I once thought I did ok for the season until I subtracted the money spent replacing traps, lure, bait, earth anchors, etc. I ended up in the hole! You have to be where the needed furs are paying the most money to make a profit. The market says that coyotes are the fur to trap right now but my coyotes are on worth $20 to $25, not $130 so it is very difficult to end up in the black.

Fast food businesses make a lot of money on soft drinks. The disposable cup is $0.10. The flavoring, carbonation and water totals $0.15. Throw in $0.25 for labor and overhead and the total cost is ~$0.50 a glass regardless of size. The cost to the customer however is $1.75 or more so this is one item that offsets other items where the costs are higher. Thus, profit is being made.

Hardware stores sell 4-pack aluminum ferrules at 5 times what you’d pay for them at a trapper’s supply place. Shoe stores, clothing stores, automotive parts stores, all have 100+ % markups and at some point, especially with high product turn over, they’ll see profit. I won’t even get into the $10 aspirins nor the $75 boxes of Kleenex hospitals charge. Or the gazillions whole-life insurers make, while paying you a minimal 3% on your money.

As trappers, besides the inherent benefits of being outdoors, what is our “ace in the hole” or ‘low cost-high profit’ item that gives us a financial incentive to keep trapping? I’m thinking there is no real financial incentive for hobby trappers to stay with it. The love of the sport is where it’s at. For long liners and lure makers, I’d assume you know where the break even point and the point in which there is enough profit to stay in the game.

I tried to figure it out one time. Many times, actually. Mileage always pushed me from profitability to loss. At today’s tax rate for mileage, it doesn’t pay to be driving a 16 mile per gallon vehicle. With low fur prices, you have to knock off over 100 decent coon just to pay for gas some years. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve trapped un-profitably for many years and I’m not about to quit any time soon. But, for those who routinely see an income from trapping, where does it come from?

I swear we are the only people on earth basically giving our products away and we are happy to do it. Ive been eating cat chit with a knitting needle the last 10 years with fur and cant figure out how to make it pay.

Back in the day of great fur prices, it was great to make good catches, work up the fur and make some good money. 5 foxes in one morning at $100 each paid for a lot of gasoline at 45 cents per gallon in 1980.

However fur and trap theft were common. I set up a lake for muskrats - 150 traps. The next day, I could not find any traps. Whoever did it was thorough!