Amazing Picture-2 Squirrels in 5x5x24 Comstock Tra

Above is an amazing picture of two gray squirrels caught in a Comstock Live Squirrel Trap, taken at the same time.  The live cage trap pictured is only 5x5x24.  This advanced design allowed both squirrels to be caught both at once.  These double powered door traps with the unique swing panel triggers were able to take two squirrels at one time due to the quick powered doors that angle towards the center of the trap when fired.  Since the doors are powered, as they close they act sort of like a Chinese finger trap, forcing the squirrel to move forward only, no backing out.   When the door contacts the squirrel, the doors add pressure and angle to keep them from backing up, so the squirrel quickly moves forward only, which then allows the doors to close completely.

If you are looking for a method in how to trap squirrels, gray squirrels, red squirrels or flying squirrels, either placing these traps over a den in a "positive set" or using bait using one or both doors will do the trick.   There is also a larger trap in 6x6x24 for to take the larger fox squirrels.

These small but durable humane live traps are surely the best offered anywhere.  Besides the 5x5 and 6x6 there is a small gutter trap in 3x5 are larger traps in 6x8, 7x7 and 8x10 openings.

  

Comstock Beaver Cage Traps and Small Culverts

It was recently suggested that Comstock Custom Cage should offer smaller beaver cage traps to fit into 2 foot and 3 foot culverts, which are common in many areas.  What this statement underscores wasn't a shortcoming in the Comstock Beaver Cage Traps, but a need to reiterate and fully explain the versatility in these cage traps and show where they can be used, even in small culverts.

Not only are the large 12x18x39 Comstock Beaver Traps self contained with nothing protruding beyond the confines of the trap, so that they can easily be slid into culverts, these traps are capable of taking the largest beaver, 70 or 80 pounds and at the same time will fit into 3 foot and 2 foot culverts!

The diagonal measurement of the beaver cage trap with the 12x18 inch opening is 22 inches, leaving 2 inches to spare when placed in a small 24 inch culvert!

We also offer the smaller 12x12x36 inch beaver/otter cage trap with a 17 inch diagonal meaning that this cage will even fit into an 18" culvert.  

Great testimonial from a Washington State Trapper!

Subject: Washington state trapper

Product: I just wanted to say this is the first year I have tried using your traps in my line and it is all I will use now. since using your product I have had zero misses and increased my hide supplies by over half. Thank you for making such an incredible product, I truly do appreciate the craftsmanship and reliability in all you guys make!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How did you hear about us? seen your product on youtube

Comstock Swing Panel Squirrel Cages

Carl Wilkie is still at it.  For the past year Carl has been racking up catches in the larger 9x11 cages,   flush mount double door traps, standard double door traps and multipurpose traps for raccoons, skunks, woodchucks etc.  Carl has begun using the 5x5x24 and  6x6x24 double door, panless, swing panel squirrel traps and catching.  Above it looks like 4 squirrels.  

Squirrels can't go through a swing panel tap without being captured, no pan to step over or avoid.  For anyone unsure of how to catch a squirrel, these traps will turn a first timer into a trapper in short order.  They can be set with both doors open flush mounted against holes in structure, both doors opened and baited or used in single door mode.  

Both the 5x5 and 6x6 can be used with nose cones accessories under soffits, with holes in walls in either direction, even on the ground over dens.         

Trapping during periods of Freezing and Thawing

One of the biggest concerns in any trapping is freeze ups that occur during periods of back and forth weather when temperatures straddle the freezing mark, often going above the freezing mark by day and falling below freezing by night.  If there no rain or snow, freeze ups will not be an issue, but cold fronts often bring rain, followed by cold accompanied by freeze ups.  If the traps are under cover moisture that causes a freeze up should not be a problem.  In a nutshell, if the temps vary between freezing and thawing during wet weather and the cage traps are not under cover the cage traps should be lubricated.

When temperatures remain on either side of 32 degrees, freeze ups are not an issue.  Cold weather in and of itself is not an issue.  Cage traps are surely no different from any other traps in their susceptibility to cold during changeable weather.   It only takes a very small drop of water to freeze parts together.  A single drop of water on a trip rod will act as strong as a weld, rendering any trap useless, cage traps included.

There are few parts that require lubrication on a Comstock Cage Trap.  During warm months Comstock Cage Traps do not require lubrication, but lubing them will make them smoother.  Again, if the traps are to be kept under cover, away from rain and snow during freezing and thawing they should perform well.  When lubrication is needed, packing the end bushings with vaseline or the like where the trip rod passes through the frame and adding a small dab of lube on the contact point of trip rod and swing bar should help a great deal.  A small shot of silicone on the door and lock bar hinge points could also help if the traps are to be left out in the weather.

If the cages are maintained with just a bit of lube or sheltered from rain during the cold weather they should perform well.

FISHER and COMSTOCK CAGES

Perhaps the two most common methods of fisher trapping are running pole sets with body gripping traps and cubbies with either body grippers or foothold traps.  A third method is cage trapping where the cage actually becomes it's own pre made cubby.

Running pole sets are fairly easy to construct but do require some maintenance, brushing snow from the leaning poles.  Traps can get buried.  Animals can steal bait.  Also, cubbies take time to construct.  Cages go in a seconds and are the most reliable.  In those states where conventional traps are not legal, cages only, trappers have learned the value in cage traps that keep on working with a very high success rate.  Of the cage traps, none are faster, have more power in the doors to prevent back outs, a more reliable wire trigger or are more durable than a Comstock Cage.

Cubbies, set under green timber, hemlock, spruce and balsam offer a protected area where sets will keep on working when the snow flies.  Perhaps the most important feature in any trapping is making sets that remain working, relatively free from standard maintenance of other sets, a good reason for sets made under cover.

Obviously fisher don't suddenly drop out the sky before hitting a ground set, but are traveling on the ground before venturing up a running pole set.  Fisher have as good or better chance of hitting a ground set, i.e. cubby set or cage trap, as they do a pole set, probably better.

The counterpart to a cubby would be a cage trap, in essence a completely self contained unit, the cage being both trap and cubby all in one, a ready made cubby unit all set to go.  Simply drop it in and add a bit of cover.  The single door Comstock Cages with rear bait door are built for fisher with the fold down bait door purposely hinged at the bottom for strength and also ease in baiting.  When opened and dropped down, bait can be wired to the back of the cage door anywhere you like.  Hinged at the bottom where animals tend to fight a cage trap most, there is absolutely nothing to break.  Both the 9x11 and 12x12 single door traps with rear bait door in the 36 inch length are excellent for fisher, raccoon and will even take both bobcat and fox.  Cages can be pre baited in the shop, bait wired to the door itself, loaded into the vehicle and then placed quickly on site.  A long distance call lure in a tree above the cage with a covering over the trap to keep rain and snow off the bait and it's a done deal as they say.

These Comstock Cage Traps are just as good for raccoon or just about any animal you can entice into the traps.  The double door Comstock Cage Traps can be placed in trails and travel ways with or without baits.

   

BLOG ARCHIVES

Just a quick reminder to check out the blog archives link for each month to view a variety of topics and pictures.

