Well here's one that is actually scattered over a few days with Scott Balts, AKA 330Trapper, of Minnesota.Being in ADC full time, I often get PM’s from trappers across the country wanting to know how to “break into the biz,” so to speak. Many fur trappers have thought, at least once, they would like to do control work full time and have wondered what that would be like on a daily basis.
I confess, growing up, I wanted to be a full time coyote and/or beaver trapper like so many of the “western trappers” I had read about . . . then I learned it didn’t pay as much as I wanted to make, although an ideal life style, no doubt for many. Today I run an ADC business covering five counties for larger animals such as squirrels, raccoons, coyotes, beaver, muskrats, skunks, groundhogs, bats etc. and up to nine counties on moles.
Each year I take on a number of students to train them fully in the ADC business. Some of them have fur trapping experience, and some have never even set a trap. Many however, want to make the progression from fur trapping to ADC work.
This year I celebrated 10 years of training, by heading first, up to central Minnesota. I was met by Scott Balts of Pine City, Mn. who was of course, my student. Over the next two weeks we went over everything from mice to moles and ground squirrels to bat exclusion, snaring beaver, making lures and snares.
Scott I found out, was a fairly good beaver trapper in his own right with a 330-kill trap. He also had been working, prior to my arrival on the trap designs I had sent him and had made some six or seven dozen cage traps, some of the best ones I have ever seen.
His traps were so good, I ordered several dozen of each, despite the cost of shipping. He also makes a fine cage trap “divider” and the best 660 I have ever seen.
The weather was
not on our side, as it rained more days than not.
Even one day it ended up snowing. Odd I thought for May, but then,
this is Minnesota! 
In Minnesota, they have lots of mosquitoes and I mean BIG mosquitoes and they’ve got lots of friends. They also have way too many ticks and they have lots of friends too . . . All in all it was an enjoyable experience. I got to meet and spend an afternoon with Merlin Ladd, who I understand is a bit of a legend in those parts and had dinner with a trapper ( who goes by Lundy on T-Man) . . . never laughed so hard in my life.
Scott passed my course with flying colors, of course and I look forward to hearing good things from him in the future.
I have long left Minnesota of course and returned back to work here in Ohio.
Below are ( but a few) pictures from my time with Scott. I will try to post more of them in the next few days.
All animals trapped by Scott . . .
of course! 
I highly reccomend any of Scott's traps, as his are the best in the business. LT
