Read on Iowa trap forum today of a trapper here in Iowa catching 5300 coon and 730 incidental mink in the year of 2006 working alone. I know him and he is not a bser. Has to be a record of some type. He says he always tried to get 1000 the first week.

I don't know him well, but well enough to believe it. He's not the type to beat his chest and throw around numbers. He's never been on the internet talking about it. He just goes and does it

That’s only 20 a day for 265 days.

Must be Coonman

No, not coonman. But despite whatever else coonman is, I happen to knw he is a pretty good trapper.

That's ...."THE" Coonman ! to us mortals.

He is a man of steel. He goes into physical training before the season opens. He runs up and down steep stream banks to build his knees and physical stamina up.

That's an average of about 80 per day.

I know what it takes to catch 200-250 a week I have done it a few times, but those kind of numbers are hard to fathom. Of course mine were during the 1980's with heavy competition and not in ideal coon habitat.

If that's true, 1000 in a week and 5300 in 8 weeks or so, is hard for me to wrap my mind around. Getting any kind of big numbers in December even with unusually warm weather is pretty hard to do.

If this is true, I am in awe. That's all I have to say.

You'll see why he's not when you read the replies to follow.

Hard for me to fathom also, but some people are good at what they do.

Impressive!

I think what might be more impressive would be putting together that much land and permission , that would be a full time job almost the rest of the year

I assume no permission needed GCP, it is ROW trapping

Catching and finishing that many animals is a lot of work.

I couldn't even SKIN 1,000 coon a week, let alone catch AND skin them. Wow.

I can guarantee you when I was trapping full time I never even considered skinning my own critters, I could make WAY more money trapping them. I paid a skinner to put them up for me or sold them as I got them. Many times my wife just took them to the fur buyer while I got some sleep.

I doubt he skun them. Market then wasn't bad, easier to just sell whole.

He sold a lot of carcass coon. I passed him on the road one day and his truck was piled high full of coon. Don't think he could have fit another one on there!

Is this in southwest iowa. I may have met him when trapping down that way

The 730 "incidental mink" is incredible

That's way beyond what most of us can even comprehend. What a machine.