The season is over now, but before it gets too far away, share with us a little tip that you picked up this past season, or something that you plan to do differently next season.

– Hal

I’ll go first. I always use a piece of 14 gauge wire on end of the chains on my bodygrip traps. But that sharp piece of wire can really play hob with the gauntlets. Last season, actually last summer, when I replaced the wires on the traps, I bent the last 1/4 inch of the wire, back onto itself and crimped it down so it had a blunt end. This virtually eliminated the holes in the gauntlets, at least from that source.

-- Hal

Ive only been at this for 2 years so its all a learning experience for me. I learned a lot about snaring though. My best spot was on a steep incline going from one clearing to another. By the time the critters got to the snare they were at a good clip going either way and it was all over but the skinnin.

The hardest lesson was that Ill never use the auction again. I turned in 26 fox 26 coon 5 beaver and 1 muskrat. I got just over $200.00 and $45.00 of that was for the beaver. If I cant sell to a buyer direct Ill have em tanned and sell em myself.

after losing some ground,to a trapper getting back into the game, I relearned the value of keeping in touch with the land owners or caretakers through out the year.

had the run of a couple of places for so long,I didnt realize they were changing hands, either through a conveyance or a new care taker.

not a good feeling pulling into the drive way to let them know your gonna be setting up and the
new people ask who the heck you are, before you even get a chance to get out.

worse feeling finding out they gave permission to someone who knew you trapped that ground, sence you were a kid. sorry weve got a trapper, nice guy by the name of......, live and learn and learn again...jim

You need to be flexible,don't get stuck in a rut.We had a misserable wet fall and winter.I actually had a red fox drown at a dirt hole set!Almost hung it up but then decided to follow the advice I had given others.Dropped back to a small number of sets that I could maintain properly and made a respectable catch

This is what I learned.....That all the cussing,stomping spitting, kicking, and cussing some more ain't gonna shut off the rain faucet. you sometimes have to look adversity in the face and laugh and make do with what you have. I also learned that I take way to much for granted, like my health. I ripped my back this winter carrying out two 50 pound flattails, not as young as I used to be. This laid me up for a good month and really hurt my take on beaver this winter. But you know what? I needed that month and had I been 20 years younger, I would have bulled on and probably been in worse shape before the end of winter. Wisdom does come with age. I will definately keep tuned up with a new fitness program, well, not really new. It just requires that I scout more for fall and winter trapping all year long. Also, I may seek a beavering partner, someone to share that load with. Lotsa hiking ahead.

...MM...

Having been a trapper for 14 years, I am a multi-species, multi-trap trapper. Lots of footholds, some snares and fewer coni's. Target all legal furbearers.

After walking my line for two weeks following snows and frozen ground conditions, I saw firsthand just how many animals had been within ten feet or less of my sets without working them. In addition, I grew tired of constantly trying to keep sets working in rain, snow, frozen conditions, mud etc. Now, I realize that all this is part of trapping. You ain't gonna catch them all and mother nature doesn't care about your traps.

Having said that, I am going to continue to use footholds in water next season, but I think that I am going to run 90 percent snares on land. I want to examine my overall catch ratio compared to past years. Snares are quicker, cheaper and are working 24/7. The negatives... gotta be in the right place with the right loop size. But I figure that, I can save money and cover more area without the hassle of keeping traps working or the animal shying away from my set due to foreign odors or other hesitation.

So what did I learn? I suppose I needed to break out of my typical "cookie-cutter" trapper thinking and be willing to experiment more.

Over the past couple of seasons I've learned two things that are improtant to me. First, always have a cold weather emergency kit with you when trapping in below freezing temps. Nothing excessive, some waterproof matches, wool gloves, a spare pair of wool socks, and as much as I hate it a cell phone. (Might as well take advantage of the technology)

Secondly, is to keep things simple. Simple efficient sets without a lot of construction worked very well for a mixed bag trapline.

Steve

Keep my cell phone in a water proof container around my neck.
For $9.95 you can buy a water tight bag at Boaters World.That you can hang around your neck or keep on your self some place. DONT stoe in in the boat some place.Radios and Cell phones dont work when you flip a boat over and they are under. Keep it on you."IF" one of us would have done this.We would have been rescued in about 10 minites by a Coast Guard Helacopter. Not 3 hours and the good lord helped with that. REMBER *CG when you are on big water and nead help.

