This is my first year trapping anything other than groundhogs and what ever trys to get into chicken coop. But so far this season I spent over $1000 in traps,lures,beaver boards,skinning knife, flesh knife,gloves. How many beavers will it take to recover the money from trapping?

I bought 1/2 dozen maybe 1 dozen 1.5 dukes. caught a few coon and opossum sold them added money to that and got more traps. I was not a kid when I started but a just starting out on my own Ironworker apprentice with wife and baby so was fairly broke. Eventually I bought 12 used 1.75 Victor's and and set for coyotes. caught 4 that first year and since a friend connected me to a live market I actually made some money on those . for reference put up yote was $7 at the time and live market was $100. trapped a few years and stopped untill a few years ago when the boys showed interest in trapping. Not sure what I spent the first or 2nd time but a few dozen 550s and Bridger #2, some dukes, 2 750s some used #3 long springs. lures and gear. never sold a thing the 2nd round but the boys can trap successfullynon their own now. I never paid attention to the cost the 2nd time and seldom do when it stuff for the kids.

Depends on how you sell them. You can sell them hole to nick in Holland indiana and he will skinn them put uo the hide remove the caster and sell the carcuse to a place that puts it in dog food. or you could break it all down yourself and sell it to him for a little more. You could also be removing problem beaver for people and making money from that or gaining more trapping or hunting access. There is more value to trapping than just dollars.

My first Year I only bought traps with Fur money, after $150.00

I bought all gear by selling beaver mink and coon

A gob JAB357. if your fur trapping you wont recover cost till things improve. If you eat the meat and dont spend much on vehicle costs you might break even at 75 or so. To catch 75 here you would need to cover some miles. It wont pencil.

I spent everything I had just like any addict would do !

450's are the newest MTP brand right?

My dad had 3 #1 longsprings so whatever a bottle of Hawbakers #1 muskrat lure cost in 1966 Biked 2 miles to the marsh Dad mailed the7 or 8 rat hides at the post office somewhere Don/t know what they sold for didnt matter I was up there with Daniel Boone

I'm not worried about the money it's been great fun, just wish the weather would warm up so I can get back to the river before season ends. Bought some duke 330 super mags I want to try out. Holland is quite a drive from Harlan!

I was already working in a logging camp, so I had a lot more pocket money than your average teen..I spent over $2k getting setup for my first season

1972. My grandpaw would tell me about supporting his family trapping mink during the depression. I would mow his yard with a HEAVY mixed gas Lawnboy and he would pay me $2. Bought a #1 B&L longspring and a #1 B&L jump from Mesler Trapping in Iowa. All of us can remember that first time you picked up a trap. I would walk in the dark, after basketball practice, over a mountain behind our house to a creek just to set 2 hollow trees. Catches and sales and it progressed from there.

In 1988, the fire department called and that stopped the trapping as our shifts were 24hrs. on and 48hrs.. We had a 24hr. check law. During those 22 years, all my traps were borrowed (stolen). About 4 dozen Victor coil pinch pans and some coni's. 2012 after retiring, I spent around $1200 to buy back in and discovered what a DP was. Blessed with good health and now paying it forward with grandkids and their friends. Traps for Christmas this past. But nothing takes me back to the 70's quicker than a trap. Still get told to "grow up". Well, I'm there with age but my mind is forever in the 70's.

Lol. Yep. Sold my furs and bought more traps & lure at the same fur buyer's place. If I did have any money left I probably spent it on BBs, pellets, or fishing gear

6 Duke DP’s and a starter kit of MB550’s from MTP…maybe $300-400 at the time, if that. First paycheck was $550 so it paid for itself the first month!

You have quite a few buyers within 50 miles of Harlan

I started trapping because coyotes were killing my fawns . I would guess when you figure everything I'm well North of 5 k in the hole very addicting.

My Dad didn't trap so I had to buy mine-1st trap was bought in 1976 for Squirrels so it was a size 0 Victor longspring-caught alot of squirrels in that trap-our neighborhood golf course would never be the same! first bunch of squirrels I sold for $2.50 each and bought 6 #110 victor conibears-and never looked back. Next was #2 and # 3victor longsprings for coon and beaver-I was off and running for the second season in 1977 pretty much figured I was loaded for bear LOL. Maybe a dozen traps but soon had an arsenal that was the envy of every 13 year old trapper anywhere! ha ha. by 14 I had about 2 dozen 110's caught ans shot over 400 squirrels that fall/winter-I was the richest kid in Junior High school !!

I started in 1972 by trading a buck and a doe rabbit for 3 110’s lol. I set them that evening it was the end of October and caught 3 muskrats. I walked to the old guys house and ask him where to sell them lol. He showed me how to skin them and I kept them in the freezer until the 2 nd week of December sold what I caught and one red fox and ended up at 74.00 I think I got about 1 dollar for the rat and 15 for the fox. It was a great Xmas .

I was 4, in 1956, family already had traps. My job was to set and check them for skunks coming into our mink ranch. In those days a black skunk brought $5.00, as much as a working man on a farm made in a day. Full stripes were a dollar (which would buy me 20 candy bars).

Nothing. We walked from home and used Dads old traps he had retired. No lure or bait used.