Aldrich-Style Cable Trap
The Aldrich-style cable trap has been used for many years by fur and research trappers to safely restrain bears. The simple design is fairly easy to use and set, making the Aldrich a favorite of many bear trappers and professional wildlife biologists. There are many variations of this type of cable trap designed to capture the bear by the foot, and many ways to use it effectively.
The most common way to set this style trap is to dig a shallow hole and stake the trap into the soil using the two legs of the trap. The trigger or “pan” is covered by small sticks and debris. The cable loop is placed in a circle around the outside of the hole and lightly covered. The spring arm is attached directly to the trigger that, when depressed by a bear’s foot, guides the cable up over the bears foot and cinches the cable.
The two legs of the spring are staked into the soil. A shallow hole is dug beneath the trigger to allow the spring to fire when depressed.
Once the spring is set, small dry sticks are placed over the trigger to create a larger pan and covered by moss to create a base.
The end of the cable loop is then placed over the trigger release on the spring and placed in a circle around the outside of the hole.
Cable is lightly covered with small leaf litter, pine needles, and soil.