Anyone ever lost a trap?

With the critter still in it? Ran a line this morning and immediately knew something wasn’t right. I was trying something and learned my lesson. It’s dark in the mornings before work and didn’t have time to search. Went back this evening to figure out where my malfunction was, found the cause and feel absolutely horrible. Best I could tell it was definitely a coyote, had to have been to pull loose. Question is, has anyone ever found the animal or trap afterwards. Sickens me that I know he won’t survive with a 550 on his foot.
I don’t need any bashing or telling me what I did wrong, done enough of that to myself today. Just a glimmer of hope that maybe somehow he’ll get it off and just be a lot wiser.

He will get that trap off his foot. The only two traps I've lost to animals were to two Badgers, trap and anchors all gone just a big hole in the ground.

Yes, and I know the feeling....

X2

Yep
Two years ago I I could see wher the trap hit the ground as it ran across the tilled field. It is dis-heartening for sure

It happens. Just have to learn from it and make adjustments to prevent it in the future. Lost a 550 to a yote myself. I have little doubt that yote got it off it's foot once it got into a thicket.

And why wouldn't it survive? I guess it's possible that the trap could get tangled up in something and cause it's death, but I highly doubt it..

Lost one years ago, a few days after it happened, I seen the yote, was able to run him down in my truck, jump out and dispatch him. Got the yote and my trap. I was VERY lucky.

He was surprisingly only a coupole hundred yards from where I initially caught him. Maybe try calling in the area, he might be hungry enough to show up.

He definitely will survive.That's what they do.Hopefully you learned not to take chances with coyotes.

a lost trap (OK, 2) is the reason I'll never use wire again. Second one was 11ga. Never again. Only swiveled cable and chain here now on everything.

Last year a friend of mine had a Coyote pull out with a 550 and people seen this same Coyote run around for 5 weeks with this ankle bracelet. He was doing fine. Until he was spotted and was told nite nite with a Long Range.

I myself have had this happen with a 5 foot snare and a 48 inch stake and both times have found the Coyote wrapped around something and deceased.

Stuff happens and hopefully at least you will get your trap back.

My dad told me a story about one time when he lost a trap. Only he didn’t know that he lost it. It’s a hilarious story.

He and a buddy are driving down a mountain road when this unidentified animal runs across the road in front of him with a trap and chain dragging behind. They immediately stop to get it figured out. While there a WCO pulls up and isn’t too happy because he thinks that his day is going to be ruined because he’d thought that they hit a deer.

They told him the story and off they went through the mountain laurel. They find it tucked up under the bank of a dried up creek bed. This was probably back in the 70’s or 80’s. The WCO says, “It’s a fisher.” My dad, back then, had never heard of a fisher. So the WCO says to them, “Ok, who’s donating a coat?” Lol

Eventually they decide and get the trap off. Come to find out that it was my dad’s trap that he had planted about 5 miles away on the other side of the mountain.

Of course it’s a lot funnier in person and to hear him tell it. But it was the first time that he had heard of and seen a fisher.

A friend of mine lost a 550 to a coyote. Several weeks later a deer hunter saw a deer run through and 10 minutes later the hunter heard a clinking sound coming through the woods. He pulled up and killed the yote. When he registered the deer (WI used to have mandatory registration) the coyote was in the truck and the warden asked about it. The guy didn't know anything about trapping and didn't now how to get it off the coyote so the warden removed it. The first thing he did was check the trap tag and call up the trapper.

My buddy got his trap back.

Brian

Happens all the time. Dont worry about it. I lost 2 coyote traps . On a 21 day contract last month. Both MB-550s. The first one the Fox Hollow bullet just broke . Dug it up out of 16 inchs of sand. Coyote ran off with it and a 5/16s quick link. The second one, was an MB-550 too. Came up to a tore up catch circle, and had only a 5/16s quick link laying in circle. LOOKED as someone just unscrewed it and let coyote out. I know they didnt = no tracks.

