How about methods? Do real trappers have to know how to snare, cage trap, foot trap, and kill trap as needed for the particular critter they are trying to catch?

There was a time when trappers never told anyone how much fur they were catching or how many traps they had out. They were all considered trappers.

Oh yeah, those folks catch a mess of mice sometimes. I had some in my office once. They messed with the wrong building. Lol

Real trapper,,,,, roll in diry
Then they say,,, Imn set here and connect ….

If I can do it is a cage,,,, you suck if you can’t…

So if u catch a mouse ur a trapper? Or maybe if u have ever just set a mouse trap ur a trapper?
Is the forever inclusion thing an off spring of the everyone gets an award movement.

Oh no, Keith, you couldn't be more wrong. I was just joking with you about being has-been. There are two specific people here that get under my skin, both of whom are old enough to know better. The people I was replying to know what I am referencing.

Our older trappers on here are are by far my favorites! They have a wealth of experience to share and I absolutely love talking to them. People like you, cotton, Newt, white17, Bob Jameson, the Boss, ( and many others I am sure I am forgetting) are who I consider the real trappers. Although there are also a few younger ones who would meet that criteria as well.

What I am referencing is a couple of people that want to give grief to people that have probably caught more in a season than they have in their lives. For the most part, the older "has beens" on this forum are what make this place so wonderful. You may think I "have a problem" with them, but you're wrong. I'm sticking up for them.

We are almost to the point of saying u can be anything u want without there being any validation of it. The woke movement has snuck up on some people without them knowing it

Good point Yes Sir.

I suppose you would need to be a successful mouse trapper. But, what determines success?

I set some last fall, first check I caught 6 out of 8 traps on a two day check. Then nothing for three weeks.

I would say I caught them, but did I catch all of them? Like the 90/10 rule or whatever it is. Most trappers can catch the 90% but the great trappers also catch the remaining 10%.

And as far as totals, if I only had one mouse and I catch that one mouse, what does that mean? I caught the one mouse! Interesting.

Maybe it’s all subjective, and a trapper is defined by a person who traps. Or attempts to learn as much as they can about the animals they target and perfect or attempt to perfect their methods.

I don't think that just setting traps makes someone a trapper. There has to be some catching involved.

….. if you ain’t killed a wildcat with a whiskey bottle you ain’t no trapper

This subject got me thinking about an experience I had with my CPL instructor. He was a wannabe canine trapper and ask me to show him one of my “good” sets so I showed him my version of the Miranda double-dirt hole set using one of his traps. I got to placing the trap and he stopped me. He said “stop, you don’t need to go any further, I can see you don’t know chit about how to trap coyotes because you didn’t have the dog facing the right direction as Mark June does.” He was serious and I was too as I got in my truck and left. True story!

I would agree with that, but just like your example earlier. Someone who catches a zero marten over two weeks might be a trapper or at the the minimum a brand new trapper as long as they are learning, but they wouldn’t be the same level as someone who has caught a load of marten over decades of trapping.

…. lol I get a kick out of where to point the dog…..dang coyote come in from all different directions half the time

What's it really matter. I dont go around calling myself "A trapper", I do trap animals. If someone wants to call me a trapper that's fine, if they dont think im a trapper that's fine too. Society today has moved to a point where too many people need the validation of others to have any self-esteem, you can see it happening in some of the posts on this site.

If you ain't trapped Martian wildebeest on Mars with a Bridger double laminated bigfoot trap you ain't no trapper

…. What’s validation mean? … isn’t that when someone graduates at the top of the class or something like that

…. Taking it a little far there cowboy lol

… got to be careful… yessirs’ in here

Sometimes it takes some experience to recognize experience. Makes marketing much easier, whether it's product or personality.

Must mean something like validating a credit card

I always thought they were called...... oh never mind