# Bridger #5coil spring



## grizzlyk (Oct 26, 2006)

I wood like to know if any of you guys use the bridger #5 coil spring trap for beaver i have found a few new ones a guy picked up at a garage sale and he don't trap i got them for 50 bucks, still have the oil on them i use the mb's and 330's i use the bridger #2 for coyote and i like them. Just like to know a little about these #5's..........:yikes:


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## mustang67 (Mar 12, 2007)

They should be an awesome beaver trap. I dont know alot about them but we use a few victor number 4 coils for beaver. I also have 12 victor number 4 double longsprings I use for them. They do the job. I made a few sets with some duke number 2s I got front santaclause and caught a 72lb beaver in one. I am guessing you did real well. If you havent made a drowning set before make sure you learn it well before using them. Having a 50lb beaver that you cant shoot swimming around at the end of your wire is never a fun day. We used wire this year but for next year I am going to start out fresh with some 1/8th inch cable with drowners on it. Gonna use those screwtogether chain connectors to hook the trap. That way they are 100 percent reusable.


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## frostbite (Dec 22, 2004)

mustang67 said:


> They should be an awesome beaver trap. I dont know alot about them but we use a few victor number 4 coils for beaver. I also have 12 victor number 4 double longsprings I use for them. They do the job. I made a few sets with some duke number 2s I got front santaclause and caught a 72lb beaver in one. I am guessing you did real well. If you havent made a drowning set before make sure you learn it well before using them. Having a 50lb beaver that you cant shoot swimming around at the end of your wire is never a fun day. We used wire this year but for next year I am going to start out fresh with some 1/8th inch cable with drowners on it. Gonna use those screwtogether chain connectors to hook the trap. That way they are 100 percent reusable.


 
They will not be reusable after a catch though, they will be a twisted mess:lol:


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## Mister ED (Apr 3, 2006)

mustang67 said:


> If you havent made a drowning set before make sure you learn it well before using them. Having a 50lb beaver that you cant shoot swimming around at the end of your wire is never a fun day.


Hmmmm .... I think I heard that before.:evil:


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## Beaverhunter2 (Jan 22, 2005)

frostbite said:


> They will not be reusable after a catch though, they will be a twisted mess:lol:




I have 1/8" 7x7 cable drowners that I know for a fact have taken 6 beaver and they are still fine. Just keep the cable tight when setting. I use an adjustable loop at the deep water end (usually weighted with a cinder block or a sandbag) and a snare swivel at the shallow end. I can use a rebar stake or wire it off to something if need be. Most of mine are 15'. Occasionally the last couple feet of cable will get a little pigtailed. If it gets to be a pain to handle, I just trim it off. If the trimming gets the cable length below 10' it becomes a "**** drowner" instead of a "beaver drowner". 

I have some #5 Bridger coils and I like them. They aren't MB-750s but they will definitely get the job done better than any #4!

Sounds like a good buy! Congrats!

John


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## grizzlyk (Oct 26, 2006)

There were seven #5 bridger traps in the box i started doing some mod's to them i welded some 1/4 inch rod to the top of the jaws, bolting a plate to spring ends, and shorting the chain to make a little more like my MB's. All of my MB,s have 10 foot of 1/8 cable on them, maybe i will try and go 15 foot of cable. I use sand bags and fill with stone,s down at the river on my drowners. I also like cable better than wire just keep it tite.


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## Beaverhunter2 (Jan 22, 2005)

grizzlyk said:


> There were seven #5 bridger traps in the box i started doing some mod's to them i welded some 1/4 inch rod to the top of the jaws, bolting a plate to spring ends, and shorting the chain to make a little more like my MB's. All of my MB,s have 10 foot of 1/8 cable on them, maybe i will try and go 15 foot of cable. I use sand bags and fill with stone,s down at the river on my drowners. I also like cable better than wire just keep it tite.


7 new Bridger #5s for $50?!?!? That was a GREAT buy! How come I never find deals like that? 

I never laminated my Bridgers although I did it to half of my MBs. I do shorten the chain. I also replaced the crappy swivels that came on my coils with crunch-proofs. I use quick links on my beaver traps so I can switch cables as needed. Like I said above, most of mine are 15'. I also have some 10', 20', and 25'. 25' is one loooonnng drowner! But sometimes the best sets aren't 10' or 15' from deep water.

Bridgers are definitely good traps. I still have (and use) my first #5 Bridger DL. Ralph Degeise gave it to me the year they came out (1985) to try and see if I liked them. Within two years all of my #4DLs had been replaced and all my #14s were retired.

John


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## Mister ED (Apr 3, 2006)

Great deal and as has been said, those traps will work fine. I have several Bridger #5 dls and like them. I never worry about laminating beaver traps (actually I don't like them laminated). If I bought those #5 coild that cheaply ... I think I would have to see about putting a Pit-Pan on them. I won't use a #5 double long with out a Pit-Pan.


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## mustang67 (Mar 12, 2007)

frostbite said:


> They will not be reusable after a catch though, they will be a twisted mess:lol:


I wasnt sure of this but was guessing that if you kept them tight there would be no issues. We have never had a problem with our wire which is alot less flexible than the cable getting kinked as long as they were tight. The first prototypes are going to be inplace next week. Thanks For the idea of using the adjustable loop on one end. I was going to make them 10ft and some 5 foots. I will repeat myself. Make sure you make the drowning sets right. It kind of felt like the show swamp people were there dragging gators up to the boat only they get to shoot the gator. The rope they use also looks alot more cofortable than the dog chain I had.


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## Brad branda (May 15, 2019)

Slide poles are my go to now for drowning I tired wire and cable had a beaver get caught by the back foot in a number 5 duke longspring and pull my weight up and get caught in the near by 330


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## Anita Dwink (Apr 14, 2004)

I run #5 bridger cs on 10' 1/2 rebar rod drowner.
Never going back . Mb750's as well. Toenail catches are almost non existent. Run them out of my canoe.


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