Born in Steubenville, Ohio April 6, 1949. We lived in Amsterdam, OH where I attended St Joseph Catholic school until grade 5. Dad had a heart issue and was recommended that he leave Wheeling Steel, where he was working. He got a job working for the Virginia Department Of Health trapping foxes for rabies control, so we moved to southwestern VA and lived in a house at the base of Big Walker Mountain. I was 12 when we moved. We were in the country and I had a ball trapping and hunting groundhogs. At the age of 14 we moved to Culpeper, VA because it would be more centrally located. I trapped with dad and on my own around the house. Hunted squirrels, doves and deer. After high school, I got a job building silos for Old Dominion Silo company out of Bridgewater, VA.

At the age of 19 I got that letter from Uncle Sam inviting me to go play in the military. I had an two uncles who had served in the USAF, so I decided to enlist instead of being drafted. After basic training in Amarillo, Tx, I was shipped to Denver CO for munitions maintenance training at Lowry AFB. After that I was shipped to Guam, December 1969, where I played with bombs in support of the B-52s, which were flying missions over Vietnam. I arrived December 23 and spent Christmas eve on Tarague Beach drinking 10 cent cans of Schlitz beer getting a sunburn. While on Guam, I hunted wild boar and deer with my bow in the bomb dump. We had some great BBQs. While on Guam, I received a letter stating that my parents moved from VA to Canton, OH. When I returned to Canton from Guam, I found this beautiful young lady who happened to live next door. By golly, I married her and still married to her 52 years later.

From Guam I was stationed at McCoy AFB, Orlando, FL June, 1970. While there Disney World were having their grand opening. They asked for 140 volunteers from the base to blow up balloons, and I volunteered. For that effort we were given 8 books of tickets, which was a lot. While at McCoy working in the bomb dump, I noticed the EOD folks sat around a lot and drank coffee. I commented that was quite the life they had. Well, one of them challenged me, saying I didn't have what it took to be in EOD. So, I put in for that field and was accepted.

1971 I went to Ft McClellan, AL for Chem/Bio training for two weeks, then to Naval Ordnance Station, Indian Head, MD for surface and Nuke training for six months. There were 21 of us who started in my class and 4 of us from the original class graduated. It was a tough school, but fun too. I was fortunate to beat out a West Point LT. for top honors.

1972 I was transferred to Ellsworth AFB, Rapid City, SD. We were a Centralized Support Base, which meant we were the team responsible for Ellsworth AFB, Grand Forks AFB, ND, Minot AFB, ND, Malstrom AFB, MT, Frances E Warren AFB, WY, and Whiteman AFB, MO. We had to travel to these bases for training and for Commander's briefings annually. This meant a lot of travelling. While at Ellsworth, I got to hunt mule deer on the prairie, white tails in the Black Hills and Antelope. I also got to trap coyotes, foxes, bobcats, beavers, rats and some of the biggest mink I ever caught.

1975 I was transferred to Incirlik, Turkey. Fortunately, it was an accompanied tour, so my wife got to come with me. They say when you go there, you either come home with a Flocati rug or a kid. Our first born was born in Turkey. While there, I got to hunt wild boar in the Tarsus Forest. It was another fun time.

1977 I was transferred to KI Sawyer AFB, UP of MI. It was another great place to be. I got to fish Lake Superior and Lake Michigan as well as the numerous lakes in the area. I floated the Escanaba River every year and trapped beaver until it iced in. Then I ran a culvert mink line. I hunted deer and also got a bear while there. My second son was born there.

1983 I volunteered for Instructor duty at the EOD School and got stationed there. I had three jobs while there. My first two years I taught nuclear physics as it pertains to nuclear weapons, third year I worked on developing the advanced refresher course, and the last year I taught IEDs. I spent four years there trapping foxes, beavers and otters.

