How many of you get traps stolen and how often? I've had one stolen so far. I guess whoever took it needed it more than I did.

Its been awhile. Really chaps my hide

Usually I lose something every other season. Most common is beaver traps. Easy to track you in snow, and your tracks gotta go close to the sets. I lost 6 coyote traps five years ago…..someone in a side by side followed my quad tracks in the snow, and used a winch to pull the cable stakes.

I haven't in several years, but you have to expect it when you run the R.O.W. I try to allow myself to be mad until the next stop, then let it go.

Obviously I’m still newer and that hasn’t happened to me yet but I was harassed in my early days of water trapping by the neighbor of the property owner. He must have been watching and waiting for me and he wanted to know wh I was bothering the beaver and that I should just leave them be. And he told me to stay off his property and I assured him I was well aware of the property lines and that if he stopped me again I would report him.

A lot depends on where and how you're trapping. Lost a couple a few years ago that were set on Corps land. Lost more than a couple when I was trapping the ROW in Iowa. Never lost any on private land that I recall.

Been many years. The thing is I set traps in the same place now days and knock on wood I haven't lost any.

Very few thru almost 50 years doing this... did have a state troopers brother steal a few dozen off a picnic table in my backyard... didn't get my traps back but got reimbursed retail value, computed on a single trap price X total # of traps.

Article I wrote on it - Stolen Traps

I hate stolen traps and I hate stolen catches even more than I hate stolen traps. It is my sincere wish that trap thieves end up in the deepest, darkest, warmest level of Hades. Now that being said, there are times when a stolen trap has provided a much better scenario than a catch. And there are always ways to cut down on theft as well.

Now you’re probably saying. “Mike how is a stolen trap or stolen catch be better than a catch?” Well just keep reading and I’ll help fill in the blanks for you. First however we need to turn back the hands of time to my childhood. Pop and Dad hated trap thieves, as much as any trapper that ever walked that corner of SE Pennsylvania. They instilled in me that touching a man’s traps or sets was akin to breaking into his home and stealing his wallet, it simply was not done.

As an example, Dad and I were checking set in Darlington one Saturday morning, and we stopped at a small crick. (This is unusual as Dad rarely trapped for raccoons.) We got out of the truck and slipped into the creek and walked upstream. Just a few feet upstream from the small bridge, I was excited to see a very nice coon held in a trap waiting. After seeing it Dad took a few more small steps then turned and headed back to the truck.

“What about the coon?” I asked. He told me it wasn’t in his set, as his set was around the bend of the stream. (This was to prevent it from being seen from the road easily.) And since it wasn’t his coon, he would not shoot it. “The Golden Rule’ he quipped, I do unto others sets and catches as I hope they will do to mine. With a wry grin he added “To bad it doesn’t always work the other way.”

Pop on the other hand, had a different mindset regarding other catches and sets. You see Pop knew most all of the other coon trappers in the area by first and last name, and could tell you their skills if you asked. Now Pop would never steal anyone’s catches or traps, but if he came across a raccoon that was toe caught or otherwise looked likely to escape he would shoot with his pistol. (And many of the other trappers would shoot his coons in return.) His rule was “If I shoot it and it stays there for 3 days then I’ll pick it up.” (He never had to pick one up). My old partner Arnold once said “I never worried about my catch with the Old Man running around. I figured if he got there first, he’d just kill it for me so it wouldn’t get away.”

And as for others sets in the same area Pop was in, he would just set the approach or departure paths with his own sets and catch the animals before they got to other sets. “I’ve been on these creeks since before most of these fellas were born, and there’s no way I’m going to let them beat me out of my fair share of the catch” Pop would always say.
.
I could fill a few lengthy articles just on the traps and catches I’ve had stolen, but will instead focus more on stolen traps and animals that turned out to be better lessons than the mere catch would have been, then I’ll finish with ways to avoid losing traps and catches.

