I'm looking to be educated on this subject. Down in MN - we find a space, and we trap where we want. We be considerate of others and don't crowd them. We trap private land. And we trap big pieces of public land which is owned by the state or is county tax forfeit. There is no such thing (to my knowledge) as buying or owning a trapline.

I want to know if this is feasible in Alaska, to be able to trap wherever you want (as long as it's public) - as in, on the Kenai Peninsula?

I also keep hearing about people "buying" or "owning a trapline" on the forums, and elsewhere. Ok - when this happens, what exactly does that mean? I know it's a trail that has been brushed out (a lot of work I imagine) that goes a long ways and perhaps in many directions over a territory. Who was the original seller and buyer? How is that territory staked out? In vast areas - what's to keep someone from "horning in" on that area close enough to work the wolverine and wolf - who have really large territories? What does "owning a trapline" entitle the owner to - exactly?

My mind has just been really busy trying to find answers to this stuff. It's all foreign to me here in the lower 48 - so I thought I'd ask!

I'm going to start putzing with trapping in AK SOON, but eventually, I could see myself retiring younger than most, and getting after it in a much larger way.

Appreciate your thoughts, knowledge and experience...

I think if I was going to move to AK with the intent on trapping really hard I would lean towards the southeast. Im not far from there as the crow flies and the few guys I know over there do pretty well. There seems to be a lot more open country there that isn't being utilized than in the interior. AV and trapped4ever will have a lot better information than I do.

I do know this. A couple of years ago a guy from Ohio got in touch with me. He wanted to book one of our trapline trips so he could learn the basics of trapping up north. This fellow was a welder in his mid-50s. He had already sold his house in Ohio, and bought a place in Wasilla. He had bought the house without ever actually seeing it, or the country side around it. The real estate agent had really keyed off this poor guys desire to trap. His plan was to move up there, weld out of his house part time, and trap pretty much full time. The agent had told him he could skidoo right out of his house and had millions of square miles all to himself as far as trapping was concerned. This poor guy thought it was the truth too. I told him that I have a lot of family and friends in that exact area and he was going to find it impossible to find enough un-trapped ground to do any serious trapping out of his house. He didnt like hearing that so I never heard from him again, but I sure felt sorry for him. A lot of people in the lower 48 dont realize how many people are in Alaska now. Last I heard the population was about 1 person per square mile. A few lower 48 states have fewer. Every time I go to Anchorage Im shocked at how its grown! It feels like LA now....people everywhere.

Alaska is no different than where I trap here in Yukon as far as species/methods. Where we differ is we have the registered trapline system and AK doesn't. In both places the golden key to success is miles and miles of trail. To get big numbers and make money you have to have a lot of country to trap, there is no other way. A few miles wont cut it. I've been trapping the same line for about 15-years now and I'm still cutting and opening up new country. I think you are going to find it much tougher than you expect to find enough open country to trap without stepping on toes. Listen to the Alaskan guys on here, they are the best in the business, and will send you in the right direction. Good luck!

Not to be a contrarian but look at people in Alaska in another way. I just checked an unofficial site and it claimed Alaska has a population of about 750,000 people in 2018. It's probably safe to say darn near half of those people live in or near Anchorage. The Fairbanks area will account for some more.

That's not a lot of people for a state of that size.

When you move down to the Kenai south east area make sure you bring a canoe.

Its the same in AK as it is in MN, find some private or public land that isn't already being trapped and you are free to trap it. People don't sell traplines but they do sell traps, sleds, cabins and knowledge of areas. Like you have already realized Alaska has very few roads so access is limited unless you have a boat, plane or live remotely and can just use the frozen rivers as roads.

yukon254 Just let him learn the truth when he gets here. Personally, his picture puts him a little long in the tooth for fun bush whacking and trail breaking and overflow swimming.

Go to the Alaska Trappers Association site above, go to the bottom of the page, read the Trappers Code of Ethics. That will give you a good idea of what Ethical Trappers practice here in Alaska, We are not Minnesota! Alaska is hungry country. It takes a lot of land for a trapline to be farmed with a large buffer zone. This is JMO

Traplines are sold but the land is not usually unless the line has a private piece of land and cabin you trap from.
Snap

Dirt - looks can be pretty deceiving. Cant really judge a man by his looks. But you can try, if you want. I've been busting my hump in AK for six summers now - doing all that you described above. Just haven't done it trapping yet... :-) Theres a thing called desire. It fires up the belly. And it overwhelms anything you see on the exterior. You might understand when you start seeing my pictures...

To all : I should clarify that I already have a home in Homer in summer. I scrounge around the Kenai Mountains pretty hard. Climb them, kill a bear, and come down the same day. Alone. Not bad for an old geezer. My trapping will be limited though, because of time, and because I have zero gear in AK. I will be getting geared up and prepared this season. More next. The dream would be hopefully to have a line somewhere, somehow, someday. But for now, home base is Homer, and whatever is within reach of that on the KP.

Malukchuk - I got a canoe. And a good ATV. Need a snow machine - as Alaskans call them, and a freight sled. Looking for traps and tools and safety gear. Bringing a bunch up with me in my luggage real soon!

Your only 54? wish I was 54 again.

Heck Boco, if you're gonna dream, dream big! How about 24!

Think I feel 24 at heart???

That's a scary thought Dave,lol.

I wouldn't want that !!

If you are mainly wanting to chase wolf & wolverine, I would stick with snares and 330's.........especially in those weather conditions. What do you mean by "safety gear" ??

The "I can trap anywhere it is public land" attitude that is prevalent in MN and other places in the "lesser 48" is what gets a lot of newcomers into trouble when finding a trapline in Alaska.

It could be useful to consider figuring out the practical difference between what is LEGAL and what is RIGHT and PROPER. It could save you a lot of time, trouble and aggravation.

No, we do not "own" our lines in the normal, legal definition of the word. But tradition runs strong and established trappers can get "a bit provincial" about looking out for their interests and defending against newcomers who set up on top of or too close to them.

We are very accustomed to having new folks set up on top of established trappers "because it is legal." But my experience has been that it definitely would be much easier on you in the long run if you did what is right instead. You sound like you are willing to do this, and for that, I commend you.

Pete

A better question might have been, does anybody know of a line for sale? A couple of months ago there was a fellow on here that was trapping out of a mine somewhere. During that thread it was mentioned that a trapper had passed in that general country and his widow might be looking to sell his line.

I've been reading all of the long, long journals on here. This is how I put myself to sleep at night :-) Anyway, seems like most of the guys have a good kit on board in case they get into trouble, get stuck, have a break down, or get injured and are way the heck and gone out in the bush. I just want to be prepared.

I am sort of getting the picture now - understanding that this is probably more of a "Northern Canada" thing - but I do see a couple of guys on here with journals that own lines in Alaska. They likely have numerous trails cut into the bush in different directions and drainages. And perhaps a cabin or two along the way. That is what I was trying to understand, and what all goes with it. Heck yeah, the right place and I'd be interested!

Dang right Pete. I definitely don't want to step on anyones toes - just like I wouldn't want my toes stepped on. Trappers are my bros. I'm gonna talk to the wildlife guy in Homer. He seems to know roughly where and what people are doing since they register fur and get bait from him and whatnot. Also want to connect with the guys at the Kenai/Soldotna ATA meeting. And, there are a couple of elusive guys on here from Homer that I want to meet!

Who gets a line that becomes vacant(death,etc)-and who decides?Even though most have a helper that buys a guy out,or a relative that takes over that traps,there are always lines that become vacant.