Got stuck in a 120 today, haha

the bearded trapper · #1 12-27-2015, 07:18 PM

Well, figured I would share what happened to me today cause im sure a few guys will get a chuckle. My nephew made a birdhouse for my sister as a christmas gift, and we hung it christmas day. Within a few hours, a squirrel was already in there taking the feed, and was back and forth non-stop. After watching this for a couple days, I decided I was going to show my nephew how a conibear works and trap the squirrel (plus im itching to trap something, even a mouse would be nice, haha). I was watching the nephew today, and he had a friend over as well (both are 7 years old), and he asked me if we could set the trap so his friend could possible see. Long story short, I rigged up a pan on a 120 (dont have any 110's), made a "box" out of a toy box from the garbage from christamas, and as I was finishing setting it up in the backyard on a branch the squirrel is always on, my nephews friend asked what made the trap go off.....i brought the trap down, (not holding the spring like I should have mistake #1) and while holding it with one hand, like a complete idiot smacked the pan with a finger from my other hand, haha. No idea what possesed me to do that, in all my years of trapping there was only once when i got snapped in a 220, and that was years ago.

Anyways, the damn trap got my middle finger on one hand, and thumb on the other, both right at the first joint, so there was no pulling my fingers free. So, with both my hands caught up, we went into the house, got my setters and I tried to get the kids to free me up but they werent able to. Went to first neighbors house no one home, second neighbors house no one home, finally the third neighbor down the road was home, and after a quick lesson, she was able to free me up. Never said a word to her before today, so im sure the first impression i made on her was a great one

Tips of my fingers were as white as snow and took at least 10-15 to refill with blood after, haha. Both nails are good and black, and the tips are still numb, haha. Good part is that I think the kids learned a lesson about safe trap usage today (as did I

)

Well, thats my story of the day. Hope everyone had a great christmas and happy new year to all!

Tfng · #2 12-27-2015, 07:41 PM

Rude to laugh I know, but I really did. I can imagine walking around a neighbourhood with both hands in a 120.

Daslogster · #3 12-27-2015, 08:36 PM

"Trust me, I'm a trained professional". I almost caught my junk in a 220 showing the wife how to use a safety. HaHa.

woody1948 · #4 12-27-2015, 08:47 PM

Hope you are feeling better. Good thing it wasn't a 220

catnthehat · #5 12-27-2015, 08:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daslogster

"Trust me, I'm a trained professional". I almost caught my junk in a 220 showing the wife how to use a safety. HaHa.

She would never have forgiven you for that one!!

Cat

Frank90 · #6 12-27-2015, 09:08 PM

Ouch.. A couple years ago I managed to get both my thumbs and my right index finger caught in a 280 when I was trying to set it for coons in a crawl space. That was the worst day of my life.

Torkdiesel · #7 12-27-2015, 11:02 PM

Had a buddy out with me a few weeks ago helping out on the line. Normally he's a professional beaver chopper but today he wanted to help out a little more so what the heck, I said go ahead and set one of those Sauvageau 2001-5. Now for those that have handled those beefed up 120's they are facking powerful. So he sets the first one after watching me do a couple dozen and he gets it set. Good job bud I say as he's wiring on the hanging wire. He's kinda getting close to the triggers when I remind him how the trap works. He smiles and says I've got it figured and laughed a little. Next wrap of the wire and he hooks the trigger and WHAM !!! right on his outstretched thump lol. Before I can grab the setters he rips his thumb out.
Now I remind him what he did wrong and what to watch out for and he confidently says "I'll never do that again"

So we get to the next box and as I'm wiring the bait in there I see him set a brand new Sauvageau. You know right out of the box never having the springs compressed before. I mention maybe waiting for help but again I hear a little chuckle and the same "I've got this"
So I reach up and finish wiring the beaver in place when I hear it happen. WHAM !!! three fingers on the middle joint ! Well there was no pulling them out this time lol. Had to wait until I got my setters out of the sleigh and got the safeties on.
I don't know if he'll ever touch a trap again. The good news was he was wearing some decent gloves and it didn't break his fingers.

Joholio · #8 12-28-2015, 09:56 AM

Wow these stories make me shiver!!

