a little more and get a product that can handle a nuke or an extinction-level meteor being dropped on it. That's generally my policy.

I am looking to trap groundhogs immediately, but also potentially other predators and pests. Racoons probably.

I have heard and read that Havahart trap quality has decreased in recent years.

Some rod/wire mesh traps can be folded/collapsible. I'm guessing these features come at a cost to stiffness and durability? I assume heavy-duty professional traps do not have the capability of folding/collapsing?

To pivot to a slightly different topic, on which I am open to suggestions: I am not a huge fan of driving somewhere to release a groundhog. They are not endangered or coveted or anything. What I am about to say, I would likely seldom or never do to a feral dog or cat or bobcat or lynx or anything like that, but I may just try to kill a caught/trapped groundhog as humanely as possible, rather than spend gasoline/diesel and time driving around, just for a released groundhog to subsequently somehow find its way back to my property, and/or for the released groundhog to go burrow under a different homeowner's garage. I am open to suggestions. I'm not sure whether I'd use a firearm or a knife or what; I doubt breaking a groundhog's neck easily and safely like with a rabbit is an option. I generally/typically also am against killing docile animals if you're not gonna eat them, (I'm sure someone has a great groundhog recipe), but I probably might make an exception in this case and just throw it in the woods. If this is poor behavior/planning, please correct me; I know if my thinking is wrong, you guys can tell me what I should be doing.

Thank you very much.

We are not allowed to openly discuss dispatch methods. You must do it by Private Message or PM to another forum member. Holler back if I can help, but the guys closer to you will be of better help.

Good luck on your trapping adventures and welcome.

Oops! Apologies, my bad, I read the rules extensively when I made my first post 11 months ago; I'm certain that was covered, but I had forgotten. I will edit the post. Sad that we live in a world where there are rules like that, but we are lucky this forum even exists, with the state of everything, and the credit card companies, hosting services, ISPs and financial institutions all coming after everything that is holy.

Do ya'll in Alaska really have that different of a trap market? Surely shipping is not that expensive that the economics of what brand and model trap to buy thinking is not that different up there than down here?

Shipping cost are for sure a factor for us up here. Our trapping methods are so much different that we can use many different traps to accomplish the same goal. Our weather conditions are so outrageous that they come first before the actual trapping rules. We have very cold temps and that is a huge factor in what traps we can use.

In example, a trap that is does not do a good job down in the lower 48 might just be the right trap for up here and the same animal, because of our conditions. Shipping costs do matter. You can trap the same animal with a $3 trap as a $15 trap, so why pay the extra costs when I could have 5 times as many traps. We have a lot of land to trap, so we set hundreds of traps per trapper. We cannot afford 300 x $15 traps plus shipping for just one kind of animal.

We are allowed to use traps that others are not allowed to use in the lower 48. We don't have the restrictions you have. Most of our rules are common sense rules that have been around for millenium. We don't usually have a "limit" of animals, most often it's "No limit". We can use traps with Teeth and yes, they hold better than a standard jaw or offset jaw.

We also use very old traps, handed down for many years. They are not considered good traps down there. Up here they pay the bills every year. So yes, I would say we have a very different trap market up here. We try not to help too much on the regular forum and try to stay on our Wilderness Forum, where we are more like each other and trap similar to each other. We don't have a lot in common with trappers from the lower 48 states. If I suggest a good idea to someone down there, it's probably illegal and a stupid idea to use our methods down there, including our traps and ways to trap. But we support the trappers just the same as if they were here in our state. Good on you for coming here and getting better at trapping.

Yes, we are lucky that Mr. Dobbins has this website and keeps it open with all the stuff he has to put up with. We are very luck. Welcome back. You can PM me for anything if you have questions not allowed.

This is a difficult topic because when it comes to trapping theres few generally good, all around traps, especially given the laws we have to work with.

As far as cages go, comstock cages are pretty much the standard in cage traps today. Especially for groundhogs. Double door traps in front of the den holes with fencing to keep them from going around the trap is the most effective way to catch groundhogs in a cage. If you dont want to go that route you can do the same thing with a typical single door cage trap if using fencing. If you end up doing more garden or garbage raiding raccoon trapping than anything you might be better off going the single door style trap as double doors dont do as well in baiting scenarios though you can make them work. Just have to think it through a lot more. Comstock also makes single doors but if you want a really simple single door trap that's sturdy, easy to set and bait, I recommend Koonce cage traps. You literally just open the door fully to the top and the trap is set.

Theres plenty of other cages traps out that that are good quality, however.

If you buy a cage trap from a hardware store, its pretty much guaranteed to be useless without repairs after a few catches if it hasnt already been destroyed during shipping!

If you are looking for a cage trap for limited use around the place just get a Duke large or xl trap....they're sturdy enough, inexpensive, comparatively, and will handle coons, possums and squirrels. probably woodchucks though I've never tried, a 160 in front of the hole takes care of them....

I've trapped dozens of coons and possums in my yard with one trap, no damage.

Propanelord
Welcome to the forum. First check with your agency that covers wildlife regulations. There are state regulations and county or town ordinances that may cover trapping regulations.
These regulations should cover what animals can be lawfully trapped and what traps are legal. You can check with your local game warden for help also.
You might find copies of hunting and trapping regulations at any store that sells hunting supplies.
Most states have regulations covering wildlife doing damage to crops, livestock where permits can be issued to trap wildlife such as groundhogs out of season. This will include any legal type trap either cage, foothold or bodygrip.
On each forum you will see different sponsors such as Minnesota Trapline, F&T and others that you can research online for different traps. These companies sell different products that will suit your needs. Also check with your state trapping association, l’m sure there are members near you that could help with hands on instruction.
Best of luck
Leary

I make some serious money trapping wood chucks, and I use nothing but 160 body grips. If it's legal in your area that's how I would roll. If you go that way buy the RBG type 160. RBG "round body grip".
No dispatch.
But they are lethal so anything that sticks Its head in that trap is dead.

