so as we all grow older how many of you have someone you can trust or count on when checking traps if something goes wrong and i mean serious issues heartattack,gun mishap maybe even falling and getting caught in your own trap my wife knows im usually home by 10am from checking i have a gps that has 90% of my sets i try to update it once a week that sits on the shelf at home so if needed someone could find me but if needed yes i carry my cell phone but in the case of serious problems i may not be able to call out same as when im away hunting im the youngest at 48 i carry a cell,my garmin astro ,a vhf radio and a two radio in my pack plus asprin and a small first aid kit stuff happens in the bush i have tripped and stuck a stick through my hand an uncle fell on a slippery rock broke an ankle my dad years ago fell through the ice checking beaver traps and somehow managed to stay out of the trap and pull himself out

Your plan and preparations sound very well thought out.

I have nobody. At 73, maybe I shouldn’t be out there alone. However, like you, I do carry a lot of emergency supplies.

When its time to go I think most trappers would want to kick it out on the line.

The older you get the more what if's creep into your solitude. LOL

K9, your plan is more complete than ours. 90% of the time we check our lines, there are 2 of us. Mama Bear usually remains at cabin with dogs while kid(s) and I walk it. She's familiar with the route, so would come looking for us if we were overdue. There is no cell coverage. We each have knife, matches, and dry gloves. I also carry a pack with axe, coffee can, space blanket, tinder, more matches, and space blanket. Usually we're on snowshoes. Our line is mostly below tree line, and the tundra areas a short walk from timber.

Years ago I lost hold of my dog team and they ran off without me. They tore into camp and pulled the empty sled up on porch. My wife was pretty worried about me to say the least. She unhitched the dog team, put our kids in bunk with books and snacks, left them the German Shepherd, and drug a plastic sled up the trail looking for my frozen carcass. She said she was ready to drag my remains back to camp in the sled. She found me a mile up the trail, parka off to keep cool, slogging back to camp. I was embarrassed, she was relieved. On the walk back, she thoroughly questioned my skill as a musher and her own judgement in marrying me. By the time we arrive at the cabins, she was finished, kids were still warm and happy, German Shepard was ecstatic, and domestic bliss was restored! Not a trapping story, but related and hopefully entertaining.

Very true.

There are inherent risks. Take reasonable precautions, try to keep someone informed on general area and expected return time. Cell phone ownership and reliable cell service is something we are beginning to take for granted. We've got everything on our former generation of trappers. I run a chainsaw often, heard of a few horror stories, always like to let someone know where and when.

I'd be more than willing to be the emergency call for any WI trappers that don't have someone. Just PM me if ya need a number ill show up every time. (Also eastern MN trappers) folks like us need to stick together

Excellent thought and offer.

Amen!

Tipping over on the line beats a nursing home any day, be tough on the wife though.

Back in 2006 I was setting traps an had an elbow start hurting bad enough I loaded up and went home. After being home for a while I couldn't stand the pain and went to ER while in there I had a heart attack they shocked me twice to bring me back. After having a stent put in and resting the night my youngest son came in the next morning said he pulled my traps. I keep a notebook with location of traps the found all of them empty thank goodness.

I still keep a notebook with locations and how they are marked and type of set and how many sets.

Cell phone coverage only about five miles out of town here. Inreach is my go to. Carry enough survival and extraction gear to get by nearly any stuck situation other than snow machine going underwater. Wife and hunting buddy generally know where I'm headed.