I went to bed, woke up and found my thread about post-Constitutional America gone. Something went south with it, I'm not sure what but that's where we're heading. Not much else is going to matter if we're not safe from our own government in our own country.

Carl, I'll give you a break as you don't live in MN but I can unequivocally guarantee and will bet anyone that if the liberals ever take the senate in MN and the house and governor's office stay in the hands of the Democrats, trapping as we currently know it will cease to exist.

If anybody disagrees with me take a look at the House committee that directs our DNR.


https://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/Committees/members/92007

Do some research on the committee chair and the majorities members pertaining to past bills.

"Most people don't matter" Those in power and those who show up make the rules.

Anyone want to bet if we have a timber wolf season this coming fall?

Interesting Posco. I'm always amazed at the number of people that don't directly link their start of trapping to a friend or family member but rather something they read or saw for themselves that piqued their interest. Good on you for introducing someone to trapping.

Too bad ol China Joe wouldn't kill 11,000 gubbemint jobs.

i read about the DJT signing that bill in a magazine about a year ago, but for sake having to argue ,i just moved on down the tread.

just trow it out there again ,maybe the second it stay.

I dont think they care about renewable or synthetics its all about killing an animal and the stigma. If you wanted to argue renewable and biodegradable aspects of fur anyone that wanted to argue the fact would ask you how much gas you use to catch a coyote and what goes into processing a fur for garment use what kind of chemicals are used. I know synthetics use petroleum and do not biodegrade very fast. The reason most do not wear fur is because of the stigma of killing an animal in a direct form. I always argue that if you wear cotton, synthetics, live in a home eat meat or are a vegatarian you are killing indirectly displacing wildlife.

I sell organic produce at a farmers market so I have access to plenty of liberal types. Some of them know of my other advocation and so I have been able to talk about how I see myself as part of nature's circle of life (and death) rather than just a distant observer. I think it maybe opens their eyes a little bit that there are other ways to look at things.

I had a good interaction with one guy (very liberal type) who was interested in learning to hunt deer as he wanted a natural source of hormone free meat. My point was why not learn to trap as well? I layed out the comparative cost of hunting license and tag to trapping license and how much more meat he could put up trapping beaver. Also how much more productive the ratio of hours of effort per lb boned out meat was going the trapping route. I ended up taking him out on my boat line and his jaw literally dropped when he saw that boat fill up with several hundred lbs of beaver. He got sent home with some backstrap and was very impressed.

Point being, in all this our story may resonate with more people than you would normally think. Trapping can really fit into the back to the land homestead/permaculture/sustainable/healthy living lifestyle.

Well done, peeler. We all should take advantage of situations like this to promote what we do.

Inform them how many edible products such as beverages, baked goods, ice cream, candy, and especially in chewing gum are made with Beaver Castor.

Actually had a liberal author/photographer ride my line with me a couple of years ago. She told me 5 years ago she would have spit in my face and slapped my face for trapping and killing animals. And since we were being honest, I told her had she done that, that my wife would have beat her into the dirt because a Southern gentleman doesn’t hit a woman.
She went on to explain she used to love photographing elk and moose in the NW, but after the reintroduction of wolves they were few and far between. At that point she realized management was needed for all animals. She actually had no issue with me sending a coyote and a couple of coons to the rainbow bridge. She was a strange bird to say the least, but she did understand trapping as a management practice, especially on a wild bird plantation.

Beaverpeeler and WannaBe, this is exactly what the trapping world needs more of. Thank you for taking the time to inform these people on what trapping is all about. If each trapper could take the time (and patience) to inform people why trapping has a place, we would all be much better off. I live in a small rural northern Minnesota town where trapping as an income and way of life is only a generation or two removed. Yet I'm always amazed at how people in our small community look upon trappers as crusty old dudes that just have a thirst to kill. Most are shocked when they realize that me, the liberal 3rd grade public school teacher, teaches trapping classes, gun safety classes, and encourages my students to skip a few days of school to hunt or fish with family.
Whether we always acknowledge it or not, as trappers we have the benefit of seeing natural cycles and nature at work each time we're out. Our anecdotal accounts align with fact. We are all guilty of claiming mastery but being ignorant in some aspect of life. It's no different with the vast majority of the public. Like mentioned above, many just fixate on the killing part of trapping rather than the population dynamic benefits and even damage control benefits. Most that despise trapping and hunting just don't know the facts. And if they refuse to see fact, then they are not the clientele that we need to spend our time educating.

Some years ago, as I was walking out of a restaurant wearing my coyote hat, a woman looked at me and said she didn't like my hat!

I said to her, "I think it's very unkind for you to say that. I think the coat you're wearing is really ugly, but I'd never tell you that."

I bet your hat was a lot warmer than her coat too!

I sometimes feel like pointing out to people wearing faux fur collars how bad that is for the environment and that they should really choose a sustainable alternative. (Duh, real fur).

I guess I was brought up to be polite.

I'm sure it was since that was a cold day. I only wear my coyote hat when the temp is below zero. Too hot otherwise.

Hahah for sure. I can only wear my fur hats when I'm snowblowing on the tractor or driving snowmobile. Just too warm to do any kind of walking with them on. I don't know how some guys wear those beaver pelt bikini's all day long!

I have condemned on several occasions faux fur telling them it uses precious oil always compliment folks wearing real fur. Unreal how many compliments my wife gets on her fur vest and trimmed coats.

lol