Robert Waddell Video Part II

Listening to, and watching this guy, makes me feel like a total amateur as a canine trapper. He sure has a pile of knowledge packed between his ears.

He made me ham and cheese , lol .

Its a very good description of a good and not so good animal. Knowledge that needs to be adhered to.

Thank you.

Wish he’d come out with some videos

It's crazy how nice and humble he is when it come to talking to him.
Also gotta say I absolutely love listening to folks like him.

My understanding is Robert makes one set, uses one of 2 baits and urine at every set. Then sets traps were a bunch of coyotes come together. With that in mind what would you learn from a video? I'm curious since Robert has disclosed his strategy for hammering coyotes how many actually follow his strategy? How many are only using one set, no lure, only 2 baits and just urine you positively know is pure coyote pee? I road with a guy that makes huge daily catches on coyotes and he does the same thing. The difference I see with these guys is they dont mess around with different sets and attractants, they find what works the best and roll with it. Then (and I think this is the biggest thing) they go to great lengths and distances to trap the BEST spots. The time and distance they put into getting permission on great spots makes a big difference. I wonder how many trappers if asked why they trap were they do, their answer would be, because that's were we have permission to?

How many of you run 140 + sets each day? How many of you make 4 or 5 sets at each location?

I agree the hours they put in long lining is more than most of could do. As far as the number of sets that should be dependent on the density of the coyotes at that spot. Some spots in some parts of the country it would be foolish to put 5 sets in each location then on the other hand I know of a situation were a trapper put in 15 sets in one location and had 12 or 13 coyotes the first check.

I was surprised to see Robert making sets without gloves. Does anyone else make K9 sets with their bare hands?



JT

I wear gloves only because my hands get dirty, dried, and cracked if I dont wear gloves.

I didn’t get no sandwich. Lol
But I’d have to agree with Yes Sir.

Gloves are over rated.Having said that,I wear them sometimes,and often not.

Real good explanation of why dmg on a skin makes it unprofitable to process for the current raw fur coyote market.
More trappers should take the time to educate themselves on how to grade fur both on the carcass and put up skins,so they can make the right decision on if or how to market.

You have to see the Part 1 video.
He explains it.
https://youtu.be/Q6q7y_U2GaI
In at about 9:05, but I like to watch it all ......again and again.
One other vid of his, they caught 68 in 5 days.

I also watch it again and again and again and again. It’s like a hype video and I can’t wait till I’m back at it lol

This is great

The field grading tutorial was very well done. I know what pile most Wisconsin coyotes would end up in, though!

Chris

Yes his discussion on looking at the weak points in those coyotes was very educational for me. The one on the right on first observation to me looked like the poor yote. Looking at the hips and then the discussion about the whole length trim piece being that much shorter shows why they are worth little. I will admit I sent a couple up the last 2-3 years that were probably poorer than any of those were.
Robert is a hard driving trapper but he takes the time to teach and share what he learns. He is also a huge in helping raise funds for the FTA and other outdoor ventures.
Bryce

We often trap for action. Generally action trapping and fur quality are not that closely related. Grading is much more consistent if we understand the fur cycle. Too early or too late. Face it good fur demands a premium simply because there is not that much produced.

Boco I understand where you are coming from by moving the lesser quality stuff to alternative markets that don’t recognize the difference. Most trappers are not that creative.

Enjoyed the video.

Same here. I bait, squirt pee, and set traps with the same gloves.

Nice video.I wear gloves also for fox and coyote sets but (for)nothing else.

If you trap wearing nothing but glove you probably aren't going to fit in here in Ks very well.....

......guess I set myself up on that one.....lol

I watched the other video “ scent control old wise tail “ that’s what Robert said about wearing gloves.
Guess next season I’ll try it fox trapping and see how it goes

JT

I haven't used anything but dirtholes with one bait and quality urine for the last four years. I paid attention when he would talk on other forums. Never looked back.. He's not selling lure and it shows. Definitely don't need four or five attractants at the set in my opinion.

