There will be more motivation to get out -at-er -again with your recovery
I thought that big boat was your spring beaver cruise ship now

I look at cost recovery in my operations to continue trapping.
But at what cost do you put a good grouse flush when checking traps worth ?

i got a freezer full of coyotes i caught last year in between covid and breaking my ankle. what do i do with them? putting them in an already full fur market pipeline seems pretty stupid. still considering a bonfire bring your own whiskey party. anybody got any other ideas? i havnt counted them but its more than i want to pay tanning on. havent seen to many outlets for tanned stuff either. here in ks coyotes are just something even city people dont find very interesting

I had been trapping for a while by the time the fur boom of the 70's and 80's happen .$40.00 Racoon and $ 70.00 Red Fox was nice .I started to drive in 1970 .Gas was .29 cents a gallon .When the oil embargo came about in 1974 it went to .50 to .60 cents .I bought a 1977 Chevy Monte Carlo for about $7500. Later on in 1985 I got a Ford Ranger 4WD for $10,500 .If you put in the time you could put up a pile of fur. And fur would more than pay your gas money that you used to run your line .BUT the down side was everybody wanted in on the action . And those that could not figure out how to catch fur turned to stealing your catch and your traps . .Competition for access to trapping property was at times down right bad for your health .It became more fun again from the mid 1990's until the most recent fur market downturn . I love trapping coon and fox ,mink and muskrat if there are any in my trapping areas .But $2.00 for a nice coon or fox does not motivate me to go out in the morning when it is 10 degrees and using $ 50.00 a week or more over and above what I normally buy in gas soon adds up . But AS SOME OTHERS HAVE SAID It is I my blood And I am thankful for the many positive memories it has given to me .Trapping was a grest hobby .But more important than that it taught me how to be an adult.

Bob I have some of the old Trapper magazines from the early 1980's that have your ads in them .Being from PA also I often seen you at the PTA conventions over the years . The 70's and 80's produced a lot of people that got into the trapping industry .The vast majority where good business men and good people .But they are some that have been trappers first and foremost . You say you lived the dream doing what you did over the years .I feel the same way .I tried to make my work life fit around and in to my lifestyle .Trapping and hunting was not what I did it was what made me who I am

Most seasons I get out and play around the trapline. In the 70s and 80s, I worked a lot harder at the game in those days. I actually mades some money then. Never a professional but was a very serious hobby trapper. Back then I would trap hard for a couple weeks then part time the remaining part of the season.
I still enjoy most of the game, but find that I cannot get around and cover the ground I could when I was in my 20s, 30s, and 40s.
Still get a kick out of the never ending learning.

Mac

I'm a hobby trapper...it keeps me sane.
I sell a few furs that I tan, but it's a tough gig to make a buck on.
It's either in the blood or it isn't, I guess.

Hopefully till I can't anymore. I love winter trapping. Cold temps let you know you're alive and kicking. Nothing better than seeing a coyote bouncing around in your set in a snow covered scenery.

I do mostly nuisance work for myself and a few neighbors. A few years back, graduated from cages and DP's, to include body grips, CS, LS, etc. Mostly coons and rats but if it's causing trouble and I go after em, usually catch em. Now have the right tools for the job and know how to use em. I'm also the only guy I know around these parts what traps varmints that actually buys a trapping license each year.

But while I came here to learn, stayed for the other knowledge. T-man one of the best sources of information and opinion from a wide spectrum of seriously squared away folks that make the country work.

I do.

Well count me in the size 48 coat and size 4 hat crowd . Been at it since 1951 . Don't know how to stop . Just did a small beaver job last week . I do not like the heat ,my size 4hat off to you Southern guys, it wears on my 80 year old body . Disclaimer ,I won't be 80 for 8 more days . Plan on trapping till It just isn't possible anymore . My trapping partner has thrown in the towel . He is 83 and is not able to get around well . I hope to get him out for some ride alongs this year if he is able . Seen a lot of changes around here in the last 70 years . There use to be muskrat in every little wet spot .Now there are not nearly as many . We had few beaver and no coyote or otter back in the day . Now they are common in my area ,and we are even getting some bobcat sightings now . We even have some fisher moving in not far from me . Would have never of thought it when I was younger . The gear has changed since I started, there were no DP's or even conibears when I first started .We were not allowed snares . now I use them all . Always learning new things . A lot of it from this site . So to answer to OP's question yep I trap .

So, should I burn those coyote skins, or somebody got a suggestion?

I have not missed a season in 52 Years - I do however understand the frustrations of the new trapper. I'll trap more when fur and gland prices higher. When low prices I fish and hunt more, so all is good.

theres a lot more trap than whats on here shoot trap poison run over lot of problems every where hard to find some one that dont have a story to tell or several even read a while back of guys shooting deer and leaving them lay doing a lot of damage talked to guys in several states yes people trap and a lot more than use to

When I trap I "really" trap, but don't when fur isn't worth it.

Still at it. Started in ‘81. Lots of good years on coyotes and Cats. Nowadays, me and the Wife, mainly chasing the Spots.

Spouse and I work for a rancher part time and we trap his land, mostly bobcats and coyotes. Nice to have thousands of acres to trap without worry.
We've gotten more serious about it last few years.
I started back in 1982 I think down in Texas, moved to Wyoming 35 years ago and started up here about 15 years ago or so.

What is “really trap” mean?
For fur, no.
For $$$, yes.
From December - August there are sets in the ground. Occasionally some in September if a landowner has an issue with something.

I know you don't want to "dump them on a flooded market" but I would give them to the local 4H to sell or do with what they want, maybe a tanning project with materials bought from selling some of the hides

I think I’m gonna have mine tanned this year. Maybe find a market for them that way, or make some garments or a blanket. I definitely won’t be skinning any coyotes that are sub-par though

I wont skin any I catch this year. If there is a 4h group that wants to tan some furs as a project I will send them some.