After getting permission from Paul, i am posting a Youth Trapper’s Contest Giveaway for the chance of (2) young trappers to win 1 doz Duke #4 traps a piece. They have been dipped with formula 1, brass bolts installed, nightlatch, and #3 american chain added.

I have 23 total, so 1 trapper will get a #3 bridger modified with 11 duke 4’s, to make a full dozen.
Rules are you must be 18 or younger to enter. Post (On This Thread), a short story about how you got started trapping, your favorite animals to trap, and post a picture of yourself with a catch(for proof your a kid that traps). Participants have until Tonight May 4th- Friday May 14 at midnight to enter the contest. 2 winners will be picked by myself Saturday May 15th, and I will announce them on this thread as well as contact the winners via pm. Winners we will get your shipping info handled via pm. WInners from my previous contest DO NOT qualify for this giveaway.
Goodluck!

Can we get this pinned to the top please?

Please post about this on the Kid's Forum also - https://trapperman.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/postlist/Board/24/page/1

Post added to Kids Forum. Thanks Paul!

Where do i post about the story and my pic

Im 15 years old i got started trapping by watching the movie the fox and the hound and saw some traps on there i thought they were so cool so i asked my mom for traps and she said no well i started reasing and watching youtube videos about it and one year later i got my first trap it was a 220 conibear but i didnt like it after using it cause it seemed impossible to catch any water critters with it well that summer i worked for my mom and she said she would get me a duke 1.5 trap and she did i set that trap in front of a dirthole meant for racoons i had used peanut butter and dogfood it seemed like forever but in reality it was only 2 weeks than i caught my first racoon i didnt even have my .22 on me cause i never thought id catch one well ran home like a pcak of wild dogs was after me and got the .22 and my dad he was so proud of me working so hard for that big boar coon thats honestly the most exciting day of trapping i have ever had besides this year when i caught my first red fox on a blond trail set and im glad i did all that research and studying on trapping cause now its a sport ill always do and it all started with a movie who would ever know.

Good luck to everyone!

Hello KSlongliner. My name is Liam, and I am 16 years old. To be honest, I don’t have a specific thing that started me on trapping. I moved to the UP of Michigan last September, and after settling down, I noticed the diverse wildlife in the area. I’ve always been intrigued by animals, and the way that they go about their lives. Since I was 4 years old, all I wanted was a dog. In fact, my mom tells me my first word was “dog”. Anyway, for some odd reason, I sparked an interest in fur, and trapping felt natural, as I was already used to observing animal behavior. My first animal caught was a red squirrel, which I skinned and have in a special place. That really hooked me, and I went after squirrels as hard as I knew how. After I had caught about 20 of them, I decided it was time to expand my horizon, and start targeting weasels. I had quite a lot of difficulty in capturing my new obsession, and my conversations with my neighbor connected me with an old trapper in the area. Mr Carr came out to my property, and we wandered around my 40 acre square until he stopped. He had found weasel tracks in the snow! I was beyond excited, and followed his every recommendation on setting up a few of the weasel boxes I had constructed. After my new friend left, I was overcome with anticipation. The next morning, I checked the traps with my grandpa(who was visiting). I could not believe my eyes! A beautiful, pure white weasel had been seduced by my home made predator concoction. After that I was unstoppable. My dad is active duty 10th group Special Forces (army branch) in Fort Carson, Colorado, and he only gets to visit around once a month, so all my trapping is typically done by myself. This year I ended up with 4 weasels, 5 muskrats, a large buck mink in a blind set, and a beaver in a baited 330 under ice. My biggest goal this fall is to score a coyote. Although my first love was weasels, I think my favorite fur bearer to target is beaver. I would like to thank you as well, because I think that what you’re doing is really cool, regardless of who wins. Good luck to everybody!

Hello all, My name is Drake and I am fifteen years old. I first became interested in trapping about two years ago, when I heard some of my friends at school talking about raccoon trapping. Trapping sounded interesting to me so I began to do some research, and I watched Sam Woods Outdoors "Fast Track to Coon Trapping" Video on youtube. I decided that that was something I definitely wanted to do, but I didn't come from a trapping family so I had no Idea what I was doing. I convinced my parents to let me trap, and I mowed a few lawns so I could buy two shiny new dogproof traps! I went that whole first season with out catching a thing, and I almost gave up on trapping, But I persevered and decided I wanted to do better next year. I spent the whole summer reading every article about trapping I could possibly find, and ended up catching eleven coons in just a few weeks with my two traps. The next summer I purchased some more gear with my own money, and decided to target muskrats on the river beside my house. I ended up this year with eight Coons, nine Muskrats, one otter, one beaver, two skunks, and three possums although Foxes and coyotes are becoming my favorite critters to target. I learned a lot about trapping last year from Mr.Nelson, a local trapper who traps one of the same properties that I do. He has let me ride along with him a few times on his line , and he has answered every question I can think of, I definitely look up to him and appreciate everything he has done for me.Not only did I learn about catching animals this past year But I learned what it means to be a trapper.To me trapping isn't about making huge catches, Trapping is about solitude spent in the forests learning the ways of the wonderful furbearers that roam america, Trapping is about carrying on a tradition that built america, and above all trapping Is about effectively managing a vital natural resource.

