Important Omissions from a Recent Cage Trap Comparison Article

Recently there was an article written comparing our Comstock Cage Traps, a 9x11, to another brand of cage trap.  Due to numerous omissions, those who read the article might have been lead to believe that the traps were pretty much equal, which they are not.  Listed below are the all important, essential features and options unique to our traps, which simply make Comstock Cages a best choice for anyone in need of a reliable, escape proof trap.  A Georgia trapper who has used both traps simply said, "I need the very best traps I can get for my ADC business.  Yours are superior."

Here are some of the features that were omitted from the article.

1-Unequalled Stability When Set

2-Varialbe Trigger Pressure

3-Sensitivity to go with Stability

4-Multiple Trigger Wires Evenly Spaced to Cover the Opening

5-Available in 12 Gage Wire

6-Traps that will Never Hang Fire because both Doors Drop from One Trig Rod

7-A Free Floating Door Suspended from the Roof of the Trap

8-Never a Hair Trigger

9-Trigger Can be Set for Longer or Shorter Travel from Either Direction

10-Door Wire Welded to Door Frame

11-Heavy Metal Banding Clips and 12 Gage Round Clips for Wire to Frame

12-Rectangular Traps, which mean Traps are Essentially a Trap of "Two Sizes"

13-Simplicity-Fewer Parts, Nothing to Foul

14-Better Prices

15-Unipricing-All Traps in a Category are Priced the Same

16-Smaller, Space Saving Traps to do the Same Job as Unnecessary Counterparts

There were other features mentioned in the article like, Comstock traps are made with internal components.  All of the triggering mechanism are inside the confines of the trap, nothing protruding beyond the confines of the trap.  The traps will not catch on brush in transit, when firing or in the vehicle.

Like the trapper in Georgia, I too use only the best products, no matter who makes them.  I don't use our traps because we make them, but because they work better.        

NWCOA

We were asked to give a power point presentation at the National Wildlife Control Operators Association in Myrtle Beach, S.C., Feb. 4, 2015.  The topic should be of no surprise, baitless trapping techniques, something we use daily in our own nuisance wildlife business.  Employing baitless positive sets at den sites with double door live traps, setting along structure and trail sets has made our business run smoother using methods that work better and easier than convention single door traps used with bait.  While saving money in fuel, along with lots of time checking and maintenance in what can be hit or miss sets, unbaited sets result in far fewer unwanted non-targetted animals.  Rather than trying to lure the animal into a baited trap, we found that going to the animal and playing his game has proven to be superior to any other method we have used.    

Raccoons Caught, No Trigger Damage!

As with anything new there is a learning curve.  It just takes time to realize the potential in what you have in your hand by experimenting with different methods and configurations.

Raccoons are one of the toughest animals on equipment, strong, smart, persistent and they have hands!  We have used soft, stiff and in-between stainless triggers wires over the past few years to see what is "best."  Everyone has their own preference.  At any rate, there is no way to get around straightening bent wires after a raccoon, woodchuck or armadillo is caught.  Stiffer spring wires are tougher, but in time they too can break what can be termed a normally wearing part, like brakes on a car.

What has come to our attention is that ADC operator Tim in Ohio, who has owned and used our traps from day one more than 4 years ago, using some 70 Comstock Cages in his business, has passed on what could be quite valuable information.  In using the standard 9x11 powered door Comstock Cage Traps and also a couple of hand made custom 12x15 traps actually designed for beaver, Tim has found out something interesting with the stiff spring trigger wires that come standard.  Since the cages can be set in any position, Tim has found that placing the trap on its side has benefits with no damage to the trigger wires.  Not only did the 9x11 fit on soffits for 'coon better, he found that the trigger wires were left untouched, not bent at all.

Any of the Comstock Traps can be set in any position, "no wrong way to set a Comstock cage."     When the 9x11 or specialty 12x15 traps Tim used, with their unique side mounted triggers are set sideways with the doors swinging like a door on your home, triggers can be place on the bottom.  Tim chose the bottom this time, realizing that it would be even more difficult for animals to avoid them.  After numerous catches with raccoons, Tim saw that the raccoons payed no attention to trigger wires emanating from the floor of the trap.  Not only were the wires not bent, but lying on the bottom of the cage, the raccoons did not even seem to touch them!  

This is only a small amount of data from one source, but it shows promise as well as the versatility of the these useful traps.

