Details: Marsee Wilson's Incredible catch, 5 Otter at once in the Comstock 12x18x39 Swim ThroughBeaver/Otter Live Cage Trap

Marsee Wilson is a 69 year old long time professional ADC trapper from Mt. Vernon Washington.  Among other critters, he is an accomplished beaver and otter trapper.  In Washington, along the coast, it is not unusual to get beaver and many otter complaints too.  In the past 4 years while using 10 of the Comstock wide 12x18x39 Swim Through Beaver and Otter Cage Traps, Marsee has caught more than 400 beaver and a pile of otter to go with them, 20 this past year.

I learned of the incredible experience he had with otter in January from Fred Lawrence and gave him a call yesterday to find first hand for myself what had happened.  In late December 2015 Marsee set a few of our large cage traps for otter living under a residence on Camano Island.  In this case the trap that did the catching was actually set on land, right side up at the corner of a deck, narrowed up in a positive type set to catch animals coming or going.  He got the call from the home owner saying that he had caught 3 otter, but because it was still dark that wasn't exactly the case.  Arriving on December 27, 2015 in the dark Marsee began counting otter as he saw them.  With no idea how many otter were actually in the trap, first there was one, then two, then three as expected, but Marsee quickly noticed there were two more for an incredible catch of 5 otter at one time in one Comstock Beaver Cage Trap!  To make the story better yet, the otter were not juveniles either  but were all adult males!  On this one particular complaint Marsee ended up taking 8 otter altogether.

During the conversation it was revealed that on at least two other occasions Marsee had taken 2 otters in one cage as a number of others have also done in the past 5 years.  Obviously otter travel closely together, so having an 18 inch wide trap allows for multiple otter catches, which are not as uncommon as once thought in this unique trap.  However, this is the first known take of more than 2 otter at one time in a seemingly impossible catch of 5 large otter at once!

In a hurry, minus a camera, though the news of the take was record breaking, Marsee took no pictures.  But, his wife and home owner were there to share in the experience that may never be duplicated again.

As a footnote, when Marsee first learned of the new traps the news had come from 80 year old Fred Lawrence, also of Washington.  Fred has taken hundreds of Beaver in the Comstock Cage Traps and a lot of otter too.  Marsee said, "when Fred finds equipment that he knows is good, you better pay attention."  We thank Fred and all of the others who have supported us.

When only a handful of trappers have taken 2,000 beaver in the Comstock Cages, with all of the cages in use, it is possible that more than 10,000 beaver and hundreds of otter have been taken in them to date.            

Perfect Ending with 31 Squirrels

Though 31 gray squirrels isn't a personal best, nonetheless it was a respectable take.  The best part, on the last day with one "last" squirrel, or so we thought, in a trap I pulled up to pick up the gear.
When I got there one more squirrel appeared.  I just sat in the truck, watched him run around a cage for a minute until he made a dive for the bait.  Bingo, the last, last one.

Beaver-Otter Cage Trap / Bobcat Cage Trap--(The Sidewinder)

For those who already own the Comstock Swim Through Beaver Traps, here are some great pics sent by Tim Kenney of Toads Guide Service from Montrose, Colorado, showing he versatility of these rugged, wire trigger cage traps for Bobcat and Fox trapping.  Not only will they take beaver, otter, muskrats, nutria in the water in numbers, they also are a fine Bobcat Trap when set sideways on land, thus the Sidewinder name when set upright with an 18 inch height.  Since the doors are on the side when set in this fashion, the trap is a full 18 inches high, losing no space to top door clearance.  Trappers in Colorado, Kentucky and Florida, to name a few, have used these traps to to target Bobcats and were not disappointed.

It was only after making these traps for beaver, while taking note of the fact that they could be used in any position, that we got a pleasant surprise in the realization of what we had, a tall Bobcat / Fox Trap.

What this means is that we now have no less than 3 options to take 'cats in Comstock Cage Traps, the Sidewinder Beaver Trap, the Bifold Door Bobcat Trap and the Angled Ring Lock Bobcat Trap.  Further, though the most recent traps were designed for Bobcats and Fox, like the Swim Through Beaver Traps with a secondary use in Bobcat trapping, we believe the new Bobcat Traps will work just fine on land and even in or perhaps under water for Beaver too!  Someone just has to give them a try.




  

Everyone's Catching, Thanks again for the Great Feedback on both of the New Bobcat Cage Traps

We love to hear about the success stories from those using the newest addition to the Comstock Line in bobcat traps so that we can share info with those who may not know about the new products or are just waiting to see what others are catching before jumping in.  With just a few traps inservice at this point, it's wonderful to learn how well the traps are working.