This, and I'd add a few either 110's and or 120's.
I just say this in case of smaller holes and if dug under building.

A little shovel work and the160 will fit in most situations. A few 155s would also work. But good staking is necessary. I've had a few live chucks in those BGs.

I get them going under sheds with a standard 160 with a pan... you can make them fit...

I want to give everyone a very genuine and sincere thank you! for all the responses. I also owe everyone an apology for arguably abandoning the thread.

Embarrassingly, I still have never bought a trap of any kind. I guess that makes me a flaker and/or tire-kicker. I'm half joking, but the bona fide truth is that I never ended up buying anything.

There must have only been one woodchuck, at least this year (last year there were definitely at least two adult woodchucks co-occupying the property). After a while, I concluded that, although I wasn't ready to completely give up on attempting to shoot the woodchuck, the marksmanship situation was probably futile. Last year I missed two shots on woodchucks, including one opportunity where there were definitely at least two of them, and I was hoping to score multiple kills with one bullet. Like most critters, they spook and abscond far too quickly for my skill-level.

Then, somehow, on the early afternoon of May 7, 2026, the woodchuck spontaneously appeared in my yard in a decent target position. I ran around the house attempting to close windows as quietly as I could, and I hurried to find my Walker Razors and my handgun, and told every other household member to be quiet and stay in the house. Then I tiptoed out the back door and around the house. A few moments later, while leaning over the hood of a truck, I wasted no time and just tried to quickly take the shot. The bullet entered the head and exited through the torso. The woodchuck didn't even flinch. I was blown away (no pun intended). I don't take a lot of pleasure in causing animals suffering, but I was happy and in disbelief, both with the shot, with me finally accomplishing something I had failed at for oh-so-long, and most of all, pleasantly surprised by the fact that he didn't have to crawl under something and slowly bleed out, which is always one of my fears when attempting to take an animal with a projectile.

I have not seen a woodchuck since. Since I may be closing on my first home soon, I may also be leaving the nest (no pun intended). I will probably end up buying trap(s) at some point, but for now, the immediate need seems to have disappeared, and I may wait until after I move all my belongings.

In the meantime, I may need to trade Trapperman.com for 'Tanningman.com', or something similar. I've never tanned anything before, but I'm hoping alum (aluminum sulfate) and salt will do the trick. I still need to buy the alum. Hopefully, I won't need many pounds of alum for one small hide. I really do find the whole tanning and/or tawing situation daunting, but I intend to at least try. Tanningman probably isn't a real website in reality, but maybe I should start that if no one else has conceived that thought, LOL.

Embarrassingly, I still haven't even gutted or skinned the woodchuck. The entire animal has been sitting in a freezer since May 7. I went on active-duty military orders shortly after I shot it, but I should have some time to work on it soon.

To bring it back to where we started, again, thank you all again for the generous support and advice!!!

One thing is for sure: some of these responses, along with other threads on this forum, have made me nervous and overwhelmed with just how easy it is to unknowingly violate laws, regulations, codes, ordinances, and other rules. There seems to be an incredible amount of red tape and potential liability for people who are simply trying to live with the way that it was always intended to be lived. Sometimes it feels like the bureaucrats expect everyone to be a lawyer just to stay compliant (or worse, they hope/pray we raise our hands up, and give up)

P.S.: I am not sure if my war-story-esque anecdote of taking out the critter is also against Trapperman.com rules, but I am fully prepared to redact and/or remove anything that is against your rules. I apologize in advance.

Plenty of threads on here on how to tan animal hides.

I would advise buying a tanning kit like a Lutan F, Trubond or Rittles EZ tan. They come with everything you need to tan the hides except for the containers, water and salt(the stuff sold for livestock) is the cheapest you can get per pound and you do need a good bit of it

Don't be intimidated. Just go slow when skinning and learn. After all, it's only a woodchuck. And as for "tanning", are you just looking to skin it flat and hang it on a wall? Or something more ambitious? You can cut the 'chuck from belly-side base of the tail straight up the belly all the way to, and through the lower lip. Avoid cutting into the abdominal cavity. Then carefully separate the hide from the carcass, using care in the head area, cutting the ears, eyes, lips and nose close to the skull. When that is complete, take pushpins or small nails and tack the hide leather-side out on a board in a rectangle that the hide naturally wants to fit, starting with a nail in the nose area and then pulling gently from the tail and tacking that. Repeat that from the middle of each side, pulling only enough to get an equal amount of "snugness", (is that a word?), Then gently do the same with all 4 feet, or legs if you cut the feet off. until the whole hide is tacked out and taught, (not Drum-Tight). Follow that with carefully removing remaining meat and fat until you have a reasonably clean hide. You may need to adjust your pins, (or nails), at this point, as after "fleshing", the hide may have enlarged slightly.
Place it in a garage or shed that stays in the 60-80 degree temperature, and moving air, such as a fan or even an open window will help dry the skin. Remove it from the board when it is dry, which will be several days, or even a week.
If you are just going to tack it to a wall, the skin will last a long time as it is, and no further processing is needed. I have had hides tacked to a wall in this state for as long as 10 years before they start losing hair/fur, however they will be stiff as cardboard after a while.
If you simply want to preserve the hide, those orange bottles you see advertised in various magazines work ok. Follow the instructions to a tee, and you will have a "tanned" hide, but I found that even with "breaking", the quality of the finished product was not great.
A better tan will involve more work and time. Many on here are pleased with a BOCO tan, which he has generously provided on this site. You can search for it on Trapperman by clicking on his profile, I would think.