Must be a 550 thing. Lol I have 3 dozen Bridger #3s and a half dozen 550s. Only one I lost was a 550. Cable on Earth anchor broke. Went with chain next year.

If you run longlines, you will lose traps. Even with flagging and GPS marked traps I still lose afew here and there. People ask me = How can you lose them so easy? Try running 150-200 traps over miles of line AFTER a large rain storm comes threw. I losted 12 traps on a 14000 acre tract, not long ago. HOW? logging crew came in, road was wet. My sets were on the edge of two track road. logging truck came in empty, got stuck. Then the skidder pulled him to loading area. Then he got stuck again goin out. Dozer pulled him out. My traps were = Flagged and GPS marked, but it did me know good. Flagging got knocked down and I asume my traps were under a foot of packed red mud. Found 3 of them un harmed, but lost 12 of them. Thats just the way it goes sometimes!

My first year trapping I lost a trap. I had caught a coyote and didn’t know that a single rebar stake wasn’t enough to hold a coyote. Well about 3-4 weeks later my neighbor was out on her afternoon walk and called me and said there was a “thingy” with an animal leg in it laying on the side of the road. So I go over an there lays my trap with 2 coyote toes in it. It was about 2 miles from were i was trapping at. And last year I lost another coyote and trap. I had the trap hooked up to a drag. Never found trap or coyote. Last time I’ll use drags

Yeah it isn't hard to lose a trap I did last yr after a big snow and high winds.Even with flagging I couldn't find it.

had a yote pull chian stake and all few seasons back, tracked that sucker over 3 sections. Never caught up. 2 weeks later retrapped the same yote 20 yards from the original set he pulled, trap still intact, with a full stomach. I figure it was just a minor inconvenience, true survivors. Wasn't a 550 LOL

Trust me they will suvive with a trap on their paw, Iv'e trapped a few missing paws all healed up. They sure can adapt..

Had an otter pull a 30lb dumbbell to the bank and then twist off an 11 gauge downer wire. No more wire drowners for otter and beaver and more weight on the end or staking the end solid for me. Still makes me physically ill. Fool me once...

It happened and just need to learn from it. This past season I almost lost a trap and 2 stakes that was to hold the trap in place. it was sandy soil and I got there when the coyote was still working the stakes and I took a shot at it but miss with it move around so much and then it got the stakes pull but it had both front feet in the trap. Lucky for me. I had step on the stakes and what I did to stop it from come after me was drag my otter sled between him and me and then I finally got to shoot it.It drop. lesson learn to use longer stakes on sandy soil and do not only use cross stakes that are about 18" long. I ask about how long to use stakes on sandy soil and I was told about 36" . Well I will use 48" that way I know i will have a better chance of hold them till I drop them. it is on a river sand bar I had the traps set.

Thanks guys. I feel a lot better now for at least knowing I’m not the only one and knowing he’ll hopefully live.

lost 1 coyote that jacked a single stake and a #2 Northwoods. That was the last time I ever single staked a trap. Now it is earth anchors or at least double staked.

About 5 years ago, I was using a disposable anchor with 1/8" cable and unknowingly damaged the cable on a rock when driving it. A coyote was caught and lost, along with my trap. That spring, my cousin was checking fence before turning cows into a pasture about a mile from where I'd lost the coyote and he found my trap. In December of that same year, I re-caught the same coyote by his left front foot this time, about 2 miles from where I'd caught him the year before. I'm the only coyote trapper for miles around so I knew it was the same coyote. I couldn't believe how big he was. I wish now that I would have weighed him. I'll guarantee you that he smoked 40 pounds. Losing that foot hadn't slowed him down one bit. He was fat and healthy. I've always wondered if he made a living taking food away from other coyotes. No doubt he was the alpha male and I wonder if his standing in the coyote community guaranteed him food without a fight?

One of the best bits of advise I was ever given is, anchor every trap to hold the largest animal that may step on the pan...