This is awesome!! Thanks for lighting their fire they sure won’t forget this!

Friar Tuck hats of to you. You just changed those young men's life.

good job guys! Looks like your having a pretty good start!

You're a good man FT.

That is a good thing you are doing for those young fellas. It will come back to you tenfold.

Jim,thats what it's all about getting the younger generation excited about our great sport that is fading away.Awesome,thank you...….

Ok, the rest of the story from Thursday, and a bit of background.
Thursday morning started slow, but we were riding the high from two cats the day before. Bot young men said that their trip was considered a success after the marten, so the two cats were bonus. On our last trail of the day, nearing the very last sets, I looked up the trail a couple hundred yards and there was a nice big cat standing broadside. We just stopped and watched him for a minute of so, and I told them to just back out slowly and give him some time to work our sets. The spot he was standing had probably a half dozen sets within 50 yards of him. As we were backing out he went into the woods on the west side of the trail. We then got back to a turnaround and left the area. After going les than a half mile, there was another cat, smaller, sitting in the middle of the road. I had been telling them all along that when the animals decided to move, that they would all be moving, and Wednesday/Thursday seemed to be the days. The little cat wondered off the road and we headed for their camp. Just down the road a mile a marten ran across the road, so now in 20 minutes, in a mile or so, we had seen two cats and a marten. We were all pumped of course. we killed a bit of time then headed back to the sets were the cat had went, and sure enough, right where the cat had stepped off the road was a snare that they had set, and the cat was waiting for us. We will be pulling traps tomorrow, but this was already the most enjoyable year I have ever had!

Now, I see that so many of you are thanking me, and I appreciate it, but these young men have made my year, just as much as I have made theirs. We are already planning to double the line for next year. I started trapping in the late 70s and early 80s, with absolutely no clue. If I asked anyone for advice there was no one willing to give a bit. One man, a country buyer named Harvey Cole, gave my as much help and advice as he could, and that is the only thing that kept me going, and allowed me to make the money we needed each year to buy our children Christmas presents. I have always dreamed of being able to return that favor by helping someone else out, if I ever became proficient at trapping. Well, I am probably still far from proficient, but I figured it was now or never. meeting a couple young guys, camping in the woods with their father, and wanting to learn just gave me the chance I had been waiting for. No idea what tomorrow's check will bring, but looking at this picture on my puter wallpaper, with the young men and their father, makes me smile every time I see it!
Jim

Great story,agree with you 100% it was a great week for all of you guys,look forward to next years outing adventure.

Really enjoy the read - are you helping them out on putting up fur?

Yes, I skun the first cat, but by the last one they took it clear to the stretcher.

Friar Tuck I think you just received you blessing 🙏.Great job

Well, they say that all good things come to an end.
We pulled the traps today and the guys headed home.
We are already planning next year's line.
They spent last evening covering ground and looking for sign.
It was a wild 7 days!
Jim

Jim,
Congrats to you and the 2 young guys!!
Passing on the knowledge and helping these boys out great job

Those young men will never forget your lessons and generosity. Kodos to you and congrats to your students. That's the way life should work..

This ^^^^^

Sure brings back memories when I was 12 and a generous trapper took me in and showed me the ropes of trapping, I’m 49 now and I still have all those memories imbedded in my mind...

Those 2 boys will be your friends for life now...

Great story

The two young men were very impressed by everybody they met in the woods up here. While they were camped in the forest they had several foresters stop by and visit withe them. One of the foresters went so far as to skin their marten for them. There were two other trappers going through the area and they stopped and visited with them each time they came through. One of them was after fisher, and brought his wife's fisher fur coat down so they could see it, then gave them a couple tanned fisher! It was great to see how welcoming everyone that they met was.

Please keep us posted just before it all begins next year. I'd be honored to swing by and meet you fellows.

Osky

If you are ever lucky enough to meet Friar, you will know he would do this for anyone who asks. He has helped me many times and it is just who he is.

You sir get my vote for trapper of the year!

That's as good as it gets, Jim! Good on you for doing your part in passing on this wonderful heritage of trapping. Your behind the scenes efforts here are what give trappers and trapping a good name and keep it going for generations to come. Thank you!