Well, as always, thanks to everyone.
There's a story behind all of this. Isn't there always?
I've trapped most of my life. In 2019 at the age of 46 I suffered a mild stroke. Mild, but it still changed things. But I kept up with my outdoor loves- sometimes they're just a little bit more of a struggle. And I see sometimes that the effects of that stroke as I get older are becoming a little more pronounced. Of course my getting older is also getting more pronounced as well.
Then in 2014 I broke my ankle at work. Being the Mountain Man that I am I walked on it for two weeks before it got so bad that I had to seek medical attention. LOOONG story short, I was misdiagnosed (I also suffered a torn tendon and ligaments). After what I feel was a botched surgery and therapy Work Comp washed their hands of me, and what I am today is a broken down, not quite old man. Everything I do is a struggle. I live in stupid pain daily. I fall down. A lot. Watching me trap Beaver and Otter in these creeks around my home, well, you could sell tickets. It sucks, but there's always folks that have it worse, so I'm not going to quit. Yet. I praise the Lord every day for what I have.
A lot of this has been and will continue to be written in articles that I sometimes get published, generally in Bob Noonan's Trappers Post magazine. I hope that ya'll will enjoy them.
But the REAL story is this-
Have you thought about mentoring a younger person and passing it all onto them? I don’t have any young family, that I know of, that is interested. I have put some thought into what will happen to the knowledge I have acquired and all my traps when I’m done. I’m only in my 40s but have lived and continue to live a rough life and the damage is catching up with me.
I recently tallied up my traps and stuff and came clean with the wife...funny she didn’t react the way I thought she might. She actually seemed to look them over and asked what pile she needed to keep for herself. She then asked what to do with the rest. We agreed that she will donate them as long as she doesn’t need the money. Hope it makes some kids trapping dreams come true.
Thank you Twolines. I have a friend and a neighbor down the road. He's a strapping young farmer who has a passion for the outdoors. He had struggled with trapping however, and had asked me several times over the last few years for advice. Being in a severely depressed and just plain (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman) mood because of all of my medical issues all I really did was loan him some traps and give him a few pointers. Then two years ago we spent a full day afield where I went over a lot of location discussion and basic animal biology. We set four traps all day. The cage set for a problem skunk caught a skunk. The flashy bobcat set caught a big 'ol boar 'coon (like they do). But the two coyote sets, now, they were special. After working with him on set dynamics and proper bedding and all that jazz, I showed him how I make a plain-jane, no frills flat set. And then I had him build a dirt hole nearby. On location, of course.
A couple of days later my set produced a 'yote, and lo and behold he caught his first-ever songdog a couple of days after that. Of course, I looked like a hero, and he was just HOOKED. So it was fun.
Then last season Brendan comes up to me and asks if we could so some more trapping together. He wants to learn, and in turn wants to teach his boy. Boy. Boy oh boy. So we did. And we had some pretty good times, especially when we went after the water critters and he caught his first Beaver and Otter. Since then I've begun teaching him how to put up fur (with a Lee Steinmeyer custom knife, how's THAT for full circle). And having his legs (and his sons legs) helping drag critters out of these creek bottoms while I struggle to keep up has been pretty sweet too.
And finally, we've done trapping clinics for years in our county. My friend Jim Homan has the longest running clinic at sixteen years, and I started one that will turn twelve in February. We used to do as many as thirteen satellite clinics when I was District Director for our state Trapping Association. It's all about passing it on, more now than ever.
Finally, we formed the Missouri Chapter 20 of the Fur Takers of America some years back, and we started holding our own version of their Trappers College. This December will be the seventh year of this endeavor, with three days of on-the-line training in all aspects of trapping, including lots of fur handling (some of it done with Lee's knives). We try to teach new folks. (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman), we try to teach old folks. Better yet, sometimes we LEARN from these folks.
![[Linked Image]](https://i.imgur.com/lGrY8Xl.jpg)
So the reason that I'm attempting to trap as hard as I can is as much about taking folks out and getting the interest up as anything else. Getting these kids off of their phones and into the woods and creeks. I fear sometimes that it's a losing battle, but it won't be because we here in Central Missouri didn't try.
I'll be posting some information about our FTA school shortly. Thanks to my friends Lee Steinmeyer and Tom Olson for kind words and support. As for Mark June, well, you know. He is THE teacher. He may be as good as Waddell. Just don't tell Waddell.
Peace, friends.
Dale
![[Linked Image]](https://i.imgur.com/ciGPl4f.jpg)
