Trap Identification

Is this a type of bird trap? Is it in original condition? The springs are Newhouse stamped looks well made in good condition. What is the value? Thanks Ken…

Neat trap for anybody's collection

LIKE

Interesting. I bet snakecollector will know. Hopefully he will chime in later today.

The trap is mostly hand made. If the springs are marked Newhouse, they were obtained from a larger Newhouse trap and installed on this trap, Size of the donor trap can be determined by comparison with intact Newhouse traps. The style of the trap is a "trail trap" with the concept that if properly concealed in a game trail, the extended length would increase the chance that a target animal would have a foot within the long jaws when the pan was depressed. Nelson-Bode Trailzend traps are factory made traps similar in design and may well have served as a model for this hand made trap. The chain is an early style probably considerably older than the rest of the trap with individual links that are likely hand forged. The addition of the wire mesh base to the long solid base might have been an attempt to prevent the trap sinking into a muck bottom. The bolted down jaws are similar to those on Newhouse traps and unlike the jaws on Nelson Bode trail traps. Other details of construction could be determined from close examination.

I agree mostly with what cohunt said about this trap. It is not factory produced, but a bench made trap. The springs and likely the jaw posts were used from a Newhouse trap. However, the wire mesh is the pan, it is hinged on the dog side and has guides on the opposite side.

I am confident that Dean is correct about the mesh pan. I just cannot see that feature on my screen which is why I really need the trap in hand for some details.