That's a #220 Conibear Trap in the picture above -- we pulled it out of a groundhog sette we were digging on last weekend.
I do not think this trap is legal on land in Maryland. The trap was set to go off, but the trap itself was rusted up tight, as it had been lost or abandoned some years back.
Conibear traps were first designed by Frank Conibear in the 1950s in Canada, and were the first substantive improvement in traps since the leghold trap was invented in 1823.
The development of this type of trap was paid for by an animal rights group and the trap was designed to kill very fast. This sure-kill trap design was subsequently approved by the International Humane Society.
Ironically, because this type of trap kills dogs and cats almost instantly, and is very difficuly to release even if you are standing right there when it fires off, this trap is a very serious threat to cats and dogs which might otherwise be unharmed if entangled in a modern leghold trap or a snare. Once again, the Animal Rights crowd does more harm than good.
In my opinion, a conibear should only be used in a water set on muskrat (#110 conibear) or beaver (#330 conibear).
For information on how to get a dog out of a conibear trap, see >> http://www.terrierman.com/traprelease.htm
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