Visit this site often!!!!!

Attention to detail, from sign to set it's the little things that seem to get ya....Safeties on a bodygrip etc.....CC

for all of you water trapers, did you ever get tierd of only carrying a few traps and everything it takes to make sets? how many trips have you made to get more traps or tools? well i got tierd of doing it as well as having to carry out my catch, so i took a 20 inch truck tire tube, built a box out of plywood 4feet x 4 feet by one foot tall. i drilled holes in the plywood bottom to be able to use rope to tie the box to the tube. i have a rope that i use to drag the tube and box upstream and make my sets and to check my traps. i can put a dozen 330, 4 dozen 110's three dozen coil spings, a hammer, trowel,shovel, and feed sacks for drowners, a roll of #nine wire, and a roll of 14 gauge wire with me in one trip. if the current is strong it can be tough to pull, but if you catch 6 beaver over 50 pounds you dont have to carry them very far. this year i had done just that and i had my truck parked next to the creek and only carried them 10 feet. wish i had a pic of it but i left it out on a beaver pond the day i pulled my traps just before freeze up. maybe i can get one in afew days.

Trapping is exactly like real estate. It all about location, you could be a greenhorn trapper, with junkie, out of adjustment traps, poorly bedded, or set; With lousy bait or lure, and you will get more action[might be spung traps] then the best trapper that ever set a longspring; that isnt on LOCATION. Its the biggest secret in trapping and has EVERYTHING to do with how well you will do. This holds true thru about every animal species. Good Luck and dont worry about "secrets" its just tuning into the enviroment; and getting on LOCATION! Your much smarter than the animal is; but he's tuned in, and your not yet. Good Luck.

If you are new to trappin and thinkin bout gettin a video, make sure you are familiar with whoever is on it, or ask someone on t-man for recommendations first.
I just watched one, my brother bought.
It was the sorriest waste of money I ever watched.
It didn't tell you anything bout scent control, making a set, trap prep, location, or anything else.
The only thing that they did show that was useful, was were to place snare for yote, using a dead deer for bait.
And that is illeagle here in WV.
I learned 200% more from talking and listening to these guys here on t-man, than off that video.
He really got ripped off!!!

For wadable streams with reasonably long sections say .5 to 1 mile I use a large size otter sled to float my traps, stakes, drags, bait and lure in when I am setting out the line. I also use it when checking and I can put all my gear in the sled and have my hands free and much less weight to carry. They also drag over ground very well too. Durable and has many other non-trapping uses also.

Bryce

For 330's make sure you take the safety grips off when the trap is set in place... Cost me a beaver this year haha I was like holy crap boy you never took the safetys off!

This is my ROOKIE year. Couple of things I learned. Set realistic goals, you aren't going to catch 50 yote,100 fox and 200 coons. Learn to read sign, READ all you can and apply to you area. Buy quality equipment, it pays in the long haul.
MOST of all, try and hook up with a experienced trapper to teach you, I will ever be indebted to B2 (BOB CUSTER) for his leadership in helping me. THANK BOB.

My advise to you Blackbear would be on your way to work, when you pass Tub run, then pass the sand plant pull off the road on the LEFT at the top of the small knoll,go to the left in the Laurel around the rocks and set a couple cat traps.Great Cat crossing,also on the tower trail and right below the old beaver dams on the Canyon road,tower side of the canyon.If I lived much closer I would have traps there NOW.

After painting it, add a 12 in string with a bobber and you will not have to search for it to take it off the trap. It's handy if you drop it in the water also.

If you have more than one trap set for beaver in a location you have to walk to, take a pack frame and bungy cords. You only have to carry out 3-4 by hand once to figure this one out on your own.

A tip from Hal Sullivan (see this months issue of FFG) that I have found to be absolutely true is to take just a few moments when using conibears is to make sure it is properly stabilized. "Nine times out of ten (empty snapped conibears)you can blame those misses on inadequately stablilized traps." It has cost me more than one beaver and I would urge anyone to make sure their trap is solid.

buy to conibear safties and keep one in your truck and one in your tote, then you can forget where both are. LOL

When you change into your waders dont leave your boots on the ground by your truck or a farm dog might pee on/in them!

When you come across Geezermans truck. Move his keys from where he left them. Will make a good post later, LOL.
Tips, with k9 traps, be sure to bed them solid. A tippy trap will surely give you away. Take walks a couple days after a fresh snow. Critters tracks will tell you alot.

As mentioned above, read alot! Get your hands on any trapping book you can and read it front to back. Alot of the info may be the same book to book, but there are always a few "new" things to be picked up. Use your local library to check out any they have on hand and make use of inter-library loan. A book you might want to read might not be at your library, but chances are it's in some other library. Same goes for trapping videos.

One coon trapping/scouting tip that I've never seen in any book or on any video is to check under the biggest tree you can see surrounding a field or swamp/marsh. Chances are you'll find coon poo there. There might not be too many other signs of coon in an area, but for some reason under those big trees you'll almost always find sign.

-Skunkly-

always mind the wind. dont set a trap were it looks good. they may be passing through there alot but if you have your set on the wrong side of the trail were they cant smell the lure or bait because the wind is wrong, then you will have more animals passing by than checking your set.

have 3 sets of gloves
1 for lures and baits
1 for your traps
1 to keep your hads warm

your smell is your worst enemy when you are setting traps

when you catch a coyote in snare undo the snare put the loop end with lock through the other fasten side of snare . Just squeeze it through it will go through put that around one leg of coyote and just put the snare loop side around another leg and throw the snare around your shoulder. I have carried four coyotes at one time like this.

the key that has all ways helped me is speed !!! simple sets and a plan of were your going know were your going to trap dont waste time buy wondering were to set.
hanging traps catch nothing !!!!!

Before you buy any "trapping books", I suggest you buy the following books.

1. ADJUSTMENT OF LEG-HOLD TRAPS FOR GREATER PROFIT.
2. TRAP FASTENING.
3. EVALUATION OF LURES, URINE AND BAITS.

All the above books are by Charles Dobbins, and can be bought from Paul Dobbins.

After you have digested all three of the above books, and worked on your traps and done the lure tests, then you can branch out to the "trapping books".

As for land sets if its good enough for one set it's good enough for two , an animal in a trap makes allot of noise and will draw others , not only that but most liter mates will hunt togather the first year I have sean as meany as five or six coon running togather