I've found out how much I use these season journals for references on when I caught what and where so I decided to make one that I'll use year around for my trapping. From prep, to scouting, to the trapping season. A link to my last couple seasons is below

https://trapperman.com/forum/ubbthr...ts-trapping-journal-12-14-25#Post8541737

But now that the season is over, and its time to get ready for the next season. It was a record year for cat prices which is great, but also means the "fair weather" trappers will be out. Now I'm all for more trappers, but "fair weather" trappers are a different breed. Typically they set next to you, steal traps, steal fur, and worse of all, trap where they shouldn't. These locations typically are next to roads, near hiking trails, and other areas that are easy to get to. The kind of areas that people eating granola bars like to hang out. So the game warden will be busy and hopefully none of these "fair weather" trappers make it on the news.

But back to what I mentioned at the beginning. Record high cat prices got me already pumped for next season. Event though there is a 99.9% chance price will drop back down to where they typically are, I cant help but have hope. I did a little experiment with the few cats I caught. I caught an average sized Tom, with a good belly and put it on a Top Lot stretcher. I then caught a slightly smaller female, with a very similar belly and put it on a home made stretcher with a design I've been tinkering with the last few seasons. I ended up getting about 20% more for the female (I did perform a sex change on her). My two highest cats were both put on my homemade stretch, but one was by far my best cat of the season. So I decided its time to make more of these stretchers.


I made the top a little more rounded than typical to follow the natural shape of the cats head, but not so rounded that I lose inches. I also tapered it at the neck since that the biggest pain about get a cat on the stretcher. At the shoulders I made the stretcher so it goes more vertical than normal to avoid that A-frame shape that makes cats look weird and narrow on the upper part of the white on the belly. I noticed with this design im able to make the white on the belly wider. On this stretcher a 36" cat is 9" wide at the belly and a 40" will go 11" wide. I also used cedar because its less likely to warp and twist when the pelt dries and shrinks.

Im not saying this is the best at all. Just showing what I've learned and my thinking behind it.

Looks like your planning pays off. Im not a cat trapper but enjoy following your threads. I also make many of my own stretchers.
Attention to detail in such high value pelts can turn penny's into dollars (nickels now lol). Nice job and explanation