I can’t believe there are trappers think that trapping will not go the way of the dodo bird if it is completely banned. Maybe some ADC trapping will occur but fur trapping will go into non-existence. Who would you sell your furs to? How would the fur trade support itself ? Are fur dealers going to depend on illegal trapping? First of all, it can’t be done due to lack of numbers and if they did how would they get away with it. I personally know or knew hundreds of trappers in my life time and I don’t know of any that would continue to trap illegally. Sooner or later you would get caught and end up having your hunting and fishing privileges suspended and eventually have a lifetime suspension if you continue to do it. Anyway, who would want to look over their shoulders all the time. Most trapping dealers and probably all trap manufactures would go out of business due to lack of customers. ADC trappers would eventually have to improvise once their equipment gets outdated with nobody to supply them with the proper items. A few dealers may exist to help out ADC trappers but would it be enough? Here in Idaho, I doubt trapping would exist if it wasn’t for our State Trapping Organization. They work hand in hand with State Fish and Game to ensure trapping continues.

Anybody that would suggest on a public forum that trappers would intentionally trap illegally in their respective states is a poster child for how the antis wish to portray us. Low down poaching scum.

Not smart.

I'm a member of 5 trapping organizations NTA, FTA, NYSTA, Erie county and Cattaraugus county trappers
And I trap for fur. And put it all up

When your state association refuses to back you they can kiss my one brown eye. And yes the mta.

ABSOLUTELY!

ABSOLUTELY!

The human vs human game is one I enjoyed playing as a GW.

I really liked dealing with the ones that thought they were smarter than me.

I thought the warden never gets to meet the ones actually smarter than him.

You're likely a creature of habit....easy to catch....I'd just follow the empty RedMan pouches along the route that Tacoma goes.

I would imagine that rural Georgia is similar to rural Texas. GWs never catch the good ones around here without landowner help. We had a very good GW here for 30 years that retired and then became Sheriff. Completely respected within the community and died in office after serving 4 or 5 terms as Sheriff. He always worked alone except when he got in a storm, he'd call the State troopers or deputies. He treated everyone with respect, but was also a ball buster if you needed it. He went to church with us and his kids went to the same schools. Since he's been gone, we've had several of them come and go. Young, not from around these parts, and seem to have a chip on their shoulders; not polite. They also seem to run in pairs and start with accusations rather than being friendly.

With that said, because they can't get help from the landowners to gain access for launching boats in the river or just don't get combos to gates, they are forced to give the old lady without a fishing license a ticket or write some other chickencrap ticket to someone. They have to do this because their bosses are bringing the heat on how many tickets they write a month. The new ones don't care about the resource or the community; all they care about is writing tickets because the state wants revenue. Writing chickencrap tickets to locals brings bad blood and further complicates the relationship.

A few differences in Ga than what you've stated about Tx:

1) a good GW has landowner cooperation. GWs in Ga work for the landowners. Both are on the same team with same goals.
2) there is no GW ticket quota in Georgia.
3) Ga GWs focus on public safety and resource damaging violations. Other cited violations are simply for compliance.
4) all GW citations are adjudicated in county courts. State receives NONE of the fine money. It all goes to the county where citation was issued.

I used to take county wide age, weight, and antler data at deer processing facilities back in the day. GW informed me to let him know if there was a deer in there that violated antler restrictions. I never called him.

It was always good to know who a GW could depend on to cooperate in the community.

I learned real quick.

It was "word of mouth". Outlaws can't shut up!

For a lot of us it is just a hobby. In all reality that's what it is for me. Same as fishing, hunting etc. Now, that being said It's my first year, only caught a few animals and am still trying to get putting up the fur right. Spoiled a couple raccoons, got help with my otter etc.

Just depends on who it is if it's a hobby or not, right? Woodworking is a hobby for most people, as most don't do it professionally. There may be many reasons why that person is a woodworker, but if it's not a professional level that is the majority of ones income, I would say it's a hobby, whether or not it's also a way of life etc is another matter.

I know I could never do it for money. I've heard guys brag about about putting up a couple hundred raccoons and I mean, I couldn't imagine. but what's a raccoon even worth (honest question, greenhorn here) 10 or 20 bucks? Say that's 300 coons at 20$, so that's 6K before taxes. Here in Canada for a basic business like a sole proprietor business tax is 30% so kiss about 2K away, then factor in time, gas, maintenance, (I know, tax breaks but still) trap cost, baits, supplies etc the numbers just don't add up to make an argument for money. Staying up until all hours to get sore hands skinning coyotes or cats, I mean, I would say love it, cherish it, keep the tradition going but I don't think anyone is truly making any kind of a dime off of it, just surviving really. That being said, if they're happy to do that power to them, full send. I just think at the end of the day it's really just a hobby for most people.