I got my left thumb caught in a 110 while setting our line this fall... Just squeezed it to center the wire triggers...Sure glad buddy was standing right beside me!!! Complacency will get you almost every time!

nube · #9 12-28-2015, 10:01 AM

Never been smacked by one but I had one close on my thumb while trying to slowly let it down. Man did that pinch me hard. It hurt like hack. Couldn't imagine it snapping shut on me. Funny thing is I had one of the safeties on as well so tecknically it was a 110

Flight01 · #10 12-28-2015, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nube

Never been smacked by one but I had one close on my thumb while trying to slowly let it down. Man did that pinch me hard. It hurt like hack. Couldn't imagine it snapping shut on me. Funny thing is I had one of the safeties on as well so tecknically it was a 110

No 120 bites but did get pinched by letting down a 110....
220's , 280's and 330's command respect. A little fear is healthy. Also, on big traps the last thing I do is anchor them, especially if alone. Use your safety gripper and spring safeties. I always carry rope for getting myself out one handed if necessary

Big Grey Wolf · #11 12-28-2015, 10:26 AM

A good article in AO magazine a year or so back on trap safety. The trapper that wrote the article had caught his hand I believe on a 220 thus trying to teach all of us to use safeties and be careful on the line.

Red Bullets · #12 12-28-2015, 10:46 AM

Ouch! Luckily I never had a trap smack me but thought I would share a story...

When I was a little kid my uncle showed me what happens when you step in a Newhouse No. 6 bear trap.

My uncle was hunting out west back in the 1950's and they found a No.6 newhouse with a leather boot in it. A leg bone was sticking out of the boot too. There was moss growing on the boot so it had been there for a while. It was reported and the police figured it was a missing guy from a sawmill back in the day.
Not sure what ever happened to that trap as my uncle has been gone for 40 years. Sure stuck in my mind though.

mark-edmonton · #13 12-28-2015, 11:33 AM

Snapped my hand in a 330 a few years back. Thankfully it wasn't a new one! Nothing broken but couldn't close my fist for a while

Anzacron · #14 12-28-2015, 01:21 PM

I'm am truly green at setting traps, but I find listening to the above and testing it in the bush is a great learning experience.

I find we have a rhythm or set steps, repeated over and over has paid off so far. The day will come, but I'm doing my best to stay out of the way and get used to the rat traps. Lol.

Daslogster · #15 12-28-2015, 08:02 PM

Use a safety, always. Was putting out a few more martin traps today and had a 120 fall off a mount and hit me in the hip and fire, safety caught it. I almost didn't use it today but after my thoughts of that trap raking my belt buckle, I am back to using them full time for anything that will bite me.

Sigg · #16 12-28-2015, 08:26 PM

Had a buddy catch his belly a few years ago in a 330, he was purple for a while.

ROAD HAMMER · #17 12-29-2015, 03:42 PM

I feel your pain !!lol a few years back I got my whole arm in a new 330 up to the elebow! I will just leave it at that hahah

bill9044 · #18 12-31-2015, 09:32 AM

Hahaha. Great stories. I ready this thread a couple days ago. So yesterday my bro and a friend of mine were setting some marten traps. Had a besile 120 my bro was setting. My buddy place the box and I was luring and dealing with some bait. My buddy and I hear this SNAP... and about 3 sec of silence. Then the best Chewbacca impression I have every heard come from my brothers mouth. He doesn't do impressions. He had both thumbs caught in the 120. I dam near fell over laughing. That is the biggest weasel I have ever caught in a trap.

Bill

shakeyleg02 · #19 01-01-2016, 07:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bill9044

Hahaha. Great stories. I ready this thread a couple days ago. So yesterday my bro and a friend of mine were setting some marten traps. Had a besile 120 my bro was setting. My buddy place the box and I was luring and dealing with some bait. My buddy and I hear this SNAP... and about 3 sec of silence. Then the best Chewbacca impression I have every heard come from my brothers mouth. He doesn't do impressions. He had both thumbs caught in the 120. I dam near fell over laughing. That is the biggest weasel I have ever caught in a trap.

Bill

Thanx for the laugh bill

mudbug · #20 01-02-2016, 09:37 PM

Ouch

Hope they heal up sooner rather than later, hopefully the finger nails don't fall off cause that's never fun