1987 I was transferred to Eielson AFB, Ak as the branch chief of the EOD shop. I had a ball there. I got to run a marten/fox line on the bombing and gunnery range behind the base. Fishing was great! I went down to Copper Center and dipped salmon out of the Copper River. The base had two boats at Valdez that we could rent. We went out in Prince William Sound and fished for salmon and halibut.

1990 I was transferred to Seymour Johnson AFB, NC as the branch chief of the EOD shop. Sadly, when I arrived, there was only one other EOD guy there. The rest of the shop got deployed to Kuwait for Desert Storm. We had a requirement for two people to be on standby and be available for response 24 hours a day, so I was basically homebound until my guys got back from Kuwait. I got to trapping beavers since there were so many. The game warden put me on some good properties. One of the properties was owned by a logger who cut for many of the timber companies in the area. After he saw that I was rather proficient at trapping beavers, he recommended that I go to work with the timber companies, because they were having serious beaver problems. When i was ready to retire from the AF, that landowner put me in contact with the timber companies. I started trapping for them the day after I retired and did that for 30 years.

Then there's Dobbins' Products and how I ended up with that. Dad passed away in 1997 and I then was making and bottling the lures for mom, and she was shipping them. After a year, she turned it over to me, and I've been doing it ever since.

That's about it. It's been a wonderful life, and I've enjoyed every bit of it.

Hold my beer youngster, I've got this.

Grew up in small south Ga town. Caught 1st coon when I was 11...walked from bridge to bridge on edges of town trapping (this was in 1975.) Caught 1st fox when I was 14. First coyote at 18. Got married to highschool sweetheart in 1983 (at 19). First child (son) born in 1984. Second son born in 1987. Worked as a forklift operator and shipment inspector for 11 years. Got divorced in 1991....typical child custody arrangement (only got kids on alternating weekends/holidays.) After divorce, maintained my shipment inspector job and worked part-time as a truck driver for a local grocery company to be able to pay my bills. Later, I decided to attend junior college to obtain a degree in wildlife and forestry. I was 26. Attended classes all day and worked night shift....that was rough. Missed trapping for a few years during this era in the early 90s.

Ex-wife was killed in car crash one year after our divorce. So, I went from a full time dad/family man to a part-time single dad, to a full time single dad...all within a year's time. My sons were 5 and 7 when they lost their mother. God is the only reason I was able to hold it together....and my Mom helping me with the boys.

I applied to Georgia DNR Law Enforcement for a position as a GW a few months before I completed the wildlife portion of my degree. I had been awarded a full scholarship (due to my grades) to complete the 2nd year of wildlife degree. I also had been awarded a complete scholarship (given by a timber company) to complete the sophomore year of forestry degree. I was notified by the state that I would be hired 1 month after graduating with the wildlife degree. I had to forfeit the scholarship for the forestry degree . I was 30 when I became employed as a Georgia GW.

I met and married a local gal after being assigned to a county as a GW (about 45 miles from where I grew up.) I tell her to this day that the only reason she was attracted to me was that uniform....lol. Most days...she agrees. We "dated" for 4 years and have been married 22 years. She became the mother of my sons. She is the light in my life!!!

I have trapped a lot over the years (except for those 3 or 4 years in the early 90s. Fur and live market coyote/fox sales have paid many bills over the years. I have kept decent catch/sales records over the years. I have totalled just under 1000 coyotes, over 1200 foxes, 400 plus bcats, 450 plus otters, 400 plus beavers, and 2000 plus coons....since that 1st coon in 1975.

Last June (2022), I retired from GaDNR LE. It was a great career! Now, I'm still adjusting to retired life. Full time trapper and annoyance to my wife now. I also pick and choose where, when, how I trap today. I hunt and fish when I want. I'm 58 this November. Living the dream!

Great read. Thank you for keeping Dobbins' Products going. I don't do much beaver trapping but I use Backbreaker when I do. And, your Dad's books taught me a lot.

Another great read--especially you holding it together for your sons. I'll admit though, I am jealous of your retirement! Thanks for posting your story.

