First traps were gopher traps my intro to trapping and everything went on from there.

No one in my family trapped, but when the muskrats got so thick in the little creek in town that they were stealing from my uncles garden, he bought me a few small traps to catch them at the local western auto.

Grandfather was not a trapper but a heck of a woodsman in the north country after seeing cat tracks by our deer camp he nailed a piece of plywood to a tree about 2 foot square baited a 330 with hamburger and caught a cat. That cat stuck in my head he gave it to my Dad it was the coolest critter I’d ever seen.

Before the Captain Obvious crowd starts up this was before the 330 on land regs over 60 years ago. Never set a 330 on dry land unless it’s allowed and safe like in Alaska or wilderness areas!

Victor 1.5 SLS for Christmas when I was 10 years old. got 3 of em

my first traps were a no.1 long spring and no.11/2 long spring my mom bought at an at auction in a bucket of junk.
Our first furs caught in them was a muskrat, which we didnt know what it was at the time and a possum. That was back in 1970. Haven't missed a season since.

Conibear , for muskrats way too long ago.

Victor #2 longsprings. Caught a lot of coon with those traps I still have them.

Made a wooden box live trap when I was 8 or 9. I would trap squirrels and rabbits and let them go just to see if I could catch them again. Would put a splash of paint on them as a marker. Just liked seeing the door down on the trap. Then my dad gave me a 1-1/2 long spring that had been hanging in the garage for several years. That lit the fire which has never gone out.

My first real traps (aside from the rusty relics out in the garage) were Victor 1.5 longsprings I bought at Jim's Sports Haven in Waukesha, WI. some time around 1967. I had decided I was going to be a Fox Trapper and came home with 6 of them, proud as could be with visions of the side of our garage covered with pelts running through my head. I was in such a hurry to get out trapping I did not take the time to boil or even dye the traps.

The area I trapped had a fair amount of Reds but was about 2 miles back in the woods. I was very persistent, checking my sets for about 2 weeks but got nothing. I finally figured I would give it up for a while and pulled my traps. I always figured I would head back out again soon so I buried them next to a fencepost. I never did get back out after Fox, as a water line had gotten my interest and energy. Either they are still buried by the fencepost, or I am hoping some youngster came upon them and is using them now.

Moosetrot

Bought 4 dozen victor pinch pan 1 1/2 coilspring traps from Bruce Gould a fur dealer here in Maine

My first traps were rabbit gums made from barn wood. We got a dollar per rabbit. I shot a grey fox coming out of the wood patch across from our house. This would have been 1979 or 80. I got $45-50 for it. I found a couple of dad’s traps on the back porch and have no idea of the maker but they were single long springs. I set 3 of them across the road where I killed the grey. Used bacon grease rubbed into the bark of a black oak. I caught another grey fox on the 2nd. I took some of the money from the 2 fox and bought 6 120 victors. I used them to catch enough muskrats and mink to but a used Honda 3-wheeler and a dozen 110’s. I trapped for the next 4-5 years until I met a cheerleader who is now my wife.

My dad bought me three 1 1/2 victor longsprings at Yeager's sporting goods store in Bellingham Washington in about 1968. That was an awesome store in it's day; bins full of every kind of Newhouse trap made plus all the others, they also had a few hundred dusty antique Winchester rifles on the walls.
The store pretty much sucks now.

I am 37. I remember growing up and going to visit my uncle in his one bedroom apartment. He only had a bed, gun cabinet, a tv, small table and chair, a pile or powerlifting trophies, and a full body gray fox mount. I would pet that thing for hours and loved the feel of the fur. I knew he had trapped it. I spent most of my childhood fishing and hunting with my uncle. It wasn’t until after I left for college my freshman year that it dawned on me that I wanted to learn about trapping. I asked my uncle if he would take me and show me how and where to set traps. He got all excited and the passion came out of him. That fall we pulled some of his traps out, prepped them, and he set a few fox sets. He had me set one. The next morning I caught a big fat coon in the one I set. That was thanksgiving morning. We were late to dinner cause it took me all day to skin it. Loved every minute and fell in love with it. I immediately bought an Oneida Victor starter kit. First thing I caught on my own was a muskrat in a little rat crossover trail in the snow. It was still alive and was a feisty little guy. Been buying traps every chance my wife isn’t looking since.

Old victor 1’s and 1.5 s and a few stop loss traps

A dozen Duke 120’s. Bought them online from PCS Outdoors in 2011.

Caught a good variety of animals with them for the first 2 years, then I started buying footholds and Belisle’s.

My very first trap was a Victor #0 sls. My dad got it for me for my 6th birthday. Two months later he bought me a Victor #2 round jaw coil. Both traps came from Theisens farm store in Anamosa Iowa. I still have both of those traps better than 30 years later.

Miy first traps were the #1 Victor long spring My bud Jeff and me picked up four of them at a flea market. The man selling them said they were deer traps. Well, my buddy, Jeff ,found out we could catch some muskrat, coon and mink and sell that fur. Well I caught some rats, possum, coon and I added that money to my yard mowing gig for extra money. Added the money from the fur and purchased a dozen New , #1 Victor Stoploss Traps. Back then then MY green Rats I sold to the local buyer for 6.00, 25.00 Mink and 25.00 Coon. Also caught a few grey. fox at 25.00 to 30. All trapped with a #1 long spring trap .Later on I purchased a dozen 1-1/2 Victor Coils and caught a few Red Foxes and more coon while setting on land.....Good times back then!

My first two traps were 1 1/2s that were loose in and by a creek for at least 3 years. They got caught in my seine when I was catching minnows. I left them on the bank. I figured after 3 years no one was coming back for them. Both had bones in them. I suspect who ever originally set them, didn't anchor them. I used one to catch the first coon I ever caught, under our front porch.

Keith

My first traps were a dozen used Victor #3 rubber jaws cs traps bought at the WTA Fall Convention back in 2001. Bought out of necessity, to save the lambs from the coyotes.

Back in 1952 i was 6 years old and raising rabbits. Well there was norway rats around and got in my homemade cages and killed young rabbits. Dont know how or why i needed foot hold traps but rode my bike to town to a sporting goods store. I decided on two number one victor longsprings. 50 cents each !
Biked back home and set traps next to rabbit cage. Next morning mother woke me up saying something is screaming out back by my rabbits ! I ran out and there in one of my traps was a huge male norway rat caught by the testicles. No wonder it was screaming. Male norway rats have huge testicles and he must have stepped over trap and when he dragged his testicles over trap pan it went off.
This started my trapping career and next animal i caught was a skunk which was a long story and experience. If anyone sees me ask about it