Want a lighter weight trap primarily for raccoon but want it to be strong enough to hold the occasional coyote. Either way, it'll have rubber jaws to be in accordance with local permits. So should I be leaning 1.65 or 1.75 Bridger?
I have both and use them both here especially where I have both coon and coyote sign. The pans and dogs on 1.75 bridgers are the only weak link in that trap I've found anyway. They have held a lot of coyotes for me as well as coon. The 1.65s have a bigger jaw spread but the jaws are a little different on them. Edges a little sharper (1.75s have more rounded edges) and the 1.75s are base plated. There are some real nice thicker after market pans for the 1.75s. If I had my choice I'd buy the 1.65s but with laminated jaws. Otherwise I seriously use both and have a lot of success here with both. Any coyote set I make here is truly a potentially mix bag set. Coyote, coon, fox, badger, cat, coon...you can find anything in that set here. I run almost exclusively 1.75 bridgers, a few 1.65s, lots of #2 longs, and in some locations i do run #2 and #3 coiled bridgers those are mostly flat picked bean fields and low grazed pastures where I have caught very few coon but mostly coyotes only. Otherwise all of my other locations I have to cover all the possibilities. Coon show up at about any type of set for me in those other places. A big boar here still brings a nice price so I dont try to avoid them. Easy to catch and help pay for gas. I still get plenty fo coyotes by gang setting locations. The 1.75s and 1.65s are cheaper and make it easier to buy more for gang setting locations. Jim
The bridger 1.75 is a good trap. Like Jim said above the pans are kinda thin. They need a ridge pressed in them when the pan is folded at the factory, that would make them stronger. I take a small washer and weld in on the under side. Really toughens them up. Haven't done much with the dog. Use a vice grip and they straighten easily when they bend every now and then. .
Coons are chewers... Tuff to keep them in larger traps without double jaws. #2 Bridgers or dukes rigged like this are my go to trap for about everything except 100% beaver and coyote work. Just prefer a bigger jaw spread in the snow and mud.
The struggle is real on a mixed line... Side swivel prevents the need for base plateing and saves a lot of weight if you use em in the water for mink and rats.
I like to keep everything uniform so I only run 2 sizes of trap, #3 in serious coyote and cat country and 1.75 in the farms where my catch is mostly fox, coon, and badgers. The 1.75 is a dandy little trap but the pan and dog are weak, a coyote tears them up. I have used the 1.65 as well with no complaints but for my trap bedding style I'm more of a square jaw guy.
The 1.75 Bridger is a great little all around trap for a reasonable price. You can use them for everything from muskrats to coyote, partly because the pan design allows you to set them floppy. A lot of mid sized traps do not have the option of basically no pan tension like this one. It is also a very easy trap to bed solid. This is a bigger deal then you might think. Some traps work fine, but are a pain to get bedded.