Excellant stories everyone! Keep them coming!

Good luck to everyone! I would enter but I don’t use #4’s because i trap fox and coyotes and that’s but big for a red.

Hello my name is Finley and I am 14. I have been trapping with my dad since 2019. I found my dad's trap basket in top of his shop last year during deer season. We hunt alot but he never used his traps anymore. I asked him and he said when he was young he trapped alot. I asked him if we could put them out after deer season was over and he said sure. I got the trap basket out and looked at the traps, he still had all the old lures in there to. Some of them smelled really bad. He showed me how the traps worked and told me about all the animals he caught back when he was younger. I got really excited about being able to trap with him. We got permission from our neighbors to trap a creek that runs through our property and theirs. So we put out some raccoon sets and some mink blind sets. We only caught two raccoons but we had alot of fun. I like trapping raccoons because there are alot of them around and they look cool. So this year he got us permission to trap a beaver swamp down the road from our house this year. We went and bought some Conibear 330 amd #3 foot traps. We went and scouted the Beaver swamp. We found there house and alot of trails. We caught three beavers, three otters, two muskrats, 6 raccoons and alot of opossum out of the beaver swamp. I also tanned a squirrel hide I killed this year. Thank you!!

I'm sure you could find someone to trade with

Hello everyone, my name is William and I'm 15. I started trapping last year because my grandpa was getting back into it and he wanted to teach me about it. He taught me where to find sign and trails, and about the behavior of certain animals. He mainly uses snares so I had to do research about other methods and traps. I found out about the dogproof and thought it looked easy and effective so I bought 4. I put them out along a creek near my house on the first day of trapping season, they were baited with marshmallows and tuna. I got up the next morning to check them expecting nothing, but to my surprise I had 2 raccoons. By the end of the season I had caught 16 raccoons, 8 possums, and 3 skunks. My grandpa caught 3 coyotes but I didn't manage to get one. My biggest goal for the upcoming season is to catch a coyote and bobcat.
My favorite animal to trap are raccoons because they are easy to catch and have pretty fur. But I like making coyote sets because it takes knowledge and skill to properly make one.
I also have been tanning the furs I got and that has been a fun thing to do when it's not trapping season.
Good luck to everyone, and thank you KSlongliner.

I’ve gained a lot of knowledge even in this short amount of time since I started(partially from this website), and I have a job with the road commission here to trap nuisance beaver. I’m also gonna be doing ADC work this summer to make some money. I may use the traps for coyotes and cats, but most likely I’ll end up using them on my beaver line. Lord knows I could use them, I currently only have 4 beaver traps combined, and the wallet is unforgiving, lol. Looking forward to see which of us bring home the bacon!

Hello all, my name is Mason. I am currently 17, got into trapping when I was 15, and I haven't looked back since. Having grown up on a farm I have always loved everything outdoors, including hunting and fishing, but that was where it ended. I was on vacation when I was 15, and my mom and I went to a bookstore to see what they had. I was drawn to a magazine with a beautifully tanned coyote wall hanger on the front. I wanted to know how I could get one of those for myself, so I bought the magazine and read it cover to cover that very night. I became fascinated with trapping, and suddenly it didn't seem like I could get enough information on trapping. I got home, saved up some money, and bought a dozen duke dogproofs. I set them out when season rolled around, and caught 14 raccoons, 3 skunks, and 5 possums. I loved every second of it. My parents got half a dozen MB 550s for me for Christmas, and I set them out that day. After around two weeks of nothing, I caught two bobcats on the same day, one at a dirt hole and one at a scent post. My cousin and I had just finished duck hunting that day and we decided we'd run my traps right quick. We didn't have a gun as I didn't think I would have anything. We walked up onto a large flat where I had two sets, and immediately saw a bobcat dancing around at a dirthole. The flat we were on had a shallow layer of dirt, then it was just rock, so I hadn't been able to stake my traps as deeply as I would have preferred. The bobcat looked at us, pulled one final time, and was gone, the trap still on its foot. It took off down the side of the hill, and I took off after it, my cousin following close behind. It got tangled up on a log, and my cousin grabbed a stick and knocked it out, giving me the job if tying its foot to the log. He handed me the stick, told me to hold it down in case it woke back up, and ran back to get his .22. It did wake up, but I managed to hold it down until he returned with the rifle. I slung the cat over my shoulder, and as we were walking back up I saw the other bobcat at my scent post, totaling two for the day. I learned two lessons that day, one being never to be without your gun, and the second being to always firmly stake down your trap. I was completely hooked then, and I never want to stop. I caught 4 coyotes after that. My favorite animal to catch would definitely be bobcats, with coyotes coming in at a close second. I am planning to do some water trapping as well this upcoming year. I have come to the realization that trapping is an art, and it is also a bond we share with the rugged mountain men that came before us and blazed a trail across America in search of fur. I love being in the woods, checking sets, and the excitement and bewilderment that comes when you catch something. Good luck to all! And thank you KSlongliner!

