Jeff, I've only seen one animal chew at it's foot. Raccoons. They are nimble and ONLY chew what is under the pan, not above it. Above pan still has blood flow and hurts. Under pan, given enough time, the foot/toes go numb. They don't feel what they are chewing/fighting, so with a larger trap a coon will chew. If the trap is coon size, he can't get his mouth under the pan to chew. Size specific is important for all species to prevent harm. Incidentals happen though.
Geo, didn't mean to come across sounding condescending. Just trying to open your mind a bit. I trap for a living, so I get worked up when people believe false info about it. (I rarely use foot traps with work, but I have fur trapped 14 of last 18 seasons using them for fox, coyote, coon, beaver and fisher).
Still wondering if the trap found was laying on ground or staked down. A trap is usually double staked w/18" rebar. That anchor would indicate a coyote trap (#3), having two holes for the stakes.