I learned a lot this past season

1) When in cold water always wear insulated
waders or hippers
2) Mink are nothing more then a snake with fur
3) Not to chop ice with a short handled ax
4) Not to use to much pressure when fleshing
possums
5) Use lots of pressure when fleshing coon
6) Not to set a trap for muckyrats where you
can't drown them
7) Don't leave clip to rifle at home and have
rifle in truck
8) Don't leave hippers rolled down when crossing
a feeder stream that are over a foot deep or
walking in snow drifts
9) Don't walk on ice close to muskrat huts
10) Don't set trap on steep rocks
11) Don't forget bait and lure when going out to
make sets
12) Don't leave apples in truck over night,
can't put frozen apples on coni trigger
13) Remember to take shotgun on trapline during
duck and goose season
14) Always walk up stream not down
15) Always have hip boots pulled all the way up
before getting into water, took a couple of
times before that one sunk in
the most important part is to have fun while trapping Jeff aka Woodduck out

Actual wieght of beaver = number of beaver caught x distance to truck x age of trapper.
Actual distance to truck = actual wieght of beaver x number of beaver caught x age of trapper.
Actual wieght of beaver x number of beaver caught x age of trapper = number of trips to truck.
A three dollar plastic tobbagan makes all this math a mute point.
The last beaver in a colony is the smartest one and I made it that way.
When trapping out beavers for your friends' mother, make sure all the brothers know you're there. Especially the one who owns the backhoe.
Don't make sets within reach of said backhoe, as they will be the first scoop and every other scoop will be piled on top.
It's always worth putting in two good pocket sets for mink for every beaver colony you set.
Never count on the weather forcast from the week before. What ever it was will be wrong.
If there's three foot of snow on a creek that doesn't mean there's any ice.
If you think the water is two inches from the top of your hip boots, you're probably three inches off in your predictions.
A tuff day on the line is better then a good day at work.

I learned to use my beaver line shovel to make hole in the stream bank to lure in coon. I was useing a trowel. The catch increased with a bigger hole. When dropping two cinder blocks wired together over the side of my john boat do not lean to much or you let lots of water in the boat. They are to drown the beaver not yourself.

Hey Guys,

There is one more thing that I learned that is more important than anything I've ever learned. Take your kids trapping with you!

My youngest son has been my trapping partner since he was old enough to follow me on the line. Last season he took two weeks off from his construction job just to run traps with me. We had a great time and caught a lot of coon.

Now with his deployment to Iraq as an Infantryman scheduled for sometime between November and January I realize that the times we spend with our kids is irreplaceable. Don't want to sound to mushy, but it really drives the point home.

Steve

I learned more than I ever thought there was to know about trapping, and THEN I learned that I don't know half of what there is to know about trapping!!

-Keith

A plastic sled is worth its weight in gold for water trapping.
Even the smallest stick can give a muskrat the leverage to wring off his foot.

I learned one important lesson ,even when you feel & think your getting good,one thing you can count on is there is always one thing better. Thats mother nature and her very intelligent critters.
ex. I was doing some late scouting and found some of my early fruitless dirt holes were really being worked by foxes. maybe I didn't give them enough time.

i learned that the (new) heavyduty berkshire aint that heavy duty. if you get them in, there great. but, they have a flaw, the tip is like a cup and it`s weak, if you incounter a root or rock driving it, they straighten out and there you are with a 1/2 driven stake. i feel they should have just kept the same style, just made it thicker and wider without the cup on the end that looks pretty.

matt

go with more experinced trapper ,i found it made me trap smarter not harder .if you take on a partner make sure he has the same attitude you do toward trapping ,or you will be carrying more than just beaver.

I learned not to over run and aera with traps. That if you space them out you,ll be more productive.

P.S. I havent posted in a long long time so just saying Hey Guys.

Wes

I learned

1-If theres thin ice im going throu it.

2-More expensive isent always better(hightcountry chest waders, i beleive im on pair #9)Dads waiders are 30 bucks cheaper, still on his first pair)

3-Raccoons get blaimed for more damage than they actually do. Alot of the times its cats.

4- If you see a nice set on the other side of the river. Tread lightly, refer back to number one.

5-You can make alot of stuff for your line instead of buying it.

6-Dont play with the weather gods.

SLOW DOWN and pay attention to details early and by the second week the old speed will be there. It can also help you see things that you might otherwise miss. Things that help you catch more fur or that shorten seasons by breaking bones.

I learned that its the small stuff that counts slow down and pay attention to detail, also next year I want to learn to snare I found lots of places snares would have been the better set.

I learned additional ways to fill my boots with cold water. Couple classics from this year were:
-leaning over too far to look in the back of a pocket - nice shot down the front of the waders.
-trying to lightly tip toe across the mud in a deep spot with my hip boots - didn't work.

fa

I relearned alot that I had forgotten, and learned that I didn't know nearly enough-yet. I also learned that my 5 and 8 year olds can track, and spot good set locations better than any adult I took with me-and they LOVE IT. Girls make good trapping partners-I took my brothers 8 year old with me along with the boys and they had great fun. They also come in handy for carring
although coons. Always take a short rope to make a knapsack out of those beaver...a good stout stick is always available on the dam. It beats dragging them or having them drip muddy water down your back.

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