When I think of trapping machines:
I'm not sure what his annual catch totals were but Dave Plueger from Eastern Iowa had a system down for river trapping that averaged a 50% catch rate using pocket sets with footholds. I had the pleasure of meeting him a few times- he meets the criteria of a humble, unassuming guy that piles up a ton coon every year. I remember when he did a demo at the WTA in Marshfield Wisconsin, a couple people that liked to hear their own voice interjected thoughts and second guessed a few of his sets/methods, he fielded those questions that with the highest level of humility. He's perfected his methods for 40 years- sometimes you're better off listening rather than talking.

mink 99,
See the above comment about 6 figure incomes. In answer to your question, yes.

40 years ago I figured out that I could make a lot more money catching than I could skinning, and some people on here still apparently haven't figured that out.

I want to see the system that produces that number of coon. I would like to know if it's similar to what I did, just at a bigger scale or if there are efficiency aspects to it that I never figured out. Very intriguing to me. I know the competition and the habitat are big factors but there seems like there must be more to it than that. I'm in awe.

Blackie from Ohio perfected the river trapping system also. Great trappers have a way of doing that.

5300 coon, 900+ mink and 3000 grinners, skunks and muskrats. In one season. That’s a lot of critters.

Look at the bright side. It’s all hearsay. .

I can't say. It's beyond anything I can comprehend. I was just showing the math. I can't say that I would agree on late season being a slow down in coon hearvet in IA, there's to many factors some of my largest catches have been in January Iowa while mink trapping. One winter just shy of 400 incidental coon while mink trapping. Southern IA can have some pretty open January's.

And the harder they work the luckier they get

One thing about it, there probably not on the internet bickering about it, like the rest of us.

What in the actual? I thought I might have been decent catching 600 in a season! What a loser I am! lol.

Watch Next Gen Trapper on youtube, he'll show yas how it's done.

You had to drag it back up lol.

Larry something…
If I remember correctly he is out of Council Bluffs.

Not Larry.

1000 in a week = 140 plus per day 50 percent catch would be 280 traps 10 hours setting would be 28 sets per hour basically one every two minutes plus after the first day removing 140 coon in the morning all I can say is that's a lot of numbers. Ten hours because you've got critter's to take care of gas food water sleep after the first couple days.

Nope.

140 coon is 2000 lbs of coon your packing around.

Larry Lidgett ( The coon combine) has not been active since NAFA went under.

Who?

I won't mention the 52 otters and over 200 beavers Mike and his compadre caught here in NC in a two week period. I just won't bring it up - lol.

Friend at work is from Iowa. When he and I used to talk about his trapping he said he skinned them out on the spot and rolled hides up in bags. Hung them from a rope in a tree only takes a few minutes probably not even that if your doing a lot of them. Could be doing similar.

Also river trapping probably using a boat so not packing many very far.