I grew up hunting and fishing from an early age. Some of my best memories are from going to Ontario with my grandfather and trying to catch a musky. I caught a ton of pike and bass. Hooked a few musky, but never brought one to hand. My dad loved hunting, fishing, golf, and bowling. With that tutelage I became quite proficient at all 4.

I hated school. Mainly because my sister was a genius and I always got compared to her. In my senior year I decided to join the Army. I was a signal/electronic warfare specialist. Not as glamorous as it sounds. Long hours sitting in a building listening for certain words and phrases, and then trying to block/jam the signal. While in I became very interested in photography. While in I saved every penny I could to use for a college education. When I got out I found that the money was all gone. Never found out who took it, but suspect it was my cousin.

I then worked menial jobs for a few years, joined the ski patrol at both 7 Springs and Hidden Valley resorts. I was working that when I met my future wife. She didn't want to relocate. So I did. Then at the age of 32 I decided to go back to school and took up wildlife management. I worked as a elk information specialist, then moved up to biologist aide. While working that job they decided they wanted people to have a masters, and the college student wasted all her money for her project on stupid stuff, and I just couldn't afford to go on to grad school.

I worked in various plants and even a hunting lodge. Then in 2017 I wrecked my motorcycle. Crushed my tibial plateau and broke the bone in 3 places. Somehow the ortho was able to reassemble my leg. I was in the hospital for 2 months and a knee immobilizer for almost 8 months. My wife is friends with our local ortho's and they all told me if I had come into their hospital for my leg I'd only have half of the leg I broke. They wouldn't even had attempted to repair it. In that time frame I developed a kidney disease, to go along with the cirrhosis heart problems. About 2 years later I found out I had developed smoldering myeloma. Basically it's one step below multiple myeloma. All my doctors got together and decided I wasn't allowed to work anymore. I'm allowed to make so much a month and I do work to supplement. Believe me when I say that SSD doesn't pay diddly.

I still hunt and fish, although I don't walk the streams or the hills anymore. It's all boat and shore fishing, and hunting from a blind not too far off the road. My trapping is basically limited to cage trapping, because I can't bend or squat down to dig beds and holes.

I will play.

I was raised by a single mother in a government subsidized 2 bed room apartment until I was 13.( Rough place lots of fights had my first knife pulled on my when i was under 10/ but the girls were well friendly and I knew nothing else and thought that was normal. )Mom was a hairdresser and worked 2 and 3 jobs untill she built up Her book of clients. Then she just worked those long days at one job. She got established and bought a house we moved and it was a good thing. I dont think a single kid I grew up with there does not have a record . Mom also Took in foster kids eventually adopting 4 of them. I moved out when I was 16 and in with my Dad. ( I didn't adopt the kids and they were not my responsibility mom didn't understand that. Helping out, cooking, cleaning, watching them some times sure. But I was not going to be told I couldn't go on my date I had planed becuse I was expected to watch the kids when one of moms friend called her and she wanted to go out . Nope I'm out of here.

Mom let one of her friends take me squirrel hunting when I was 5. I spent weekend at my grandparents in the country running the fields and ditches. Got my first bow about 7, bb gun at 10, pellet gun, 12 youth bow and first 2 deer I killed with it at 13. Bought my first 12g single shot at a farm auction at 13. Mom does not like guns it didn't go over well so it and my air guns stayed at my grandparents.

I have a cousin my age and they moved to the country when we were about 11. I went up there every weekend I could get a ride. We learned how to hunt every on our own through observation , trial and error, read every book, magazine ,and VHS video I could find. We got proficient.

I cut grass and worked for my uncle when he did tree work starting about 9. By 16 I was doing trees on my own. I also washed dishes and bussed tables at a local restaurant.

After high-school I worked in a factory lots of 12 hr days, did line clearance tree work, and built cell towers. Then I got an apprenticeship in the Ironworkers. I iron worked 7 years but it was not steady and I didn't want to travel. I was offered a very nice job traveling building smoke stacks and was torn. Money or being with my family(same problem today). My daughter was 5 getting ready to start school(before we started homeschooling) and my wife was pregnant with my first son.(the one that was killed in the wreck) . I didn't want to watch my kids grow up in pictures. Or get into the traveling construction worker life of the bar easy women every night preferring to stay married.

