Has anyone else have this happen to them. I have been trapping a farm since the start of the season "the last Saturday of October" the farmer knows I have been trapping the farm. The farmer farming the fields does not own the farm he just farms it and the property is in a program with the game commission and is public property. I get a txt from my brother this morning before 5 am" what traps did you have set and where" I replied my mb650s and Bridger #2's why. He replies well they aren't there anymore the field has been plowed. I got no notice from the farmer that he was coming to plow the field he has my phone number and I have talked to him a few times throughout the season and told him if they are going to do anything in the fields call me or let a note at my brother's so I can pull my traps. Now I have hundreds of dollars in traps gone and all of my mbs were brand new I just got them this year.

Some people just don't care a rat's patooty about anybody else. Know anybody with a decent metal detector?

Small claims court.

Th that's pretty bad of them

Plowed under and run over. It's happened to me many times and it's part of doing business. It's not that the they average farmer doesn't care. They are very busy people and probably the last thing on his mind was your traps.

That sucks! I guess the only thing you might do next time is cut the saplings and strip some of the bark and place in the area to remind the farmer. But that does not help now.

That sucks! Sounds like a lack of communication to me. (not taking any ones' side on this topic) Farmers are at the mercy of the weather to plow and till and plant. Trappers are at the mercy of opening and closing dates for the Season. It would have been nice of the land owner to inform you about the plowing - if he knew about it.

I don't know about PA trapping laws, but if he signed a permission slip for you to trap, you definitely should have been contacted before the field was plowed.

I had that happen last year. It was my fault though. I was trapping a pumpkin patch with three lanes running through it. the season ended and I neglected to pull my sprung traps in a timely manner.

The farmer plowed early. It took me half a day but I actually recovered all six traps and a dozen stakes.

It was a pumpkin patch in February, in March it wasn't:



It was needle in a haystack type stuff made tougher by near perfect camo. There's a trap covered in mud directly below the hammer handle:



Another one (left of the hammer handle):

Its likely not the only field he had to do, and when they get a window to get plowing done they’re in a rush. I doubt he had time to remember a trapper he talked to a couple times.

Just trapping for fur, or were you doing him a favor by trapping predators?

Look
Do that in my area you would not get permission from local farmer’s again.

X100

get a metal detector and go get your stuff. you can probably fix most of them

Tough spot to be in. I would be understandably angry, but at the same time, saying anything to him might ruin any future dealings you might have with him. Maybe it was an oversight or maybe it was a lack of courtesy. Time for a salvage operation.

Happens often I set a place just last year 2 traps along a fence line and 2 at the end of a tree belt, first the guy mows the fence line but missed those 2 did not see where he mowed anyplace else. Later he makes 1 pass spreading manure next to the trees running over one and burying the other trap.

Farmer bulldozed my traps twice last year. Mowed them two weeks ago. He is getting on in years and doesn't have very good short term memory. He doesn't do it on purpose.
I've got a metal detector. I found everything except one drag.
Joe

If you are going to get upset about this you are in the wrong business. I can't count the number of traps I've had plowed under and run over. Just part of doing business. Farming is big business and thousands of dollars are gained or lost every day. I would just suck it up and move on.

I was about 12 when this happened to me. I was trapping gophers in a field across the street from my house. I came home from school to a completely plowed field. The farmer didn't care at all. I will never forget him handing me a couple completely destroyed traps he snagged with the plow. Somewhere in that field are at least a dozen traps that will never be seen again.

I would think the farmer won't want those traps laying out in his fields after they were plowed under.I'd find
someone with a detecter and find them.It's not cheap to fix broken farm equipment, not to mention the bad
PR you would get from him if your trap damaged his equipment or flattened a tire.


Dan

Farmer here. Seriously? As others have said, price of doing business. Those traps are not the farmers responsibility. Farming is