i set 160s for ghogs and i always find them set off with nothing in them. i make sure to fence them in and make it so they cant climb over the top i also make sure they dont hit anything when firing. what am i doing wrong. i adjusted some traps yesterday so i will see if i have anything today but still, is there something im missing?

Are you talking about one set or several?

Is it possible the trap(s) are self firing for some reason?

Any fur in the trap? Tracks around it?

there is usually fur and this has happened alot. with smaller animals like rabbits and baby chucks then i always catch them.

And the self firing? Are your triggers waxed?

nope not waxed and the ones that are in the unactive holes arnt set off. i leave them overnight

O.K. so they can't go over the top, but can they TRY to go over the top? They might be knocking the trap down.

Is your trigger on the outside of the trap so that the animals head is deeper in the trap before it fires? Are you triggers to the side or set in a wide "V"? If the animal has them too much in their face they might not be committing 100%.

Is the fired trap pulled tight as if something was pinched and got out?

checked the 160 today and i had the trigger not very wide but anywhere they would go they would get caught also the trap was set off and it was pulled outside the hole. im getting so mad cause a 220 would do it but i dont want to give up. they cant try and get over the trap i dig out a spot for the 160 where the ghog goes under a barn door. it wont hit anything and it has to go through the trap.

what if i made an L trigger and flipped it upside down so the feet would hit it then it would snap? how do you set your triggers? also i really appreciate the help.

I don't trap groundhogs, so I am not really the best to answer your question. All I can do is offer generalities that apply to setting body grips - which I set a lot of.

What do you mean by "it was pulled outside the hole." You are setting in a hole? You are not setting at the entrance of the hole?

If you are setting IN the hole the animal might be trying to go under the bottom trap jaws.

Given the success you are not having, I would definitely try a different trigger configuration. Doing the same thing is giving you the same result. "L" shape is usually a good shape when trying to get something bigger in a bodygrip. If the dog is on the bottom, be certain it has room to fire properly.


You're welcome for the help. I'm hoping that someone with actual groundhog trapping experience chimes in.

im 13 so im definitly no expert. i set at the front of a hole not in it and this happens to me alot with ghog sized critters and 160 and 155 sized conibears. its upsetting cause i bought 6 of them and i could use them for rats but they fit better then a 220 so i thought they would be better.

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.