NOSE CONES vs. SHIPPING and TIME

All of the nose cones for large and smaller traps are made to fit over or around the traps they accommodate, in the 9x11 sized traps of any length, 18, 24, 30 and 36 inch lengths and also in the 5x5x24 and 6x6x24 squirrel traps.  Because the nose cones fit snugly around the traps they work with, they add very little to shipping.  When placing an order it saves a great deal to order traps with nose cones to ship together.  For, transport and use, these nose cones take up only a small amount of space and do not add a lot of weight for shipping.

Nose cones can save a lot of time in fabricating individual wire units to go over dens and entry points.  The squirrel nose cone will accommodate holes in soffits from above, holes in walls, corner holes or holes from below, in the ground on in a building.  Since the nose cone can be fastened to a building over a hole in a wall to point in left or right in either direction, the cage trap can be attached to the flat wall length wise more out of site and stabile, rather than protruding from buildings at 90 degrees like other devices that may extend 2 feet straight out from the surface.  

Powder Coated Comstock Cages

These are the first powder coated cages we received from manufacture and they look great.  The flat black matte finish covers all components, frame, trigger parts and even cage wire.  This thin slick coating will help protect the metal from the elements, while removing the bright silvery shine from the cage wire to allow the traps to blend better with the environment.  All 9x11, 12x12 and 12x18 large heavy duty traps with the swing bar trigger system will be powder coated from the factory at no extra cost.  If anyone wishes the to have the smaller swing panel squirrel traps or skunk traps powder coated that option is available for an additional 15%.   

Beaver in Winter,  Is the lodge active?

There are some tell tale signs, easy to pick up on, to tell if a beaver lodge is active in winter.  The obvious is fresh cuttings along shore, which will at least let you know they have been there recently.  The dam will be mudded, water high.

  If there is snow on the ground and the lodge is covered, look for a "smoke hole" or breather in the top of the lodge.  Beaver build the lodge without packing mud on top of the house, purposely, to allow for fresh air ventilation.  The rest of the house will be like concrete, frozen solid and tight.  If snow cover is light, you may see a thawed spot on top where heat coming up from the lodge has melted the snow.  At times you may even see "smoke" coming from the top of the lodge, which is actuarially condensed water vapor.  When the snow on the lodge is deep, you will have to remove just a little from the top of the lodge, which will reveal the thawed top that will have a wet appearance, while the rest of the lodge is frozen.  The smoke hole shows that beaver are present.  The size of the smoke hole will give an indication of how many are in the lodge.  Soccer ball size may mean only a pair but if the top of the lodge has a melted area as big as a bushel basket, or larger, there could be a bunch, 6 to 12 perhaps.   A frosted smoke hole means no beaver present.  Moisture from the lodge simply rises and freezes, crystalizing on the sticks.

Beaver usually keep the dams up in good shape and water level up.  Though not always the case, if a pond starts to drop and the ice sags it could be an indication that no one is home.

Feed piles are a give away.  Fresh feed means beaver were planning on spending the winter.  Though the feed pile may be fresh, cuttings evident and the dam still in tact, the breather is the best indicator.  If the colony had been trapped earlier the feed will look fresh and water may still be up, but the frozen lodge minus a breather shows that you were not to first to find the colony.

It is a good idea to take a minute and check thoroughly.  Forty years ago a local tapper set traps in a small creek near a "lodge."  He hadn't checked for a smoke hole or feed pile, but made assumptions.  Late in spring, after catching no beaver, when the snow began to melt, he realized he had set traps around a large boulder!

Beaver Cage Traps VS. Size

Beaver Cage Traps vs. Size

Having caught nearly 400 beaver over the past three years in the Comstock beaver cage traps we have gained a lot of experience and learned what works.  The cages we invented and sizes that we used all worked great.  In any type of cage trapping there is an acceptable practical size range to take all beaver and somewhere in the abyss, a bare minimum.  No one wants to miss animals, nor do they want to  carry a trap larger than what is needed.  We've always said that anyone can make a trap to catch, but to make one as small as possible, that's the key.  Though we do know what works, we don't know exactly how far we can go by shrinking the cages to find the minimum size to take larger 60 pound beaver every time, but have a good idea.

The 12x12x36 inch traps have taken beaver up to 61 pounds while, the 12x18x32 inch traps have taken beaver 45,46,47 and 52 pounds so far, showing a lot of promise in length.  Splitting the difference in opening size, while shortening the 39 inch cage to 33 inches, we have come up with an idea for a 12x15x33 inch trap only 70% as large as the standard trap.  Since the body of a large 50 pound beaver is about 32 inches long, adding in the diagonal of the 12x15x33 inch trap, it would seem a trap that size would not only work, but would be a whole lot easier to carry in the field, easier to place and take up less space in a vehicle.

Beaver usually become bigger around before they get much longer.  Depending on the area of the country as related to trapping pressure, the average size of the beaver can vary.  Untrapped areas may have a lot of 60+ pound beaver so that the larger traps may be best.  But, where pressure is greater, or just due to section of the country,  beaver can range in the 40's to low 50's.

We are beginning to find that with these powered door, wire trigger, double door Comstock Cages that the only factor of real importance is that the beaver must be able to fit into the trap, period.  If he fits, a catch is made.

When live trapping it's a different story altogether.  The 12x18x39 is a great trap for humane live trapping beaver as it gives them the room that they need to move around.  In the coming months we will be building and experimenting to find what is optimum.  

TIGHT vs. LOOSE TRIGGER WIRES

Some may worry about trigger wires that loosen up.  Trigger wires can be tightened easily by crimping at the base where they connect to the swing bar.  However, the important aspect is knowing that it really makes little difference if the wires are solid or flex.  When they are tight the trigger is actuated quickly upon contact.  Loose wires allow the animal to penetrate the compartment deeper before the trigger fires.  Having some play in a loose trigger wire, if anything, gives an animal more confidence to push on with little resistance to impede them in a loose wire.  By the time the trap fires the animal may be centered between the doors exactly where he should be to prevent a quick dash or back-out..  

TRIGGERS,  Short Throw vs. Hair Trigger

There is a vast difference between a "hair trigger" and a trigger that has a short throw or small amount of travel before it fires.  Though a hair trigger general travels only a short distance before the trigger is actuated, the connotation includes a trigger that is also touchy, very sensitive to any movement that could set it off.  It could be actual trigger contact or merely jarring the trap itself.   This type of setting is one that can easily misfire.  A slight bump to the trap, without even touching the trigger can cause the trap to fire.  A hair trigger is generally not what is required as the traps are often found sprung and without a catch.

However, some traps, like the Comstock Cage Traps can be set with a short travel to fire the trigger.  The triggers on these traps can be made to fire with only a fraction of travel and yet will remain stable.  With a hair trigger, usually the trigger is not seated properly, but partially engaged at the contact points.  In any trigger position the amount of pressure require to fire a Comstock Cage is exactly the same, no touchy areas or uncertainty associated with a hair trigger.  When trying to set a hair trigger on other traps, they often fire.  If you are lucky enough to get one set, just how hair trigger is it?  It's always an unknown.

