Lot of old names id forgot and my story sounds very similar to the other older guys on here.

Jim Helfrich id say inspired me more than anyone as a greenhorn in the early 80's.

Later on a few years Charlie Dobbins changed the way i thought about things, their books and articles id say kept me going day after day of bad weather and no catch's.

Read Phil Prezjak's book as well, got to meet him many years later and a really funny story of that meeting, Swamper Swartz was involved as well, lol

Became friends many years later with Slim Pedersen and our conversation's on predator's into the wee hour's of the morning made me question things id of never even thought about, he is without a doubt on a level i doubt any of us will ever manage to get at if we trapped none stop for 200 years!

JC Connor's is same way and what a great guy he is as well as his whole family.

As we said too many to mention.

George Sisson a local trapper got my mind changed going from trapping grey fox to coyote. I was trying to trap coyotes with grey fox location's and sets so his teaching's were a game changer, especially the grass clippings deal that Matt Jones later made famous.

Wow where to start.
I have to credit my uncle Fred for getting me started and steering me to land trapping coyotes and coon. He is still always a text away if I have questions, some 40 years later.
My old high school boss Ken Kreshel influential also on my coyote and cat trapping.
I have to give credit to Dennis Vicars too. Guy could out trap most folks in our area when I was a kid. Soft spoken, hard working guy. Watched him take 500 beaver one year and all put up before sale. I was impressed.
Same with Jim Miller. One of those quiet, hard working dudes who would roll up to the buyer with a pickup load just about every night. Solid 1,000 coon season guy.
Lots of others, lots of others. I still read my hand signed copy of Charlie Dobbins’ land trapping book before I start out each season. I had to tape and glue the binding on it several times. It’s getting pretty worn but always a good read. Somewhere around here I got a couple hand written letters he sent me way back when. I had some questions on my land sets and he quite happily penned out some suggestions. Can’t hardly read them well but I remember how he talked at a convention once when I was young and if I read the letters imagining his voice explaining them to me it makes all the sense in the world. Great stuff.
Jim

All the guys that contribute to the forums, for free, over the years.
And, guys in the PTA.

Lot of people here like that too

I would say Lewis Eckhart in Barryville,NY. He taught me how to trap Fox and Otter back in the early 1970's.

Probably ol crusty Wayne derrick. An leegend steinmeyer

There were no trappers in my family and started small time with pocket gophers and did not have info from anyone for those.
Not having that much of the history and not really starting to trap until 1980 I did not create or build a relationship with the older generations of trappers.
Early on through videos and books Weiland and Miranda were my canine information persons.
For the last 15-16 years I have organized 18 demo slates for convention and with help being in short supply I introduced and watched about 80% of the 400-500 demos that were presented. Learned an a lot from a great may great trappers who were willing to share their knowledge and that knowledge was more contemporary as to methods, traps and managing a line.

Bryce

X2, I took lessons from Lew when I was 16. I was a trapping fool from that point onward.

Major Boddicker
Dwight Coppock
Bill Rogers
Marv. Miller

The good old days

Well if your a professional trapper then the “making a living” part is important I doubt many other folks have put in the effort he has to bring hunting and trapping to other. The reason everyone is not doing what he’s doing is they don’t take the risks and put in the endless hours he puts into what he does to live his dream. There’s a lot of easier ways to make a buck I think you missed the point maybe.

Andy Weiser

When I attended the FTA college several years ago Tom Miranda was a teacher. I enjoyed the day I got to spend with him, but my teacher for the entire week was Kermit Stearns and I think Kermit had forgotten more about trapping than Tom knew at that time. I owed a lot to Kermit for what I learned from him. This was 35 years ago.

Craig O’Gorman and Robbie Campbell and a man named Barney Fox

Awwww, shucks!

Phil Brown

Wayne Derrick would be up high on my list. A good man who’s always treated me fair. CJ