WolfCreek #552 conibears

Just purchased 5 dozen wolf creek 552 conibears for my marten line in Maine. does anyone have any experience with these? there extremely difficult to set and when your pulling the trap frame together it fetches up and will not go any further thus not allowing them to even be set. I wasn't sure if there was a minor mod i can do them to get them to work properly

thanks

Do they not have safeties so you can cage each spring and then work the frames around?

They have safeties, but when you squeeze the frame to latch the dog on thetrigger, the frame will not squeeze. I would say the spring eyes are stopping them somehow

I’d have handled a few before I’d have committed to 5 dozen of them

Could it be that the safeties are too long and therefore the springs aren’t compressed far enough to get the right leverage?

^^^^ this first ...............wire the springs closed it will be easer to see where the trap is hanging up when you try to set it.

That is really the only thing that makes sense w/o pictures.

Getting the springs closed is the issue Not familiar with a #552 but i did buy a dozen 155s the jaws have a sharp bend where they turn to the hinge pin, orient the spring straight out or downwards works better for me takes a little crunch but then easily set with no bending of anything
the spring eye is smaller then a duke only issue with that was after i built my first box the next ones were wider
Would i buy more Yes i will

If these guy's theory is correct.,,, when you put the safety on, you can try to make sure its slid back up the spring towards the coil as far as you can that will insure the eyes are closed further.

If that is true then the safeties need to be replaced or modified as they will likely fall off once you squeeze the trap to set position.