Still Alive in 220.

I was out with a friend on his trap line. He has access to mega acreage. Gotta love out west. 220 bucket set at his chicken coupe. 220 landed perfectly on the neck. Couldn't have been more perfect. This coon was still alive !!! I don't know how...

Anyone ever seen a coon struggling in a 220 ?? Especially one that has landed perfectly.

Weak springs maybe? that would be my input

Would venture a guess that it jumped out of the bucket grooves, and got him across the front of the chest first. First few seconds of struggle 220 slipped forward to the neck without enough strength to do it's job.

I have a game cameras going on two different test cubbies. Testing trigger configurations. One a box, the other a bucket. Jaws are wired open, so trap will fire, but only 1/2" or so. Nobody been killed......yet.

Depending on the trigger configuration, the vast majority of the time, when the coon fires the trap, he has one leg already in (right below his chin) and often looks to me like the strike would be on his chest.....right behind front leg. If that was the case with your coon, probably could have pulled one leg out after trap fired, trap then slid forward to his neck.

Reason for my research on triggers, had a coon get deep into trap before it fired.....a Belisle 220. Trap suitcased him, but game camera recorded aftermath. Took better part of 1/2 hour. Didn't seem possible, but game camera recorded strike, so I saw it happen.

Best trigger pattern I've found to date is centered trigger spread in inverted "V" with spread at tips being 4 inches.....with blocking in the upper corners to prevent them from going over or around it. They don't like it......but if bait is good, they will eventually punch in. Test trap is a Duke 220.

Just yesterday I had a possum in a brand new duke 155 that was still alive. Had him right across the throat, but he was still alive as ever

sounds like a non magnum trap with little clamping force.
When using traps like that go for a double strike by adjusting the trigger configuration and or the attractor to let the animal further into the trap before it fires.
Neck and thorax strike with an non magnum trap will kill them a lot quicker than a single strike to the neck.

Several years ago, while trying different trigger configurations, I had a couple coon get far enough into the trap that they were caught at the hips and throat and were very much alive. At the time I assumed it was a week Sleepy Creek 220. It happened a couple times so I sold those traps and bought new ones.

Then I raising the traps 2 inches and found more neck-chest single strikes usually with one foot thru before the trap fired. At this point I was using an “L” configuration on an inverted trap. Eventually I got my traps up 3-4 inches, blocked the sides AND top in with grass, making a tunnel, and I was able to get a consistent one strike.

Since I was experimenting, I made my own trap stands out of 1-inch plastic pipe. On top was a plastic “T” piece glued on. It took a while to cut notches into the “T” but I managed. All in all, those trap stands cost less than 35 cents to make. A quick shot with grey or tan spray paint and they lasted till I sold my bodygrips.

If neck held, weak springs or just recently caught or the jaws were bent and they did not close completely enough. The coons I catch in my 160s that way are always dispatched. To me the coon's anatomy is such that the wind pipe is closer to the surface then say a grinner. I have grinners half the size neck caught that are still alive where the coons are not.

Bryce

never paid alot of attention to the details other than ive seen plenty of 220 caught coon and few coyotes still alive or they left a burn circle but expired after. however, we never really noticed it with 160's. big coon and otter only get head in but seems to dispatch quick. theres a reason the pile of 220s from the old coon days are all swiveled.

Otter will die quickly,almost instantly,when caught by a single strike to the neck,even in a little 120.

depending on the type of 22o some do not close all the way also coon do not choke down like a lot of animals

thanks for sharing that. i always wondered what would happen in some of those dry mink runs if otter happened to hit it.

Limited experience on otters and 160's on land but so far the 160 wins every time. Mike

Trigger configuration has nothing to do with It. It's trigger TRAVEL before the trap FIRES that gives you those quick kills.

Actually it is both.
When trapping the beaver house under the ice and setting 330's side by side we move the trigger wires(twisted together as one unit) way over to one side.This allows bigger beaver to get farther into the trap among other things.

I have to agree with Beav. Adjust/file the triggers to trip when the coon enters trap. You don’t want the trigger to move far before tripping. As soon as the critter’s nose enters the trap it should trip. Jaw strike right behind the ears is best.

Yes I have had a big boar coon caught behind the head still alive in the 220 when I got there. He destroyed everything. There was no box left there just splinters.