This past season was one of the most difficult I have faced in my short trapping career, and after the 1st month I was ashamed of my catch totals, but I came on at the end, and after talking to several other trappers in the Midwest, I became more proud of my efforts after such a trying and WET year. It was my 2nd best season to date in my short career, and it was no doubt in large part due to the teachings of some great men in Texas. This is my review of that experience…
In March of 2018 I was very fortunate and blessed to be able to attend the “West Texas Predator Control School”. This is a school hosted by Wayne Derrick, Andy Weiser and Gary Jepson, as well as what I would call “side instructors” in John Nolan and Mitchell Simpson. I decided to go for a few reasons, the biggest being that I still did not understand lure, urine and bait usage and application. That may sound simple to many of you, but I was literally just “putting stink down a hole to put stink down a hole”. I knew there was more to it than just that, and I was willing to pay to learn about it. Outside of that I knew I still had holes in my game and after talking to them on the phone, I was pretty confident these men could help me out. So I loaded up and headed southwest.
I pulled in to the bunk house day one, late afternoon, met everyone and we had dinner that was cooked by Wayne’s lovely bride Miss Dana. Miss Dana is one of the sweetest women I have ever met, she made the stay even that much more enjoyable, and she is a phenomenal cook. She makes the best enchiladas I ever ate. They were so good, that the whole class requested she make them again later in the week, and she obliged. I trapped all week and probably gained weight lol The bunk house was also top notch. It is located in the middle of 40k acres of brush/canyon country in NW Texas, it was a sight for sore eyes after a long day of trapping, to be able to take a shower, relax and have a warm bed, it was more than I expected.
We started on a Monday setting traps, there were 10 students, we drew numbers, and the instructors took us on a pre-scouted route. We would stop at locations the instructors liked, they would give a short explanation on why they like the location, and then we would go from there. The students (starting with #1) could set traps, or pass and get 1st dibs at the next location. We each set somewhere between 4-5 traps (I don’t remember) the 1st 2 days for a total of 8-10 traps per student, then we checked them that week. Every location I set I made it a point to grab Wayne, Andy, John, Mitchell or Gary to help me. This was invaluable in my opinion. These 8-10 times I gathered loads of information. Just little things that they each would point out, things that have helped me immensely, new ideas, new concepts etc, etc. My 1st set Andy helped me with a coyote walkthrough and we connected the 1st night! It was my only catch, but it was a really cool moment to break the ice and be the 1st on the board. Andy was almost more excited than I was, I will never forget that. It was a great moment. My 1st Texas coyote in an MJ600 on a drag. All 1sts
The 1st 2 days flew by pretty quick, the instructors wanted to establish a good line, which I appreciated, I think most did. All the students were dying to see catches. So 2 days of setting traps with some 1 on 1 at your set, then we checked traps the next 3 days and in-between checks the instructors showed us variations of sets, and we had open discussions in the field. Every day we also had lunch in the field that was provided by the instructors. One thing I remember specifically was watching Wayne make a scent post on a clump of grass, he was putting his jeans on the bare ground and using his bare hands to set the trap. These were huge “No no’s” or so I thought. A lot of myths were busted that next morning when Wayne was collecting his 1st night coyote. This was a pretty good theme for the week. No BS. These guys would give you honest, genuine answers and opinions. There was no bashing, no running down other lure makers or trappers. They brought their own lures, now a lot of people would think they would shove that stuff down your throat, not the case at all. It was there if you wanted it, and they would give their opinions on what you needed and what they would use in the scenarios you presented. These things spoke a lot to the character of the instructors in my opinion. And I appreciated it, anything I asked was answered with good reasoning behind it. So each day we would set traps, check traps, learn in the field, eat lunch, do more trap checking and setting and more learning, then we would return to the bunkhouse, wash off the red dirt, have more discussion if we could before supper, eat supper, have more discussion following supper, some nights all the way to 11pm. It was literally coyotes every waking minute of each day. It was heaven
But to be 100% honest, which is what I want to be in my assessment, I will never forget that on day 4 (Thurs.) I started to feel a little let down. I came for a better understanding of lure usage and application. I was hoping that these 3 great, well-known lure makers would help me out, and it had not happened yet. With only one day left….and then came the highlight of my trip, that night the instructors gathered us all around outside and Wayne, Andy and Gary talked for hours about the what, when, where and why of all things lure, urine and bait. I will never forget this as long as I live, but the 1st thing Wayne said was “You don’t want to be the guy putting stink down a hole just to put stink down a hole”. At that moment it felt like it was only he and I there and he was talking directly to me. I took notes until my fingers bled. There were a lot of things from that week that helped me improve at catching coyotes and bobcats, but none were more important than the few hours of lure discussion that Thursday night. That alone was worth the price of admission. Friday we pulled traps, and Saturday morning said our goodbyes and we headed out.