The trigger system on each tall bobcat type trap in light enough to take crows and even blue jays.  The guys using the B-1 type trap have caught 2 bobcats and some miscellaneous critters, while the guys using the B-2 just called to say that they caught 2 red fox, a fisher and several rabbits that had escaped the hunting pen, meaning the traps are paying off in more ways than they counted on.  Not only are predator numbers reduced, but they are catching rabbit escapees.

Double door traps were set along the outside of the rabbit pens to take circling predators looking for easy entry points to take the rabbits inside.  We had hypothesized about doing this for some time until recently, but now some local hunters put the plan to work.  This set up will take bobcats, fisher, red and gray fox, raccoons, opossum, skunks etc., perhaps even a coyote, along with the rabbits.  Catching the rabbits was something of a bonus no one had thought of.  Once in the cage, they are protected from predators and can be returned to the inside.

What is positive financially through using these cages is that potentially destructive predators are removed from the area and can also be utilized for fur to offset the investment, while capturing and returning rabbits to the pen saves money on purchasing replacements.            

Squirrels transferred in seconds, Comstock Swing Panel Live Traps

Squirrels in Comstock Swing Panel Live Cage Traps

Another Bobcat in a Comstock powered, bifold door, live cage trap

Todd and Tom are just beginning to use the newest Comstock powered, bifold door live trap for bobcats and have already caught a couple of them.   Pictured above is Todd with a bobcat and miscellaneous other creatures, a skunk, 'coon and a crow.  These traps were purposely made with a very sensitive trigger so that a weary 'cat wouldn't have to push against a stiff trigger with resistance that might act as a deterrent.   This trigger moves easily to trip with a light touch.  Catching birds, such as this crow, shows how light the trigger is.  It makes no difference which of the 3 nested traps is set.  They all produce.  Incidentally, the largest in the set is 12x24, taller by several inches than cage traps offered in sets for bobcats by others.  Again, these are the first bifolds, the first nested powered bifolds and the first of a kind that can be nested in either single or double door models, more options.  Though we haven't tried it, I believe they could be made in a set of three with one double door and two single doors, or vice versa and in any other combination for that matter.

Comstock Swim Through Beaver Cage Traps Catching Under the Ice

Two days ago we set 6 of the Comstock Swim Through Beaver Cage Traps at one beaver colony.   Three were standard 12x18x39 and three were a bit smaller, 12x15x33.  The weather had been warm, so we gave it a couple of nights at zero degrees to make some ice solid enough to walk on before we headed out, about an inch and a half of clear ice, ideal.  We set two pairs of traps side by side and two singles in runs.  On the first check we connected with all six, five beaver and one muskrat.  It would have been great to get both of the big ones on the first check, but it was not to be.  The big female is usually last to leave the lodge, which was the way it went this time.  We got the big male and four little guys.

On day two we picked up one more of the little ones, which is no doubt the last of the yearlings, with no other traps touched.  The big female may not have moved or avoided the sets as we did not yet take her.  We found a six foot pole pushed into one trap up to the trigger, but the trap was not fired.  In two days we have taken six.  This time we have moved the traps up tight to the house.  On the first set up purposely stayed back from the lodge where the run fanned out wider so that we could take multiples and we did.

Some have suggested that guillotine door traps are a good way to go for beaver trapping, but you only have to analyze the trap and function to see that it carries with it many limitations.  We do it all, spring, summer, fall and even winter as you can see, in all conditions, requiring traps that will function in both warm and freezing conditions.  The power door, low profile traps with wide doors handle over sized runs without blocking and can easily be set in very shallow water, in this case just in just over a foot of water, even under ice!  Try to set a g door trap in a culvert, no way.  Try to hide them, not easy.  Brush can get hung up in a door, but our power door traps are made with internal components, nothing to foul.  Each one of the shortcomings of a g door trap are easy handled by the powered door traps we use and produce and there are many more advantages to the powered door traps with the solid lock bar.
  




     

Comstock Bifold Powered Door Bobcat Trap Connects

Thanks to Tom for sharing this great picture.  Tom Gansowski caught this large 29 pound female bobcat a few days ago in a Comstock 12x24x36 inch bifold powered door bobcat trap here in New York.  There are just a few of these traps in service and unfortunately they are operating in relatively low density bobcat areas, but this is a beginning.  Last year Dale Duryea caged a small bobcat in the double door model of this bifold door trap.  Because the doors are powered, with a sensitive wire trigger, in a trap that can be completely covered from the weather if desired, they have distinct advantages over all other bobcat cage traps.  A self contained unit, this trap will work in the worst weather conditions, snow, ice, rain, freeze and thaw by simply covering the trigger and door with a sheet of nonporous material.