The only example I can think of from my youth is a red fox Dad caught at George Wilson’s farm. It was right after a big snow storm. Dad had walked allover the farm remaking his sets. As he walked back to the back fence line to remake his sets, he saw a dirty scar on the otherwise pristine landscape. The dirty catch circle reeked of fox, but it was the boot prints, and pool of blood off to one side that caught Dad’s attention. Now not having observed any boot prints on his way out to the fence line Dad followed the boot tracks and spots of blood to the fence. The tracks went over the fence and stopped at a set of snowmobile tracks, in the field beyond. Unfortunately the fields beyond the fence were owned by a different farmer that did not allow trapping, so Dad could not follow the tracks any farther.

Disgusted and just a bit po’ed Dad remade his sets and walked back to the truck. As he neared the truck Mr. Wilson hollered out of the barn to Dad “Ya have any luck today Charlie?” Dad explained the fox, the bloody circle and the boot tracks and snowmobile trail. Mr. Wilson bristled as Dad told his story. “Charlie, let me make a call or two. I think I’ll be able to get your fox back for you” Mr. Wilson said. Dad just shook his hand and went home never expecting to see the fox again.

Much to Dad’s his surprise about and hour later, a very shame faced teenage boy was handing him the dead fox and apologizing to my Dad for stealing it! Now knowing my Father he did not yell or otherwise talk harshly, but his hard steely gaze would have produced some well deserved fear in the young miscreant.

Sometimes letting the landowner know you what you had stolen and when it was stolen can sure pay off. Good Ole Mr. Wilson!

The other example I can think of happened to my daughter Teagan and I just a few years ago. We had out a very short line due to very short funds for gas and other recreation. She and I had managed to scrimp together enough to run a line over Thanksgiving. We set out the line on Thanksgiving Day, making just about 12 sets, and hoping for the best.

The next morning we got a late start as we both were on vacation. At our first stop, we looked over the edge of the bridge and saw a very torn up area. We looked at each other and smiled, as a big torn up area usually indicates a raccoon catch. I went down and started looking for the coon. I looked high and low, underneath the cut bank, in the wild rose bush; anywhere I thought the coon could hide. But I found no coon, so I retraced my steps back to the set. I ran my boot through the murky water till it caught on my trapping wire. I picked up the wire and ran my hand along it till it came to rest on a part of the bank that was not torn up. The end was lying among the brown grasses invisible to the naked eye, and as I looked I could see a few blood drops on the grass near the end of the wire. I held the end of the wire up to see if it was broken, it wasn’t, it had been cut cleanly, the bright steel of the wire shining in the cold autumn air. I said some rather rude things about the trapper who had relived me of my catch and trap. (I know it as a trapper, because he had wire cutters, and had tried to wash the blood off the bank, and most thieves don’t carry a pair of wire cutters.)

Teagan was a bit upset, as we had not had many catches that season, and she was after all she as only 8 years old. I explained that sometimes catches and traps get stolen and it is part of the game.

As we neared the end of the line we looked over a bridge and saw a coon below in a trap. Teagan was excited till I pointed out that our trap was still set. I showed her that trap the raccoon was in was a different make and model than the one we use. She was upset “Does this mean we won’t get anything?” she asked with teary eyes. “Now, now baby, we don’t want anyone taking our catches or traps so we can’t do it to anyone else right?” I asked her. “Well of course Daddy” she replied. “Besides we got 1 more set to check today, and maybe luck will shine on us yet” I said to her with a wink.

As we arrived at the last set I said a small prayer to please have something, so Teagan would not be to disappointed. I sent her to look and stayed in the truck. She started hopping up and down and waving her arms. “Daddy, Daddy we got a mink!” she squealed with glee. I hopped out and ran over and sure enough we had caught a small female mink, but to her it was as good as catching 10 coons (as I am no great mink trapper). I went and collected the mink, and Teagan held the mink in her lap all the way home gently stroking the silky chocolate fur. She learned that sometimes you lose and sometimes you win, but the most important thing is how you play the game.

Now I am going to discuss how to avoid getting your catches and traps stolen, buy the average passerby, and hunter. There is no foolproof way to avoid another trapper from finding your set or catch. This is because they will be versed in how to avoid losing catches and traps as well or better than you are yourself. You just have to count on the fact that 95% of trapper would not disturb another trapper catches or sets.