The trigger on the Comstock Trap can be moved from center contact to either end of the short contact bar on the swing bar or U bar depending on the trap.  In any case, if you place the trigger so that it will travel only a short distance you can rest assured that the trap is no more or less sensitive than it would be in any position, very stable.  The amount of pressure required to fire the trap can be altered by where the door hook rests on the short trip rod posts or dog bar on the beaver traps.

COVERING TRAPS-camouflage

Comstock Beaver Cage Traps are have a small profile when viewed from the end so that a  swimming beaver coming from either end of the trap are not intimidated.  Frame wire that is only 1/4" in diameter is not a deterrent.  The trap is hardly more than an unconfined bare trigger wire, nothing for a beaver to avoid.  Though we do often camouflage our sets, camouflage is not a prerequisite to making a catch by any means.  Covering a trap would seem to be an issue of personal preference since these traps work well with or without coverings.  Perhaps the most important consideration for hiding a valuable trap would be to reduce theivery.

Carl Wilki

CARL WILKI-Facebook

For those considering Comstock Live Cage Traps for ADC businesses, home or fur trapping, who may have questions about just how effective these humane live traps are, you need look no further than Carl Wilki's Facebook Page.  Carl is a long time experienced nuisance wildlife trapper from Ilinois who began using Comstock Cage traps in his business a couple of years ago for woodchucks, skunks and raccoons.  This past year Carl expanded his supply of Comstock Cages, adding two dozen more to his arsenal, while at the same time liquidating the conventional pan traps he had used for years.   I'm not going to paraphrase.  Anyone can read Carl's own words to understand how much he loves the new Comstock Cage Traps because of the success rate, which puts more money in his pocket since success and closure come so easily and consistently.  He sets Comstock Cages and catches,  It's that simple.  Back-outs just don't happen.  Animals don't beat the power doors.  A hesitant animal is pushed into the trap.  Cages can be made shorter because of the speed and power in the doors.  There are many others who share the same passion and enthusiasm about the Comstock Traps, but none more vocal and supportive, sharing his success with others.  Thanks Carl.

Carl is one of many who have used both pan traps and traps the operate in a similar fashion to the Comstock Cages.  There is a long list of those who have tried all brands with all kinds of triggers, even wire triggers and shelved what they had for the Comstock Traps.  Size, practicality, price, function, durability, reliability, consistency and stability combined with sensitivity, price, quality in powder coating, you name it, are unmatched.  This not only includes traps for woodchucks, raccoons and skunks but the smaller chipmunk and squirrel traps as well as the larger beaver traps, something for everyone.  If you have a problem, we have a solution.

Not only do we make and sell our traps, we are clients too, using the traps in our nuisance wildlife control business every day.  With just under 400 beaver taken in our own business, we have taken 397 beaver to date in the Comstock Beaver Cage Traps, which actually puts us in second place, well behind one trapper who has taken more than 600!    

SIDE by SIDE SETTING

Perhaps overlooked, and or taken for granted, are the very positive features of side by side setting of the Comstock Beaver Cage Traps.  These swim through cage traps offer the only practical side by side setting of any type of trap in beaver trapping, allowing double, triple or unlimited side by side catching.   These cage traps can be placed virtually anywhere you wish to set a trap on soft or hard bottom.  Body grippers are incredibly limited in that aspect, as are snares.  If there is a single run or location that could accept two body grippers side by side, in order to secure them the bottom has to be solid enough to hold a stake, but not too solid to prevent a stake from being driven, very limiting.  The same goes for soft muck.  Many times the bottom is either rocky, mucky, solid steel or concrete of a culvert, none of which will hold a stake.  True, you can use stabilizes to place body grippers on a hard surface, but set side by side once a catch is made both traps will be involved in the catch and out of action, taking but one beaver with two traps.  The same is true for snares set close together.  Both will be involved in a single catch and out of commission at the location.

Independent of each other, these swim through cages can be set side by side anywhere, no matter what the bottom.  The cage wire separates the two, making them independent of each other, able to make a catch without moving, shifting or effecting the other trap.  In fact, where streams or runs are wide, there is no limit to how many may be set touching or nearly touching, two, three, four...

Comstock Beaver Cage Traps at work.

The other day I checked 4 sets at this location,  which produced a blanket beaver, a two year old and a muskrat.  This catch is indicative of a double colony and reason to add traps.  I put in one more trap, 5 total.  On this check the result was 5 for 5, a blanket, two more two year olds and two yearlings.  Three were caught in 12x12x36 and two others were caught in the 12x18x39.  Beaver ranged in weight from 20 to 45+ pounds.  In wide runs the 12x18 traps work great.  A second alternative is to place two 12x12x36 cages side by side in wide runs.  Beaver can easily be taken in cages set next to each other.  If set with triggers to the outside, the first caught frequently does not spring the second trap.

Under ice setting is quick and easy, with the ice acting as a deadman and no camouflage required.

   

THE COMSTOCK MULTIPURPOSE TRAP

The multipurpose trap, designed for denning animals living in either free standing dens or dens under buildings, is the most versatile trap ever developed.  This trap is a double door trap made to take animals coming or going, woodchucks, skunks, rabbits etc.  There is an opening in the bottom of the trap, another at the end of the trap and one on each side of the trap, meaning there is virtually no position or situation this trap with 4 openings can't handle.

While single door traps will take only animals living in the den at the time the trap is set, this trap will not only take the animal living in the den, but he one returning to the den.

With the side entrances on the nose cone portion with the 4 openings, the trap can be placed parallel to buildings, either way.  This comes in handy when there is a large object, trees or brush opposite the den.

Other double door traps may have this nose cone portion with 2 openings, but none have 4 like the Comstock Multipurpose trap.

 

You don't have to worry about catching big beaver in Comstock Cages.  Pictured above is a 61 pound beaver taken in a 12x12x36, the largest beaver taken in the smaller Comstock Beaver Cage Trap to date.  Information and pictures acquired from others using traps with the same size opening, 12x12, indicate that this is not an unusual occurrence, but to be expected.  I have also seen a picture with a 58 and 64 pound beaver in cages of this size.  Though the traps are only 36 inches long, it took a 44 inch long beaver!  

This is another 66 pound beaver taken in a standard 12x18 Comstock Beaver Cage Trap.  One trapper in Massachusetts claims to have caught dozens of 60 pound beaver, some 70 pound beaver and even a couple of 80 pound beaver in untrapped areas in the Comstock Swim Through Beaver Cage Traps.

Positive Side Effects of Cages

Besides the fact that cages go in fast and easy and rarely sprung, even if they are sprung it is usually not a beaver that did it.  On the rare occasion that it is a beaver, that beaver still may be caught in the same cage when the traps are set at a different location in a different manner.

All that aside, since cages do not require, tying off of any kind with wire or other and don't need staking or stabilizing either, they are difficult to spot by lay persons or even trappers because no one is looking for them.  There is nothing to look for.  There are no "tell tale" signs of them found with other methods.  When a catch is made under water, out of sight, it "doesn't exist."  This week I had 10 cages set in muddy clay water.  Muddy water can be a plus.  A trapper moved in on top of me, planted a half dozen 330 Conibears around the cages and had no idea the cages were in place though he would have had to almost step on one of them.