Hmm, kind of rambled on there for awhile, hope that doesn't come across as condescending at all.

Carpenter

If you trap things more valuable than raccoons you can make money. Marten are the big one around here. They’re easy to trap in numbers (usually), and really fast and easy to put up, and they’re $50 on the low end

We don't have many marten around here, our big thing is cats. I think they're going for 2-300 CAD. something like that with I believe a limit of 5. I could see that being worth some money. Coyotes here are worthless since Canada goose stopped using their fur because of PETA, before that they were worth really good money. Otters are worth I think anywhere from 25-65 CAD I think.

For me personally with the cost of gas alone, It's an enjoyable hobby to pass down and if I can pay for my gear, gas, maintenance then I'll be a happy camper! I just can't see it being worth money at all as a profession, only as a passion and really fulfilling life most only dream about, right?

If a person is going to be self employed with a tax number and trap professionally it just doesn't have the ability to touch another profession I guess is all I'm saying, I run just about the smallest carpentry business you could imagine, and what I can clear in a month could squash a year of trapping for a fraction of the work of skinning & fleshing, which to me would mean it's a hobby to most everyone out there, which I don't think is a bad thing. If it weren't for hobbies many traditions would have gone the way of the dinosaur and with hobbyists combined with the professional trappers to learn from we'll have a great network and lobbying group to protect trapping for future generations.

You explained why the income defense of trapping is fading. I'm not sure it will survive as a hobby. Many of the related hobbies like fishing and hunting are big revenue generators for State government, Guiding and services, and Equipment manufacturers. Hobby trapping does not do this. When defending the other two activities these revenue generators are important reasons to allow them.

You are correct in most cases, put pencil and paper to most peoples' claims of income and the numbers are going to be laughable compared to what other options are available.

Reality sucks.

Correct ^^^^^^^

Hobby or recreational trapping has been fading away. It's been gone in the southern US for quite some time. Trapping has completed its shift to entirely ADC down here. And from what I see, its shifting in the Midwest and most of the NE US too.

I don't trap or bother skinning out for fur anymore. I never learned to finish and get good at putin fur up. I'm very limited on time and not spending 35 mins fleshing out a $2 coon have one look hood then the next fur falls out of.. It's not worth my time messing with at this time even though it's a skill I really want to learn. I skinned and froze everything for years throwing it out from time to time with the idea I would find some to pay that would put it up for me and maybe take the time to teach the boys how to do it right. I thought with low fur price complaining guys would Like geting paid more to flesh and board alone than selling their finished catch. Well I gave up finding anyone to pay.

So now I trap to reduce predators and keep population healthy and toss them in the ditch. We'll except beaver that's I skin and eat.

I have a fantasy someday I will not only put up fur but tan and make things out of it. But I also have the same unlikely fantasy of finding and cuting my own wood for bow and arrows and finishing them and successfully hunting with it. If I'm honest with myself neither is likely to happen for over a decade at least and probably never at all. So off th the dead pit they go. Sure was nice when I could get a few bucks green or even in the round and 100 on live coyote i didn't feel like i was wasting it then. Buyers don't even want them now a lot of time on coon anyway unless thing change the last few years.

Our small line is limited to our farm and friends that want predators gone. don't take big #s under 10 k9 3 fox 30 coon 10 beaver, opossum#? and a mink, few skunks and bobcat would be typical slightly on the high side for the 200 acres max on 2 tracks we trap on. Then 5 to 10 ground hogs and another several opossum and coon nuisance on the farm after season.

Edit Swamp the best Game wardens are/were also the the best poachers. Sure are some that give the rest a bad name though. Young girl 18 maybe? shot a nice buck with her bow wardens thought her dad or brother shot it and she tagged it. well he couldn't prove it( because she shot it) but he keep digging. Found out she didn't have the right tag. It was her first time buying her tags herself instead of dad doing it for her on line and checked the wrong box. Honest mistak and easy to see time sdates on buying the wrong tag. instead of understanding and cutting her a break he took her deer and gave her a ticket. Heck ok give her a ticked but let her keep her deer. But no Barney took her deer. I think her first bow kill buck and a very nice buck.

Results youn girl got rid of her equipment and will.never hunt again. Congratulations Game wardens mission accomplished.