dUKE TRAPS FOR COYOTE

[inthewoods]

iM THINKING ABOUT BUYING SOME SETTING ON STATE LAND
THE QUESTION HAS ANYONE HAD ANY PROBLEMS HOLDING COYOTES IN 2 COILED (would be nice to only catch a pile of fox) #2 REGULAR JAWS AND WHAT IF ANY MODS OTHER THAN i know swivels which i will and BASE PLATING(I DONT WELD) And should I expect the trap to get beat up.

just realized im all caps but i guess its easier too read anyway.

Thanks for any info. - Dave

[Itrapny]

Not a Duke fan, traps aren't made for coyote's in my opinion...

[inthewoods]

i guess that was the answer i was looking for thank you

[huntinfool29]

We used 4 coil duke #1 3/4 offset baseplated and swivels and had no problem with them. How long they will last is another question as that was there furst season but they will be out there again this year

[barrington]

nothing wrong with the duke,I baseplate everything but it isnt necessary, You will hold coyotes,the dog will get bent. If I was limited to just one trap and only could do a single mod to it I would pick #3 duke offset and the mod would be bubbling the jaw tips. These are my go to K-9 trap

[traphead2]

dont own a single one and wont

[milkie62]

I was looking at the #4 Duke rubber jaw.It says they are 5 3/4" inside.They are pretty similar to a #3 Bridger.I thought about trying a couple for winter hay sets.The std #4 Duke work fine for beaver.

[ecgreen]

I have had troubles with two coiled unmodified dukes holding coyotes. Last year I was kicking around the idea a modifying them. Wayne, told me to do it. I, did not listen. A week into season I had a coyote eat a duke for breakfast. He bent the dog and the baseplate and took off. I only had around week to trap, so loosing one coyote for me is a big deal. I bought some mb550s this year. Wayne told me to buy KB's. SHould I have listened? Probably...lol.

[inthewoods]

i have kb and bridgers and love them. I want to expand my line so was thinking of going cheapo. But i wont.

[Woj]

When I started trapping, my goal was to target red fox but I know the coyotes are inevitable. I didn't have a lot of extra funds to throw around for higher end traps so I bought Dukes and with a little time and some materials floating around my shop, I mod'd them with lams and baseplates. If you have the money, I would go for the better stuff honestly. If I ever have extra funds, I will be buying MB 550's, but for now I run Dukes, a couple of Monty's, and a couple Victors.

Here are a couple of the mod's I did but, like said before. It all depends on what your time is worth. I would also bubble tip the jaws for coyote.

[chiefdave1010]

i have used the duke 1.75 and # 3 duke for coyotes in the past and used them for a few years till i modified them all base plated bubble the jaws and pit pans and thay work good but i switched all to mb 550s a few years ago and never looked back

[tomsnare]

If I was looking I would try some of as many different traps as I could afford and let the coyote or whatever animal I was interested in tell me. I know what I like and use but everyone is different . If you want to get into the real interesting points ofr why some traps are built the way they are find the guys that build them and ask why this is done a certain way and how does this work .I was in ND this summer and listened to Glen Sterling and Gary Jepson discuss traps and cuss some of them gets you to thinkin,--Tom

[cooper67]

i run base plated 1 3/4 dukes with a lot of swivels & jc conner shock springs, this is in high theft spots as dont want the #2 nortwoods & mb550 & kb stolen, held 5 coyotes last season with no problem bent dog rebent & set if stolen only out $7.00 compared to $20.00, with out modifying i would probably run the #3 dukes & clean the edges of the jaws to not get foot damage as they are sharp out of the box.

[mvernelson]

Even if you modify Dukes they are still nothing compared to a well built trap. Personally my time is too valuable to spend hours modifying for still marginal results. Its all personal preference, part of the enjoyment for me in trapping is the equipment I use. It makes my experiance in the feild more fulfilling. They have always been impossible to finetune for me. I wouldnt even use them for mink. I think they are a waste of my time.

[Deleted]

Sept 23, 2011 20:03:37 GMT -5 mvernelson said:

Even if you modify Dukes they are still nothing compared to a well built trap. Personally my time is too valuable to spend hours modifying for still marginal results. Its all personal preference, part of the enjoyment for me in trapping is the equipment I use. It makes my experiance in the feild more fulfilling. They have always been impossible to finetune for me. I wouldnt even use them for mink. I think they are a waste of my time.

I only use Dule 1.5's, but, if I had to guess, I would guess Duke traps catch the most fur taken in any year. That must say something. No?

[Itrapny]

....and if Walmart sold traps they would sell Dukes. Stands to reason, when you have a cheap product more people will buy and/or use it which puts more of them in the field which equals more fur....doesn't mean they are good or a sound investment. Why not spend a few extra dollars and pick up some used Northwoods, Bridgers, Monty's, Sleepy Creeks....even Victor's and use them? If you have an area where theft may be an issue you still want to hold your catch and in my opinion a Duke trap just won't do that on a continual basis without some serious modification. You can make a Duke trap into something that will hold a coyote, but unless you can weld (basplate, laminate & bubble tip) change out the chain and add crunchproof swivels, you're just asking for trouble.