Nice cats 426, great story too. I almost wouldn’t even mind losing to you you’re all worthy opponents.
Good luck to all of ya and may the best man win

Thanks U.P., it was definitely an unforgettable once in a lifetime kinda thing. That's a nice beaver you've got there man, I'm hoping to get a few of those myself this upcoming season. I haven't been able to dabble much in water trapping just yet. Good luck! And good luck to the rest of ya!

Hello my name is Ryan and I am 11 years old. I started trapping with my older brother when I was 9 years old. I spent a couple of days a week running his trap line with him, watching him do everything, from setting his traps to picking out which bait to use. Sometimes I helped him dig a trap bed or pound a stake, dig a whole, and my favorite part, checking the line in the morning. I learned a lot with his help and he got me hooked. I love the waiting game of putting out a trap and the anticipation of finding a wild animal there in the morning. I now have a trap line of my own, even though I haven’t done very well on it…yet!
My favorite animals to trap are fox, raccoon, weasel and rabbit. Some of which are just because I can. Others are for pelts and some I also trap because they are nuisance animals that get into my mom’s garden or chicken coup. The rabbits devour every plant in the garden so, they need to go. Raccoon, fox and weasel are just for fun. While I trap because of the fun and excitement, I enjoy being outdoors. Mostly, I just love seeing the animals.
The most surprising catch I have had and my first, was a raccoon that I caught in a large cage trap…that was set for rabbits! The trap was set to defend my mother’s helpless plants. I had set the trap during a summer camp. I was coming home one day when my little brother said something about a coon in my trap and I couldn’t believe my ears. “What!?” I exclaimed, “What is in my trap!?” “Just a coon,” he said. But I replied, “Just a coon!?” As soon as we got home I ran out to look at the young boar in the cage which instantly started trying to get in a fight with my dog. I quickly released him and he never came back.
Another interesting story of mine is the time I set my weasel boxes to see what I could catch, expecting squirrels or chipmunks. My prediction was correct and on the first night I caught a chipmunk. Much to my surprise, upon checking my box I did not find a chipmunk, nor a squirrel, but a male long-tailed weasel! I thought it was a good thing that the weasel was removed for our chicken’s safety. Little did I know that I had found the weasel’s favorite hunting grounds. The very next day, upon opening the lid, I found myself grinning to see a gigantic weasel. I had their skins tanned, and they are currently hanging in my bedroom.
Trapping is so much fun! I have learned a lot about myself, the sport of trapping and God’s wonderful creation. I owe my older brother a lot of thanks for taking the time to guide me and teach me so that I would have a good understanding of how to trap at such a young age.

Wow! Y’all really brought your A game on this one! Everyone of you that entered, I want to thank you! Y’all are the future of trapping and what all of you do is awesome!

Winners of (1doz) Duke #4 each are
• Rattrapper1234
• Kmax8’s son Finley

Congrats guys, yall earned them!

Fact is, ALL of your stories are so good that EVERYONE that took time to enter will be winning something.
I will contact ALL of you via pm to get your shipping info and etc.

Once Again, thank you all who entered in the contest! You all have bright futures and will be great trappers! Remember trapping is what you put into it! Use the Archives and this website, take it all with a grain of salt, and never stop learning! Find a local expirienced trapper to mentor under! ALWAYS invest in good traps and supplies. Attend your local state trapping conventions as well as other FTA/NTA conventions. There is alot of good info to learn from the demo’s at those conventions.

Yall have a blessed Saturday!