Someday I would lie like to personally meet him.

Hope you fare better than the child that asked him for mink trapping advice and was told he wasn't smart enough to trap mink and should stick to muskrats.

Did not strike me as the type watching the videos he has been in, but nothing about people surprises me anymore
And I would hope that ANY child that showed an interest in trapping would be treated extra special by an older trapper. Applies to any other outdoor activities

One thing he stressed was to make the set right where they are walking. Don't try to pull them a few yards .... or even a few feet. They can't miss the set because its basically in they're path.
A little pee and bait goes a long way at that point. The lure is really not very beneficial when they practically trip over the set.

The key to big numbers trapping, if that's a trappers goal, is a system of efficiency from the time you go to bed till the time yo go to bed again.
Bob is a powerhouse of knowledge in his system and how to reel coyotes in 5 Death Rays at a time.
He is high energy for sure and it's fun to chat with him at conventions and such.

As Bryce said, Robert has been very generous with his time and talent for many years to the trapping trade.

At the end of it all, if you want to increase numbers of pelts, you need to increase efficiency in you and all you do to get to the goal.
And then spend the necessary time to hone that.

That's what the top 1% have always done.

Blessings,
Mark

CF
The reasoning is more than that if you talk to Robert about it.

Wade I knew you had went to the DH, bait, urine system. I'm curious how many who have been following Robert and admiring his catches can bring themselves to follow his system. More of a question to see who is confident enough to put into action what they see Robert doing...??? Who can walk the walk so to speak

This concept^^^ is what I've stressed for many years. It's how I trap any critter. You'll still get some coyotes that dont want to cooperate and will walk around the set anyway, but most of em will "take the bait."

Hi YS, I'll likely never get to talk to him, just referencing what he said in the video. Can you elaborate a bit ? Thanks.

If one was to ever experience the populations and sign he encounters, (video) one might just be able to walk in a similar fashion.
Thanks

Sometimes the trapping goal for predators isn't catching as many as you can but rather catching the one(s) doing the damage.
Plan B can look very different from Plan A in those situations.

Fur trapping is running and gunning and doing it over and over.
Predator control has more chin rubbing than fur trapping.

You bump a coyote on a fur line, head down the road.
You bump thee coyote you need to catch on a predator contract and you reach for a tissue to cry a bit.

I prefer fur trapping.
But predator contracts pay the bills.

Blessings,
Mark

I will raise the BS flag on that one.

Beav

I wonder if she's getting Robert mixed up with Bob the urine collector didn't he get booted for something like that

Nope. It was Robert, not Bob.

You dont have to be too smart to catch mink,or any other animal.I have known,and still know a few that cant read or write and pile up tons of fur.
Like anything else with trapping you just need to be a hard worker,stay motivated and get to it,to catch more than a few.
Smarts is not the main requirement as far as catching goes..

You're lucky he doesnt sue you for libel.

CF
The reasoning is more than that if you talk to Robert about it.

Wade I knew you had went to the DH, bait, urine system. I'm curious how many who have been following Robert and admiring his catches can bring themselves to follow his system. More of a question to see who is confident enough to put into action what they see Robert doing...??? Who can walk the walk so to speak[/quote]
Hi YS, I'll likely never get to talk to him, just referencing what he said in the video. Can you elaborate a bit ? Thanks.

If one was to ever experience the populations and sign he encounters, (video) one might just be able to walk in a similar fashion.
Thanks[/quote]

CF
No I won't elaborate but if you really want to learn and are willing put out about 30 test sets in the off season I'll tell you how you can learn about what Robert speaks of. Here's my reasoning behind this and it's not directed at you. Robert shows to the world exactly how he catches a lot of coyotes and the best system he's found for doing it BUT most people aren't willing to follow it even if they believe he walks on water. There are a lot of excuses why his system won't work for them, sometimes their reasoning is sound and based off a lot of trial and error.
, but a lot of trappers would catch more fur if they followed his thinking. A lot of trappers try every set they see on YouTube and have a bag full of lures despite what Robert shows them. So my question is what good would it do for me to elaborate when they don't believe it in the first place?