 Because the doors on a Guillotine door trap stick way up above the trap body, almost as high as the trap itself, they can not be easily concealed or stuffed under brush.   There is no way practical way to cover the doors on a G door trap to keep them from freezing up in rough weather.  

The New Year-New Products-New Website

We are working on a shiny new website, a big plus for both administrator and user in the coming year.  Lots of work yet, this should offer many advantages with more opportunity to add features in the future.  Less limited, the new store will allow for direct ordering from mobil devices.  Electronics change rapidly.  Its hard to keep up, but we are staying with it.

Tomahawk has several new items from Comstock Custom Cage they are looking to add to the line up over the winter, hopefully ready for spring, including the lightweight, small chimney traps we have been making here.  With some great people working to produce the Comstock line and the new 6,000 square foot addition to the factory, it's only getting better.  The power coating has been great.  

Additionally, we have new gear we are making in our small shop in New York.  The two bobcat traps have seen improvements over the past months.  Our Bi-fold door traps, for instance, now have a door made with rods, incorporating a slot for a catch pole.  These traps nest inside each other in sets of three in both single and double door models, the double door models yet another first.

Still working on new and or improved, as time permits, we hope to be able to introduce more traps and accessories to make life easier for nuisance control wildlife.

Off to set another beaver location later today, we now have caged beaver number 700 in our sights after taking more beaver in the last few weeks than expected.

Merry Christmas  

Canadian Certification for the Comstock 12x18x39 Beaver/Otter Cage Trap

We are very proud to announce that this week marks the positive conclusion for the certification process of the Comstock Beaver Trap.  The traps were tested this fall for a period of weeks to see if they could meet the requirements of the Canadian Fur Institute.  Though we were confident that they would pass, its always a relief to get the paperwork that indicates the traps were the certified.  What this means is that the traps are now legal for use, not only in Canada, but also in Europe and Russia.

Custom Orders

We do get calls for specialty traps, like the large double door 15x24x36 Angled Powered Ring Lock Traps we just built for fox last week to be used for bobcat and fox a hunt club.   This week we are working on 10x12x40 inch beaver traps, which might make some wonder why, since we already make a 12x12.  Due to regulations, the smaller traps may be better suited for the situation as in how the traps relate to the regs, so we are more than happy to accommodate.  We used 12 gage 1x1 to make a really beefy unit.  Short doors are very powerful and snappy.

Next up we are going to make some nesting sets of bi-fold door traps that come in three sizes for bobcat, fox, etc.  At this point they are not standard production, but may end up as such, as this unique set up offers more possibilities than the guillotine door counterparts.  The bi-fold can be covered, flush mounted and has the advantage of having no parts protrude above or outside of the cage box itself to catch or hang up on brush.

Of course the Powered Ring Lock traps for bobcats and fox can be made in just about any size required.  

Great Finish to ADC Year 2015 for Beaver

In the past 13 days we caught 35 beaver, mostly in a night or two, while trapping a few hours a day.  One job produced 9 in two nights. I was lucky enough to find 3 different locations with super cut offs on stream colonies that so far were responsible for 10 of he catches and cleaning the locations.   In the last location, some 3 weeks plus into the regular fur season after someone had been trapping there presumably for most or all of the season, we picked up three large beaver first night, including a beaver missing a toe with estimated weight of 55 pounds.  The scale said 54.5, close enough.  All of the beaver were taken in cages as is usually the case, placing the season average at 93.7% caged beaver.  The first 43 of 44 were all caged  this year and the last 39 of 40 were caged.

The cages were used in a variety of ways, cut off channels, castor sets, a culvert, dam breaks, bottom edge, front doors etc., set shallow and set deep, with almost limitless ways to set them.

If anyone has questions about how we do they are encouraged to give us a call.  And, for those who want to share experiences, we are all ears.

In the coming weeks we hope to announce the creation of a new website to make it easier for those looking to see what we have and what we are doing.  

Colorado 1982, Article Coming in Trapper's World on Johnny Thorpe

This is a photo taken by Judy in the mountains near Woodland Park above Colorado Springs, October  1982.  I am on the right, Johnny Thorpe at center.  I became involved in trapping nearly 50 years after meeting Johnny in Lake Vanare, N.Y.   Johnny died on October 27, 2015 at his home in Stony Creek.  As a staff writer for Trapper's World, Johnny will be remembered in the next issue.  I have contributed an article for the magazine, highlighting some of John's accomplishments, while providing a few details of times I spent on the beaver line with Johnny in Virginia in the 70's.

