There is a time in trapping history not much spoken about

The timeframe of the early 1900s to the early thirtys
When coyotes were still called prarie wolves and bobcats wildcats the west was still a frontier The newhouse trap revolutioned trapping since its mass production in the late 1800s old sewell nh couldnt keep up with the demand of hand forgeing his traps he enterd the oneida community and togeather mass production began. (its amazeing to me that the newhouse design in my opinion still is one of the best today researchers and biologists and trappers can still get the newhouse trap desigh style parts from the livestock protection company today)

Trapping methads in the old hunter trader trapper magazines were very crude and the amount of bull in those articles is astounding. Looking into old records from the us forest service and thr us biologicsl survey
S orgsnized predator control. Field reports show the old timers who truely were "wolfers" used scent posts on wolves and coyotes heavily. Droppings clumps of grass are not a new concept

Old funstein catalogs and how to manuals from the many diffrent fur companys show a big increase in "decoy scents" and "baits"
Mosts articles from trappers in those times called them worthless

We as trappers today are truely blessed when it cones to coyotes bobcats wolves etc Without a mentor in those times it musthave been difficult

There is intrestingly very crude refrences to what is known today as the dirthole set

But fur was valuable from skunks to "prarie wolves" bounty trappers in the west made s good liveing. A dozen newhouse #3s were around 8.00 a dozen. (A dallors value was around 33.47 compared to todays).

The 4s were from 12 to 16 dallors a dozen.

Around 530.00 todays currency

( there were the old jumps and cheaper traps on the market and many used them)

The common man in those days made a liveing of 700 or so a year Some trappers are noted at makeing 100 or so in a month during the winter on wolf and coyote bountys from 2.50 on prarie wolves and around 5.00 on wolves plus the 2 to 3 dallor price on southwestern fur for prarie wolves and substantually higher on actual wolves

Now reliability on fur buyers and suppliers actualy paying those prices is questionable.

Trapping has a long history and its a beautiful thing to look into


I hope folks can add to this

Few really good stories here. Guys tough as nails boy. They’re going out trapping in the 1920s northern Saskatchewan.
https://www.jkcc.com/lost.html

Aaron HUGHS was my 4th great grandfather. He was born in July 1769, in Hardy County, (W) Virginia and died 27 March 1844, in what is now Jackson Twp., Noble County, Ohio, is the progenitor of our line of HUGHS/HUGHES in Ohio. It can be seen that the spelling of the name has evolved from HUGHS to HUGHES over several generations.

The earliest notation of him is upon his arrival into what is now Noble County, Ohio. The following is a verbatim from the book, History of Noble County, Ohio, published by L.H. Watkins & Co., 1887.

"Aaron HUGHS was probably the first settler of the township (Jackson). He was a native of Hardy County, (W) Virginia and a thorough backwoodsman. He came to Ohio in 1804, and located on Will's Creek in Guernsey County. After making considerable improvement there, he sold out and removed to what is now Center Township, Morgan County. He sold his property on Will's Creek for $500.00, and the money was stolen from him soon after, while he was stopping at a tavern. He lived two years on Olive Green Creek, in Morgan County, then sold out his improvement for $150.00, and with $80.00 of this, made an entry of the land in Jackson Township, on which he lived and died. The year of his settlement in this township was either 1811 or 1812. He chiefly engaged in hunting and trapping, was expert in the use of the rifle. Equipped with gun and a pocket compass and accompanied by his faithful dog, he was at home anywhere in the forest. He killed deer and sold the venison hams at twenty-five cents each; got $2.00 and upward for scalps of each wolf he killed; and from skin, bounties and meat made more money than any pioneer could who devoted himself soley to farming. Hughs killed four large buck elk after coming to this township, and his son James killed another. These were the last elk ever seen in the western part of the county. Aaron had a family of seven sons and five daughters."

This is in the southeast part of Ohio. I tried to locate any of the traps he used, but none were ever located.

Garry-

Ask White17 he was loneling then

In the late thirties when my dad was about 12 years old a Michigan state trapper pulled into his parents gas station in the UP. He was driving a Model A pickup with a wolf in the back he had trapped. As I learned more about trapping history I wonder if that trapper was Herb Lenon.

Ya have to remember then trapping was way harder as far as transportation. A lot of those old wolfers were on horse back and if they had a vehicle it was not a 4X4 or ATV or snow machine. Im older than most on here and remember in my prime talking to some of the old timers that trapped in WY and the catches were small and the life was a lot harder. Beaver were about gone in Wy. and you had to be permitted by the game and fish to trap a very small amount if any. I still remember having to get each pelt tagged and also getting permission by a warden to trap.

Id love to know if. Furbuyers paid as advertised and the freight turn around charges etc

I have a trap that was my great grandfathers, it is a 23 Sargent so I think he used it for fox. When I started in the 60's there were still some old time fox trappers around most I knew used the spring hole for fox, that was about all you could pry out of them, there were rat trappers around and most would not skin a coon, beaver were scarce no coyotes feral dogs were around.

I've been reading Wayne Negus' book "Trapline Tales and Trails". He talks of trapping 900 rats in eastern Oregon in 1926 and getting .65 cents each. He caught them all in three weeks before freeze up.

Trapping is still a way of life in the North to this day.
Traplines have been passed down within families for generations.

Fur trading in the north is a very interesting history to look into.
The fur brigades were still operating in North Eastern Ontario in the late 1800's
There is a good write up about the fur brigade between fort Temiskaming and Fort Matachewan in Ralph Bice book.
There was no money at the time and the men were all paid in Made Marten.The indian Voyageurs were paid by the trip,bowsmen and steersmen getting 25 made martens,and the paddlers getting 20.

Good one Boco. I've heard of "made beaver" but never marten.

That was one tough dude and so was his wife. His books are excellent.

There was a diary published online of trapping back in the day around lake Athabasca and fort Chipewyan and it was online somewhere but I can't find it anymore. Anyone know where to find it? I would like to read it again.

I got to meet Wayne Negus, not long before he died. He came to the Fur Taker meet at Bismark, ND. Was really a neat old fella. If I remember right, he had still run a snowshoe line for marten just either a year or two before he passed. He was a real gentleman! I believe Tom Krause helped him on a book, and I believe it was the one Peeler mentioned. Tom rode up to Bismark with me and my son, and introduced us to Wayne. I was grinning like a school boy on his first date! lol. Tom had gone out and trapped marten some years before with Wayne. Wasn’t many people at that convention, but that alone was worth the trip for me!

Lee, the story I heard was that a bunch of the younger local guys that knew Wayne got worried about his last winter in the Cascades and went looking for him fearing the worst. Before they got to his main cabin they ran into him snowshoeing out with his winter's catch. He told 'em "boys, I'm gettin too old for this...this is the last time". Like you said I think he died two years later.

I have Wayne Negus's book "A man to match the mountains", I haven't read it yet but plan to after I finish Preacher The First Mountain Man series.