New Record For Us

Amazing, today we caught a 61 pound beaver in a 12x12x36 inch cage, the largest beaver we have taken in a trap this size.  Six beaver were taken at a single location in the Comstock swim through beaver cage traps, while 3 of them were taken at a single castor lure set.  This adds more information and fuels the argument for shorter traps with the realization that swim through, wire trigger cage traps with powered doors don't need to be as long as once thought.    

POWDER COATING began last week on all of the 9x11, 12x12 and 12x18 Comstock Cages

A long time in the works, powder coating is now a feature of all of the larger framed cage traps.  Not only will the frames be coated, but the entire trap will get the powder coating, even the cage wire.  The traps will be a flat black in color, requiring no additional covering to hide the shiny cage wire.  Best of all, the price will remain the same!

How to remove a raccoon from your house

Jim Horton of Quality Pro Pest and Wildlife Services captured this raccoon, demonstrating the incredibly fast powered Comstock Cage Trap doors.

Large beaver in 32 inch cage and small fish in a 5x5x24

Today we broke the size record for beaver taken in a 32 inch trap, 52 pounds.   Also there was a new record for small set in the squirrel trap in the form of a 1-1/2 inch sunfish caught in a 5x5x24 inch trap.

Smaller 12x12x36 Live Comstock Beaver Cage Traps work Great for Beaver too.

Developing a clear cut preference for one size Comstock beaver cage trap over another is a tough call, something that is taken from many catches made over time, a slow learning curve.  Most often it comes down to situation in the width of the run, which will dictate what size will work best.  Simply, he trap should fit the run, no fencing, no crowding.

Having taken 50 and 60 pound beaver in our cage traps with a 12x15 inch opening, I have heard of  60 pounders being caught in 12x12 traps.  I am now setting the smaller traps with more confidence.  Beaver seem not to refuse the 12x12 as the opening is much larger than a a 10x10 body gripping trap that take large beaver with regularity.

Many, if not most runs, are wide, meaning the 12x18 cages are perfect more often than not.  I would  not substitute the wide 12x12 trap for a 12x18 in wide runs.   However, a wide run can be covered in another way with two 12x12 cages set side by side a couple of inches apart.  The 12x12 cage will not only take large beaver, but this side by side setting strategy will provide two chances for catches.

Just yesterday I checked two side by side 12x12 cages and had large beaver in both, a 36 and a 42 pound beaver.  

Muskrats caught in the new 5x5x24 squirrel traps.

Local trapper Mike W. set 5 of the newest 5x5x24 double door, panel triggered, squirrel traps in bottom edge and run sets for muskrats day before yesterday.  Today, on the first check, he caught 3 muskrats in the 5 sets, showing more promise and usage for the study, lightweight, versatile traps.

60+ Pound Beaver taken in a 12x15x36 Comstock Swim Through Double Powered Door Cage.  As you will notice, the beaver is almost as large as the cage.  This trap recently took a 50 pounder.  Fifty pound beaver measure about 32 inches from the tip of the nose to the base of the tail.  The body length of the 60 appears to be a bit longer than the 50 pound beaver, 33 1/2 inches from nose to base of his tail.  I'm always amazed at the effectiveness of these cage traps since the overall length of the beaver is about 44 inches, 8 inches longer than the trap!

More Large Beaver

Today netted 3 more big beaver and brought closure to two more ADC locations.  The smallest beaver was 41 pounds at the first location, while the next spot produced a 45 and 60 pounder.   Again, the smallest trap took the largest beaver.   A 12x15x36 double door Comstock trap constructed like the 12x12x36 got the 60 pounder.

Plans are to make a 12x12x32 for beaver, which will push the practical limit in a small but adequate trap.  With one 12x18x32 inch trap currently in use,  I hope to put some more 32 inch traps together this winter in 12x12, 12x15 and 12x18.

Testimonial: New line of double door, swing panel traps, 5x5x24 squirrel trap, 8x10x36 rabbit trap.

Homeowner Lou C. in New York took 8 squirrels and 96 chipmunks in the 5x5 traps last year and this year caught 16 squirrels and 56 chipmunks.  He also mentioned catching 4 mice in them!

Lou tried a second trap for rabbits as his garden was overrun with them.  With no traps springs, he used the 8x10x36 to take 10 rabbits, 1 opossum and 2 woodchucks, a small and a medium chuck.

The 8x10x36 double door trap was designed for rabbits, feral cats, skunks and opossum.  Though the 8x10 trap was not intended for woodchucks, it is possible that it may hold up to woodchucks too.  

More about Double Setting

Dam crossovers are very obvious and easy to spot.  Except where theft is an issue or someone might disrupt your traps, dam crossovers are hard to beat.  Where beaver have multiple dams forming several ponds, they will, of course, have a point or points where they cross their dams nightly.  The crossover usually corresponds with the stream channel.  Placing a Comstock Cage trap at the base of the dam works well.  The trap will be set upside down as usual on the angle of the dam with the upper end of the roof of the trap about even with the water level and lower end submerged.

If there are multiple dams it certainly won't hurt to set all of the crossovers.  Where there is but one crossover you can increase your odds and speed the trapping process by simply setting two cages side by side.  Recently I did just that and took a 45 pound and 30 pound beavers side by side.    

Tips on Beaver Cage Trapping with Comstock Cages, Top Setting

Beaver swim on top as much as they do on the bottom of runs, perhaps more.  When setting runs top sets are no less effective than bottom sets.  This can be accomplished with snares, body grippers and even cage traps.  The beauty in the Comstock Cages is that they can be set up on long T-bars or wired to vertical poles with the top of the trap running even with the surface of the water.  Because the traps are set upside down, poles can be slid horizontally through the cages to support the cages on top in narrow runs, poles running bank to bank or supported with forked sticks.  With the mechanism on the bottom of the traps, poles and or grass etc. can be stuffed into the wire framing to hide and support  without interfering with the operation of at the trap in any way.  Triggers are unimpeded and doors will close and lock as they should.

Beaver and beaver dams

Creatures of habit, like most wildlife, beaver are quite predictable.  If you are breaching dams with the intent in placing traps of any type, it is best to keep the holes "small but noisy."  Beaver respond well to the sound of running water, but large holes require a big response, large branches, logs etc.  Traps are much more apt to get sprung and or buried into the dam itself if the hole is a gusher.  A smaller hole will produce a more a surgical response by a beaver, commensurate to the size of the hole in the form of a clump of grass or a little mud.

When dams are breached with large openings by a landowner or have large leaks due to heavy rains or water merely overflows a dam, beaver will leave the dam alone and simply not work on it.  Where there has been a major leak, a beaver will wait for the water to drop and stabilize before rebuilding the dam.  Beaver will quickly patch a small hole.

If you can find a location where the leaking water will drop several inches, splash onto a flat rock or gurgle around a stick, all the better.   Noisy is good.

