Thinking about giving it up.

Really starting to think about selling most of my traps and supplies.
Just not fun anymore. Crappy gas prices. Crappy fur prices. The time investment.
I've kicked the idea around about selling all but 50 traps so I could still run s small line on my property and catch a few beaver to get tanned to ad to my collection. But really I'm loosing my want to keep going at it.
Someone change my mind.

Keep a 100 traps to be on the safe side. I was where you’re at about a year ago. Glad I kept my traps. I just decided to take it easy where I can enjoy it more and not worry to much about $ and how many I catch. Saving gas by road lining on the way home from work

Them traps ain't costing you nothing to keep but they'll cost a fortune to replace a few years down the road when you get the itch or prices rebound.

Very true

Welcome back.

I'm not gonna convince you though. Trapping is either in you, or it's not. A trapper might be able to sit out a year or two, but to just give it up? Naw. If you want to give it up... do it... because you were never really a trapper to begin with.

I agree with Angela. Now get out and set some traps you big sissy! Hi, Barry. How’s married life?

Like Angela inferred, if you don't have the fire in the belly, you should move on.

Take care young man.

Hi Barry. I’ll store those traps for ya till the market comes back lol. I’ll be going past your house Friday afternoon

Can't say anything to change your mind. I quit trapping 4 years ago except for my farm to help my hunting. I'm slow at everything that I do. I can't skin and flesh a coon or fox for 5 bucks. I trap coyetes exclusively on my farm.

Don't know you , any know nothing about your trapping experience.
But even die hard trappers have to cut back , and a lot sooner than they wish , have to call it quits.

I have found that as I get older (64) that I don't have the same passion for hunting and trapping as I used to.
However, what gives me more satisfaction than I probably ever got doing those things is helping out and sharing those experiences with younger or new hunters and trappers. Get involved with your association if you don't already know of guys who might like to learn what you know. I Guarantee you'll enjoy trapping again if you are sharing the experience.

don't sell . how old are you , just set a few traps , like said above they are not costing you anything ,

As was said above, those traps do not eat anything and if you have to replace them it will be costly. Unless you were born with the proverbial silver spoon in your mouth, you may have different seasons that it does not make sense to hit it hard and burn up time, money and energy.

Just because you feel the need to give it up for a spell does not mean you are not a trapper. A lot of factors are involved.
Old school trappers trapped for money. Yes there was a love for the game, and yes they loved being out in the woods. But trapping was for income or supplement of income. Today you better have a special market, niche market etc., ADC work, a good retirement or a darn good job if you want to trap. Some still do for advertisement pictures for their instructions or schools and to scratch the itch of chasing fur. Several lure and bait makers trap to have videos to show and it helps them market their products. Lot of reason to trap, and lots of reasons not too.

Just because you have not been having fun, and you recognize that the financial incentive is not there, and or you are tired of spending time away from family or friends does not mean you are not a trapper. People change and evolve. Situations change. Life circumstances change.

Later on down the road you may have more time, more interest, more money, and more desire to trap.
During times like these one can make common sense decisions like the guy that explained he traps on the way to work and the way home.
You might find you have fun experimenting with methods you have not used before, etc. etc. etc.

Do not let others with a different view of what it means to be a trapper make decisions for you or make you feel bad.

Best of luck

Mac

I have #4 jumps and some 330s I bought new with paper route money 50 years ago. They did hang on a nail a few years between my quest for beaver. While I chased girls, and easier $ fur . But now with beaver more abundant than rats in my area, and folks paying me to trap them, I'm glad I never sold them. Also just how much $ you going to get from used traps? Traps and money will both be gone in a blink. I don''t relive my trapline memories everyday, but when I look at my 50 year old traps hanging or set, I relive those memories everytime! That means something to me.

I feel the same, but will not be selling my traps. I am still going to trap nuisance beaver, but that’s all.
With high prices being paid for traps at recent local auctions, I look at my traps as a good investment whether I’m trapping critters or not.

X2 a lot of very adult thinking here.

This is great advice! What if years from now you have children and want to teach them to trap? It would be pretty cool for your kids to use the same traps their Dad did.

got any young kids you wanna teach? you'll need that iron to do it.

I’m cutting my line way back and going to focus on coyotes only, for now. It’s about all I’ve done for maybe 40+ years besides fishing this is my only other outdoor passion. So just going to do a fun small line and keep it on that level. Got some finishing stuff ready because that is probably only way left to sell anything plus I do enjoy that part of it too.
I’m keeping all of my other traps though. You never know when they might be important to me some time down the road. Got two boys that can divvy those up someday too.
Jim

Hi Barry.
Glad my Grandpap did not sell out.
When he found out I was trapping he broke out (I didn't know he had em)
his and I went from 3 traps to instant long liner (in my mind lol).
Of course in those days everything was hoarded.

I decided to give it up last year. I was going to take a break and not even set out any coyote traps. Instead I just took my sons down to the ditch and helped them catch some muskrats. Turns out I enjoyed that more than any other season of trapping I've had. No real hard work, no pressure - just having fun with it and watching my sons' experiences. Good stuff.

