Not the first I wanted...

So after hunting this morning I went and checked my line and decided to put in a couple more sets.
Well, still ain’t sure how it happened, but I managed to catch myself. Now I’ve had them snap on my hand once or twice, but today I caught a finger...my middle finger!!
I don’t know if the snapping of the jaws hurt more or when I tried to snatch it out when it went off. That chain don’t go but so far no matter how high I jumped! I can tell you I don’t want to do it again or in a bigger trap, lol!!

i was grabbed by a blake 4long the other day if it makes ya feel better,hurt bad long before i hit the end of the drowner.

For me it's the trying to pull out that hurts worse! It's how I damaged some nerves in my finger (330 caught my arm)

Good thing it wasn't a toothed h20 trap Wanna Be

That's why I don't use 660s. 330 would be hard enough I imagine. Just think if it were a MB1216.

Ouch

Hahahaha, I think the almost dislocated shoulder hurts the most when I reach the end of the chain. Them earth anchors, and quality #2 size traps can sure put the brakes on my #230 lb’s. I don’t worry about holding ability after having been “held” a couple times!

I don’t think it would have hurt as bad had I not jumped, lol! I think I was more in shock (ticked off) that it only got one finger! And it was a full finger catch too...right before the middle knuckle, lol!

Reading some of y’all’s post...has anyone ever been caught in a 750? I believe that size would literally break a finger.

I don’t think it would have hurt as bad had I not jumped, lol! I think I was more in shock (ticked off) that it only got one finger! And it was a full finger catch too...right before the middle knuckle, lol![/quote]

Lucky it didn’t dislocated it. That’s a good toe catch though!
I caught both hands by 3 fingers on each side in a 550 this year. It was pretty funny after I got loose! I wouldn’t want to be caught in a 750!

I caught just my thumb on my left hand in 4 double longspring this past fall. Almost called landowner to come help me get out of it. Took me awhile to get out and then I just threw it in a pile and walked away! I did however come back and reset it.

Most importantly: don't get pinched in an under ice set

Been there done that!

I got my bare left hand in a MB750 this year. Jaws right across the knuckle at the base of my thumb and index finger. It really hurt bad, I went through my whole colorful vocabulary in one breath talking through a little girl scream then mixing combinations of earlier words used. I was very lucky I was setting it on the tailgate of my truck and had a set of one handed setters or I would of had to drive somewhere to get help. It was not fun!

This is part of why I prefer offset jaws for my land traps. I don't know for sure if it helps, but I think it does.

I caught myself in a 750 when they first opened the wolf season here. I've been careful not to manage it again since In all honesty though it was a laminated 3/8" offset wolf trap and it didn't hurt as bad as catching both thumbs in a bridger 120. Plus it was earth anchored in an old road where I had solid ground to put it on and step on the springs, I caught my thumbs in a 120 with magnum springs that was wired to a tree head high on a marten set. That was fun to get out of. I can also remember catching myself in a dls #4 beaver trap almost shoulder deep in the water. Water had come up and was murky, I couldn't see the trap and thought it was down the drowning wire, reached down to find the wire and follow it to the bank stake (also under murky water) in order to pull everything. Yeah, trap was still there. Closed jaws are worse than offsets, I can testify, and it had teeth too! Which luckily missed my thumb. That was a real blast to get out of, ended up having to cut the drowning wire to get the trap up where I could work on it.

Good thing you were able to cut the drowner wire bearcat

Ok, reading some of these made my finger not hurt anymore, lol!

I was surprised once how much it hurt to get pinched by one of those traditional wood Victor rat snap traps

I caught my thumb in an unmodified mb650 no lams it was at a convention though. That didn't make it feel any better.

Bearcat those Bridger 120s hold good when they got your thumbs. Caught both in one with the same set up you described. Marten box up a tree.
Been snapped in a couple#3 longs and #2-3 Monty coils. The one that hurt the most ( I am ashamed of) was a victor #1 coil. Kids thought is was funny as heck. Had to get my wife to come out of the house and release me.

The pan tension got pretty loose on one of mine, put it in anyway. Made my set and second guessed my trap bedding. I was gunna gently find the trap to make sure it was bedded, touched that pan and got caught by my left thumb by the joint. That was sore for a while.

Got my thumb caught in Duke #4 opening morning first set at the end of November. Nail fell off and 3/4 of is is grown back.Made first two days of beaverin' a little tougher, and a little more on my toes.

The loose pan is what got me too. Seems like if you have it loose so it moves freely they will hardly even stay set. Kind of a different animal. Made me gun shy bedding it in the soft mud as my hand was throbbing and swelling up.

as gramps would say"builds character."

Definitely will make you gunshy for awhile...caught my right thumb (extremely right hand dominant!) In a wolf creek #2 screwing around in the garage awhile back! Lol

worst ever for me was a blake 4 dbl underspring on a short drowner while i was in waist deep water.luckily my dad was there to stand on the levers but he could of hurried up and not laughed as much.

