Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Trapping what size trap

is a number 2 a good size for coyote and fox i havent really trapped in about 27years and bac then we did not have any coyotes but i have a good number of 2 and 1 3/4 and just wondering if anyone uses them

If the springs are good and strong you should hold them(coyote) fine. The big advantage of a larger trap is kill area. Big traps 3 or 4 with strong springs, laminated and offset jaws with steel screen over pan will have the highest catch to visit ratio.

We always did well with the old square jaw Victor #2, but you have to pay attention to loss of force in the springs and occasionally replace the springs. If you have old traps, I would recommend you examine them carefully and replace the springs.

You can catch coyotes with regular coil spring twos. Big coyotes can also pull them apart. My go to coyote trap for years has been the MB 650C with offset cast iron jaws. When a coyote puts that on, he's your coyote, no ifs ands or buts.

the main thing that i am worried about is if i happen to catch a coyote in a fox set that the trap will hold it everyone has told me that acoyote is really hard on atrap and it is not uncomon to get them weighing over 50lbs

Been thinking of going to the MB 650 offsets. How do the big traps treat foxes ?? Do the offset jaws acceptably lessen the damage to foxes' smaller legs ??

Most of my yote traps are Bridger/Northwoods 2's, and Vic 1.75's(fully modified to how I like them)..3's are nice sometimes, but not a requirement.If you are using old traps like square jaw Vic's, I highly recommend mod's and new springs..4 coiling isnt necessary all the time, but I like 4 coils for breaking thru a thin frost on sets that the antifreeze needed refreshed days ago!

MB's are very nice, just too much money for me when I consider I run 20 dozen traps, then theft and tractor damage has to be considered.I lost 3 Sterlings last year to theft, still pisses me off,funny thing is I am very carful about where i put high dollar traps, they still got stolen..The old herters set on the main roads never get stolen! Go figure

I use Vic 1.75's for everything. I set for bobcat but no telling what is liable to be there in the morning. Don't forget to anchor it good or I use drags myself.

never cared for the "OLD" square jaw Victor traps. The levers didn't come up very high when you caught something and they didn't have good leverage. #2 Montomery round jaws were my favorite coyote/fox trap... but our yotes didn't get much over 35#. If I were in fox country wnd was worring about the coyote this trap would work fine but if I were in coyote country and had a few fox I would go with the #2 Northwoods with #3 springs or 4 coiled and base plates, center swiveled or the 3 NW with baseplate and center swiveled. The new high priced traps work and look good but the price and the thieves..... ?? Buy Charley Dobbins book adjustment of leg hold traps. That will fix all your problems and answer about all your trap questions.

If you can find them the 1.75 Victors Pro's round jaws will hold any coyote or cat bred. If you are staking them in dirt hole sets, add a swivel or 2 and a spring and keep the chain short so they cannot get a run against a solid stop. If you are using a hook drag give them some chain (kinkless is the only way to go et all for traps)to hang up with. Use a 24" to 36" steel stake depending on the soil type with a dog knot welded 1/3 of the way from the bottom end and a swivel washer attached to the chain with an S hook then a nut welded on top. My favorite stake of all time was a bumper jack handle heated and straightend out and modified as above. If a dog pumps the stake it will act as a drag and if you look you will find them hung up. Do some searching on line about dogknot stakes used by State trappers if you want to learn. I have never been a fan of square jaws either. Russ Just to add, pad catches hold better than catches above the pad on the leg bone. Fox have very fragile leg bones and will often be broken if caught high. Also cats have big feet so if setting cubbies for them it would be better to go up in jaw spread.

I trap the edge of the woods. I go ahead and hook my drags in the brush or around a small tree. Just convenient and easy. I have some of the dog-knot stakes on some old govt. issued Newhouses. For whatever reason I usually pad catch with the 1.75s. Good Luck guys!

Before any trapper starts trapping, all trappers should be familiar with what trap sizes should be used for the fur bearers we intend to catch. For example We wouldn't use a #4 long spring to catch muskrats as it is to large of a trap. Below are some trap size recommendations for some of the common furbearers.

You gotta have offset jaws in the 650's, cause they're strong and will break bone or pinch through pads. The offset jaws work well with fox, but I try to adjust mine where a fox can't throw the trap. I trap nuisance coyotes and killing the foxes just leads to more rodents and more coyotes.

Consider the MB-550's..........

Have you used the 550's much? I like the dogless traps, 'cause the yotes don't chew the dogs off. I might try them if I knew somebody with experience with them.

I think any 1.75 or larger that is 4 coiled is fine for yotes. I use a variety, but if coyotes are my intended target I use #3 Victors.

The majority of the time I am after cats. My goto traps are Victor 1.75 Pro's. If I need a drag I go up to #2 round jaw or the #3's.

Coyotes are tough and strong. Always dbl stake and use good swivels.



Joseph