While everyone is waiting for the leaves to fall and to see some tracks on the frosty mornings, I thought I would put up a little nostalgia while the young and robust are waiting for that opening day. I was 13 in this picture. I caught the 3 big mink all in the same muskrat hole over a bout a month and the female about a 100 yds up the creek, all in #110 conibears.

The red fox was my first fox caught, was in a blind set on an old cow trail in a #1 1/2 long spring. I had it tied to the bottom wire on a barb wire fence and he was doing some fancy dancing in the frosty grass just at daylight. I got him back to the house and hung him in a tree in so when I got on the school bus every body could see.

Feel free to add any you might want to or any old stories from your youth.

ice p[icture and nice post. ,And I bet the memories you have of your trapping adventures over the years are some of the best days of your life

Remember of putting many of coon on the barn wall that way.

Very cool. What year is that?

Fall of 64 spring of 65. Three of the big coons I caught in the same spot. There was a tree next to the creek that had a hole in under the tree that was a den. The creek bank was so steep I took the hatchet and made steps to get up and down it, and by holding to some of the roots on the tree. The water was about 4 ft deep right there I had no hip boots. I set a stake out as far as I could reach and tied my #1 long spring to it. Then since I couldn't reach out any farther I took a longer stick and drove it out at an angle past my stake so if the coon swam out he would tangle up and drown. My # 1 was an old sprung one and the opposite end to the spring the jaws was open maybe 1/8'' and the spring was weak but I had got a few of those little helper springs from F.C. Taylor that wedges in the spring, so it was stout. I had shot a couple of carp that was sucking the top of the water earlier that fall and kept that in a jar (pretty loud). I made a fake crawdad hole and put the bait in and set my trusty #1 in front of it. It was hard to get them untangled without being able to get in the water and hang on with one hand to a root. The little coon I caught in a pocket set farther up the creek in shallow water. The other big coon I was walking along a woods and just happened to look up in a huge hickory tree and he was laying up there in the sun asleep. I had a little Stevens single shot and hit him and he jumped out and I had to reload and run him down and finish him off.
Any way I sewed them all up in burlap and my dad took them to the post office and sent to F.C. Taylor at Saint Louis. Got $8 apiece for 2 mink, $4 each for the other 2. $6 for the red fox and $3.25 for the two greys. I caught one of them up in a leaning tree that I thought was a coon den in a #1 1/2 long spring the other grey I caught in a pocket set for a possum. Yes when I was a kid i set for possums, lol. I think I got $4 each for the big coons. I sent to them a couple more years and then when they sent my check they said cased coon only no more open ones. And some where along there they moved to Louisville Ky.
Well that took alot of writing just to tell you the year didn't it, lol.

Truth be told, I have zero proof, no pics of trapping until a few years ago. Cameras and film was a luxury. We never took a camera, never thought of it, it was expensive and kept at the house for special events. I do have a pic of me fishing in the 70's with my Mama and ole man that was taken by buddies of my parents.

My youngest sister was nine years older than me and had a job and had a camera and took the picture. That is the only pictures I have other than some beaver pics of some I caught in the 80's. We didn't have beaver right here until the '80's. I wish I had taken pictures thru the years esp. of trapping and my different hounds. I have shot umpteen deers and some were nice but never took even one picture.

Right on Foxpaw, I get it. I love to see the old pics, then wish I had them. But, I have the memories and that's enough. For us, pics really were a luxury and saved for Birthdays, Reunions and such. To this day my siblings laugh at me cause I consider paper towels a luxury and don't buy them. I'm gonna search for the pic in the late 70's of me fishing on the Kokosing river with my folks. It ain't trapping though lol.

It may have been a long answer, but a great story! Thanks

A great story indeed!

Catch 22 Can I ask who the picture is and the occasion?

The kid is me lol. I had waded down about 11 miles then we were bank fishing on the Kokosing river in Frederickstown Ohio. The pic was taken by my parents buddies. It was my Mama, Daddy and me.

That is great, looks like you may have put on a little weight. The way you had it worded I thought you were still looking for it. Sometimes this time of night I don't think just right esp. after really concentrating on some of the bible threads, don't get me wrong I love it, but it is draining , lol.

Well, it was just a moment caught. I really like your pic!

I wish I had more pictures of my escapades as a kid. My mom took a picture of my first real season trapping, but I have no idea where it is. I didn’t really start taking pics until about 6 years ago.

I remember seeing square coon back in the early 70's , fur dealer had them.
Said they were from Kansas , and saw the biggest coon in my life then also.
I swear those coon from upper Midwest looked like they stretched out at 5 foot, which is huge compared to a huge coon from Ohio being under 40 inches.

Where did catch 22 go?

I miss seeing his lamp and lantern threads.

I still remember the old kerosene lantern I had which I burned diesel in and it smoked like a freight train, but diesel is what I had and what I used. Graduating to that carbide light was a great advancement to my hunting and trapping career, lol.

Great Old pictures