I've talked with Robert once . He's a very direct, no holds barred, black and white, tells it like he sees it kind of guy. Same personality that makes him a great trapper. Theirs alway 3 sides to a story. Not justifying Robert comments if he did say that, but my guess the kid said something to provoke it. Ive seen Paul boot young trappers off here for running their mouth when they should have been listening too. Sometimes I've even run my mouth when I should be listening and I've also reacted and said stuff I maybe shouldn't. It happens.

I think the number 1 key to catching a lot of fur is to have a lot of fur to catch, lol.

Great video by R.W. and crew simple and to the point. Bait, urine/gland lure in a hole or under a rock works for me. Just think of all the money he is saving on lure cost by keeping it simple muskrat and good urine X hundreds of sets. It also works great to use some well blended snares to pick up those leery older coyotes. Yes I wear gloves mostly to protect my hands and keep them a little cleaner?

I have known a fair number of trappers over the near 60 years I have been involved in it. To a man, the big numbers guys all had the same M.O......Aside from being very well versed in the habits of the type of critter they were targeting, they simplified their sets/baits/lures, then set a BUNCH of traps in a BUNCH of good spots.......over and over and over and over. The other, likely most important, trait these folks shared was the fact that they were tireless. It is that "over and over and over" deal that piled up the fur for these folks. Most people don't have the drive to keep up that grind day after day after week....they find ways to talk themselves into maybe not rotating their sets and adding fresh sets every single day, always moving on to fresh pastures and rolling past the low percentage areas to concentrate on only the best areas to set. Tireless, tireless, hard working trappers.

. That’s BS. Roberts been nothing but helpful to me, take time to answer questions and give advise to me, and people wonder why the top coyote guys don’t post here, nobody want to deal with that crap.

Yotetrapper30, I always enjoy your posts, but when and where did he say that to a kid? Certainly doesn't sound like the Robert Waddell I know.

Robert has done as much to promote trapping as anyone I know, recently inducted into the FTA Hall of Fame. Like most everyone who is good at what they do, Robert takes pride in his work, and takes pride in conducting himself in a professional manner.

Yes sir you have been hitting all the points that are keys to Robert’s trapping. The most important thing I’ve learned from him is confidence. I don’t know how to say it without sounding corny but Having absolute confidence when you make a set is a very big deal.

Very nice video by him and the management team! I'm sure we all can learn something from watching it.

I will second this and ad that Robert has always spoken to my kids and others I have witnessed with respect and helpfulness. I think yt30 must be mistaken.

Watched a movie years ago called Iron Will. About a kid entering a dog sled race. A friend of his dads was advising him while he trained. the day he left for the race he told young Will if he wanted to win he had to run more and sleep less than the other mushers.

Run more sleep less works in a lot of different situations.

I remember that movie.Good movie

Yes sir, I've had plenty of people tell me in the past that I was making a mistake by only doing the dirthole, bait, and quality urine approach. I guess I didn't care. Catches went up and quickly. I've commented a number of times I only had one goal when I was trapping and that was to catch as many coyotes/bobcats as fast as I could. I would only have 10-14 days. I never had ability to run a sizeable line due to other life commitments for much longer. I think a lot of trappers focus on the guys that are doing predator control rather than fur trapping when fur was worth money. I didn't care if I killed the last one, I just wanted as many as I could catch. It's a system he has down and I've asked for his advice and he's been open with it. It works. I think I've commented in the past but at some point I am going to bring myself to make nothing more than a dirthole with a shot of urine down it for an entire line. It can't get much simpler than that....someday....