Hi Barry.
Glad my Grandpap did not sell out.
When he found out I was trapping he broke out (I didn't know he had em)
his and I went from 3 traps to instant long liner (in my mind lol).
Of course in those days everything was hoarded.

I decided to give it up last year. I was going to take a break and not even set out any coyote traps. Instead I just took my sons down to the ditch and helped them catch some muskrats. Turns out I enjoyed that more than any other season of trapping I've had. No real hard work, no pressure - just having fun with it and watching my sons' experiences. Good stuff.

Can't say I'd blame you, Barry. Other than a few beaver for meat, I haven't trapped the last 3 seasons. But, like already said, doesn't hurt to keep all of my gear stored away so I'm prepared for the next (wishful thinking) fur boom.

With the doom and gloom of the market, i wont try to change your mind. Seen many people on here say over the years they would trap no matter the prices, but now im seeing how most just put out a few sets to teach kids or say they trapped. I will put out a few sets fir both reasons. 50 traps would be sufficient for that. Sell traps buy guns. At least you can enjoy the guns and should a fur boom present itself, the guns wont drop in value.

I say quit. Why do it if you don’t have it you.

Traps , like guns are a funny thing. If you sell them its a good feeling at the moment. Then some time down the line you regret having done it. Almost always. But I guess it is an experience that most of us have to make to find out what its like.

If I'm going to lose money doing something it's going to be shooting birds. That said I'm keeping the traps because in an emergency there is no better way to quickly gather food.

First of all what kind of traps do you have? If you have to be “convinced” of something then you’ve already made up your mind. I don’t blame you fur trappers for quitting. It’s hard work, early early mornings and late evenings. I’m sure there’s other things you could do that’s more beneficial for your time. Post a list of what you’ve got!!

I personally never really thought about trapping since I was a kid. I was voluntold I was going to start trapping a place and was somewhat successful and then word got out. Now I have more places to trap than I can actually trap, lol. Limit it to 3-4 properties to let me fit it in 24hrs and about 7 months of the year. All mine is management purposes only. It is satisfying of getting a critter to step on a 1.5” or so circle, lol. Also satisfying in getting paid to make him do it.

So post up what you got!!

If you give it up altogether and get rid of all your traps and equipment,,chances are high that you will never trap again no matter where the market goes.

Keep that in mind before you make the decision.

I'm in a position to sell a few and keep some. The idea of selling all is not too appealing.

I'll trap a few muskrats this fall and vacuum pack them for higher prices down the road.

If you got DPs I'd be interested pm me

In the early 1990's I got a new box of 1 dozen of 1.5 &1.75 Victor coil springs plus a dozen Victor conibear 110 'S They where all new in a box. I bought them off of someone that was getting out of trapping and was looking to sell all of his gear to one person and be done with it ..Included with the 3 boxes of new traps where and assortment of used traps ,lures pack baskets and related trapping items . The assorted traps included about 6 330 conibear traps, several # 3 & #4 double long springs and a similar amount of #3 & #4 coil spring traps . Also I got about 60 used traps that where in the 1.5,1.75 ,2.0 and #1 longspring size And there where about 6 or 8 older type traps that had at least some collector value At the time I had a good supply of my own trapping gear and was not inclined to add to it .I told the guy that was trying to get me to buy his stuff that I was not really planning on adding more gear at the time .By that time the fur market crash in 1987 was still floundering and I was barley doing any trapping due to low prices and no one to sell to .From 1988 through 1992 i did little trapping and at least 2 of those years did not trap .Those where the only years that I dis not trap from the 1960's to last year Anyway I paid less than$300 hundred for all the items I got .Fast forward to March of this year 2022 after again not setting traps due to low prices and some increasing health problems I set about .downsizing my trapping gear So I had 3 boxes of brand new traps plus about 150 to 200 used traps that I had not used since I acquired than in the 1990.s Plus I had another 100 or so that were my user traps since I renewed my trapping efforts in 1994 until just a year ago .The new Victor 1.5 had been priced at 32.50 based on the price written on the box.The 1.75 Victors where priced from new at 37.00 and the 110 Victor conibears where marked at $29 I priced them at $180.00 for all of the traps ..That was about 50 dollars less than what the trap supply places where charging at the time And there was no shipping charge or tax So just by buying them 20 plus years ago and keeping them so they did not rust up I made at least double what I paid for them I still have more than enough traps to put out a line that would be comparable to what I have trapped in the past .The morale to my story is right now with fur prices so low it is way more profitable to sell traps than it is to trap for fur But I agree with those that say unless you are certain that you are done trapping forever keep some so you can just start back up .if you want too .And if my health was better I would still be planning to at least make some attempt at putting out a line .

What Mac says is the absolute truth Barry. Your life changes. I sold 90%of my stuff 10 years ago. Now I have more time. I’m buying traps for I hate to think how many times what I sold mine for. I don’t need the money and I have more time, two necessary components for trapping today. I’m not sure I have more time, but I do have the flexibility to make the time. Somebody mentioned that stored traps don’t eat and that is a sage observation. I told my wife, I can’t wait to see the look on my accountants face when I explain the expenses to him. But, I wonder how anyone can get started in this now! When I started, I had no money, but I could justify the expenditures as an income source. Now I rely more on a loss. The cost of supplies and fuel are rough.

Be careful in your decision. I wish you the best Barry.

Scale back a little, we all need something to look forward every day. JMO

Getting rid of your traps and never getting back in the game is a load of bs. You can go to any convention and buy used traps for cheap or go on the Trapshed and find a good deal. If you want to sell out, then you should...you already have offers from buyers

It's going good. I don't know what I want to do it just gets sickening trying to keep at it sometimes. But I do love doing it.

I think I'm gonna keep everything. Like previously said they ain't costing me anything sitting in the shed.
I plan to put a few out this year due to a friend wanting to learn I'll be teaching him a few things.
Plus like also said before they are another way to catch food if the need arises
Thanks everyone for the advice.

ill tell you what really sickens me, my statement showed up in the mailbox yesterday showing my retirement fund. UGH!!!!

If it doesn’t bring you joy to be out on the line then you shouldn’t be doing it. The truth of it is I don’t ever see the vast majority of fur trappers ever being able to make any money trapping. In fact I expect to lose money this year, and I definitely will never make the kind of money I could if I had invested the same time and effort into a second job. So if it’s about the money to you, quit right now and get a second job waiting tables or something cause it’ll be more profitable.

For me, I love being out on the line. I will never sell any traps, except to sell the ones I don’t like to buy different ones. I haven’t set a beaver trap in a long time, but I still have every beaver trap I ever bought. There have been years where my coyote traps sat in the shed and never got touched, for one reason or another, but I won’t sell them, because I know there will be years when the stars all align and I’ll get to run them all.

You do what is right for you. I wouldn’t sell em all just yet though. Hang em up in the shed for a few years. If you still have no desire to trap after that, then sell em. If you decide you want to again at some point though it’ll be a very costly endeavor to replace them

Apparently, business trappers ain't real trappers. I'd quit for awhile, or cut way back. It is called " smart business". I wouldn't sell your gear. Unfortunately, you will now be a a hobby trapper for awhile. I wouldn't kill myself for a hobby.