| |
Rewind
features articles I have published over the years in various
trapping magazines. The articles have been updated with "Fast
Forward" information as different perspectives
have emerged since the material was published. Articles previously
published here may be viewed in the Rewind
Archives -- Hal
         
LONGLINES
by Hal Sullivan
(This article was first published in The
Trapper and Predator Caller, June 1994)
 It is
certainly natural for a trapper to want to excel in his sport. Young
trappers have many notions of the glorious exploits they will undertake on
future traplines. Once they are tempered with a few years' experience, a
trapper realizes that it takes skill, desire, and plain old hard work to
excel on the trapline. Although there is no written or spoken rule, and we
do not have teams or leagues in the sport of trapping, it is generally
conceived that longline trapping is the threshold to becoming a major league
player.
This is the goal
that many trappers strive for, and I am certainly not here to discourage
anyone. Your first adventure into longline trapping will be just that -- an
adventure. You should obviously have gained some proficiency at running
traplines in your own neighborhood before you take a shot at longlining. And
before you step up to bat, somebody ought to warn you that longline trapping
is played by slightly different rules.
It may be good at
first to define what we mean by longline trapping. For the sake of this
discussion, we will say that a longline is an extensive trapline covering
many miles. The trapper will use a truck, car, or possibly a boat for
transportation, and the line will be targeted toward only one type of
animal. While it is hard to put a figure on total mileage or total number of
traps, let's just say the trapper lays out this line to be an all day
affair.
The first
obstacle to overcome is mapping out a longline. These lines are ordinarily
laid out in a loop so the trapper will be near his home base at the end of
the line. A road map will help here, but the line must also hold a
significant number of furbearers. You will have to get out and scout this
circuit to find out the population density of the animals. Topographical
maps and aerial photo maps will help tell you where to look but are no
substitute for actual leg-work.
Next, you will
have to obtain permission to trap along this circuit. If you are lucky
enough to be able to work on a tract of public land, gaining permission
won't be a problem. Otherwise, you are going to have to spend some amount of
time and effort in contacting landowners. You may have a good reputation in
your own neighborhood, and a simple phone call or drop-in visit is all that
is needed to get permission around home. When you are dealing with
strangers, the process becomes more difficult. You will have to contact all
of the landowners at least once, and you should expect to make return visits
to call on those people who were unavailable or unable to give you an
immediate answer. If you have permission to trap on the land of any well
known and respected individuals in your neighborhood, you may ask if you can
use them for a reference.
Laying out the
line and getting permission is the first step. Now you have to assemble the
equipment to maintain a longline. While you may have a good number of traps,
in the general sense, you may find that you do not have enough of any one
type to lay out an extensive line for one particular animal. Speed and
simplicity are important to the longliner and most try to standardize their
equipment as much as possible. You will rarely see a longliner working with
a hodgepodge of different traps. Most stick with one type, size, and even
brand of trap.
Of course you
will need other equipment to maintain your longline. You will be looking
toward an increased number of sets so you will need more stakes, wire, and
other things of that nature. You should also remember that the increased
pressure of longlining will take its toll on equipment. It is a good idea to
have a spare or backup for any piece of equipment that is vital to
maintaining the line. You might want an extra digging tool, dirt sifter, or
even an extra pair of waders if you are running a water line.
You will also
need a good supply of bait and lure to run a longline. Here again, most
longliners tend to standardize on these items. While a variety of baits and
lures can be of benefit on a local, multi-species trapline, they don't
present much advantage to the longliner. A longline covers many miles and
there is little chance that animals will be "overexposed" to any one bait or
lure. Also by limiting the number of baits and lures, the longliner can more
easily keep track of what he has used at a set.
The final, and
most important piece of longline equipment is your vehicle. You must have
reliable transportation. You should consider both the number of miles you
will be driving, and the number of inhospitable places you will be going. If
your vehicle is in need of maintenance or repair don't start out on a
longline with it. It is aggravating enough to have a break down on the
neighbor's farm but quite another matter to be stranded 50, 75, or 100 miles
away from home. If you are operating a boat with a motor, and your motor
conks out, you may be up a creek --literally!
Up to this point,
we have only discussed setting up to run a long line. Already, you may have
noticed there is a considerable investment of time and money in this
venture. And as you might expect, there will be further costs involved
especially in fueling your vehicle. Longlining is not a low budget form of
trapping.
The longline method is designed to catch a large number of animals. It is
this feature that many trappers find attractive. What some fail to realize
is that longline economics demand that a trapper make a good catch. You must
adopt a hard driving and business-like approach if you are going to be
successful either numerically or financially.
Longline trappers
need to be exceedingly time conscious. Some beginners set up an agenda for
their longline that includes a 30 hour day. The longliner only gets
twenty-four hours like everyone else, and you have to make every minute
count. This is the most pronounced difference between longlining and
neighborhood trapping.
Most trappers
learn their basics trapping small areas like individual farms. They seek out
many different locations for traps often, traveling by foot over much of the
trapline. Longliners can not afford these luxuries. A longliner picks out
one or two of the best locations to set his traps. One of the criteria for
judging a location is its proximity to the vehicle. A longline trapper does
not scatter his traps in different locations, but he usually puts more than
one trap at each location in the form of a gang set.
Some people may
find this surprising, but a longliner rarely resorts to any fancy, or tricky
sets. Longliners usually stick to a very few basic sets which they make over
and over. Again, this goes against the grain of the neighborhood trapper,
who employs a variety of constructions to keep the animals from getting
wised-up to one type of set. A longliner operates over a wider area and
doesn't have to worry about individual animals seeing too many of his sets.
Also by sticking to a few basic sets, a longliner gets very proficient at
putting in his traps and can cut down on set making time.
Now, you might be
wondering how a longliner takes those wised-up and educated critters. In the
first place, you would surprised how many of these animals will fall prey to
a simple but well constructed set. But putting that aside, the longliner
rarely makes any attempt to target these animals.
The focus in
longline trapping is to take the cream off the top. The longliner knows that
a majority of animals will respond to a basic set if it is well constructed.
Rather than spend extra time to catch a stubborn animal, a longliner will
invest this time in setting up an extra location where he might catch two or
three less wary animals. The longliner hops from location to location,
plugging in sets and covering as much ground as he can.
This may give you
some insight on longlining, but I also hope it serves to dispel a little bit
of the mystique. In reality, longline trappers don't have any great secrets
that make them successful. What makes them excel is plain old hard work.
While longliners are often admired for their skill, and rightly so, their
success is usually a function of the effort they put forth.
If you have set
your sights on being a longline trapper, make sure you have a clear picture
of the target before you pull the trigger. Be aware that longlining employs
some different tactics. Aim for an investment of time, money, and a lot of
hard work. When you have got things all lined up, give it your best shot.
### Previous "Rewind" articles may be viewed in the
Rewind Archives
Please visit our
Supply Line for all your
trapping needs
[ Back To Top ]
|
|