Can't say I'd blame you, Barry. Other than a few beaver for meat, I haven't trapped the last 3 seasons. But, like already said, doesn't hurt to keep all of my gear stored away so I'm prepared for the next (wishful thinking) fur boom.

With the doom and gloom of the market, i wont try to change your mind. Seen many people on here say over the years they would trap no matter the prices, but now im seeing how most just put out a few sets to teach kids or say they trapped. I will put out a few sets fir both reasons. 50 traps would be sufficient for that. Sell traps buy guns. At least you can enjoy the guns and should a fur boom present itself, the guns wont drop in value.

I say quit. Why do it if you don’t have it you.

Traps , like guns are a funny thing. If you sell them its a good feeling at the moment. Then some time down the line you regret having done it. Almost always. But I guess it is an experience that most of us have to make to find out what its like.

If I'm going to lose money doing something it's going to be shooting birds. That said I'm keeping the traps because in an emergency there is no better way to quickly gather food.

First of all what kind of traps do you have? If you have to be “convinced” of something then you’ve already made up your mind. I don’t blame you fur trappers for quitting. It’s hard work, early early mornings and late evenings. I’m sure there’s other things you could do that’s more beneficial for your time. Post a list of what you’ve got!!

I personally never really thought about trapping since I was a kid. I was voluntold I was going to start trapping a place and was somewhat successful and then word got out. Now I have more places to trap than I can actually trap, lol. Limit it to 3-4 properties to let me fit it in 24hrs and about 7 months of the year. All mine is management purposes only. It is satisfying of getting a critter to step on a 1.5” or so circle, lol. Also satisfying in getting paid to make him do it.

So post up what you got!!

If you give it up altogether and get rid of all your traps and equipment,,chances are high that you will never trap again no matter where the market goes.

Keep that in mind before you make the decision.

I'm in a position to sell a few and keep some. The idea of selling all is not too appealing.

I'll trap a few muskrats this fall and vacuum pack them for higher prices down the road.

If you got DPs I'd be interested pm me

In the early 1990's I got a new box of 1 dozen of 1.5 &1.75 Victor coil springs plus a dozen Victor conibear 110 'S They where all new in a box. I bought them off of someone that was getting out of trapping and was looking to sell all of his gear to one person and be done with it ..Included with the 3 boxes of new traps where and assortment of used traps ,lures pack baskets and related trapping items . The assorted traps included about 6 330 conibear traps, several # 3 & #4 double long springs and a similar amount of #3 & #4 coil spring traps . Also I got about 60 used traps that where in the 1.5,1.75 ,2.0 and #1 longspring size And there where about 6 or 8 older type traps that had at least some collector value At the time I had a good supply of my own trapping gear and was not inclined to add to it .I told the guy that was trying to get me to buy his stuff that I was not really planning on adding more gear at the time .By that time the fur market crash in 1987 was still floundering and I was barley doing any trapping due to low prices and no one to sell to .From 1988 through 1992 i did little trapping and at least 2 of those years did not trap .Those where the only years that I dis not trap from the 1960's to last year Anyway I paid less than$300 hundred for all the items I got .Fast forward to March of this year 2022 after again not setting traps due to low prices and some increasing health problems I set about .downsizing my trapping gear So I had 3 boxes of brand new traps plus about 150 to 200 used traps that I had not used since I acquired than in the 1990.s Plus I had another 100 or so that were my user traps since I renewed my trapping efforts in 1994 until just a year ago .The new Victor 1.5 had been priced at 32.50 based on the price written on the box.The 1.75 Victors where priced from new at 37.00 and the 110 Victor conibears where marked at $29 I priced them at $180.00 for all of the traps ..That was about 50 dollars less than what the trap supply places where charging at the time And there was no shipping charge or tax So just by buying them 20 plus years ago and keeping them so they did not rust up I made at least double what I paid for them I still have more than enough traps to put out a line that would be comparable to what I have trapped in the past .The morale to my story is right now with fur prices so low it is way more profitable to sell traps than it is to trap for fur But I agree with those that say unless you are certain that you are done trapping forever keep some so you can just start back up .if you want too .And if my health was better I would still be planning to at least make some attempt at putting out a line .

What Mac says is the absolute truth Barry. Your life changes. I sold 90%of my stuff 10 years ago. Now I have more time. I’m buying traps for I hate to think how many times what I sold mine for. I don’t need the money and I have more time, two necessary components for trapping today. I’m not sure I have more time, but I do have the flexibility to make the time. Somebody mentioned that stored traps don’t eat and that is a sage observation. I told my wife, I can’t wait to see the look on my accountants face when I explain the expenses to him. But, I wonder how anyone can get started in this now! When I started, I had no money, but I could justify the expenditures as an income source. Now I rely more on a loss. The cost of supplies and fuel are rough.

Be careful in your decision. I wish you the best Barry.