[milkie62]

You guys are all missing the boat.Victor #2 jumps are the only way to go for all canines ! LOL

[milkie62]

I know the rest of you have been at it for awhile.Me,I have not trapped since 1976 so my canine traps consisted of about 15 #2 Victor sq jaw coils and a couple of the funky BMI under the lever coils.2 yrs ago I picked up a couple of Duke 1.75 coils,and a couple of Bridger #1.65 coils used at the convention along with 1 MB 550 .I played abit with them and could see how the MB outshined them all.Jump to last season,my first full trapping season,but limited to # of traps set.I picked up 3 more MB 550's, 1 MB 650 and 10 #1.75 Duke 4x4's. The MB's did shine the most but I also did get one of those HD dogs bent by a coyote.Since I have not mastered welding yet I must stick with the MB's. With the exception of the dog crossplate which I think is a little thin,the Dukes are not a bad trap if you are only modding a doz or so like I will be.I am sure I could go head to head with what some of you are spending on trapping,but when you are setting 2 traps at a set at times,it can get very expensive.And after pricing the steel for baseplates and laminations at the local steel supply shop it is relatively inexpensive to mod the traps.I think the "D"rings are about $19/100 also.If the season goes as I hope it will,I will have to hop on the Duke band wagon . I am setting up the 2nd floor in my shed which will give me a 16'x28' trapping area.A TV with the $29 dvd to watch trapping videos as I mod away will be relaxing time spent.The only other option is to watch LMN TV with the wife. Ed

[Deleted]

Sept 24, 2011 5:59:49 GMT -5 Itrapny said:

....and if Walmart sold traps they would sell Dukes. Stands to reason, when you have a cheap product more people will buy and/or use it which puts more of them in the field which equals more fur....doesn't mean they are good or a sound investment. Why not spend a few extra dollars and pick up some used Northwoods, Bridgers, Monty's, Sleepy Creeks....even Victor's and use them? If you have an area where theft may be an issue you still want to hold your catch and in my opinion a Duke trap just won't do that on a continual basis without some serious modification. You can make a Duke trap into something that will hold a coyote, but unless you can weld (basplate, laminate & bubble tip) change out the chain and add crunchproof swivels, you're just asking for trouble.

I shop at Walmart every week, don't you?

[nightstalker1]

The Duke #4 ( 4 coiled ) is very similar to the Bridger #3 in many aspects

I have modified some Duke #4 for some trappers for beaver and coyote. The stock traps are very similar. The modified Duke seemed very stout and had no feedback from the customers so I assume all went well

I run stock Duke 1.5 (very strong springs) for coon and stock
Duke 1 3/4 (4 coiled) for Fisher cubbies.

I would not hesitate to use a modified Duke #4 for coyote

Next time you're at a convention, grab a stock Duke #4 and a stock Bridger #3 in each hand....you be the judge


These are Duke #4 set-up for beaver

[oldtimer]

for what its worth i have anumber of sizes that i put 11/2 coils 4 coiled and they seem to be better than 4 coils of size that trap came with . much faster i think. and easy to set.

[milkie62]

Yes Tom,the Duke #4 and the Bridger #3 look like they could be kissing cousins.

[trappermac]

I've caught and held yotes in Duke 1.75's, only mod has been the chain and swivels. Traps held up as well. That being said, they do need a lot of setup out of the box, need their edges filed, and for almost the same money you can get Bridgers which have some better features. If you've got the money move up to MB's or Sleepy creeks (I love the SC 1.75 offsets), MB's (love the 450 for fox), Victor #2 RJ, Montana's #2 and the 1.5 specials are nice also. There seems to be a move to modding large traps which are 4 coiled to bring them into legal jaw size these days. I suppose this is fine if you are a serious coyote trapper, but IMO they can be harsh on fox. I'm sure there are those whose opinion will differ.

I would not discourage anyone from using Duke traps. For those starting out use what you can afford. Duke are not junk traps, they take furbearers fine. Just know their limitations. My Mossberg 12 gauge knockes down birds as nicely as my Browning A5, but one costs plenty more than the other.

[traps82]

Only Dukes I use are conis and 1.5 dbl jaws for coon/mink.. Sold my #4s. MB-750s and #4 Vic and B&L dbl longs for beavers. If I am going to mod a trap, I want it to be Rolls when I am done (or as close as possible), not a sedan....

[urby]

Just my opinion. In my experienece in the outdoors and life in general you get what you pay for.

When I was a teenager and started hunting and trapping we had to wear regualr rains gear and boots from K-mart that said waterproof. You had to patch the rain gear and boots. I came home wet all the time.
Now I have Browing clothing with gortex, rocky, browing or muck boots and I now come home dry and warm and can stay in the field longer.

Same goes with rifle scopes. When young used tasco. Scope would fog and if you dropped it or banged it against a tree you knew the scope would be off and unreliable. I know own swarovski and don't have any of these problems.

Same goes with traps. Duke are cheap but if you are after coyote buy KB. Buy one or two at a time if you have to.

I am not rich but also not poor and have learned over the years and through my experience you get what you pay for. Save your money and buy the best you can afford. In the long run the extra money up front will pay for itself over time.

If you buy cheap you always spent more money and time repairing, adjusting and fighting with cheap equipment.

Just my opinion