Will we be our own demise?

I said this in my last video, and alot of what I'm seeing here supports it. Whether we want to believe it or not, our sport is dying, we have more people leaving the world/the trapping community,, then we do youth getting involved. It's the truth. We are constantly being attached by antis, and they are gaining ground, we really need to support each other and the art of trapping before it's to late, me and LLL battle made that more clear then ever. Numbers, experience, years trapping don't matter, but we need more people out there trapping. There's obviously doubt now in our community of my experience as a trapper, but I will say no matter what, I will sacrifice whatever kind of line I have going to take a kid trapping, if you followed me you witnessed that last year. And I will gladly do it again. Stick together fellas before it's to late..I believe that day is closer then most think.

As long as there are critters there will be trappers just how you will get paid will be different in the future. IMO

I have thought of some of those items. Main thing we need is a market and prices.

trapping , hunting and, yes, even fishing is dying....it's an electronic, instant gratification world now

I disagree, trapping is changing but there will always be a need. The fur market as is was is probably gone but ADC has moved to the big city as NWCO work and broadened into all species, to include exotics and invasive, not just furbearers. As rural land gets tied up in leases trappers are hiring on as predator control and/or other sportsmen AND WOMEN are taking up the steel as they take up all aspects of game management.

some of that is true..... but, like any skilled trade, it takes at least 5 years to be there. .that's then hard part

If trapping paid the bills it wouldn’t be dying. Kids got plenty of other hobbies and sports to chose. Money making opportunity for kids are more limited.

Know anybody who bird hunts for food? Me neither.

Why yes I do. Mostly pigeons, lots of starlings and geese, some gulls. Lots of bird work in the NWCO side of things.
Not exactly the sporting side over pointers but I know quite a few that get in quite a bit of shooting, air rifles mostly.

Fossil fuels propelled man into the greatest movement out of poverty in the history of mankind. Doesn’t mean that we are finished we just need to get more involved. I never give up

If you look back to just last year what happened when the idea of people not being able to get the basic things they wanted/needed. All of a sudden people are canning, baking breads, growing gardens and asking about hunting and fishing. 7 million new gun buyers so start seeing what can see and question everything you hear on the MSM. A hack reporter standing in front of a burning building saying peaceful protesters would be my example.

The anti's are slowly picking away at our sport. They haven't been able to outlaw it outright but bit by bit making it more difficult to follow the rules. At this rate it will be so impractical to even try to trap an animal legally that many will just give up all together and that's what they are hoping for. What's worst is that we have trappers who are willing to give away our ability to trap out of state just because they done't want competition. Here in MN we don't allow out of state trappers so in response other states won't allow us to trap in their state. To me this is stupid as we have just surrendered so much to the anti's and with the way things are going, we will never be able to change it back. Give them an inch and it will take us a mile to get it back.

While that of course would help, why is it a necessity? What is the market and prices of hauling in a big bass, or shooting a couple pheasants? When I think back to when I was a kid, I hunted, fished and trapped everything, but the thing that kept me awake at nights and woke me up before dawn sure was never a deer or a bass.... it was a coon or a fox.

As the years went by, I hunted less and less and trapped more and more. I think some people are born hunters, and others are born trappers. The born hunters trap when prices are up, but the born trappers cannot sit out more than a season.

I had 14 kids signed up for my 4H class last year and another 15-20 that either came with my students or just stopped by for a class or two. Maybe we are not offering enough of what is needed when the need is out there.

A fat, soft and lazee society will be the demise not I.

Depends on where you are looking.

Thank you for helping me identify myself. I am a born trapper who loves to hunt but trapping always comes first.
Example: I caught, scraped, and boarded 130 coons this year which I sold for a whooping $2 a piece. I know it’s foolish, it’s plan stupidity. But I just can’t seem to NOT do it.

Just my thought but I think keeping trapping alive for kids sake is a very good thing. But as far as kids keeping the populations down while working for free is not feasible. I missed the following thread until now but somehow seems to me it has merit in todays world. But still not as practical as a free market !

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Yes!!

No interest for many when coon sell for 2-3$. it is a money losing venture at that point

Bring back the 70s and 80s fur market boom with fox at 1980 prices and see how many new trappers we have

I hear this all the time and then see tag sales are up, hunting leases in high demand, whitetail properties co. selling top end farms for $500K+ for deer hunting, public land parking lots full

Trapping seems like it might be the first to go though

Its basic economics. We need more people to wear fur. We would be wise to market to urban liberals the green and renewable, sustainable aspect of wearing fur. This is especially true for Canadian cities and northern tier US cities.

