I have made some feeble attempts at trapping since I was 16 (now 30). Have lived in apartments my adult working life. I’m renting a house with an insulated garage now. Caught the trapping bug late this year. Had to order waxed dirt, beaver stretchers, some Duke 650’s, need to rust traps, paint some traps, need to set up my garage for skinning…..ect. Grabbing my old equipment from my parent’s house I realized this is what I’ve been waiting for since mom threw a fit. I was trapping out of the garage when I was 16. Ma couldn’t stand the dead critters. I got discouraged and hung my traps up. This was 2010-2013 market. I often wonder if I would have turned out different had I been able to trap out of that garage. Trapping is a deeply personal endeavor. I could have skinned with a trapper that reached out and tried to mentor me, but I just felt I was intruding. I turned out fine but I often wonder…..would my life be different had I been able to be the trapper I wanted to be when I was a teen. Love my parents to death, they did a great job. But I often wonder…….would I have turned out different had I been able to capture that lightning in a bottle…. There’s a lot of reward and freedom as a young trapper. It all comes from hard work and dedication. There’s lessons to be learned and wisdom to soak up along the way. A young trapper learns he’s just gotta do it his way.

You might have ended up a dirt poor trapper. Seriously, no point in worrying about what might have been. Besides you are still young enough to physically get out there and give it a shot.

You're asking questions that show a desire to continue to trap...there is still time. My Mom and wife were the same way, they couldn't stand the "yuck" part of trapping.
I just continued and it kind of grew on them. Stick with it and by the way there is no rule that dictates that a trapper must not stop trapping...things come up that alter our plans.
Work around obstacles the best you can but if you want to trap...trap.
Just my take on your situation. Good luck.

Welcome back to trapping. Merry Christmas. Your still young. No use wondering what might have been. Time to enjoy what will be....

Man at 30 you are kind of over the hill!!

Seriously though. I grew up in an apartment with single mom that was a hair dresser. Lived in town and no possible way to have checked traps if I had had them and someone to teach me. At around 22 I found a local fur buyer that sold traps out of his garage. I bought traps and supplies from him he told me basic sets and I picked up a few vhs videos and I was off learning how to trap.

Welcome to Trapperman

You're Still Young!!!, When You're my age you'll have pert near 30 years behind you of trapping.

Order some MB750's though for Beaver

Welcome aboard

Haha, we trapper as kids up until about 14 or so. Never even thought about it again until my late 40’s when I was voluntold I was gonna start trapping a plantation. Bought a starter kit of MTP and haven’t looked back since. Down here folks PAY to have critters removed, lol. Only been at it about 7-8 years now, I’m 56, and it’s too rewarding to quit. Add thermal hunting in to your arsenal and it just makes it even better.

My folks did let me trap, even encouraged it! I ended up a dirt poor trapper and artist!! And have lived every moment of the last 60 years (since I set my first trap for an Alaskan red squirrel)!

You are a young man and have your whole life ahead of you. I stopped trapping when I got out of school, moved around, got married, had kids etc. Glad you are back into it and welcome to trapperman.

I was lucky as my step father got me into trapping,hunting,fishing,and our great outdoors

I like your story and I can empathize. Grew up in a household that was not in any way outdoorsy. My first husband never hunted. I wanted to trap and it seemed like I couldn’t get any sort of help back then unless it was self taught. Now my current husband is an archer and an angler but he never trapped in his life and he can’t stand when I come in smelling of greasy raccoon! But at least he built me a shed!
My mother still hates that I trap, not that she is anti but she just wanted a ballerina girl and not a flannel-dirt-under-the-fingernails-pickup truck driving-tomboy who likes traps and little rifles and sticks and the smell of call lure.
Keep getting out there and doing this crazy thing we all love so much!

My father’s friend owned a big 750 acre tract with an 80 acre lake/ duck swamp on it. Beaver had naturally invaded and Ol Joe asked me to go down and kill the beaver since they were digging holes in the dam. Many mornings and evenings I sat waiting for opportunities to snipe them out. I killed several but I got tired of repeatedly not having a shot on many occasions so I looked into trapping. I set up some snares and 330s. After the first catch I was hooked. I was fortunate enough to live out in the country so I had space and privacy to do my skinning. I married a great woman that tolerates my hobbies. She even allows me to work on my taxidermy experiments in the house from time to time. The only complaint she ever has is that she doesn’t like the lack of freezer space for groceries because it is always full of deer meat, or taxidermy experiments