Conclusion – Outside of anything involving my family. It was the best week of my life. All the things I had hoped to be more understanding of, I am. The instruction was top notch, we caught coyotes or cats every day, the suppers were amazing, the bunkhouse was amazing, the hospitality was top notch. I literally cannot think of one negative aspect of that week. I have stayed in touch with several students and I cannot recall any of them saying anything negative about that week.
The instructors were amazing. They are all men that I didn’t personally know before that week, but I immensely respect them not just as trappers, but also as men, mentors and role models. They treated me like a friend they have known for years. I felt at home while I was there.
I have since stayed in touch with Wayne, Mitchell and John, they are 3 of the best men I know, and I am lucky to call them friends and mentors. I know when I have issues I can call on them and they will help me no ifs, ands or buts. And that isn’t just talk, I have had to call them lol I appreciate these men more than they will ever know, I am a better trapper and person for knowing them
Several students in my class I have also developed good friendships with and I consider them to be friends and mentors as well. I appreciate the help I received from them as well. It is amazing the friendships you can build in a short amount of time. Trappers are truly the best kinds of people
People have told me “I can learn those things talking to people at conventions” or “I can learn what I need to know from demos” or “Why would I pay money for instruction when I can call them on the phone and get it for free”. I agree you can learn from conventions, demos and conversations in person or on the phone, I have learned many things from these methods, BUT none of that stuff compares to what I was able to learn in a couple weeks of paid instruction, I know this to be true because I have done it. Some of the strongest opposition I have seen or heard to paid instruction was from those who have not tried it. It is hard to have opinions about things you have not experienced, and harder to get me to agree with that opinion. I have met a lot of trappers who have taken instruction from a lot of different instructors, I have never had one of them tell me they regret it. I definitely do not regret either time I have paid for instruction, it has increased my catch 10 fold.
My advice to those who are unsure about paying for instruction is this: Call. Call as many instructors as you can. Talk them about what you want to achieve as a trapper and see if they can help you. There are so many offering it now, I am sure you can find the right teacher. Wayne was the right teacher for me. He is one the best people that God has put on his green earth. He is a great, Christian man and he is my Hero. Another student and friend said it best “I like the way Wayne teaches, he makes you think” I could not agree more.
Normally I would show a barn picture to show that what I was taught worked, but this year I didn’t keep to many coyotes as several just didn’t have good pelts, so instead I put together this video. This is not a “Look at me” video, I am far from a great coyote trapper and many of you catch 10 times the coyotes I do. This video is meant to be a thank you to my instructors and mentors, and to show that what they teach works. 3 years ago I broke 10 coyotes in a season for the 1st time, this year my best run I caught 10 coyotes in 10 checks on one location. I was also able to get 2 true doubles on 24 hour checks. Did I mention my instructors were awesome?
Turn up your speakers if you like blue grass and if you don't you should probably get examined
2018-2019 Missouri & Texas Trapping SeasonThe Texas pics are from when my good friend Mitchell invited me down to trap with him and his pard. We had a big time
I understand this may read as an overly positive post, but it was an overly positive experience and I wanted to share just in case it may help someone who is in the same position I was. Maybe this will be the extra push they need to take the leap, You will NOT regret it. I am no doubt a better trapper, having the year I did last year in the conditions I was dealt has proven that to me. My confidence is higher, if I am on a farm that has coyotes, I know where to find them, I know how to catch them, and I know what methods to use depending on the time of year it is. I am 100% ready.
To any of my former classmates who read this, feel free to jump in and share anything you experienced or throw in things I may have left out.
If anyone has any questions about my experience, I will answer them here or in a pm. If you ask anything specific about what I learned, I will not answer it. I went to learn for me, not to come back and put specific things on Tman, I also believe that would be disrespectful to my instructors, and I will NOT disrespect those great men.
I hope you enjoyed my post, and video, sorry for the length of the post, I ramble on at times and also I am sorry for the shakiness of the video, one thing I learned while putting it together is that I will have to use the tripod more. O and don’t let the beaver pictures fool you, Wayne didn’t teach me that in Texas, that costed me extra!! I can hear Wayne now "That lying will get you to he ll same as stealing!" or “ I YI YI”