Im 36. The more I see the changing political landscape, I think us and our kids may be the last generation of hunter/trappers. Might be some pest control type around.

The difference between fishing/hunting and trapping is you can't just go out and trap for two hours randomly when you want. Takes two days minimum. People that love to trap will do it. People on the fringe need cash incentive.

Many of our youth, not all, are lazy, spoon fed individuals with too many other entertainments that are less challenging and don't require much effort or venturing outdoors

. Many kids I have seen act out and seem interested for a short while but are only that way for a limited time. Those that truly find interest or a glimmer of interest may go on to learn and participate to some degree. If the parent or guardian of the child doesn't want to take the time to involve the child it most likely won't work out for the kid. Not to mention the monetary expense of buying equipment etc.

For some kids it is too early to get up, too cold out, I want to go hang out with friends today or go to my room and play on my phone etc. Their interest is mainly fueled by smart phone stimuli addiction and living in an entertainment fantasy world. Trapping is loosing many young people due to societal influences, media and teaching practices.

All the entitlements given away and the lack of motivation of the younger generation is what is killing our sport and other outdoor activities.

I work with as many young folks as I can yearly and encourage those at our hosted trapping schools to come with me on the line. Some jump at the opportunity and many times it means a tagging along parent. That can be a bad idea due to the adults distracting the student just as a result of their presence. I prefer a one on one or to take two at a time if that works out.

The drifting away from many of the outdoor sports has been coming for many years. However the technological age has been the largest negative influence in my opinion. We all need to contribute to this effort and not focus so much on our own personal goals and our own self serving interests. We all need to make an individual effort to give back or it will or may be too late now.

Yep

if you have mice in your house or garage are you going to quit trapping them if know buddy wants them for bait took 2 batchs of grand kids fishing last week 2 seperate times they had a great time maybe kids just need a chance to go

Got to remember too that lot of kids can't just run down to the near by creek, check couple traps before school. Unless their trapping pigeons in central park.. I'm sure that is not legal..Even a 16 year old if they have a car probably got drive few miles to get to where can set a trap. If someone will let them on their property to do that..
Were I grew up is all built over now and is an industrial park. Shoot there now like we did when was kid you hit a building.. Farm where I caught my first red fox has a large branch clinic with a parking ramp in that spot. The big oak tree on edge of hay field I shot a fork buck from with my first compound bow. Is now in the back yard of someone large home. What used to be a creek 1/2 mile from me now where I know some kids used to catch a few rats 40 years ago. It's now big concrete flood control channel. See few rats in there but their just lost trying find place to go up stream..
Every time another person moves to their homestead 40 acres in the wild. It changes that area for someone else who's wild 200 acres it used to be.
So anyway we all complain about how things used to be and there is no going back. We can't stop the changes and I doubt I will see the total demise of things in rest of my life time.
Way I see it the human race is the parasite on the planet. Unless something comes along and zero's population growth. Bathes the planet in some cleaning insecticide. The human parasite like most parasite will usually, eventually kill the host.

Won't matter what party in in power or what the price of fur is.

Mac

Kids will have great knowledge of everything outdoors but fear going outside in the future.

I for one don't want another fur boom. The so called trappers came out of the woodwork and ethics were thrown out the window. Most of the new regulations were because of this. It also brought the thieves out in force. Be careful what you wish for as you may well get it.

Yes

This has been said about every current generation by the previous generation for generations......

If you live in California, trapping is extinct. If you live in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Washington, New Jersey, New Mexico, etc. it is now half extinct. It’s on its way out. Trap mfg companies and supply dealers will lose customers the more ground we lose and will have no incentive to manufacture and sell since profit will decrease. Possibly ADC will exist but where will they get their supplies?

Bob pretty well nailed it. Another factor I harp on is that Facebook and YouTube has changed what kids think trapping really is and should be about. It’s purely a “ look at me, I did something real” reward and then they’re done with trapping. Again, most not all. We’ve tried to get kids started here in Kentucky for going on 20 years and very, very few stay with it. I’ve seen some poor stuff out of them before they quit. Don’t know what the answer is or if there is one. I surely don’t want trapping to become something altogether different than what it is. If you want a shock look up some of these kids with trapping as their supposed purpose with a million views on YouTube that are terrible. Other kids emulate this outlandish behavior. They reach more than we do.