The pool of blood was just glazing over when I got to the catch circle. The circle reeked of late season red fox, and I could see the thick lug soled boot prints inside or the circle. A few choice words filled the late winter air, and “shuckins’ wasn’t one of them. If my dander was already up it just increased as I looked toward my other set and saw an almost identical circle and pool of slowly coagulating blood.

My Partner and I had lost more fox and traps that season to theft than you would believe if I told you; and we decided we need a change of tactics. Normally we ran fox traps just after first light, but this year we seemed to be arriving late for the party a lot of times and out catches were stolen. We were also having traps just flat out stolen, no catch circle just an empty bed and a hollow stake hole staring back at us.

One Saturday after having lost 2 foxes and an extra trap, we sat and asked ourselves why we were losing so many animal and traps this year. Like many other trappers we used a lot of dirtholes, you know big, wide, easy to spot dirt patterns. Well those big old patterns really got the foxes attention, but also the attention of every Tom, Dick and Harry out dippty bopping along as well. The second thing we discussed is how we were checking sets after sunrise, and how a nice red fox doing the trap dance gets any outdoorsman’s blood flowing.

So we decided to make a few changes to our sets and checking habits. The first thing we did is to stop making large patterned sets on anything but private ground. All sets even dirtholes were blended in as well as the terrain allowed. I made a few sets that were so blended I forgot where they were; till I saw a fox dancing in the trap.

The major change we made was to buy headlamps and start checking all out public land fox set in the dark. I hate trapping in the dark1 I really do, it is harder to read the terrain, make sets etc. I do have to say if you want to run sets in the dark, buy a headlamp, it will more than pay for itself the 1st season. They let you keep both hands free to make sets, dispatch animals, and fight your way through the brush. They are much brighter than a hand held, and do not run out of batteries at the wrong time. (I have horror stories about bad flashlights at inopportune time.)

So our new invisible sets cut the trap theft on sets to almost zero, as they can’t steal hat they can’t see. And checking at night cut the loss of stolen animals by 75% or so, though it increased the amount of trapped fingers drastically.

All in all stolen traps and animals will still make trappers madder than hornet when it happens, but by taking certain precautions you can cut down on the amount of theft. And, on the rare occasion even learn something from losing a trap or an animal.

Lost 2 recently, probably half a dozen over the years. But when you trap public land you try to be low key as possible and hope for the best.

Had 3 stolen off my own property 2 years ago. Have had several water traps stolen. Have also had catches stolen out of land and water sets. All on private property.

Not many folks out there some days when I’m trapping in the winter months some days I see the mail man some days I don’t see him. LOL The colder it gets the less people move around if they don’t need to.

I do private and folks know me so I don’t have theft issues probably more jackwagons shooting stuff in my traps tourists mostly. Some intentionally some by accident.

Had several stolen over the years. Actually got a few back from the game warden one time. Not much you can do but report it and move on. Don't let it get you down.

Used to get worked up about it, especially when I had a wolf trap stolen. Haven't had it happen in several years. Maybe I have learned to be more discreet

Gotta be careful about getting too worked up about it in case you catch the ..... red handed and don't want to end up in deep crap!

Either they got stolen....or I forgot to cable them off...lmao

Have not had any stolen but I trap on land I own and if one does get stolen somebody is going to regret it if I figure out who

I only trap my farm and for friends these days. I had one ran over at a friend's by guy there cuting fire wood. Same guy dropped an ash that fell on one of my 220s but didn't damage it.


When I used to trap ditches and creaks from the road I lost some traps and some catches. Sometimes they took the trap and catch but once I had them take the catch but leave the trap. Had a catch circle and blood .22 hole in the mud at the blood. Trap off to the side.

Lost more traps to tractors and trucks. Lost a few to learning as well. Not tieing them or staking them off properly.

I hope if I loose any on my farm I never catch them in the act.

It’s not fun, but it’s the cost of doing business. Just like stores and shoplifters. They all need jail time.

Never