Truth.

Thanks for you who support me!!!

5 squirrels,live traps,nuisence job,beaver traps go in today,another nuisence job,gotta love beaver trapping!

The one thing I do not like about beaver hunting is that you have to do it in the frigid water!!!

yea but theres just something about getting something that big in your water sets,and they taste great.good luck young fella

Nailed it!

I have never ate beaver before.

Most of our.beaver carcasses are used for dog food.

If someone is worried about a anit finding out what he or she catches then stay off the thread and post on something else. If it's a kid good for him trying to learn if it's not who cares let them waste their time.

Young trappers that are learning and dont have the opportunity to take good trapping course or get their hands on a good trapping manual shouldnt worry about how many animals they can catch.
The first thing they need to learn is how to catch animals,sets,equipment,proper fur handling and put up of their catch.
Once they learn this(however they learn it)by putting the theory into practice and catching their target animals in a humane manner,then they can up the game to start finding more trapping ground and expanding their lines as ability,finances and line management allows.

Numbers of animals caught is not the ruler for a young learner.Learning to make good humane sets to catch a particular target animal is first.

That said,all young trappers dream of stacking up piles of fur-that is a good motivator,and nothing wrong with that.

The best way for a greenhorn to get good fast is to get on as an 02 helper with a seasoned trapper who will school you in the masters course.This is best done after basic skills are already learned so you have something to offer the 01 while you become a finished trapper.

Dang it, what is it they say about a blind hog?

Must be the phase of the moon or something in the water but Bobo just said something that makes sense.

But I agree, get the basics down pat and don't get frustrated watching what others do. I like the phrase, Slow is Smooth and Smooth is Fast. Slow down, get it right and in no time you'll be putting up the numbers.

I pay more attention to catch rate than total catches. Good way to measure your progress and good indicator of what works good and what not so good. Obviously the target species and target population have a big bearing in the number.

I've never been a big numbers guy. Started trapping because a coyote decided it couldn't read the No Trespassing Sign and thought lamb was on his menu. I was always a land trapper, never had any need to water trap until a couple of beaver started to open up/destroy my lakeview at the family cabin. Lol, I guess you could say an ADC trapper.

I missed the big fur boom years, when in a good year you could support yourself and your family with trapping profits, and numbers where the guage by which you were considered as a good trapper. Many a book was written during that time; everyone wanted to be like those men and I'm sure a few woman too. To trap numbers, you need: animal numbers (you can't trap what ain't there), an understanding of animal behaviors, and to be able to find and set on sign.

I took a hiatus from trapping while flying criss-cross across the country for my job. Now that I'm retired, I got more time to pursue missed outdoor activities like hunting, trapping, fishing, etc.

So, have not been out, even with the seasons opening up here. It's to early for prime fur, but it's getting close. That's my personal decision and everyone has to make that decision for themselves. In these times with low fur prices only prime fur is worth any money. But there are a multitude of other reasons to be trapping.

I agree with Cathryn, we should all be looking to encourage young trappers anyway we can!

Pretty much how I got started. Coming up if something got eaten by a critter that wasn't family daddy tasked me with killing it. I'm a rat killer from way back, traps came into play not long after day caught me with a jug of gasoline and matches at a rat hole, lol.

I don't think this Kid is an anti. look back through his posts.

He should be encouraged , I know when I was younger if it hadn't been for encouragement and help from a few older friends I never would have kept at it. The first time I caught a coydog all by myself was I was the happiest kid in the county, I couldn't tell enough people fast enough.
My father Taught me how to Hunt, Track and Survive. Trapping taught me to pay attention to the details.
Of course the internet wasn't a thing yet back then so I didn't have Tman to hangout on.

Pofarmer10 Don't get discouraged. The ones here giving you advice and defending you are good people. listen to them.
Don't mind the nay sayers, there is always going to be people like that don't let them hold you back.

my catch for the season is
2 Coyote
1 Bobcat
3 Racoons

Released all but the 2 Coyote. We can't keep bobcat or racoon until tomorrow.

What kind of traps? I don't know how you would release a racoon unless its a cage trap.

No cage traps, though I do use them in the off season to relocate them away from my chickens.

I caught them in montgomery #2 dogless 4 coils that I removed 2 coils from. some of my absolute favorite traps.

I've been looking at the bridger dogless but I like how low the pans sit on the mongomery's.

EDIT: I used a catch pole to release the coons and the cat. The cats are the hard one to release, the coons are pretty fat here right now so they aren't much trouble.