Glad I Didn't Step HERE Back in the Day...

[Wildcat1750]

These leg hold traps show up in the darndest places and I'm glad it wasn't set recently...

Hunted a long ridge of ledgerock above an old camping area near town. No old coins or awesome relics but a nice fall day in the woods nevertheless.

Found a nice locket that opened but it is cheap metal, probably aluminum.

The coin spill was relatively modern and had a nail and a muzzle loader round mixed in with it.

Found half of a cap gun on a very steep incline and it is relatively small....It actually has a hole where you can apply oil to lube it.

Thanks for Looking!
Nick

 

[dts52]

Nice finds. I’ve found a number of rusted old traps like that one. Aggravates the hell out of me that someone was apparently using blind sets and didn’t even bother to anchor them in place. Earlier this year I found a rusted conibear. I’d love to bump into the person setting those in an area that I know is closed to trapping.
dts

 

[Wildcat1750]

Nice finds. I’ve found a number of rusted old traps like that one. Aggravates the hell out of me that someone was apparently using blind sets and didn’t even bother to anchor them in place. Earlier this year I found a rusted conibear. I’d love to bump into the person setting those in an area that I know is closed to trapping.
dts

Yikes - One of those could really do some serious damage...
Nick

 

[crashbandicoot]

Don,t be so quick to judge please.If you had stepped in that trap and it was set the only thing that would have happened is it would have closed against the bottom of your boot harmlessly,to small for anything else.I,ve trapped for many years and have lost a great many traps simply while walking through the woods on my way to a trap site.Unset,they,re no danger to man or beast.As to the stake ,in some areas trappers use drags as the ground is too hard or rocky for stakes,the drag may have come undone.The conibear is a different animal,they are definitely dangerous if set and can break bones.Again,if the trap was sprung it was probably a lost trap not one purposely left,conibears are expensive,few people leave them unless completely lost.Only unethical trappers set in closed areas,don,t judge all by the actions of a few,sort of like metal detectorists right?I wouldn,t confront a trapper setting in closed areas,most are armed,and if already breaking the law they might not care about breaking a few more if you get my drift.Contact the local warden,that,s what he gets paid for.Thanks,Jim.Incidentally,the trap pictured appears to be a No.1 underspring,commonly used for muskrats.

 

[releventchair]

Was thinking #1 Victor jumpspring.
Don't see the V punched through the pan though.

50's era or more recent. With more recent more likely.

Might pinch the edge of a boot when new. Not much of a pinch though.
I still have ten fingers. As the jaws/springs are designed to hold by tension , not break skin.

Neat mix of finds.
And even a church key!

 

[pa plateau hiker]

I can't tell you how many times I got my fingers caught in my 1 1/2 coil spring traps while setting for coon with cold fingers. Never broke a bone. I remember one time I got my fingers caught 3 times one day and that night I caught 3 coon. I called that my good luck day, getting caught 3 times.

 

[ticndig]

as stated above it's pretty much harmless , after all it isn't a bear trap

 

[terrafirma]

Nice locket. Congrats!

 

[Bart@Big Boys Hobbies]

Nice pendant!

 

[Trezurehunter]

I agree with the rest. Stepping on that, would not have hurt you. I still have mine (like the one you found, and Conibears) as I trapped when I was a youngster. My family owns 240 acres in the country, with a lot of lakes and creeks. It only made sense to trap, since my mom or dad would have had to drive me 5 miles into town for a paper route. Nice finds.

 

[Wildcat1750]

I agree with the rest. Stepping on that, would not have hurt you. I still have mine (like the one you found, and Conibears) as I trapped when I was a youngster. My family owns 240 acres in the country, with a lot of lakes and creeks. It only made sense to trap, since my mom or dad would have had to drive me 5 miles into town for a paper route. Nice finds.

Thanks, Trezurehunter! My title was meant to be a little over dramatic and 'tongue in cheek'. I'm more afraid of digging broken glass when I detect than setting off ancient traps.

Nice pendant!

Thanks, Bart@Big Boys Hobbies. Even though it's cheap metal it has a bit of detail to it on the edges.

Nice locket. Congrats!

Thanks, terrafirma. It was a bit of a bonus that I could open it without breaking it.

as stated above it's pretty much harmless , after all it isn't a bear trap

I agree with you, ticndig. As stated above there are far worse hazards these days, like cutting through electrical wires...

I can't tell you how many times I got my fingers caught in my 1 1/2 coil spring traps while setting for coon with cold fingers. Never broke a bone. I remember one time I got my fingers caught 3 times one day and that night I caught 3 coon. I called that my good luck day, getting caught 3 times.

Truthfully, pa plateau hiker, I would be more concerned what a working trap might do to my precious search coil than what it could do to my fingers.

Was thinking #1 Victor jumpspring.
Don't see the V punched through the pan though.

50's era or more recent. With more recent more likely.

Might pinch the edge of a boot when new. Not much of a pinch though.
I still have ten fingers. As the jaws/springs are designed to hold by tension , not break skin.

Neat mix of finds.
And even a church key!

Thanks, relevantchair. There's even some beer cans out there that were opened the old fashioned way with a can opener like that.

Don,t be so quick to judge please.If you had stepped in that trap and it was set the only thing that would have happened is it would have closed against the bottom of your boot harmlessly,to small for anything else.I,ve trapped for many years and have lost a great many traps simply while walking through the woods on my way to a trap site.Unset,they,re no danger to man or beast.As to the stake ,in some areas trappers use drags as the ground is too hard or rocky for stakes,the drag may have come undone.The conibear is a different animal,they are definitely dangerous if set and can break bones.Again,if the trap was sprung it was probably a lost trap not one purposely left,conibears are expensive,few people leave them unless completely lost.Only unethical trappers set in closed areas,don,t judge all by the actions of a few,sort of like metal detectorists right?I wouldn,t confront a trapper setting in closed areas,most are armed,and if already breaking the law they might not care about breaking a few more if you get my drift.Contact the local warden,that,s what he gets paid for.Thanks,Jim.Incidentally,the trap pictured appears to be a No.1 underspring,commonly used for muskrats.

Hey, crashbandicoot. Thanks for the great insight on trapping. We're always here to learn on TNet.