Holes in a dam will repaired with new material.  If you remove sticks from a dam and place them behind or beside the dam, they will not be used by the beaver.  Beaver will pick up new brush from the pond and pack it back into the dam if you put those sticks in the water in front of the dam.  At times beaver may rearrange a few sticks, but they will do little to disturb the actual structure.  Once the dam is built, the material in the dam will remain there forever.  Beaver inherently know that a leaking dam will need more material.  They don't want to weaken or disturb sticks that are already in place, just add to it and strengthen what is there.

 

Comstock  traps designed for beaver work equally well for otter and muskrats.  Pictured is a 12x12x36 double door swim through trap.  We are also finding that even the smaller 9x11x36 double door traps will take otter too.  Either of the 12x18x39 or 12x12x36 beaver traps work great for otter and even the smaller less expensive 9x11 trap never designed for otter but primarily used for raccoons is a winner for otter.

Double set and double catch for Beaver in a culvert setting.

Double Setting for Beaver, Double Catching

When trapping a new colony, where beaver have just recently moved in, there are quite often a pair of beaver.  This is not always true by any means, but common.  These beaver are usually matched in size, typically in the 25 to 50 pound range.

With new colonies I will often place two traps side by side, leaving a few inches between them if possible.  The Comstock Cage traps are stabile and will not fire accidentally unless the trigger wires are moved several inches.  When one beaver is captured usually the second adjacent trap will remain set, allowing for both beaver in the new colony to be taken together, side by side.  One application of castor lure on the bank is all that is necessary to take both beaver, a single set location, double set with two traps.   The traps may be completely submerged or partially out of water.  Where the beaver will remain alive in the cages it is best to keep a little distance between them or perhaps place a barrier between them so that one beaver will not reach into the other cage and fire the other trap before the second beaver is captured.

Beaver do wise up and catch on to other beaver being captured and may learn to avoid any type of trap, even if they have not sprung the trap themselves, including snares, body grippers or even cages.   Having at least a couple of cages set the first night is a plus.

Traps can also be set in channels in blind sets on the bottom.   For instance, yesterday I checked two traps set the night before on the bottom of a culvert.  The dam was in the middle of a half full 4-5 foot tube.  I simply dropped two cages into the culvert, side by side on the bottom and had the pair of beaver, both nearly 50 pounds.

Catching side by side doubles in these cages, in many different ways, solves beaver problems quickly.  

Perspective on Swim Through Comstock Beaver Cage Traps, Comparing them to Other Devices

Yes, we do make and sell beaver cage traps, but most important, we use the same traps we sell year round in our ADC business, not because we have to, but because they are superior.  In ADC work it's not about making a point, but about getting the job done quickly and efficiently.

There are 5 "cage trap only" states and other states that do not allow either foot holds, conibears or snares in various disallowed combinations.  Cages are the only way in some states, so the new traps have been a big asset.  In NY, where we operate our ADC business, we are allowed to use virtually all trapping devices available, footholds, conibears(body grippers), snares under permit, both Hancock and Bailey live traps and even shooting to control problem beaver.  I own and have used all of these devices for many years and will of course continue to use them when necessary.  However, now that we have the new swim through, wire triggered, swing bar, cage traps, all of the other devices are merely used as fill ins for the odd occasion when something other than our cages are required.  Due to the nature of these traps, they exhibit more versatility and instill more confidence than any other device we have used, while offering methods and ease in setting never scene before.

In just under 3 years the take is now at 351 beaver taken in our cages by us with a small percentage taken in other devices, the cages accounting for in excess of 90% of our catch.  A few were shot, a few were taken in footholds, while a handful were either snared or taken in body grippers.  All of the rest were caged in Comstock Cages.

The biggest enemy of the ADC trapper is a sprung trap, the creation of an "educated" beaver.  These cages are sensitive, yet the most stable cage traps available, running an extremely high success rate, rarely fired without a catch inside.  Once captured there are no escapes or damage to the traps.  Repeated catches will not damage a trap, even hundreds!

Other wire trigger cage traps using body gripping triggers taken from existing body gripping traps do not compare to the swing bar trigger we specifically developed for our swim through beaver traps.  Not only do our traps hold up as well as or better than any others, they are more stable, function better, more user friendly, lighter in weight and cost less when comparing similar models.  We know what our competition makes because we also created the powered door traps and triggers they make.  We call them a generation 1 trap as we have now moved on to the swing bar generation 2 trap we now have.

How Power Hinged Swing Door Cage Traps Compare to Guillotine Door Cage Traps

You may see guillotine door beaver traps offered which are heavier, but not stronger, fast but without follow through lock up, more expensive, but not better, that have many limitations when compared to the Swing Door Traps that we use every day in our ADC work and market.

What to look for in choosing the very best beaver traps:

Cage traps should be fully self contained, no external trigger components extending beyond the frame of the trap to catch on other traps in transit in the vehicle or catch on brush while carrying.  The best traps will not have a frame or parts that extends beyond the box itself.

Most obvious is that a swing door trap can be set in shallow water and completely hidden.  A guillotine door trap extends a foot or two above the outline of the trap making it all but impossible to camouflage.

To hide a guillotine door trap in open water as a swing door trap requires twice the depth of the box.

The power swing door traps can be set in any position, even sideways or upside down.  What this means is that a trap that measures 12x18 inches is basically a trap of "two sizes."  Not only will it accommodate a wide 2 foot run as it was designed, but can also be set on its side to fit a narrower 12 inch run, thus the "two sizes in one trap."

Set upside down these swing door traps have little chance of catching debris that you can see when you place the trap.

In the cool months when freezing is likely, these swing door traps can be set in shallow water, just over a foot.  When an inch or two of ice forms the traps are good to go, unlike the guillotine door trap that will freeze in solid.  The guillotine requires exactly twice the depth to set as a swing door to accommodate the height of the box and the equal height of the doors above the box.  

Guillotine door traps can not be slid into culverts like the sleek powered hinged swing door traps.

Guillotine door traps can jam when the trap is on an angle.  A powered swing door trap will work at any angle or position as there is no wrong way to set them.

Guillotine door traps run the risk of picking up brush and sticks that will snag, slow or also jam them, and they do.

Note:  Any wire trigger cage trap fitted with a conibear type trigger designed in the late 1950's for killing body grip traps is far less stable and reliable when compared to the modern swing bar trigger developed specifically for the powered swing door traps.  The reason I "seem" to know so much about this trigger is because these triggers were used in my first inventions, "gen one if you will."  We moved on and beyond to develop the all new superior trigger we now have, "gen two in 2010." 

