Page 156 - The Lost Ways

What that means is that they will have one long spring only on one side that snaps the
trap shut. Or the doubles have two long springs, one to each side. If you’re going after
beaver and using long springs, I would suggest the double so that there isn’t any doubt
that the trap will close well and won’t have any play in it where the beaver can get free.

Coil spring traps are much the same and can be had with one or two coils. Their coils are
nearly always located on either side of the trigger, which could be a round or rectangle
pan, as it’s called. For the same reasons, I’m going to recommend double coils on your
traps.

There are other big reasons why I always go with doubles:

1. Traps freeze shut. I’ve seen traps freeze shut after freezing rains that turned to ice and
snow thaws that refroze. When your trap freezes up, you don’t get your beaver or
muskrat, plain and simple.

2. Debris falls onto your trap from the trees above or is blown there by the wind. Either
way, you need a trap that will snap through all that mess and catch your critter.

3. The animal, especially a beaver with his weight of up to 100 pounds, can’t sit on your
long spring and have it open enough to get free if it’s a single spring trap.

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