I don’t really know how to start this… as I was laying in bed before I drifted off to sleep,, I had a few thoughts pop up…. I’ve been reading ALOT of posts on social media from people of all age groups who have tried trapping and are discouraged because they don’t have large numbers of catches.
I had just finished watching the cubs game and somehow my brain cross referenced trapping and baseball..
In baseball we have different levels of experience.. t-ball clear up to hall of fame major leaguers…
Trapping is like that too…we all start out at the same level and just work our way up… some folks don’t get past triple A…
In trapping… we certainly have our major leaguers…but not everyone of them are hall of famers…. Kinda like baseball,,,, baseball at a higher level is tough… just being a MLB player and maintaining a spot on the team is hard,,, but then you have those guys who are consistently good and are above and beyond.
Lots of us will never be hall of famers… I know im not a hall of famer… I don’t necessarily suck ( I’m probably just above the triple A level in trapping) but don’t get discouraged… those hall of famers are there because they are really really good… we all can’t be babe Ruth, lou Gehrig, eh daily, bill Nelson, Charlie dobbins… etc
Just remember to have fun and enjoy yourself… not saying don’t strive to be better than you was yesterday,,, I’m just trying to say that it takes alot to be in the elite.
I’m going to take my grandsons out this year and hopefully they can become major leaguers too .. but if it’s just triple A,,, that’ll be alright too.

A thought on this. Numbers are not just numbers but how they are read.

Is a batter that gets 300 base hits equal to the batter that gets 300 doubles or triples? How about 300 hits but struck out 800 times?

How about a trapper that catches 200 targets and 100 non targets vs one that catches 200 targets and 10 non targets?

No doubt the aforementioned is a harder worker while the latter is more efficient. Which one is of greater value?

In baseball u get to watch them compete against each other.
Trapping it's hard to tell how good they are unless u know there catch numbers against other good trappers in the area. Popularity and greatness aren't always the same thing in trapping

Unlike sports hall of games, most of the trapping hall of fames are more about what you've done for our industry. Either via education, advocacy and other contributions. You don't necessarily have to be the one that is responsible for draining fur buyer accounts to nothing at the end of the season.

I believe what one does to promote trapping should be considered also.
I know there are those who don't really trap much but do a large amount of promotional work on behalf of trapping

Catch numbers depend on the rest of the story:
ADC / fur
State laws & limits
Population of critters
Climate conditions of region
Family convictions
Age & health

Large numbers are always amazing though. Can only be achieved through hard work.

Fantastic input…I can’t say that I disagree with anyone’s response.

I think it is fair to say that many of the best trappers (not all) like to fly below the radar and would rather not be recognized.

Same as great hunters.

I don't feel that comparing trapping to baseball is a good comparison. In baseball .300 hitter is in the top 10% of players per seaon and in a lifetime they are considered HOF material. For position players one also needs to play good defense as well and know how to run bases etc. Pitchers who win 300 games and lose 240 games are in the HOF If I was trapping and was only successful 30% of the time I would be consider doing something else. Also in baseball you make an out or an error you go back to the dugout. Catching the wrong incidental in trapping can cost you a lot of money, grief and maybe your license.

Bryce

I'm still trying to get past the fact you willing watched a Cubs game.

Trapping, baseball, and most everything else: Lots of people can do it, but few will be pros.

Most of the heavy hitter's i have know if i spoke their name it wouldn't mean anything cause no one ever heard of them and that's how they liked it. You will see them roaming around most convention's, usually taking in demo's like they are newbie's just trying to learn how to catch their first possum, lol.

Actual HOF use to be the who is who of things and as was said who contributed the most over alot of years BUT HOF committee member's change over time so the new one's may in fact rather have who caught x number of this or that vs the old guy who wore out his truck attending meetings, hearings, etc, etc. the past decade spending money out of his own pocket to defend/promote trapping far away from the convention crowds or utube watcher's.

Long as you ENJOY setting a few traps each year is all that matter's in the end! Some people like to go 90 mph, some only 45 mph. Go at your own pace and judge your ability by what you have available in your area not by what someone else caught in an area over populated in something. Id not go to Iowa if my goal was to catch 1000 beaver in other words, doesn't matter how great a trapper you are if what your trying to catch doesn't exist your not going to catch it.

Not sure how to nail down HOF criteria, or how that would end up looking, but I'll just go ahead and nominate Don Shumaker right now.

This is the only criteria

From there you need basically a biography of the person you want to nominate and what they've done to to warrant consideration.

Neil Olsen

I think Don Shumaker and Neil Olson would both be worthy nominees. But they'll never get inducted if no one nominates them.

Here's the form to do so.

https://www.nationaltrappers.com/2023halloffame.pdf

I was also surprised to see that Asa Lenon's not in there.

Thanks

Did Asa have any kids? Family is usually the best way to get the information needed to submit a nomination. Or close friends that knew them for a long time. We've got several people for our state HOF that we'd like to get in but we just cant get information because the people knew them are either gone or estranged.

Jackie, I believe you have summed it up far better than I could have said it,,,, thank you.

Woah, I didn’t realize that Angela!! I figured he would have been in easily some time ago.