Upside Sets with Comstock Beaver Cage Traps

Upside down setting with Comstock beaver cages might seem gimmicky, but it now appears there is even more science to it than previously thought.  Not only can a cage be dropped into a brushy sunken dams, feed piles or where ever there is debris and sticks without risk of the doors getting jammed because the doors fire upward, these cages can be made even shorter than anyone thought possible.  On the first two outings with the newest experimental unheard of 32 inch short beaver cages, the result was 2 for 2, both beaver large blanket beavers.  The first beaver weighed in at 45 pounds, while the second was a pound larger at 46 pounds.  The body length at 30 inches was almost exactly the length of the inside of the trap door to door.  With the tail, the beaver was nearly a foot longer than the entire trap, proving that if most of the beaver is in the trap when it fires, the beaver will be ushered in by the power doors that contact his back feet and then simply pull himself in the rest of the way.  Taking into account, beaver sizes,  trigger travel, forward inertia of the beaver, distance to center, along with the distance the door protrudes beyond the confines of the catch compartment, it could be that 32 to 36 inch traps may become more the norm than the exception.  It just takes some time to move from hypothetical to experiment to the accepted method.  It's not always easy for new concepts to gain approval and people to get their head around using a shorter device.  I'm still amazed.  

A few Beaver Cage Statistics-Weight

Size and weight definately play a role in the selection of a beaver cage trap.  Engineered and configured for strength and durability, the traps are built from the lightest materials that will hold up.  The standard 12x18x39 beaver cages weigh a bit over 23 lbs., well within the range of acceptability.

Always experimenting with shorter and smaller cages, the last two beaver cages we made to try out were even more user friendly.  The 12x18x32 "shorty" weighs under 20 pounds, 19-13!  A second trap  measuring 12x15x36 came in at an amazing 17-10, both incredibly light for their capabilities.  Both traps produced large beaver on the first set, the first a 45 pound beaver and the second a 50 pound beaver.

FYI, Lexington, Kentucky

Judy and I will be attending the WCT, Wildlife Control Technology, conference in Lexington, Kentucky, on November 7 and 8.  We will have a booth to show and demo Comstock and Tomahawk cage traps and accessories.  I will do a power point on Beaver Trapping November 8 at 3:30 p.m.   Hope to see you there.

The past two days, using a couple of odd sized one of a kind traps, just because, proved rewarding.  Yesterday the 12x18x32 double powered door trap produced a 45# beaver and today a 12x15x36 inch trap produced a beaver just a shade under 50#.   These are the first to be taken in the new traps and both pretty good sized in relation to the size of the trap.  We did take a 42# in a 12x12x36 last year also.  I would bet that larger beaver can and will be taken in each of these traps without issue.  They just need some more time in the water.

Pictured is the long stick that must have been in the 45# beaver's mouth when he was captured in the 32 inch trap.  There was also a 1 inch diameter stick in the door, but the gap between door and frame was large enough not to jam the action.  The door fired and locked as it should, even with the second stick wedged in between the door and frame.

We have done a lot of experimenting with shorter space saving double door cage traps, pushing the envelope to the limit.  Though some double door traps for armadillo have been made as long as 48", we found that double door cage traps as short as 24 inches would accomplish the same goal without issue.  Likewise, we found that double door cage traps as short as 18 inches were more than adequate for skunks and chucks, misses pretty much non-existant.

With beaver we began with a 36 inch double door trap, taking beaver up to 66 pounds.  The 36 inch traps never let us down.  From there we began using 40, 39 and 38 inch long traps to err on the side of caution.  After hundreds of catches, studying and running the numbers it seemed likely that shorter just might work, 34 inch for sure, but maybe even shorter, a really short 32 inch?

This is a picture of a 45 pound beaver taken today in 32 inch long 12x18 double powered door cage trap on the first attempt and in all likelihood a first for a double door trap this short.   The trap was set upside down in 30 inches of water on the bottom in a stream channel with the powered doors lifting the beaver up and into the trap.  Time will tell if this was a fluke or the norm and just how short double door traps can be made.

Superior Trigger in Comstock Panless Traps

All of the panless traps we produce have one common characteristic, simply the most stable, consistent, sensitive trigger system available in cage traps, a big plus for setting, placing,  and firing to take animals large or small without issue.

With standard pan type trigger systems or wire triggered traps that use conibear type triggers, triggers that have moved even slightly after setting in what is often an undetectably small amount of travel,  triggers become very "touchy."  If one of these cage traps is jarred by the user or an animal, the trap may fire prematurely, even before the animal has entered the trap.  Pan type triggers have a range of sensitivity dictated by where the door catch contacts the door itself, very light to heavy, difficult to see or understand if the trigger is heavy or light.

With the swing bar and swing panel triggers on the Comstock traps there is no accidental light or heavy setting.  All of these traps have wide, easily seen contact points.  The trap is set no heavier or lighter by the position of the contacts between the trip rod and swing bar.  It is always the same every time, no guess work.  Though the amount of trigger travel may be more or less if the trigger contact is off center, the amount of pressure required to fire the trap remains exactly the same.   Also, the trap will fire exactly in the same prescribed position each time, no surprises.

On the larger heavy duty traps trigger pressure can be varied by positioning the door hook either close to or farther from the trip rod.  You are in command with the ability to regulate the pressure needed to fire the trap since the door hook position can be easily seen.  No other traps afford this option or reliability.  Even the small squirrel traps have the same stability as the larger raccoon and beaver traps.

Because of the features incorporated into the triggers, traps that are rolled over or even tossed into the water remain set and stabile and at the same time, sensitive enough to catch a small muskrat in the beaver traps and sensitive enough to capture a mouse in the squirrel traps.      

Luke sent in this picture of a very small mouse in a 5 x 5 x 24 Comstock Swing panel chipmunk/squirrel cage trap, proving that the trigger is incredibly sensitive and the cage mesh is tight.

"When I said nothing gets by the panel trigger I meant it!! Luke"

Although not recommended for mice, it can happen in a 5 x 5 x 24 Comstock Swing Panel double door  trap!

"Jim, I'm absolutely loving my new squirrel cages.  The panel trigger gets them every time!  I wasn't sure about the nose cone at first, but now prefer one over wings. I've been hammering the ground squirrels and chipmunks with a positive set over their holes.  They also work great with one door down and use of bait.  Besides a few older traps I have, I am now using almost exclusively your cages. Thanks again for producing such a superior product!  Luke Pennington"

With powered doors and a wire trigger, even larger animals are being taken in the shortest double door traps available.  Though not recommended for raccoons, 18 inch double door traps with a 9x11 opening take raccoons with regularity.  Above is a 15 pound 'coon in the 18 inch trap taken by Tim in Ohio.

Likewise, the 24 inch double door traps easily take armadillos as Dusty in Arkansas found out.  Armadillos also have been caught in 18 inch traps on accession, again not the recommended size.  The 24 inch traps have replaced traps that were 36 to 48 inches in length, making setting easier and faster, while allowing the shorter traps to be placed where the larger traps would not fit.

Beaver Set using Castor

Above photo shows the last step in making a beaver castor set with beaver gland lure placed at waters edge for maximum attraction at a castor set for beaver.  (Note: Small area of expanding oily film lying on top of the water.)

