So my first year trapping and yesterday was the end to land trapping here in New York. I’m flooded with a bunch of emotions as I pull my last stakes, as I cut each wire tie and remove that cold steel from the earth, I am reminded how even until the very last second it’s hard work and dedication to succeed in this activity. I’ve felt a sense of connection to me and my great grandfather. As I do not remember much of our conversations, and I don’t remember the wisdom that you passed along as I was too young to remember. What I do remember is the stories that my grandfather passed down about my great grandfather and his love with hunting dogs, and running rabbits and trap lines, to bear hunting and trout fishing. All of his stories come alive inside me as I wander through the woods in search of the next discovery around each bend.

I have grown up to love foxes, and my fear of hurting a fox is what prevented me from trapping most of my life. Growing up as a hunter to watch foxes in the woods, masters of their hunt, the grace and beauty but the sharpness, skill and proficiency of them was too much to admire.

As I grew up and developed a passion for coon and yote hunting, the idea of trapping could not be silenced at that point and I began 4 years of research before I went and took my trapping course this past spring.

October came and I was ready to set some steel

Excitement, determination, dedication, anxiety and passion are just a few things to describe that first check, or the first catches, or the first release of an non target.

There are things that I have learned this season, there is a huge amount I have yet to learn, and a determination to make next season more proficient and hopefully produce some better numbers and more species.

49 raccoons
20 possums
1 skunk
1 fox
2 muskrats
9 beavers

Trapping on public land has proven to have its difficulties. Trapping yotes especially. Constantly having to move traps due to people sneaking onto state forest with trucks and atvs, other trappers and hunters, and being able to get to my sets for checks and still get to work by 5/6 am. I’m sad and disappointed in my lack of ability to catch a yote or bobcat this season and I know I probably didn’t control scent enough or visited my sets too close in my checks or didn’t play the wind enough. I know my biggest problem was the yotes only came to my sets when they were frozen down. I see my attempt at making waxed dirt didn’t work well enough and my peat moss wasn’t dry enough, need to use more calcium and plan for that better next season.

The worst feeling is seeing yote tracks over the trap pan and your trap bed is frozen.

I feel a sense of sadness as I drive to work, looking at coon spots thinking I’m forgetting to stop. I woke up for work at a normal time today, the first in three and a half months of checking traps. I wake up feeling like I’m neglecting a responsibility.

With all these new ideas swirling in my head, dos and donts, whys and why nots, I wonder what next season will bring.

Thank you to all the posts from fellow trappers that helped me have the successful season that I had

Nice work, and I agree it’s hard to stop thinking about it when the traps are pulled for the year

Im on season two, and feel you with the public land issues. I have been lucky with catching critters and not having any cages walk off. Nice catches!

Congrats.

Sounds like you’ve definitely “got the fever”.
Congratulations! Lol

Great read and congrats!

Great job! I bet if you put half the work into getting permission on private ground in the off season as you did trapping, you could get some great spots to trap and not have the hassles of public ground.

Great picture

Nice fur put up also, looks like you did good job and had fun. Real nice fur job......jk

Good post, you did well for your first year trapping, congratulations.

It’s in your blood now! I’m sure your next season will be even more successful. If you ever have any questions, send me a pm and I’ll help as much as I can. I’m no pro by any means but I’ve made a lot of mistakes along the way and can maybe shorten your learning curve a little.

I had one mb550 stolen and one mb550 smashed with rocks

Yeah I have a few spots that I want to get permission to trap, just wanted to get some experience under my belt to assure the landowners I know what I’m doing

Thank you, it was sad to see 37 prime coon and 6 40lb and above beavers and .75 lb of castor sell for $147 at the auction but next season I’m going to save all my fur and tan it and make things. With the market the way it is, if I’m going to put that much time effort and pride in handling due, I have to see it thru for more than $7 of a 3x coon.

I appreciate it, any knowledge is like gold when it comes to trapping. I’ve seen to be successful you have to be like a sponge and absorb everything you can learn and be creative. At the end of the day these are wild animals so we may never understand them fully but we can do what we can for the ones we can pattern

Nice pictures. I've been checking the traps in the dark for 50 years. Never gets old. Only suggestion I got for you is you have to catch more skunks - first couple times they will kick you out of work. Plus a skunk smell on your locations will call those coyotes in...

Great start, coyote know when your traps are frozen in, they're just messing with your head. Keep up the good work, you've got the bug.

Great post and congrats on a great season! You have the fever.....I can feel it from here!

Moosetrot

I only managed to pull one in a dp this season, didn’t really spray with a lung shot. Got her home and skinned, went to drain the sacs and one wouldn’t drain, pulled the syringe out and started set it down, looked up and a streak of yellow dripping down its back. I stank for three weeks, trap she’d still has a hint of skunk. But man, are those pelts beautiful

I swear it’s only when they’re frozen that the coyotes come into my sets. Every other times I had foxes in my sets digging up my bait and lure. Had a couple of bobcats at dps, they seem to really like Coon Candy. Put it at a flat set with some feathers right next to it and would work the spot where the dp was. It’s enough to drive you bonkers but so intrigued at the same time