It’s always been that 12 people try it and maybe only 1-2 stick with it at least you educated the other 10 or 11 about trapping. It’s the old I took karate lessons guy that really signed up for 10 lessons and went three times but he’s still talking positive about it. Every time you help someone out with trapping your presenting it in a better light then before to them.

Trapping as with many industries or enterprises has been evolving for centuries and will continue to do so, as have retail, to big box stores and virtual shopping, restaurant chains, large scale farming, airline mergers, convenience store franchises and on and on. We are already seeing the rapid increase in franchised ADC firms that hirer, train and license trappers. Not unlikely that those trends will increase, especially during poor market cycles, many animals, more suburban expansion into more open environments and those firms having more sway with local and state agencies and politicians as formally trained and administered. After all we have had government trappers for many decades already. Also a lot of damage or interaction with human activities happens during the time period when seasons are off and values are at their lowest point.

I don't think we have to worry too much about falling on our own sword as a community of trappers. Trappers have never really acted in a strong unified voice and over time as we become even a much smaller percentage of the population why would we think that would change? Last year I had a retired farmer get permission on one of my lines. He started day one and caught 21 coons on a 3/4 mile stretch of a small stream and through everyone away. He started trapping just to catch coyotes and has not caught one yet.

Bryce

Maybe the fact that the things taught in school are so far from earth that people just don't have a reverence for the dirt or the natural resources from which makes nations rich. They don't understand that sunlight, water and hard work makes something you can live from. A lot of what is taught is about moving money from one sector to another. Gambling for example produces jobs but really it is just shifting money from one hand to another with no real gain, just bigger buildings, more light and more concrete.

We need more Hollywoods and Disney Worlds.

Deep dark depression, excessive misery, doom despair and perfect agony.

Even my son, when he was a teenager would only trap, when prices were lucrative. I charged him to put up his fur. When I was in high school, many of the kids trapped. Nobody had to encourage them. Rumours of $60 coon and averages of $30 was all it took. Trapping is work. Fishing is fun and so is hunting in the lower 48. Even back then in the 70's and 80's you had to take half the work out of trapping to get people to do it. Sell in the round or green. Good luck recruiting people into your new sport.

Maybe I am goofy, but I enjoy the work. I like seeing what I did with my own two hands. It's like construction, or cutting wood. Good wholesome work that produces something tangible.

I question everything I do not know to be fact but I am vilified for that. LLL

One thing that keeps getting overlooked here is trappers against trappers. In the grand scheme of things we need to work together. The bickering and finger pointing amongst ourselves is every bit as bad as not having fresh blood. I'm not perfect either....but I am willing to be better.

I guess I am willing to be better too but nothing about what you have said is new. Trappers have never been unified and most are loners or at least claim to be. I know I like to be by my self in my own area. LLL

Like with animal populations, its a loss of habitat or in this case, loss of trapping grounds that are easily accessible to kids. I walked to the river or the fields our back.

Had I had to rely on my parents to take me on a line, I'd have never set a trap.

And for what it is worth I do not question your trapping ability Iowa Trapper. I never did. LLL

I understand that. And that's one of the main reasons I trap is to be alone. I've had offers to trap with others and always refused. And please don't think I'm pointing my finger at you LL. It's way bigger than that

I didnt

Try using Law Dog as your sign and see how that goes for you it’s not as bad as it was in the past but I don’t hide what I do because others don’t take the time to figure things out. Never let others get in your head would be my advice.