Scale back a little, we all need something to look forward every day. JMO

Getting rid of your traps and never getting back in the game is a load of bs. You can go to any convention and buy used traps for cheap or go on the Trapshed and find a good deal. If you want to sell out, then you should...you already have offers from buyers

It's going good. I don't know what I want to do it just gets sickening trying to keep at it sometimes. But I do love doing it.

I think I'm gonna keep everything. Like previously said they ain't costing me anything sitting in the shed.
I plan to put a few out this year due to a friend wanting to learn I'll be teaching him a few things.
Plus like also said before they are another way to catch food if the need arises
Thanks everyone for the advice.

ill tell you what really sickens me, my statement showed up in the mailbox yesterday showing my retirement fund. UGH!!!!

If it doesn’t bring you joy to be out on the line then you shouldn’t be doing it. The truth of it is I don’t ever see the vast majority of fur trappers ever being able to make any money trapping. In fact I expect to lose money this year, and I definitely will never make the kind of money I could if I had invested the same time and effort into a second job. So if it’s about the money to you, quit right now and get a second job waiting tables or something cause it’ll be more profitable.

For me, I love being out on the line. I will never sell any traps, except to sell the ones I don’t like to buy different ones. I haven’t set a beaver trap in a long time, but I still have every beaver trap I ever bought. There have been years where my coyote traps sat in the shed and never got touched, for one reason or another, but I won’t sell them, because I know there will be years when the stars all align and I’ll get to run them all.

You do what is right for you. I wouldn’t sell em all just yet though. Hang em up in the shed for a few years. If you still have no desire to trap after that, then sell em. If you decide you want to again at some point though it’ll be a very costly endeavor to replace them

Apparently, business trappers ain't real trappers. I'd quit for awhile, or cut way back. It is called " smart business". I wouldn't sell your gear. Unfortunately, you will now be a a hobby trapper for awhile. I wouldn't kill myself for a hobby.

I've quit twice now Barry, once in the '80's when prices crashed and just a few years ago when they crashed again.

Just store your traps in totes or let hang like I do, it'll probably come around again before you croak.

THIS

Barry first off good to see you posting! Miss your adventures. Keep them but I think you will without lecture from this crew.

There may not be any money in it now but I figure it's still cheaper than an ex-wife or a drug habit......

"Someone change my mind", what a load of crap. I may be the odd man out but I surely won't try to convince you to do anything. Either your a trapper or your not. Trapping isn't all about the bucks.

Managing predators is a good reason to trap. Yes, the fur market stinks, but. If you don't enjoy being out, if you hunt and don't think to want to help control the populations of coons, possums, skunks, fox, coyotes, etc, then sell out and move on.

I donated my trapping gear to Cape Hatteras National Seashore. They had just hired someone to trap coons, mink, and feral cats. Trying to save turtle and shore bird eggs from predators. I itemized everything and they prepared a letter on government stationery for my gift. The only profitable trapping year I ever had.

They now have a coyote problem too.

It is better to have and not need........than it is to need and not have.

Better to have loved and lost,,than never to have loved at all.How much ya want for yer traps?? Just kidding.Dont sell the traps unless you realy need the money.

If you do decide to sell them, save for them for the 100-mile yard sale. Nittany Lion will be up to buy them all.

Actually that's not a bad idea. If they're nicely rusted up you can sell them as antiques to the flatlanders for well above what they're worth. Those folks love them for decorations. Especially long springs.

All joking aside when I've had my fill or I'm too broke physically to do it I'll mentor a youth hopefully and hand over my stuff a little at a time. I think traps should be used not sit in my shed , there's always fishing or other low impact outdoor activities. Maybe I'll catch up on westerns I haven't watched in a while and spin some lies at the local tavern at lunch

Give it up...sell out ...and open a body shop Barry

Not an option really once in your blood

Go with what ya feel, I've trapped forty four years while working. At times it got rough, prepare traps, set traps, check traps ,dry, late night skin & stretch fur. All work over the years, But I'm glad had good health to do it & loved every minute. In all those years I planed that when I retired, I could slow down & really enjoy every minute trapping. Maybe sleep a little later before checking traps, All day to skin & put up fur. I had an accident a year ago this past May, Missed trapping last season & I felt I missed out on a lifetime of it. After a year and a half, Still no able to walk on my left leg. It's like a truck that runs great, But the tranny is shot. Your young enough if you have the drive, enjoy it now.

Didn't you get a good portion of them traps given to you by the good folks on this forum? Maybe you should pay it forward. I'm sure there are kids in need of them.

I don't recall ever getting any traps from anyone on here.
I may have but can't remember. I've bought a lot of them at conventions and off the web. Only traps I know I have had given to me where ones I received for Christmas and such.
But like I said I'm gonna hang on to em. Still run small line each year. I got into it with my great grandfather so I like to spend the time doing it but I've never done it for more than a hobby.

ADC may be thinking of Coondagger?

Could be. I'm getting pretty old and suffer greatly from CRS.

Glad you've decided on keeping them Barry.

Just don't give up the body work and painting skills!