Trapping season open

[foxtrapper]

Was able to get a few sets out today. Finally get to take my dispatch gun, a Clements adjustable sighted bearcat in a Barranti crossdraw out in the field! Kept my eye open for a groundhog ,aka opportune target! Alas did not get a shot....

[x101airborne]

I wish you all the success in the world!
I used to trap down here... Then PETA killed out our fur trade.

[contender]

Trapping season is year around for me,,,,,,,,,,! I'm an Animal Damage Control Agent! But for fur,, only the fall is good. Sadly, my region,, the furs are not the heavy coats desired by buyers. Often,, the prices paid,, do not pay enough to cover the time & efforts to trap anymore. (Thanks PETA!)

I wish you all the luck in trapping,, and hopefully, you'll get a lot of use out of your Bearcat!

May your fur shed be full, and the prices high!

[bula]

I have fond memories of running traplines. All thru Jr high and senior high. Land sets, mostly raccoon, were run in the dark before school. Sometimes on snow shoes as we seemed to have more snow fall then. The muskrat, water sets we ran after school . Ran is the right word, even in hip boots we pretty much jogged the whole way. I have slightly less fond memories of chopping holes over muskrat trails under the ice, stripping off upper body clothes and laying in the snow, on the ice to place the trap. Safe ice was preferred though, over skim or thin ice. Going thru and filling up your hip boots was NOT fun. After getting to shore, stripping and wringing out clothing and then redressing and going on, well it would be tough getting kids to do that anymore. In most cases mommy would not let them . I do believe my parents would have been shocked to know how far I ranged . The quiet of dark woods and fields, well I walk my dog st night after I get home near midnite, to get my fill now. Once I got my first car, a '66 Dodge 440 Coronet...lines went farther. Never got the smell of muskrat outta the back seat. That definitely hurt my success at the drive-in theater. 

[foxtrapper]

Fell into tapping at the ripe old age of 50! Wish I would of started sooner, hear tell back in the 70’s when I was a teenager fur prices were high! Lol right now it’s a labor of love! I trap 75-100 raccoon and a few red fox a season . Setting footholds are dicey ,where I trap on Long Island, land is sparce and what we lack in land we Make up in people and dogs. The “ dog proof” trap makes it all worth while! I’ve yet to sell any fur, I do is have the skins garment tanned ,then I sew blankets for family and friends.

[drycreek]

I used to trap coyotes, but it’s a never ending battle and I finally gave up. It definitely helped my fawn crop though, at least for awhile. Hard for me to set traps anymore, too hard to get up and down. Old age sucks !

[contender]

I started trapping at age 11. Mostly muskrats at first. I ventured out to foxes & bobcats. Coons were not plentiful due to the serious coon hunters around.
But by the time I was about 15,, I was a serious fur taker. And yes,, that was in the very early 70's. Fur prices were good to us then. On into my station in Tx with the Army,, and I'd still get some fur. After the Army,, I did get into it some,, but life & a job got in the way to be too serious. I've dabbled all my life until about 18 years ago,, when I got my ADC Certification.
I do a lot of groundhogs, skunks, coons, & beaver now. Throw in the occasional otter job, or the possums and I keep my skills sharp. Fox trapping is restricted in my area,, and coyote trapping isn't profitable. (I teach folks how to live along with the yotes,, as most won't spend the money to have me trap, only to have other yotes move in later.) I do trap some on my place,, and yotes are preferred.
As for skinning & all, I don't do much,, as I mentioned,, the prices don't make it worth it. But I do enough to keep my skills very good.

Just today,,I wrapped up a groundhog trapping,, and I'm starting a beaver & otter line Monday.

[rangersedge]

Watching raccoons, coyote, bobcat, fox, & even mink show up my trail cams for deer has me really considering trapping again - mainly to teach my son. I don't even know if they have any value right now. I'd probably just give the animals to someone else who traps. Hard to describe it to a non trapper; but each day checking the traps is like checking for presents under the tree.

Got my start trapping back in the late 70s. Bright side is prices were pretty good for a while. Dark side is I sometimes had unwanted help running my lines. One person was famous for covering a wide territory on 4 wheeler and spotlight.

[contender]

"Dark side is I sometimes had unwanted help running my lines. One person was famous for covering a wide territory on 4 wheeler and spotlight."

Dealing with trap or fur thieves is a common malady in many places. Nowadays,, there are ways to reduce that. Carefully hidden cameras can help identify these types,, and let the game wardens deal with them. Your game warden IS your friend, if you let him!

[magman]

Started trapping in the late 60s. Remember those cold early mornings

[45MAN]

ENJOYABLE THREAD, THANKS TO ALL THE POSTERS

[rangersedge]

Contender: He eventually got caught poaching deer. He was one of the main fur buyers in the area in the daytime. At night, he spotlighted all sorts of critters and helped himself to trapped animals too over a wide area. Got to the point i used slide wires and connibears more to get / keep critters hidden or dead quickly so harder to spot.

[45MAN]

AT MY RANCH IN EDWARDS COUNTY, TEXAS, I USED TO HAND TRAP RACCOONS AROUND A FREE CHOICE HIGH PROTEIN DEER FEEDER, AND OTHER FEEDERS. THEY WOULD REACH IN WITH A HAND TO PULL A WEINIE OR OTHER BAIT OUT AND THEIR HAND WOULD GET CAUGHT IN THE TRAP. SO ARE RACCOONS LEFT HANDED OR RIGHT HANDED? PER THE HIGH POINT RANCH RACCOON RESEARCH CENTER THEY ARE PREDDOMINANTLY _____ HANDED (MY LOG BOOK IS UP AT THE RANCH, BUT AS I RECALL THEY WERE MOSTLY LEFT HANDED). MOST WERE FINISHED OFF WITH 22 K-HORNET, 25-20, 32-20 AND 327 REVOLVERS.

[Robster]

Great thread, I too used to do a lot of trapping. Now I spend my time chasing a pack of beagles around the woods and farmyards! I have great memories of trapping and and some nice furs hanging in my cabin.

[unclezeb]

I still trap when I can, been trapping with my dad since I was to big to fit in a car seat. Used to be a lot of Fox in my country when I was a kid mange and other other stuff pretty much eradicated them. So now it’s mostly coyotes and bobcat. Most of the fur I put up anymore is through calling on my days off, I work as a pipefitter and pipe welder locally and while I’m home every night it’s really hard to run a good trap line after 10-12 hour days 5-7 days a week to run more then a dozen traps. So I can honestly say I don’t trap for the money just for the pure enjoyment. Whatever I sell the fur for I just roll back into new trapping supplies,fuel money, ammunition, and justifications for more varmint riffles pistols and shotguns.

My favorite one is always the first one of the season though. Nothing like putting fur on the stretcher.