This photo shows a completed castor set in its entirety, lure at bottom center with Beaver Comstock Cage Trap covered at top center.  Lure is shown with oily film on the surface and Comstock Beaver Cage submerged above, well hidden  under grass in the narrowed area created with logs on both sides of the opening.  This set was made on the edge of pond where a small channel and crawl out existed.  These sets can be placed virtually anywhere where there is either a natural or man made narrowing.  The cage traps are generally set in just over a foot of water, though a few inches deeper or shallower will not detract from the effectiveness.  A distinct advantage to this type of trapping is that there is no sign left for trappers or anyone to find and there are few limitations in where it can be made.  There is no wire, no stabilizing sticks or focal point for passers by to discern.  In a cage, even the catch is out of sight.  Unlike guillotine door cage traps with doors that protrude well above the trap in plain sight for all to see, this trap with power hinged doors that remain under waster, can be set in high traffic areas, completely undetectable.   

The culvert above was plugged wtih a mud dam.  Mud dams are conducive to using The Comstock Beaver Cages, which can be placed in front of the dam with a small trickle of water passing through the trap.  Even a small leak in the dam will attract a beaver.   The traps are set in single door mode, upside down, with the upper end of the cage resting against the dam.  It is the closed door, of course, that is again the dam.  The lower end of the trap with the opened door is placed towards the pond, resting just below the surface.  Road fabric is used to cover the entire cage, even past the closed door right up to the dam.  Loose muck is then packed on top of the cage to conceal all of the fabric.  The trap will lie at a slight angle, raised perhaps a couple of inches at the closed door, leaving an air space. 

This shows a set and cage buried into the dam, totally invisible to passers by. 

Not only are the traps invisible, but better yet, the catch is too.
Pulling the fabric back reveals a small beaver in the cage.

A New Setup.  Feral Cat Capture in the newest Comstock 10x8x36 panel trigger trap.

Had a trapper take a bunch of feral cats in pan traps, but one was too smart for the pan.  He probably had been caught before and would actually sleep inside of the trap.

The new Comstock traps have a panel trigger that works like the wire trigger cages, same principle.  The trapper in this case tried something innovative and new.  Instead of using the trigger in the intended manner as a push through trigger, he clipped the panel back and used a stick as the trigger to replace the panel.  By propping a stick up under the trip rod part of the trap, the door was held open.  He then put some of the new Gary Jepson Cat Rub lure on the stick.  The cat walked into the cage, brushed up against the stick as you would expect and was caught first night!  

New Line of Double Powered Door, Swing Panel, Panless, Cage Traps in Action

Currently the skunk traps are 6x8x30 and 7x7x36, both working as they should.  It is possible that the 7x7 could be made a bit shorter, perhaps the squirrel traps also because when the door drops and hits the animals behind the shoulder or back, they are unable to back up.  The angle and powered aspect of the door is working even better than anticipated.

Live Beaver Cage trapping

REALEASING ANIMALS

RELEASING ANIMALS

An easy way to keep a door open is simply to open the door and put a stick or rod cross wise through the cage wire, horizontally.  This will hold the door open.  If you need to keep an animal from exiting prematurely, you could put rods vertically through the cage to hold the animal back in the catch box, open the door and hold it open with the rod, then remove the vertical rods.

 BEAVER SWIM THROUGH CAGE TRAPS SET UPSIDE DOWN IN AND UNDER WATER

I know there are some who may not understand the the virtues of setting a cage trap trap upside down in water, but there are many, making this trap and method of setting second to none when it comes to cage traps.

 A power door cage trap set upside will actually lift and push and animal into the trap as he swims forward, far superior to any guillotine door or gravity door ring or drop down door trap.  The power door firing up from the bottom works in tandem with the forward momentum of the swimming animal, propelling him into the trap as the door closes and locks.
 
A second advantage to the door coming up from the bottom is that as the door closes the animal's feet are located on a moving surface, the door, as it lifts the animal into the trap, meaning the animal can get no purchase to push himself back out of the trap as the doors are closing.  In conventional traps where the door comes down from the top, the animal has all four feet planted on firm ground, giving him the ability to brace and back out.  This can't happen in a power door coming up from the bottom.

Because the triggering mechanism is on the bottom when the traps are set upside down, these traps can be set in freezing conditions, even when a portion of the trap is left out of water and able to freeze in, yet still function.  When the traps are set in a dam break, with the upper door closed in a hole in the dam, water leaking through the trap, while the lower end of the trap is submerged, even if the exposed portion partially freezes in, the trigger and lower door will function flawlessly to make the catch.

Though traps can be left exposed and still take beaver readily, at times traps may require camo in the form of grass, logs, mud, brush etc.  When camo is applied to any trap with the mechanism on top, and/ or external components, care must be taken so that it is never placed in a manner that will interfere with the trigger action.  Cover can jam a trap a trap constructed in this manner quite easily, resulting in a misfire, no fire and lost animals.  The swim through trap set upside down with the trigger on the bottom can be camoed with any sort of cover without worry since all of the trigger components are out of the way on the bottom.  Even pushed into the mud, the trigger will still work as it should.
When adding camo, grass can be stuffed into the wires, logs laid on top of the trap, while mud and brush packed on top will have no effect on the mechanism, function or working ability of the trap.

By setting a trap upside down any debris that could hinder a drop down door will rest beneath the door.  These traps are stable enough to be thrown into the water without firing and yet sensitive enough to take muskrats with regularity.  When the trap is positioned on the bottom upside down, any potentially door clogging debris can be readily seen and removed.  Conversely, when drop down doors traps are placed, there is always the potential for a door to get hung up on an unseen snag on the bottom.

When these cage traps are set upside down and placed on the surface, suspended with wire, floated or on stakes, with the top of the cage just out of water, a beaver may stop and inspect the cage, but he is already over the door and in a sense partially into the trap and less likely to refuse.  Protruding doors from the top are far more visible and may act as a deterrent.













  

In a short while we will have a double powered door squirrel trap, 5x5x24, with a versatile new push through trigger never before seen in a small trap.  To follow, 6x6 and 7x7 for fox squirrels and skunks, perhaps a 7 or 8x10 for rabbits.  Each of these traps will have powered doors but will work as a colony traps simply by removing the springs and placing in runs for muskrats for multiple catches.  The traps will perform as either single or multiple catch traps.

An ADC trapper in Illinois pointed out the value in the larger single door 10x12 and 12x12 traps made by other manufacturers.  Because the all around 9x11 Comstock traps are smaller they will easily slip into the larger traps, allowing animals to be transferred into the larger traps.  The Comstock traps can be reset to do what they do best, catch critters, while the older pan traps can be used for what they are best suited, as a transport container for an animal caught in a Comstock.

There are at least two major elements to any cage trap, one being function, of course, and the other, practicality.  Once the function is in place in a trap that catches well, the trap has to be user friendly, not too heavy, not too large, but as small and light as possible and still catch, hold and hold up.