No Tail Beaver

A friend who uses the Comstock Beaver Cage Trap to take beaver that flood his hunting property regularly uses but one trap in a dam break set to control the beaver.  Last year he took 9 with one trap, one location, one set.  The beaver kept coming and he kept setting the trap until they were gone.

At times beaver can put mud in a cage without firing it, which isn't a problem since the beaver does not get wised up having not sprung the trap.  This year, for the first time, not only did the beaver plug it, but did it several times.  We spoke about moving the trap upstream in the channel if the dam break did not produce on one last try.  He called yesterday and to say that he had him.

Strange, the 30 pound plus beaver had absolutely no tail at all, which I think is the first time I ever saw that.  A birth defect or damage done when the beaver was young it hard to tell, but it did almost look congenital, very odd.

We sell all Tomahawk products and use a number of them, including the Bailey Live Beaver Cage Trap

When beaver either get educated by springing a trap that I have set or we inherit one from another trapper, a smart beaver can be maddening to remove.  Once they know they are the target, they are on guard, watching every change, looking for traps and then firing them.

The Bailey Trap is large, but can be camouflaged completely in the right situations, offering a very good shot at taking that last problem beaver.  Its a fine line we walk, trying to catch that hold out beaver without pressuring him to the extent that he leaves the pond.  The goal is to keep him there fighting with you.  You can make multiple "mistakes,"  while the beaver has only to make one.

I have found the Bailey to be a great asset in taking the only beaver in a colony that counts, the last one.  With our Swim Through Comstock Beaver Cage Traps we take most of our beaver, but being visible like conibear traps or snares, smart beaver will often avoid those devices.  Like a foot hold trap, the Bailey can be sunk into the mud, then draped with Lilly pads and pond weeds, rendering it invisible.  Since beaver do not like swimming under or through obstacles once they have been alerted to trapping, the Bailey fits the bill, because the beaver simply swims over the trap in his normal routine. With the small trigger under water, the beaver breasts the mechanism, which fires both jaws that lock securely.

Yesterday I ended a battle with a large male beaver in a remote pond many miles from home that had begun several years earlier, a long story.  The Bailey requires some focus, as attention must be payed to how it is set, but set properly it can solve some aggravating problems with wised up beaver.  Not as experienced with the Bailey, I once did not check the safety catches that were hidden in deep black muck.  Because one safety was not kept clear, when the beaver fired the trap the safety caught the cage wire, my mistake.  Live and learn, I will not repeat that error.  If the jaw retainers are set near the edge and the cables clear, the trap should do the job.

Having seen the other clam shell type live traps, before I had ever seen the Bailey, I thought, "wouldn't it be nice if there was a trap that would lay on the bottom in shallow water with both jaws firing together, coming up to meet in the middle, triggered by a beaver simply swimming over it."  That is the Bailey.  

Best Trap Selection in Wire Trigger Traps and Accessories in our Patented Designs

Having come up through the ranks in Animal Damage Control trapping for beaver, skunks, woodchucks, raccoons, opossum, squirrels etc., we not only produce and sell traps, but actually use them daily in our business.  In looking over what we now make, we would like to point out that there are no less than 80 products to choose from in our panless traps, which include, single door traps with solid backs, single door traps with hinged bait doors, single door traps with release slider doors, double door traps, double door flush mount traps, in a variety of lengths and openings, wire gages and mesh, nothing left out, your choice.

Having led the way in wire trigger traps, we were the first to offer shorter, smaller traps for those who require them, while still providing the larger traps if desired, something for everyone, more options.

We have the best selling most widely used swim through beaver cage trap in the world in the 12x18x39 model and also a 12x12x36.  Better yet, when price shopping, when comparing to other traps of this type, we also the best prices with guaranteed quality, offering wider traps no one else is able to produce.  Additionally, we have even made wider traps yet, 22 and 24 inches wide along with in between sized 15 inch wide traps.

We were first and only trap maker to develop a drop in chimney trap with wire trigger, small, compact, practical.

We now offer tall bobcat traps, custom made in 36 inch lengths, but can be made both shorter and longer to order in 9 to 15 inch widths and 18 to 24 inch heights in a variety of wire mesh, which means the combinations are all but limitless, again much better priced than similar traps.  In short, we have it covered in both wide and tall traps as well as smaller rodent sized traps.