I went to buy an English setter pup and was talking about the problem with the bird dog guy. And he told me Alcoa is hiring and about the job. It sounded good and I got hired and have been in this plant 17 years now.


I started dating my wife when we were 16. We married when I was 24 and my daughter was 2. My daughter is now 21 my 2nd my first son was killed my 3rd son is 13 Jun 1st and youngest boy is 10.

We bought our first house on a few acres it is out in the country and dreamed about a farm. We looked for land in 3 states for 5 years. We final got our farm and truly know how blesses we are after seeing what is out there for so many years.

I got an associates in my apprenticeship and I took a Few semesters working on a teaching degree before I realized a few things. 1 lack of money in the job, 2 limited teaching jobs in my area with 2 university's turning out teachers, 3 I'm not into the political correct gay stuff and would be fired fast.

Good bunch of guys / gals on here. I read somewhere recently that less than one percent of the US population ever serves in the military. Seems to be a high percentage on here that have. Thanks for your service each and every one of you.

I was born in California. My grandfather on my dads side was a cowboy and predator control trapper for the state. ( Imagine that...in California ) Anyway my dad was a cowboy. He knew horses and cows as well as anyone. In 1968 when I was 3 he got a job as cow boss for the Gang Ranch in the Chilcotin country of BC Canada, so we moved north. By the time I was in the 3rd grade we had moved to a much smaller ranch in northern BC. Thats where I grew up and learned to trap and hunt.

Dad got prostrate cancer when i was 16 and died a year later. I quit school and went to work. At 18 I joined the National Guard. My MOS was 63B. I was discharged about a month before we went into Iraq the first time.


Met a girl that lived just outside Ft Lenard Wood. We got married and after my military commitment was over we moved back to Canada. I loved the military and would have stayed in, but my wife didnt want that life. It was a good choice. We married young and are still married. Ended up in the Yukon where I have been guiding hunters anglers and trappers ever since. We managed a fishing lodge for 22 years and ended up buying it in 2010 or so. About 20 years ago now I enrolled in the North American School of outdoor writing, and it was one of the best things I've ever done. So if Im not in the bush trapping, hunting, or fishing, chances are Im writing about it for someone.

This is a great thread. We all kind of know how each other think, but it's cool to learn a little more about everyone.

Long story short I grew up and married a show me girl too. Smartest thing I ever did.

Great Thread BC! Interesting story Mr. Dobbins wrote. At least his parents told him where they were moving. When I was in 6th grade, my family moved. Took me 2 weeks to find them.

I dropped out of Mining Engineering School at Penn State in the mid 70s. Went to work underground at Consolidation Coal Company, high coal. In 1983 started working in low coal, 42”. By 1987, I was in a 36” seam. I worked low coal till I retired. Did every hourly job there was underground, had every qualification for electrical work, every Pa. Certification that could be had. I went on to spend my next 8 years as management underground ( section boss, mine foreman, mine superintendent ). For the last 13 years before I retired, I was the General Manager, overseeing 21 underground mines. I guess I travelled the long and twisted road to success, but I managed to self fund retirement at 54.5 years old and can do as I please. So it worked out for me.

I would say my time in solitary was probably the most difficult. Nowadays everything is e-z peasey.

I lost mine when a kid tossed an explosive charge in a tunnel. The Tunnels over there were mostly big huge Culvert Pipes. The concussion left me hearing impaired. After a while you get used to the constant never ending ringing. I brew Corn Liquor as did my Father and Grandfather. I drink very little because it messes up my Blood Sugar with my Diabetes. A couple of drinks and I get the Cotton Dry Mouth and check my sugar and it will be between 300 and 450. Then I have to start injecting in the Humalog and Novalog like Candy. Not worth Trashing a Kidney. Ever notice with bad Hearing how it is so hard to pinpoint a deer walking in the woods?? AGGRAVATING when everyone else is looking and your still looking around trying to figure where it is.

