Its mostly a theoretical question, but it is at least possible to get a bear in a wolf trap on my property. In the opinion of the forum would a 4 coiled MB750 hold a adult black bear or would it just walk out of it and keep going? Legal bear trapping is within walking distance of my place, but the guys with the registered traplines use powered foot snares and don't talk much in any case. Foot-hold traps haven't been used for bears in my memory, but I was hoping that perhaps Maine trappers might have some thoughts.

My new place borders a National park and all the wilderness you can shake a stick at. The whole "ranches with wolves" thing is new territory for me, plus I can't help wondering just how much an MB750 could hold.

I've seen a bear held in a 1 1/2 longspring. I think an MB750 would work.


That said, I'd prefer snares.

All I can add to this is,, A #9 Alaskan won't hold a brown bear!

When USFWS was snaring brown bears on Chichagof a few years ago, they kept asking the guides why there were so many 3-legged brown bears running around. Maroons

I'd be more worried about chain, swivels and method of attachment.

Meaning you think the attachment hardware would quit before the trap would?

yessir. bears be strong....

I held a young black bear in a new #4 Montgomery dogless for a little while.

He saw me pull up in my truck and really went crazy and pulled a jaw out of the frame.

I would guess he went under 100 lbs.

you should see what a 500 pounder can do......

Slim Peterson held a black bear in a fully modified #3 bridger I believe

Thread reminds me of one of the more amusing exchanges I've seen in another forum in a while...

Question: How do you release a bear from a trap?

Answer: Hold your buddy's beer for him.

The traps are MB 750 4 coiled,laminated off-set jaw, center swiveled-base reinforced with D-rings, and short chains with two swivels. They've never been set for anything, I swapped coyotes for them years ago because I must have gotten a better deal that way. (funny how you always can find deals on things you don't need). There are bags of extra springs included which must be the wolf springs.

Accidental bears aside, I'm assuming that they are lots of trap for wolves? I have 1 long-spring #502 Bridger as well.

Another old coot trapper that lives across the river has been doing pretty good on Wolves in 750's the last few years. He caught an average Black in one last year but it pulled out when he approached it and took off. The Bear left two toes in the trap which he now carries around in the glove box of his trapping rig.
That doesn't really answer your question but it's fun to hear him tell the story and show off those toes.

It would be a cool story.

It would be better for me if the bear pulled out, but if it happened I could just shoot it and tag it.The odds of it being a bear I didn't want are quite high, but better than trying to release it. That ain't much of an option.

Not much to worry about....very small likelihood of holding a bear in a 750. Consider the size of the open trap, and then the size of the bears paw. You will not get a full pad catch....at best a toe catch. A bear of any size will pull right out. If not, he'd more likely leave you a toe or a patch of flesh than be there waiting for you.

Every now and then you hear of somebody catch a cub in a number 3....but it's exceedingly rare.

If you do catch one, don't try to release it....just call the warden and let them do it.

One of my cousins caught a small black bear in a trap in PA back in the 1980s. There was snow on the ground and he tracked it after it pulled the trap out of the ground. Never saw the bear and never found the trap.

http://slimpedersen.com/photos.html

If you slide through these pictures it shows the bear Slim Peterson caught in the southeastern part of Montana. Im sure he said it was in a fully modified bridger #3 but I could have heard wrong.

Those are great pictures. The bear tore quite the circle didn't he?

Like a monster badger!

I've held a decent size black bear in a #3 bridger before,for awhile anyway..It was a fluke,as i've never seen a bear in that area, and have never heard of anyone else seeing one either. Anyway he ended up popping the jaws clean from the frame as I was approaching, which was the best outcome for both of us.

That proved to me that my cross staking tackle is some stout chit:)

My pard has had one take off with a coyote cuff (a large #3-ish size cast jaw)He was using a drag, that ended up being a rodeo after it was all said and done.We had my cousin tree it with his dogs, then doing the "right" thing got the F&G involved to get the trap off..I just wanted to rope the bastard, but no one seconded my vote..

Roping a bear. Now that would be a rodeo

That would be some first class sport.

My son and I went quadding to check and plan some fencing the other day. Without leaving my place we saw 6 bears; 5 browns and a black. Pinching one's toes would be a real possibility in the months where foot-hold traps are viable. Pushing the time-frame later, snares would avoid the potential conflicts. Unfortunately that's when I have time problems.

Roping one wouldnt be as hard as turning one loose... alive!

Done that to a deer a time or two. Gotta watch the feet... they can kick you a dozen times, in the blink of an eye.

Charlie Russell must have thought so too.



http://www.paintingmania.com/arts/charles-marion-russell/large/roping-grizzly-156_10762.jpg

Teddy Blue talks about roping a bear in his book.
He was a good friend and cowboy'd with Russell.
I wonder if that was the inspiration for that painting.

Sakoluvr has some pics of a small NC black bear that was caught in a leg hold trap.

Here in PA the Game Warden will come and dart the bear. They want to tag it anyway. Might depend on the bear's disposition. I never caught one, but I caught a huge coon once by a couple toe nails. He just did not want to give them up.