also after every time the trap is set off the trigger is bent out of shape.

Well, first thing that I'll say, I'm glad to see you're 13 and starting to trap. I hope you're trapping 50 years from now!

I'll tell you, an adult groundhog's head is about 4 inches wide. And nearly 4 inches long.

My 160 body-grips have a 6-inch jaw spread, so you don't have much room for error. If you don't catch the hog behind it's skull, it's going to pull out.

Groundhogs are strong critters, I think a coon would be a little bit stronger. Either way, make sure you have your traps anchored good.

I'll try to explain how I bend my bodygrip triggers. Very similar to a "circle trigger". On small bodygrips, I'll start maybe 1/2 inch down the trigger wire, and bend it out, at like a 45* angle. Then I'll go out, maybe 1/2 inch, or 3/4's of an inch and bend it at another 45* angle down.

Basically, the trigger wires are parallel with the trap's jaws. My theory, I want those trigger wires, out of the animal's eyes.

Groundhogs don't have much of a neck, so what I expect to happen, the hog will fire the trap with it's shoulders. So, you've got it's skull.

Another thing I'll add, in my opinion, one of the main reasons for a body grip being fired and no catch, the trap wasn't solid.

so if i take two big sticks that will snugly fit in both eyes of the springs and bend my triggers like you describe then i will catch ghogs? could you send a pic of your trigger setup or do i litterly just make a circle with the two wires?

We're not exactly on the same line of thought.

If you'd live a little bit closer to me, I'd take you to one of my farms, almost promise you that we'd have a couple hogs before dark.

Above I forgot to say, I'd put the trigger wires on the outside jaw of the trap. You want the animal inside the trap as much as you can, before the trap fires.

For what you're doing, I'd set the trap right at the groundhogs den. Set it where the groundhog has to walk through the trap, when it comes out.

When I stabilize a body-grip, I stabilize the jaws of the trap, usually I'll do that with trap stakes. With a small trap, probably 1 would do the job?

With the trap set, spring safety on, both of them on. Lay your trap stake across the top corner of the trap, between the jaws, and peck it in.

Make sure the trap stake is in the clear of the springs, nothing to mess up the firing of the trap's jaws. Twist your springs where they are solid, on the sides of the hole.

Spring safeties off, it's ready for business.

I'll tell you, Hal sells a wooden bodygrip bracket that would be ideal for what you're doing. You can also buy a metal bracket for bodygrip traps.

Anyway, keep us up to date.

Wonder how the groundhog trapping is going?

I'm curious too.

I'm not sure if I explained things well enough, that he could follow along on the same line thought or not?

We may need to snoop around and find his E-mail address and ask him to give us a report.