Our unique squirrel traps with the swing panel, along with a number of accessories, rounds out the product line.  Good for squirrels, chipmunks, rats and baby animals of all kinds, along with the 3x5, 5x5 and 6x6 we have larger 6x8, 7x7, 8x10 models.

We are happy to take on special projects as time permits to accommodate needs in odd sized traps too.

 

With New Traps Comes Opportunity for New Sets, The Dam Break Set used with Swim Through Comstock Beaver Cage Traps is one of them.

We have been successfully using the dam break set with the large 12x18x39 Comstock Swim Through Beaver Cage Traps for a couple of years now.   Until the advent of this versatile cage trap, a set like this wasn't even a dream.

Trappers have relied on Conibear type body gripping traps to take beaver for years, but using them in a breached dam usually spelled disaster.  Often the result was a wised up beaver and a sprung trap.  If not sprung, the traps would quite often end up buried in a foot or two of mud, grass, leaves etc., often the only hint of set showing were the tops of the stabilizing stakes.    

The swim through cage trap with powered doors, set upside down and concealed in the dam, in the water on the top side of the dam offers an excellent opportunity to take beaver while using a small leak as the attractant.  We have been promoting this set for some time, but always setting one at a time.  However, with only one channel to set, the other day I decided to place two dam break sets, one on each corner of a narrow 15 foot wide dam.  The result was a double!  Both adults were taken together.

What I did find unusual was the fact the first trap was out of place and under water, something that I had not encountered in the past.  The trap with beaver in it had been moved 3 or 4 feet.  It is difficult to know if the captured beaver had reached out, causing the trap to move of if the other beaver had moved the trap after the first was captured.  Beaver number one was submerged, while the other beaver was alive.  The second trap had moved only slightly.  A trail camera would have solved the mystery.  Bottom line, both sets worked together.      

Pictures of the New, Panless, Powered Door Comstock Live Bobcat /Fox Cage Traps with the Patented Wire Trigger System

These Bobcat cage traps are now being produced in New York to order, custom made to height and width.  Most of the traps we are making are 36 inches in length in both single and double door models.  The traps are generally from 9 to 12 inches wide and from 18 to 24 inches high, but we have also made wider traps.  If a longer trap is required, we can accommodate.  Generally we use 1-1/2 square 12 gage mesh, but also have 1 inch square mesh in both 14 and 12 gage.  We even have 1/2x1 12 and 14 gage mesh that is most often used on smaller traps, lots of options.  The traps pictured are 10.5, 12 and 16.5 wide, while the height varies from 19.5 to 24 high.  The widest trap is 39 inches long.

At the N.Y.S. Trappers Convention we introduced our powered ring door traps and were pleased to see that though there were other live bobcat cage traps available, guillotine door, single door models, trappers often chose our door design, also appreciating the double door option as well as the very light but stable patented wire trigger system.

We believe that a powered ring door system has a number of advantages over a guillotine door trap.  First the g door traps stick way up in the air, are more difficult to conceal and drop straight down, sometimes hitting animals in the back, which can result in backing out.   The sweeping action of the lock ring door trap, with power, will help push an animal forward, like all of our other traps.  G door traps, even those with power assist, do not have continuous power closing them throughout the cycle.  A door can be easily lifted by an escaping animal.  The time tested, reliable, ring door locking element means that there is no return to a dropping door.  It is one way only, down.  Even if the rings drop but an inch or two, the door can not be pushed upward.  The rings have to move very little to keep the door nearly closed, with no return.  Like a constricting snake that closes down on prey as an animal exhales, unlike g door traps that can be pushed upward, the ring door is a one way lock up.   

Anyone interested in ordering should contact us well ahead of time as we make the traps on a small scale in between nuisance wildlife calls for beaver, 'chucks, skunks etc.    

Beaver #600 for us in Comstock Swim Through Double Door Beaver / Otter and Bobcat Traps

I don't often get to set culverts as nice as this one.  This is a 5 footer with about 10 inches of slow moving water in it, with a grate at the other end to keep brush out, but with enough room for a beaver to swim under it.  This was a 2 year old beaver who got the honor of being number 600 caught in our cages in our ADC business.  Randy Volk still is the number one beaver catcher with our cages , for now anyway, having taken more than 600 in just two years, 400 plus the first year and 200 plus the second year.  Beaver #601 was downstream about 30 yards, a yearling

Amazing how well the cage blended into the culvert with only a small amount of brush.  The beaver and cage were all but invisible from the end of the culvert.