No.

I believe it. Lot of people just run a dozen traps for a week of vacation or something. I think there are far more trappers like that than there are guys running 200 traps for 4 months a year.

I am one of those guys. If I looked at trapping simply financially, I wouldn't trap. I trap for a number of reasons and that's what keeps me at it. If my occupation allowed me to trap differently I would, but that is not the world I live in currently.

Some of us younger guys have only seen the downward trend in fur prices, so the small numbers guys are probably the best allies to trapping at this given time, IMO.

I actually think most hobby trappers probably lose money, if they figured in all expenses.

I live and trap in the deep South....fur here is much thinner, short nap, mostly smaller sizes...and even with today's fur prices, I can pinch $200 worth of fur in a few nights....Groenwold sales.

When I first read this thread I had to go back and make sure $200 wasnt an error and it was at least meant to be $2000.

If ADC service charges, live coyote market (back when I did that), and castors are added in...I'm grossing more than $200 per day when I'm up and running.

I didnt realize there were so few larger number operators on here.

I do miss the few years of 150 to 200 foxes, 50 cats, 100 plus high graded big coon, 60 to 70 otters...and the 10 thousand dollar NAFA checks....twice a year....all while working a full time job.

I agree. With higher gas prices as well as higher prices of every supply related to trapping, this year will be be even more so.

How much ground do you have to cover to do that in a year?

If I can’t NET $14-15/ hour, I don’t trap.

Lol I lost more than double that the last few years. But I bought new traps and only sold a few beaver.

Btw...I've never considered myself a big numbers trapper.

During the last fur "boom" of 2010 and 2011 I skimmed the cream off of about 100 thousand acres. Mostly large tracts of timberland and some ag land. All within 30 miles of my home. I had 50 to 150 sets out (sometimes many more) for most of Ga's three month fur season. I spent more time in the fur shed than I did on trapline.

One NAFA sale (2010, I think) I had 60-something otters sell for well over 4 grand in 15 minutes. Was listening to sale live with headphone on and wife thought I had lost my mind I was hollering so loud.

No for me but I'm guessing that's a pretty fair "average" as a whole.

I was wondering how long would take for this thread to turn into the "who's got the biggest Pee Pee" contest

Thanks for the response. I figured you would have to put in some time and cover some ground to get those numbers, especially in the south.

Actually there is 100,000 acres in a square less then 13 miles by 13 miles. Sounds like a likely story to me

One tract was 42,000 acres contiguous. 18 miles from main front gate to back gate..closes route. Several more large tracts that are back to back....four of those total a little over 30 thousand acres. One timber company owns 220 thousand contiguous acres that span across two counties. Ive trapped over most of it. Another company owns 75 thousand acres in several large tracts...I've also trapped most of those.

You need a math class?

If I only caught $200 worth of fur a year my wife would make me find a new hobby lol. I don’t make money hand over fist at it, but I certainly do better than $200 a season. With coon and beaver prices the way they are I can see the average across the board with the weekend warriors in the mix though. Probably lots of trappers out there only selling 5-10 pelts per year

Swamp Wolf, consider your self blessed being able to negotiate that much access. I suspect that getting access from large, non-single owners of timberland might be become a domino effect where the amount tallies up in leaps and bounds. Try to assemble access to 100,000 acres of farm ground in the Midwest, and it might be a bit more of a challenge, even for you...

That is one of the best parts about where I live. I have access to well over 5 million acres of public land any direction I want to go

Lots of money. And then you get more and more into it and you lose more and more money-especially when you are upping and expanding your equipment.

I ran at it very hard for a few years as the market picked back up. Could still trap all plus more land. There are no other trappers here.

Id set 60 to so sets a day. Check em next day...set 50 or so more, Go home...skin and freeze. Next day..Check em...set 30 or 40 more...go home and skin and freeze. Run these 150 plus sets for about 10 days.....pull em all at once and start it all over again....for 3 months. For a few years I took off work for 1 of those months and ran even more sets. Had seasons with good dry conditions and seasons with wet conditions. When wet I shifted to otter and coon. When dry...coyote, fox and cats. My real job I am off 10 days every 28 days so I pounded em in on those off days. All coyotes back then were live marketed...$75/coyote. 87 coyotes was my best 3 month catch.

You are correct. I live on the edge of the largest industrial timber land area in southeast Ga. Contact with the right folks opened gates on a LOT of land.....for years...and continues to do so. Started out trapping here for hunting leases...then the timber companies wanted to grant me blanket access and they coordinated with their leasors who were more than grateful for a trapper. Coyotes opened the gates...everyone here hates them fawn eaters. This was free trapping services for them. Now...due to low market...I only trap for a fee now. A lot of sad hunting clubs don't have the money to pay me but free trapping access is unlimited here. I get asked to trap (for free) again many times thruout year.

A handful of wealthier landowners do pay for trapping for coyotes. Two of the timber companies pay for beaver work. I wish we had a good fur market again. I dont do coyote live market past 6 or 7 years...too aggravating.