# trapping for meat



## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

I saw the air rifle putting meat on the table and thought , air rifles are good but actually illegal to use in a significant number of incorporated villages , and cities.

but Trapping often is not 

trapping more commonly thought of as for catching fur-bearers for their pelts can also be used for food.

many people who grew up in trapping families in the past ate a share of their catch one of my neighbors recalls as a young girl eating muskrat for regular meals , a treat was beaver.

as well as raccoon , possum, squirrel , fox and coyote.

you would be amazed how much animal traffic there is in places you might not expect it , I was talking to a guy online who came to a trapping site for advice then mail ordered snares he is in a London England suburb he has a back yard smaller than many of our houses and he is on his 48th fox this year. London is over run with fox and no predator to control them. 

his issue isn't catching fox as they work their way into his tiny backyard ,it is waking well before dawn to go check his snares before a nosy neighbor sees his catch and harasses him.

raccoon reminds me of turkey leg for texture sort of stringy but tastes fine. with most things cook it slow until the meat falls apart or it can be tough


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## Oregon1986 (Apr 25, 2017)

I think if set properly,one could possibly live off of trapping around here.


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## ticndig (Sep 7, 2014)

Box trapping rabbits is an easy meal . I use homemade box traps made of wood, allowed to set out in trapping location ahead of the season so the rabbits get used to seeing it and to get my smell off of it . I bait with raw onion. 
look up rabbit gum on youtube if you'd like to build some


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## muleskinner2 (Oct 7, 2007)

Anywhere that small game is abundant, it wouldn't be hard to trap your next meal. White tail deer travel the same trails every day, and are easy to snare.


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## damoc (Jul 14, 2007)

Trapping is a much more efficient method of putting food on the table than any form of small game hunting or line fishing.It will take a lot of squirrel or rabbit to feed a family and going out to specifically hunt for these is a terrible waste of time and ammo.
I think most small game taken by hunting will be as a byproduct of protecting our crops and domestic critters and will be for the most part targets of opportunity taken while out working at more reliable food sources like wheat and potatoes etc


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

I had a short line in a city for a while , I had to walk it round trip was a mile , carrying out 3 15-20 pound ***** is a work out. once I had my traps out I carried my pack basket ,bait ,1 spare trap ,2 spare stakes and my hammer that functioned as stake driver , stake puller , and dispatch tool no guns could be fired because it was in the city even though all wooded land near the river in a flood plane.
it is quiet , you can do a lot to hide location.

I collect up walnuts when I see them dropping , then box trap squirrels just toss the nut to the back of the trap even the bait is free.


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## Esteban29304 (Apr 29, 2003)

Actually, the legality of air rifle hunting has grown a lot. You can take deer with higher powered air rifles, in many states.

But the subject is trapping. I had a friend who trapped a lot of Muskrats in the area , years ago. He bragged about how great they were to eat. He would also trap possums, pen them up & feed them for a couple of months, & eat those, too.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

air rifle hunting has grown , but where I grew up in the village we used to shoot archery in the back yard and bb guns and neighbors took care of pests with Sheridan air rifles. this was all quite common but many years later you best not shoot outside with an air rifle all . air , spring , or propellant of any type used to propel a projectile as well as outdoor archery is no longer legal in the incorporated village limits. paint ball and air soft are also included in the prohibition. all it takes is that one person turning you in. if you cage trap them then take them in the garage for dispatch then there is nothing to be turned in for.

we have so many hawks now in the village is about the only place to find squirrel but they are thick in town


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## oneraddad (Jul 20, 2010)

My Sheridan is 50 years old and works as good as the day my dad gave it to me.

My friends eat the cats I catch but I like to get my meat at Costco.


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## Lowe.Buuck (Jul 1, 2017)

I trapped for years in my younger days. I thought about selling my traps after I stopped trapping.

I changed my mind when I started prepping. Traps work 24/7 without you being there. As a method of meat procurement, it could be far more efficient than hunting. I would recommend everyone who preps have a few traps of various sizes and take the time to educate themself on the basic types of sets.

Quite a bit of info online. Wisconsin requires trappers to complete a *WI Trapper Education Program*. The link has the course manuals available as 3 PDF files.


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## Esteban29304 (Apr 29, 2003)

I still own & hunt with my original 1959 Sheridan, that I have owned since it was new. It needed to be re-sealed about 6 years ago, & that was the first repair ever done to it. I have dozens of Sheridans now !


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

many pneumatic air rifles suffer more from not being used than use.
I maintain a dozen Daisy 853 single pump pneumatic rifles I have taken to oiling them before they are put away for the season dry firing them 3 times (doesn't hurt the 853 like it does some) then putting a pump on them and placing them in the safe for storage. I only have 3 years data but it seems like I am spending less time in the spring with air rifle target season starts up again getting guns to hold air or needing to replace seals I was rebuilding guns with new seals a about 2 a year for a while as was my predecessor.

when I was a kid my neighbor had a Sheridan he had to replace the seals after 20+ years mostly from sitting around hardly ever being used then it was back to working good after he replaced the seals he followed the instruction to always store it with 1 pump on the seals next time I visit my parents and see him I might ask if he ever had to replace the seals again, that had to be 25 years ago he is 90 now. after the seal replacement he could put a 20cal pellet flush in the end of a season oak log and then stack 2 more pellets touching the first from about 25-30 feet good ground squirrel shooting distance.


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## Esteban29304 (Apr 29, 2003)

I have dozens of Sheridans. With any pump air rifle, shoot it every so often & always store it unloaded with a pump or two in it. This keeps some pressure on the system & that keeps oil on the seals.


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## GTX63 (Dec 13, 2016)

It isn't hard to learn or do and around here requires no permits or tags for small game.


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