I got tickled this morning reading the 50 posts from TrapsCoonsForFur. I remember being that pumped up about trapping when I was a kid. If Tman had been around then I'd have probably made just as many posts lol.

I notice most of his posts have a theme... how to make things cheaply for trapping. I remember scrimping and saving to buy new traps... there simply wasn't money left for things like sifters, dye, baits, etc.

So why not make a post of things you CAN easily make for trapping. With this out of control inflation, it may even be helpful to older trappers looking to save a few bucks.

I'll start with a couple ideas.


Coon bait.

This is a coon bait that has only 2 ingredients and many coon trappers use every year. You do not need fancy expensive baits and lures to trap coon.

Go to the grocery store and buy a few boxes of canning salt. Get a 5 gallon bucket with a lid. Go catch some fish. Fatty fish tend to work best. Carp seems to be the favorite. Catfish will work. Using an ax or hatchet (if you're working with carp especially) chop the fish up into chunks. My chunks usually end up being about half the size of your fist. Put a layer of fish chunks in your bucket. Cover them with a layer of salt. Then another layer of fish, another layer of salt until you run out of fish or salt.

The salt preserves the fish and it will stay good without needing to be frozen. Just chuck a chunk of fish in your pocket set and you're ready to go.


Trap dye

There are many natural items you can use to dye your traps. Some people use a mix of certain tree barks. Some people use Sumac berries (these work good, but are messy). But my favorite way to dye traps is using black walnuts. Find a black walnut tree. In the early fall they'll drop their nuts. The nuts are encased in a green husk. It's this husk you want for trapping dye. Gather a bucket full of nuts. Take them home and wearing heavy rubber gloves (they nuts WILL stain your hands black, probably even with the gloves) use a hammer to smash them (but not so hard you smash the nut itself, just the husk). Once you smash a nut, peel off the green husk. Put the husks in your trap dying pot, and the nuts in a separate pile. Once you're done, put the nuts in a single layer somewhere to dry for a couple weeks at which point you can crack them and pick out the nut meats to eat. But back to the green husks. Put your traps in the pot with the husks and fill up the pot with water. Put the pot over a fire and bring to a boil. Simmer your traps in there for about an hour, then fish them out and put in the next batch. Your traps will come out black in color, and be ready to be waxed, once they dry.

haha thank you though

will chub and trout work

i make so much post bc im new to trapperman and just excited lol

Yesterday I saw a fox carrying a ground hog I assume to it's den.
Taking GHs can make property owners happy and provide bait.
All predators know where the GH holes are located.
Lots of recipes simple and complicated.

cool

when I was in high school, I made my own trapping basket. In woodshop got an A on it , I used old tin cans to hold spray bottles and lure

If ever someone was having fun with the Tman crowd this would have to be it..... Savell is it rain or something down there where u can't get outside and do something productive

whos that go to

Savell

whos that

Post a pic of yourself and you will find out

LOL yes sir, I really think it's just a kid, but it would be hilarious if it was Savell lol.

i am lol

You can get gardening tools and other items you can use on your trap line cheap at garage sales and flea markets. A 5 gallon bucket works as a trap basket. Milk crates also work good to help keep things organized. An old tackle box works great to store your baits and lures in. They also work good to store extra tools and smaller items in.

Kid how old are you ?

Im betting booster seat at computer desk while Moms out buying CheezeIts and chicken nuggies...

Who cares how old he is? I just want his enthusiasm.

Would help knowing how I need to talk to him.

Not targeting him in anyway but enthusiasm on a keyboard and enthusiasm in the mud and cold are not always the same. Seems like a fair number of these newbies that ask questions just to be involved don't always have the enthusiasm when the rubber meets the road. The ones that make the effort to look at past posts and archives and have the drive to learn as much as they can on their own then come and post questions to clarify what they've seen , experienced or read are the post likely to stick with trapping.