We work in Low Coal. In WV anything under 36 is low. Anything over is high Coal. Right now I am 3rd shift Section Boss and we are Blasting the top after they cut the first seam. Then we Blast 36 inches of Slate and then the Miner comes along and takes the 2nd Seam. Still better than Pillaring though. That starts in August as we pull out.

I grew up in a small city in upstate NY, I trapped skunks,coons, and possums as the muskrat trappers were in a thief war. Met my wife in high school worked several jobs mostly laborer, got hired as a grunt on a high line for an electric company, caught my first beaver in 66 or 67 that was pretty kool. The Army hired me for two years 68-69, spent 15 months on a nameless hill in Korea. Came home married my wife, went Beaver trapping for our "honeymoon", got hired as a meter reader by the same company I grunted for, got a lineman job, bought our first Airedale as a present for my wifes birthday, Airedales turned into another addiction as bad as trapping. Had two kids, made syrup, raised Ginseng, sold firewood,raised and sold fish. Started a FurTaker chapter, ran a fur auction. Trapped several years in Dutchess, Putman and Columbia counties with Tom Tyree when he moved to Virginia I trapped with him for several years. Trapped with several people over the years, one of the highlights was trapping with Kurt Beaureguard and working on the KB trap he also developed a modification to get around the trigger regs for 330 connibears., this turned the trap into a 280, the first thing we caught was a little mink!
Moved to New Mexico 16 years ago, got to catch lions when it was legal and got two with my dog also, shot a few Elk, went up to North Dakota and trapped with a good friend. Went to Texas to trap in a school met some great people and learned a lot about coyotes/cats. Spend my summers playing with game cameras, and making and trying new lure I make. If I could go back in time I'd double up on a lot of things!

Its A Good Time To Be A TRAPPER!

I generally don't get involved with topics like this, but I will to a point. I went from rags to riches and worked from sunup to sundown for 40 years in one career. I might have taken three weeks off in those 40 years.

I retired early in life because my time left on earth, has more value, than any paycheck or any amount of money.

My mommy warned me about sharing too much personal information on the internet. So:

• born a boomer
• attended public schools
• helped ol' Uncle Sam
• a bit of higher education
• Married, raised a coup[e boys
• worked
• retired
• worked new career
• retired
• worked new career
• retired
• killing time in fourth or fifth career

Okay, I’ll bite.
I was born and raised in Juneau, Alaska. My father and grandfather spent a good deal of time with me in the outdoors, starting at an early age. I would spend my summers hand trolling on both of their boats and there were many days spent stream fishing for steelhead, trout, and Dolly Varden. I was introduced to shooting at an early age, around 6 years old. I started off with a single shot 22 Springfield Meteor with peep sights. Dad and I would hunt spring grouse, known as hooters around here. At around 8YO I was given my first shotgun and soon after my passion for water fowling began. Next I was able to purchase my first big game rifle with wages earned working on dad and grandpa’s boats as the deckhand. This kicked off my obsession with deer hunting with moose hunting following shortly after
Neither my father or grandpa were trappers. Dad would catch marten under the deer pole, but that was about it. I started trapping at around fourteen. Mink, marten, and ermine first, followed by beaver and otter, then wolverine and wolf. I was somewhat successful, being only self taught and reading all that I could on the subject. I was fortunate to later have my father in law show me much more in trapping methods and helping me develop into a mediocre trapper, at best.
I will leave out all the bad stuff I was involved in from my teens through mid-twenties. I credit my wife with giving me reason to change my ways. We have four beautiful children together with one grandson. My love of hunting, fishing, and trapping never wavered and I have been fortunate to spend time with my wife and children in the outdoors sharing these pursuits.

I wouldn’t change anything in my past. No regrets. There is plenty of love in my life and I have a career that is more than adequate.

Life is good.