Does anybody do a western trapping school? Desert sagebrush type country? Looking for something close to a Nevada type ecosystem.
Thanks

I believe Ed Schneider will travel to your line for personal instruction. I know of 2 people who have done this and seem to be very pleased with the results. I've seen pics of the results, very impressive.

Remember, location is the same no matter what part of the country you are from. After that it is technique and hard work. You have to have the animals to make an impressive catch.

Where is Ed from? Thats what im having issues with is location and reading the country.

Kansas

Andy Weiser, who is on this site, from western Montana gives private lessons. I have his Western Coyote Trapping dvd and it appears his type of area is what your looking for. Since I moved from back east, I was looking for the same as you are.

Thanks ill order that dvd and look for one of his classes. Meet him at the trappers rondy 2 years ago.

As mentioned Weiser would be a good choice. From looking at Wayne Derrick's DVDs I would have to believe that his area of New Mexico would be very similar.
Derrick posts on here as well. Andy Weiser and Wayne Derrick are two I would consider.
Mac

Wayne Derrick, Andy Weiser and Gary Jepson just put on a school in Palo Duro Texas. I was there as a student and it was top notch. Desert Sage brush country is exactly how I would explain it. Here is a picture I snapped while I was there.



Andy and Wayne are both members on this site, if you need help contacting them just shoot me a pm. Tracy Truman aka Lazarus would be another guy I would talk too if I was you. He is a Nevada trapper and he flat puts a hurt on some cats.

I would pick Slim Pedersen, because nowadays he COMES TO YOUR TURF,on YOUR trapping properties.
I'm thinking THAT would do anyone the most good.
Find him in our User List here or his website...or email him at slimtrap@hotmail.com .

X2 on Slim Petersen, I had him come out a couple seasons ago, hands down the best week I've ever had and the best money I've ever spent. The knowledge that he has about predators is insane and the little tricks and things you dont notice that he points out are astonishing. I didnt catch one coyote while he was here, the usda was hitting them pretty hard asnd in tge area i was at just didnt have the numbersbut i learned more in that week than i would have in years of trapping. I hope to go to Andy's this year and then the Texas predator school next year. You can't ever learn to much.

Lee Reuwsaat does some personal instruction and he lives out in western south dakota, plus he state hops and is a great guy.

Wayne and Andy w, does John Graham do instructions?

Hi....as I'm still organizing Slim's personal instructions - just wanted to let you know that it's getting hard for him to travel. Hip issues,
hard to walk - so not sure if he can get around this year to go to "your" trapline, but he sure enjoyed those years he did. He is in Montana,
and will most likely be living in the Billings area by fall - and I've already had some call me about going there to hang out with him, pick his brain,
and get out in the hills, as he says. IF are interested in that, email him and me - laurie339@gmail.com. If you message me on here, I may not see it for a few days - and thanks!

oh cool when he gets in billings I'll have to go visit him, I'm honored to live in slims home town. I had a good visit with him 2 years ago in Lewistown. Talk about the ranches I trap now, he also trapped them a few ago.

Some things you just have to earn.

Trail cams and the time spent running them will make you better in your area than any of the folks listed in the thread.

ML

[quote=Mercer Lawing]Some things you just have to earn.



Spending years Learning to trap coyotes before hiring yourself out might be earning it too.

WoW, this has got to be the rudest slap in the face at other trappers on here I have seen since BW left here !!

[quote=andy weiser][quote=Mercer Lawing]Some things you just have to earn.
While that's true, learning to run trail cams in place of instruction is ridicules to the obvious.A camera does not show you the how,the why,and how to process it.It does not answer questions.I took instructions from Bill Miller of R+M lure in the '80's.He was living near Cass Lake Minnesota at the time.That day we spent together going over everything predator trapping was an eye opening experience for me,one I sure wouldn't have gotten looking at trail cams.

I guess that is why some buy lure by the barrel then put labels on and why some trappers who have only trapped coyotes a couple years now call themselves a coyote trapper some forget there mentor (Reid Atton)
Some trappers have forgotten more about coyote trapping than some of us will ever know.
We all have learned from others in one way or another so it is always good to get instructions if possible and be thankful that trappers today will share.
BJ

Deleted my posts because except the original. Not worth it responding to nonsense.

To be clear, the intent of my original post was to express my opinion that time spent in the field is far more valuable than than any instruction. I never said instruction wasn't valuable. I never said the folks mentioned in the thread weren't great trappers and expert at instruction I'm sure. Instruction would be beneficial. I know this because I have a file three inches thick of success stories from folks I got started in cage trapping. In fact Trapntrade was one of them now he pokes at me, huh.

Some folks need instruction. I happen to know the guy in the thread and know where he lives. So, it was my opinion that time spent with trail cams, time in the field would be more beneficial than instruction. Never said instruction would not be beneficial.

Time in the field cannot be short cut. That is how the guys giving instruction got to where they are is it not?

ML

I gotta jump in on this. A lot depends on you goals & present skill level. I think the year was 1961, Paul L. Failor Supervisor Predator Control Section of the PA Game Commission did a talk & demo on red fox trapping that I attended. Dirt hole, bait lure & urine or IMO the same with no hole. That's all you need to know. You can easily learn set construction from YouTube. Go make a 100 sets. Some will catch something. Learn location from this and repeat. By the time you get 100 sets on location you will have learned everything you need to know. This might take awhile. Only took me a few decades to get it.

One of the training guys can speed up your learning curve. Especially if you can find one willing to take you along on his line near where you want to trap. Over the pas 50 years I've seen dozens of the known guys do demos & I have bought a 100 or more DVD's. No secrets left to tell. Just go make sets.

When my schedule allows I will get some training, either ride with a big gun or go to a school. My goal is just to learn what I can and see how they do it on their turf. Don't know of anyone I would need to pay to do it in the BIG WOODS where I trap. Just got an idea, I'm going to contact a few guys that are good and offer them a free lunch to come and share some conservation & secrets. BTW I went to CoyotU & FTA's Trappers College.

In support of what Mercer said I have eight trail cams and need to get them out. Mine will go on holes with some lure in them.

I'm sorry Andy. What I wrote can be read a few different ways. It was not intended as a slight to you or any of the folks named.

ML

Andy, Lesel and Gary are all doing demos at the FTA at Marshfield if you want to head east. I will post the complete line up soon.

Bryce