Sprung trap?

I had a bit of an unanswered situation tonight and I did not think to take a picture to show everyone. I had an MB 550 exposed with ant hill sand placed on the pan in a narrowed down trail. I had a trap sprung, the trap had not been pulled on (the chain was loose so there was no struggle) and it had white 1/4" fur on both jaws. No claw, no blood, no struggle..just a sprung trap with white fur on the jaw.

Impossible question, but what is everyone's thought. Could it have been a lion, maybe a coyote, a cottontail that was pinched but not caught, a bobcat? The 550 has four coils and I have bent the dog down to accomplish 3 pounds of tension. This is my first miss on an exposed trail 550 and it's bothering the crap out of me. Just a sprung trap, still on the wax paper, with pure white fur on the middle of the offset jaw.

Any thoughts? Has this happened to anyone else.

nontarget rodent/rabbit belly hair most likely.

I had the same thing exactly on a buried coyote trap this year. I'm pretty sure it was a rabbit. Trap was fired but undisturbed with the same hair your describing.

pwc and moneyspots, you are probably right. I just wonder how in the heck they hit the pan and get out of the way of the jaws as fast as those exposed 550's shut.

I wonder the same thing. I wish I had trail cam footage of it happening.

I also think it could be a rabbit. But could have also been a cat or coyote wanting to rub/roll on your lure. Were you using any lure with castor in it? I am no lure expert but remember reading in a book about.....I think it was castor that makes them want to rub on it.... I know mink glands cats like to rub on for sure. Got that one on trail cam.

I had a set last year and again this year that I thought a cat had rolled on. Exactly what you are describing nvsage. The thing with those were that the traps were pulled away from there original location with no sign of a struggle. Not saying teach didn't have one roll on his trap. I wish I had enough cameras for each set. They would answer a lot of questions I've had.

Yeah the mysteries of trapping. Sometimes you just stand there scratching your head going what happened here!!!! All part of the fun. That is what keeps you going. Sounds like a rabbit to me but who knows?

1/4 inch white fur - weasel bounding through? I wish I had a camera on very trap too!

I was thinking weasel also. Not sure it could set off a trap with 3-4lbs of pan tension though.

Thanks for the posts guys, I do wish we could trail cam every set! Nvsage, no lure around the walk through, just a pinched down spot for a cat to travel. Bucks, I certainly agree. I've had two catch circles with nothing in the trap this year. I always think the worst and wonder if someone borrowed my catch, but there was no one else in the area. I've come to think that maybe it was an a predator with just a claw caught that slipped out of the offset jaw. I did just stand there thinking "what the hell" looking for answer to the situation. I like the weasel thought, never gave that a thought, but I saw a weasel this winter in a different location.