Had to pull my hand out of a belisle 330 once.

catching a finger is better than a testicle, just ask Marty Harmon!

)[/quote]
That's why I don't use 660s. 330 would be hard enough I imagine. Just think if it were a MB1216.[/quote]

I have done that, while mentoring a high school senior. Got done telling him never reach in there again after the safety is off. I think, but am not sure, a piece of grass then captured my feeble little mind. On the thumb is all. Lost the nail.

Not even gonna ask...I would have just pulled my pistol and ended the misery, lol.

my luck the pistol would be back in the truck.

Or it was a dud round, then you would toss the pistol and it would go off when it hit the ground!

Did u use a rope?

Dud (context)! Hahahahahahahahaha! Yes, I'm sure from then on it was a dud!

Bridger 5 coilspring about a month ago...left thumb just below last knuckle...full force on closure.....just dam!! Took me a minute to release myself....after three tries to compress the levers on my thigh....standing knee deep in mud.

Belisle 280 about 10 years ago....right hand...hit me across base of fingers at knuckles.....took me a while to get out.....traps was anchored with cable and pogo at otter slide....almost passed out from pain....took me about 15 min to power out....tore my hand up....bought caulking gun setters a few days later.

Sleepy Creek 1.75 coilsprings with #2 music wire springs....about 15 years ago...right thumb..across the nail.....25 degrees that morning...turned black in a few days...lost nail.

No,I had gloves on and was able to pull out.Took a hard pull and sore hand.glove stayed in trap.Was about 30 below that day.

Had a 220 on both hands, drove home in second gear 25 miles. Had to explain to my wife how to use setters LOL.. I lived. 750os 2x, 550os 4 coil a lot, 1.5s a bunch all sizes BGs more than a few times. I love offsets and I tune every trap, witch in itself helps a ton. Got nailed by a 550os 4 coil this year where the offsets meet on my right thumb. I squirted , it hurt, bad. Thumb still ain't right, price of admission I guess. Had a yote in that trap the next day tho.. LOL Hurts way more when ya hit the end of the chain

I was teaching a wolf trapper certification class. First one ever put on in Montana. I'm thinking it was about 2012. Helena (state capitol). Had a full house with 75 attendees, 20 or so Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks staff, and 4 or 5 television crews. Well over 100 people in the lecture hall. Doing some sort of demo with a MB-750Wolf. Of course, to get any respect in Montana, I was wearing slick-soled riding boots (cowboy boots). My foot slipped off the lever. In a tenth of a millisecond, I got all the digits out of harm's way with the exception of a slow one; happened to be the left index finger. Man! did that hurt. I tried to be nonchalant about it, and asked my assistant (George) to grab the setters and release me. I'm immediately pouring sweat. George grabs the setters and released the levers, and I extracted what was left. Tried to play it cool. After a couple of deep breaths, with my back to the audience, I asked George (whispering) if I cussed up a storm. He whispered back that no, you did real good, but he pantomimed to me to check down the insides of my pantlegs. I checked. Nope, hadn't peed myself! A month or so later a friend of mine from over in Dillon says, "Hey Jack, that was a pretty neat demo you did with the 750 up in Helena. Whoeeee, I bet that hurt. Anyway, saw it all on TV." Seven hours of wolf class, and that's what the station showed for their 30-second soundbite. Go figure....

Jack

Sir I’ve read your post on here and have the utmost respect for you, but I just laughed myself to tears!! Especially the last sentence! Thanks!!

Wanna Be -

Glad you got a chuckle outta that one. Seems like I get myself into these sorts of misadventures far too often. The only thing I can figure out to do is poke fun at myself after the fact.

Jack

1973 (probably before a lot of you were born) on a backwater slough on the Missouri River in SE Nebraska. Just chopped through 6" of ice and look to see my 330 (supposedly sprung) in the beaver run. Laid down on the ice and reached in to grab the (supposedly ) sprung trap and somehow it had reset itself (assume with a beaver's help) and grabbed me on the forearm. With a gauntlet on it did not sting much but with the chain frozen in the ice, maybe 3-4" of movement, 1/2 mile from a road and no way of getting that trap out of the water, I'm thinking the turtles and catfish will have a good meal in couple of months. Then my "beaver trapper" brain kicks in and I say THE AXE, THE AXE will set you 'free'. Only problem it is 7 ' away on the ice and I am 2' short of reach. Then the "beaver brain" again kicks in and says 'use your feet stupid',,,,,,,,,,,,,,, which after much twisting and rolling (10 minutes by timex) I was able to get the axe in range, escape and write this. Naked hand 120 size BG's hurt more physically,,,,,,,,,,,,, but mentally,,,,,,,,this was an equal...................... the mike