What I want to know is why some folks can advertise their stuff on here and some cannot? This really reads as an ad more than a thread. LLL

Because I decide what is advertising and what isn't.

I think the point of my post is bubbling to the surface.

I think the point of my post is bubbling to the surface.

I would say that as a lure maker who "traps", I go about my biz whether at a demo or in my magazine advertisements mentioning my products along the way. It's what I do to make a living. It pays the mortgage. But, more than that, it's what I actually do. I've never hawked my stuff at a demo, but I do mention what I do, what I use, and how I use it. Most who sell products and have a solid name in the biz do the same thing. For example, I use a Leggett's trapper bag and say so. It's a darn solid bag! I use MB 550s and say so. They are a sweet setup for the money! And so on. My OP was can I (as a lure maker) show my system of smells if that fits the bill? Guys who make cage and traps mention their products at a demo, often for the entire 45 minutes, and that's fine but can a lure guy even briefly mention his products? IMO, If bossman wants to show me his beaver set and he juices it up with Backbreaker and tells me that, perfect... good for me to know what/how he does his. I actually don't do too much on smells as my demos as they are known for topic material revolving around animal behavior, habitat, location, etc. Plus, I bring kids up and we have a good time with them too. Some may not know that a comment I often hear after a demo is; "Mark, you didn't say what specific lure or smell you use at a set." I may mention them briefly but make no mistake... I use my lures, along with others like Rusty Johnson's Lucky Bait and I say so. No infomercial here... just what I do.

Interestingly, It's been my experience more than once that when a specific trapper doesn't care for a lure maker "promoting" their lures it's because they have a stake or a STRONG allegiance to another lure maker, and they get more than a bit protective of that other lure maker, especially if the competitor is seen succeeding. As an example, I remember back in the late '80's (I started in '84) I had a guy approach me in the convention hall aisle and confront me on how in the world I could say I was better than RC lures? I asked him what he was talking about as I never said what he was accusing me of... and he rudely and with a red face told me that I'll never be as good as RC, never! I tried to be polite and tell him I viewed RC as a trend setter and that the RC brand was proven to be a market leading product and that I never said what he accused me of. Besides that, I used RC lures myself! But no matter, this trapper was protecting the RC brand against the new guy you see, and no matter how I answered he maintained, he heard what he heard. Oh well. Sometimes they hear what they want to hear. I later saw that same man behind the booth at RC's table.

Case in point: WR - I never said "trash" because those words are derogatory against God's creatures and in my life, I've never used that term. Never will. What I said was "non-targets." I also didn't say that my products would not catch non-targets. That's not accurate. I said I've honed my smells to catch a limited number of non-targets. That is true. It's a learning I've come across in more recent years and IMO it's important if you want to catch max numbers of coyotes, you need to keep everything else outta your traps. I suspect that instead of rolling my teaching moment around for a moment, you heard what you wanted to hear because you already had a pre-conceived idea of me and mine. That's cool. But you don't know me sir, you just think you know about me and that is common in today's society... MY POINT in the OP! Society is changing and social media is aiming us in a direction. Heck, we're on social media right now! Anyway, I invite you to stop by, say howdy, shake hands and shoot the breeze. We're trapping brothers sir.

Paul knows about advertising in our industry and he knows I don't advertise on TMan (maybe some day). Bossman knows that a name mention of my Windwalker or Fox Frenzy for example is really a minimal concept of what marketing is in the trapping business and he sees it's not any more blatant than me saying MB 550. I use what I use and me or anyone else mentioning products by name is absolutely allowed here on TMan. Besides, my marketing efforts cost me a ton (ask my wife!) as MJL is the top advertiser in the American Trapper (I like to support the national associations who protect our way of life), top tier - along with John Graham in Trapper's Post, we insert color ads in Fur Takers, as well as many state association print and web ads, etc. and these ads are absolutely to spread the word further than word of mouth so that we can market to more people. It's our business and it's what Donna and I do. It's called hard work! It's call the American way!

Keep it up Mark, I enjoy your posts along with a bunch of other people.

There is a vast difference in mentioning a lure or bait you use and happen to also make, and coming in and saying come to my site, my lures cost this and they are the greatest thing ever. Also it is free shipping for folks named Mark.

I don’t see what Mark or others do as advertising, they are just saying what works for them and it happens to be their products. They also mention other people’s products, it is just having a conversation, not advertising.

Some of you folks need to get over yourselves and climb down from that high horse you’re ridding. If you don’t like or agree with it, don’t log in or don’t read it.

Mark I couldn't quote your post and mine, so here's your response.
WadeRyan,
I'm afraid the theme of my OP slide past you if your response is your first paragraph and what one person who is not trustworthy has to do with the OP theme? Mud whoever has been culled from the herd I guess (don't know him).

My theme and the discussion at my booth with other trappers in Ohio was relating to a bigger picture of why trappers view other trappers with a bit of skepticism should they want to start a lure & bait business. And then should that particular trapper prove to be successful due to longevity and other factors, some trappers still shoot arrows. Hmmm...
Mud whoever does not fit that OP scenario and that's not what was being chatted about last weekend at my booth.

I believe my answer was the reason we hold those starting a lure business with skepticism is there are a rash of guys out there that don't have the knowledge or the time in the game to start a lure business. There's also a number of them that are complete crooks. I just gave the one example of how one shady new lure maker can blacken the eyes of all unknown lure makers starting. That one man has ripped off a pretty sizable chunk of people/money in one year. So yes now I see guys coming out with lures/baits and I look into them more than I have before.

There's a lot more coverage out there of guys just starting out, and it has become a harder industry to rise up in because everything is at your fingertips information wise. I don't have a problem with self promotion if that's your way of marketing your product. Personally I prefer the quiet humble guys that I am not even going to mention here because they don't probably want to see their names associated with this thread. They do what other professional lure makers do year around, and their product is all that is needed to sell itself. Once you have it you can't go back.

Recently there was like a 10 page post regarding your cat catch in Nebraska/Texas, and I saw at least once where your own personal lure came out of your own posts. If a number of lure makers would mention their own lure on a post promoting their product it would get instantly hammered for violating the *No Advertising* rule, however, your post continued to ride the trapperman waves. I prefer to be fair to everyone (I don't sell lures or bait) but it turns me off when I see certain individuals favored. I watched a demo you did once until it got to the point where you listed five of your lures, and told the crowd your bait didn't catch "trash." Watched another one a short while later from a government trapper in Texas that didn't sell a single thing, and I learned a lot more.

Nothing in my life has changed to the point where these aren't the same opinions I'd had 15 years ago. Certain experiences have just opened my eyes up to personally what I look for in a bait/lure maker. A picture with close to 100 cats over several months won't cause me to buy any more lure from that man then the next. I guess I might be the minority. I actually love seeing huge catch pictures, and wish I had taken a different life path to where I had more time to trap. That being said if they are used for self promotion of lure or bait it just isn't for me. As many people have figured out large catches don't come about due to what bait or lure was used more so the work ethic of the man in the picture.......

Somebody can make an awesome lure, but if they have a terrible personality I'm much less likely to buy from them.