The first thing I must say is while trapping ,fishing and hunting are quite diffenet than say 40 , 20 or even a year or two ago . The is still a great interest in the outdoor sports . . The people that still want to be a a part of that world are some of the most intelligent insightful hard working people in the historty of man kind WE WILLL NOT CHAnge the world in a day or by the millioins at a time .Yet by one person and and by many smalll acts of liooking for opputurinies to teach others that wish to learrn about trapping what we do and what we beleive are the proper way to be a memeber of the trapping /fur industry of society .The fur trappers of the 1800's where looked at with envy and as masters of their own universe . And while I see the satisfaction they must have lived during their lived I would not care to trolrate those conditions while running a fur line . Since the beginniing of time there been hunter/ gathers and others the raisied their own food and other needs through farming All we can do is pass on the needs for why we still trap and the joy the beginiing good at is is imprtant ot each of us as indivaduals and to scociety as a whole The are so many good remarks in this thread about the future of trapping I am actually now havibg a better day I have been dealing with some health issues and not been having to many good days But by ythe positive comments make I see therer is a mqajority og goood people willinfg the make a difference

I asked a major dealer what they did in the off season years back, the reply was ADC mostly, private and Government type trappers.

Good way to look at it

People in general, not just trappers. It's just human nature.

I for one don't want another fur boom. The so called trappers came out of the woodwork and ethics were thrown out the window. Most of the new regulations were because of this. It also brought the thieves out in force. Be careful what you wish for as you may well get it.


I agree 100 percent!!! Well Said!!!

I started in 1980 and missed the most of that fur boom era and from discussions I have heard for the most part glad I did. The real benefit for me when the prices fell is that I picked up tons of permission, many of which I still trap today.
We as trappers also want to idolize the mountain man era. Most were traders that bought or traded for fur with natives that caught the fur. Many were stock piled or sponsored by wealthy fur buyers and thus were really agents for a few wealthy people or firms and when the beaver felt hat hit the skids, many worked for the government as guides, trackers etc. So in reality much of what we want to remember is how they dressed not how they worked as small independent business persons. Sure it was wild and free and romantic in many ways but they were basically on an allowance for a few wealthy.

Bryce

Saw a picture of a red fox missing a front leg above the elbow on a billboard on I 80. Caption was from the Wackos trying to get steel banned everywhere. Saw a bigger more professional billboard with a local burrito/ mex. restaurant..couple of observations.
1.) The antis have always generalized large mass markets, and specialized with intense pressure on local single
item agendas.
2.) If a local business can afford a larger taller more professional billboard than a nonprofit with deep pockets
billboards must not be very expensive just saying
Talk about my two cents
Fluffy in a coyotes mouth or #3 set your choice. Or how about “FUR the original ORGANIC clothing”
Picture of the duckling covered in oil, “ Do you really want to wear petrochemical synthetics “
Meh, never happen, trying to get trappers to agree on anything is tougher than herding cats.

Its a matter of economics. If the kid needs money and is shown how to trap and put up fur, and has a market readily available to sell his catch and make good money. He will go out again.

It take all those elements combined to keep the youth and many adults interested.

I started buying fur here with no one trapping. I lured new trappers in with good prices and trapping equipment available to purchase with fur, along with instruction to help them out.

I had 30 or more trappers in this small village of 800 from nothing in a few short years.

When the bottom started falling out of fur prices I shut down here and moved into antler buying. Almost overnight they stopped trapping and started looking for antler. Moose shed starting in late November same as trapping, and worth very good money. I have young guys and girls now selling me antler making more than I every did trapping on a good year.

In my opinion if fur prices would of held and the market was there. and a buyer readily available There would be new recruits every year.

Yes. Most people here hunt spruce grouse for food. They shoot them on the ground or sitting in trees with a .22 I usually harvest 25 to 30 per year and prefer the YOY as they are more tender. About a third I shoot in the yard. I package 3 to 4 breast per bag for eating throughout the winter. The rest is used for marten bait, which results in more money to buy food when prices are reasonable. My favorite recipe is spruce hen in sage sauce. On a good day I will shoot some ruff grouse. They are better eating than the spruce grouse.

Exactly right.
Like Ralph Bice said years ago."trappers follow their line of work primarily because they like the freedom of the bush and the lifestyle.But if they cannot expect a monetary return to support their families there would be no reason to follow this line of work."

Funny thing is these Sport guys think they are carrying on the tradition of the mountainmen. The mountainmen were motivated by economics. Do these people seriously think that they went out into the rocky mountains and risked their lives and suffered cold, starvation, and other hardships for the lifestyle? Good money made them do it.

very true dirt one of the things i get a kick out of is someone telling how hard someone is working trapping its their choice you dont have to make work of it work is something you have to do untill the job is done no matter what the conditions are pouring cement square baling hay in 100 degree weather jobs like these that you hire on to do untill the job is done not something you want to do but really dont have to