Within the world of practical is stackable.  In order to be stackable there must be no external components, all parts must tuck neatly inside the wire box.  What this comes down to is engineering, problem solving.  As an inside out ADC operator, in the business for a couple of decades with small animals and a lot longer on beaver, I ran into the same obstacles, situations everyone else does.  Understanding the problems is step one, then figuring how to beat them comes next.  It was from my background with cage traps that making a stackable trap with internal components a must, nothing less, which is why everything we make has nothing protruding beyond the confines of the traps to catch on other traps in transit in the truck or on brush when the traps are deployed.  You can even pile them up when setting.
                                             

Above is a picture of a gray squirrel caught in a Comstock, double door, 4x5x24, push through, powered door, cage trap used with a Comstock nose cone to direct the squirrel into the trap.  Thanks for this picture taken by Tom in Iowa on his nuisance line.  These are called positive sets, used without bait or lure, that will catch an animal coming or going from a den.  Far superior to baiting, these sets rely only upon an animal moving from one location to another as this is his travel way covered by a "non directional" trap with two doors open to catch the squirrel either coming or going.  These traps are incredibly simple, inexpensive, yet the best trap available in a new double door trap, designed to work in any position.  They will take even small chipmunks and flying squirrel, rats and maybe even a large mouse.

This was squirrel number 5 taken from this setup.  Once the setup is made with the nose cone and trap support in place, traps can be removed and swapped out for a new trap quickly after a catch is made.  This supplants the need for separator tools and transfer boxes that have but one function, to hold an animal until release.  Furthermore, this removes the possibility of losing an animal during transfer, which can happen on occasion.

These traps are available now and will appear on the website soon.

Update on numbers, statistics for perspective

As of this week I have personally taken 268 beaver in the swim through 12x18x39 wire triggered, powered door cage traps in my own ADC business, which puts me squarely in second place.  A trapper in Massachusetts  has now taken over 600 beaver in two seasons, 400 and 200, along with more than 100 muskrats and plenty of otter.  I am still amazed that a trap this large with highly powered doors will also quite handily take small muskrats, even a couple of mink!  The Massachusetts trapper and one Washington State trapper each broke their old conibear records with Comstock Cages, which speaks volumes, showing the practical effectiveness of the device.

In my own business, though I am permitted to snare, use both conibears and foot holds, along with live traps like Bailey and Hancock, even shoot beaver under permit, the trap of choice remains our own cage traps because of the versatility.  They just plain work.  Typically I will load the truck with 6 or 8 cages only and head out on a complaint.  Setting from 2 to 4 is standard at a location.  Last year almost 90 percent of the 129 trapped beaver were caged in Comstock Cages, 116.  This year to date I have used the cages 100% of the time to take 23 beaver.

As with any device, at times there are "hang ups."  There is now one beaver that will require different equipment, which is always to be expected.  Like any visible device, as in square shy beaver with conibears, beaver will at times avoid a cage once they have seen others captured, even without springing a trap.  But, if the beaver is allowed to "calm down," by returning at a later date, weeks later, a formerly hesitant beaver may be trapped first night.

Species Specific Beaver Trap

As is, the 12x18x39 Comstock swim through beaver cage trap will take beavers, otters and muskrats.

Beavers may be taken alive when the Comstock beaver traps are set slightly out of water, an inch or two above the surface.  This, of course, means that all non-targeted species will also be alive and can be released.  I have released otter and muskrats.

When beaver trapping in a situation where taking live beaver is not required, where the traps are set fully submerged, it may be possible to take beaver only, while allowing non-targeted muskrats and otter to escape alive.

The cage wire is 1-1/2 inch mesh.  Having not tried this yet, the size of the opening or openings would have to be determined through trial and error, but I believe that a 3x6 opening would allow all muskrats and probably most or all otter to escape.  By cutting a hole or holes in the top of the cage when set upside down, small animals like otter and muskrats would go out through the mesh.  At the same time  even a 3x6 opening would be too small for beaver pass through.

If a flap was connected next to the opening, the traps would not have a single option, but the option to be used either way to take beaver only with the flap open and beaver, otter and muskrats with the flap closed.

The only negative to having this opening is that the traps will appear to be "sprung" from time to time when smaller muskrats and otter fire the trap and then escape.  Unless there is a trial cam at the site, there will be no way to tell what took place.  

Trigger Configuration for Catching Large and Small Animals

(Small Animals)    Our wire trigger traps can be made to work with both large and small animals.  When trapping a smaller animal, baby animals, chucks, rabbits etc., it's important to cover the entire opening with the trigger wires so that a small animal can not pass through the trap without hitting the trigger wires.  Wires should be placed close together, while extending across the entire cage opening.  If only small animals are targeted, longer wires that reach almost to the far edge of the trap can be substituted quickly.

A second way to force small animal into the wires is by simply narrowing the opening at the trigger with a vertical rod placed through the cage, top to bottom, just past the end of the trigger wires.  If the trap is set sideways with the trigger at the top, keep the trigger wires equidistant apart, less than 2 inches.

(Large Animals)     If large animals are targetted, raccoon, armadillo, woodchuck etc., the idea is the allow the animal to travel more deeply into the trap before it fires so that a catch is certain.  With the animal's body more centered in the catch box, success is likely, especially when using shorter 24 inch traps.  Rather than allow an animal to push on trigger wires with his nose at center and fire the trap quickly, it is best to bend the trigger wires back away from the side of the trap, while leaving a gap of perhaps three or four inches.  In this way the animal actually makes contact with the trigger wires with his shoulder, rather than with his nose or head.

If the trap is placed sideways, merely spread the wires away from center and leave a gap, again perhaps three or four inches.

Double Door Cage Traps / Positive Sets

The question:  Are animals hard to catch?  Answer, “Easy if you know how, impossible if you don’t.”  The best part of what I am about to relate, anyone can move from novice to expert in little more than the time it takes to set a trap.

As the self proclaimed “King” of double door cage traps, I have been an advocate of using equipment that exhibits the most versatility, multipurpose traps that can be used anywhere, in any manner, set the you choose to set them.  Some manufacturers make single door cage traps as their primary device, while double door traps appear as  more of a sideline trap.  All of our cage traps were first made to be double door traps and for good reason.  Double door traps have more uses, more options.  

Along with versatile/multi-functioning traps, I am a huge promoter of bait-less “positive” trapping of all kinds whenever possible, for a host of reasons.  Positive setting relates to den trapping, entry and exit holes where animals live, either free standing in the ground or in and under structures.  Cages with two doors may also be used along structure and for dig-outs under fences.  Double door traps used with positive sets without baits or lures is the most productive way to trap, sometimes taking animals in only minutes after traps are placed.  But, this does not prevent any trap from being set with bait if desired.  It just means that bait is most often not required for success, often better without it.  

Follow the reasoning.  Why would you set a trap in the open, with nothing on your side, to take a chance on an animal being interested in your bait or lure if there was a better location only inches away capable of catching the animal minus the element of chance?  Why would you try to make an animal come to you, replacing certainty with hope when you can often easily go to the animal with a double door trap in a positive set?  Answer, you wouldn’t.  It makes far more sense to use equipment and techniques that rely on no attractants, to take an animal that merely has to move, to catch him either coming or going where he lives.

Yes, there are situations that don’t readily allow for the use of double door traps or positive and trail sets, but not as many as you think once you begin to study and understand.  There are more opportunities than you realize, faster to set and will produce better.  All of these double door traps can of course be used with baits in either single or double door mode, all options open.  We do make single door traps.