A Pair of Aces

Great picture from Terry in Joplin, Missouri.  Amazing catch,  not one, but 2 'coon captured in a 24 inch Double Door 9x11 Comstock Cage Trap.  Best part, we generally recommend larger 30 or 36 inch long 9x11 Double Door  Cage Traps for one raccoon.  This is the first time that we have seen a double  raccoon catch in a 24 inch cage, though it happens frequently in the larger 30 inch cage traps set for 'coon.  These traps have continued to outperform all expectations regularly, catching a wild piglet in a 9x11x30 last year and now armadillos with consistency, 10 in a row in Georgia by Stan, even in the short 18 inch long traps.  In looking over my own records for this year, most of the 45 woodchucks so far were trapped  in the 18 inch Double Door Traps with a few taken in 24 and 30 when the 18's were all out.  

  

Comparing Prices and Sizes of Cage Traps, Function

Experimenting with large and small traps, we have pioneered the use of smaller, shorter cage traps used in our own ADC Business, with the goal of finding the smallest, space saving traps to do the job.  We have led the way in this endeavor and found that even short 18 inch double door traps will take skunks and chucks virtually every time with no necessity for a longer 24 or 30 inch trap that fills up a truck in a hurry and are more difficult to place when setting, impossible at times.

Also, our wire trigger traps are priced lower than any other similar traps with features like complete powder coating, internal components, unequalled simplicity with no extra springs etc. to foul, welded frames to door wires and super duty heavy metal bands, not like the light 15 gage clips others use.  A cage is at it's strongest when all parts are in place intact, so when one light clip fails, its all down hill for the weakened trap in a domino effect until the falls apart and the animal escapes.  Comstock traps are all but "escape proof."  Since the traps were perfected a couple of years ago, we have been aware of no escapes, a record few if any can match.

We also pioneered another concept, uni-pricing for each line.  What that means, you can choose the length trap you need rather than base your purchase on price, selecting a shorter cage just to save a few bucks.  You can buy the one you want.  Whether you choose an 18 inch trap, a 24, a 30 or 36 they are all priced at the same low price and below the "competition."  As we have found and dozens who use are products confirm, the door opening is less of a factor in making a capture than the length of the trap.  If there is an educated animal, a trap of an inch or two larger will not make enough difference to make the catch.  Smart animals sometimes require very large cage traps for confidence or the use of completely different methods and devices altogether.

Updates

Recently we got an email that told of another double on beaver in the 12x18x39 beaver cage trap.  This is   the second double I have heard of with beaver.  The first was two, two year old 25 pound beaver, while this double was with a large beaver like a blanket or extra large and a small one, maybe this years.  We mentioned at least two other doubles, both with otter.

We are up to 451 beaver in the cages now, again right at 90% for the  2014 nuisance season.  There has been less call for complaint beaver this year in our area than the past two years, but we still may hit 100 before its over.

Of course there are countless examples of doubles on raccoons, skunks and some with chucks in the 9x11x traps and also 2 to 4 catches being made in the swing panel traps for skunks.  This year we began using the smaller 6x8 swing panel traps for small chucks and skunks.

Back From the Convention, New Stuff in the Works

I know I have been scare of late in keeping up with the blog, but not due to lack of material or commitment, just too much going on.  Judy and went to Escanaba, Michigan for the National Trappers Convention in late July, just now getting back to "normal."  We will also be in Herkimer at the New York convention at the end of August.  Nuisance trapping has been busy, lots of skunks and chucks, along with taking trap orders.   But, we still we managed to squeeze out some time to come up with some new products to look for in the future, a different smaller more practical speciality trap for raccoons, another size in an existing large trap, as well as accessories.  This is just a heads up, as it will take time to bring manufacture up to speed and get the new stuff posted on the website and catalog.

We are happy to say there is a long overdue bobcat / fox trap in the pipeline, coming together nicely, different from any other available, of course.  Hopefully this will prove itself and pave the way for larger and taller traps in the Comstock line of live traps, while keeping with one of our signature engineering accomplishments, making "self contained" units that have no parts projecting beyond the confines of the trap box.  These will again be panless traps with powered doors and wire triggers like all of the other traps we offer from chipmunk to beaver traps.  We are hoping that the new traps will fill the last gap, to form a complete line of live, humane, cage traps from squirrel to skunk, chuck, armadillo, raccoon, beaver, otter, muskrat, fisher and now fox and bobcat, with an eye toward coyote / dog sized traps too.  It just takes a lot of time to get it right.  We'd much rather have it right than offer products prematurely as others in the industry have done repeatedly.