# How many fur trappers do we have on this forum?



## trapperJim (Jan 24, 2008)

How many fur trappers do we have on this forum? I would think that in many ways trapping and homesteading would go hand in hand as they are both ways of living off the land. I own an outdorrsman's forum and I have boards on there regarding homesteading topics, but surprizingly only a small percentage of my members frequent that section of the forum. Here, I find it's the opposite and this section gets less activity than the other pages. 

So with that said, I was just wondering how many of you folks run a trapline?

Thanks.


----------



## mdharris68 (Sep 28, 2006)

I have always wanted to since I grew up. I did some as a kid helping a friend with his trap line. When they instated the furharvesting licence in KS, I had never got one of my own, and missed the grandfather rule. So now I need to take the class and test to get licenced. I like to hunt coyotes though since I can't trap. I have two boys age 11 and 9 that are showing an interest, so I will be looking to get them into the class and go along. Can you provide a link to a forum about trapping?


----------



## Chuck R. (Apr 24, 2008)

I've been working on my Jeremiah Johnson routine, but it's not by choice.

We bought 80 acres with a 9 acre pond and an ongoing muskrat/beaver infestation came with it. I've averaged about 25 rats and 6 beavers since we bought the place in 05.

Chuck


----------



## Oldcountryboy (Feb 23, 2008)

I can see why the old timers always kept a few hounds around or trapped for fur during the winter. Last summer the critters around here harvested more of my field corn then I did. So yes, trapping is valueable to homesteading. 

I'm taking up trapping in order to help control the critters around here. What I get for the hides will help me to buy seeds and stuff for next years garden plus various other things here on the homestead. 

I bought traps about a month ago but have yet to set them out. Waiting for all this holiday stuff to get over with. This will be a learning year for me. Hopefully next year will be a harvesting year for me.


----------



## adkpete (Jul 26, 2008)

I trapped a lot in my youth. I am looking forward to start again when I retire in 2 years.


----------



## trapperJim (Jan 24, 2008)

Yes trapping is a valuable tool around any farmstead and a great deal of fun as well. It's a total bummer that is is so misunderstood. I created my forum back in 2006 for the purpose of promoting hunting and fishing but mainly to reinforce the importance of proper ethics. We have a very informative section with free fur handling tutorials and my staff and I are adamant about keeping it novice friendly. I wish we could get more activity in the homestead section but I'm clueless how to generate it. 

Thanks for the replies. JC

www.swamptalkforum.com


----------



## Homesteadwi5 (Mar 16, 2008)

I keep hounds and trap from october till late april,other then guiding some bear and cat hunters that's most of my income.This year the market hasn't been to kind though.


----------



## DavidUnderwood (Jul 5, 2007)

I've trapped for 40 years.
Prices are not too good this year.
The meat is worth more than a
****'s hide. Glands and essence
is worth more than a skunks hide.
So you sell the fur, use what you
need, and find a market for every
thing else you can.


----------



## Haggis (Mar 11, 2004)

I've been trapping since the mid-50's and was out today on snowshoes running my line of coyote and fox snares. My Father was a fisherman of no mean talent, but I've always been a hunter and a trapper, with heavy emphasis on the trapping; I find it more exciting to come around a turn in the trail to my next trap or snare, than to catch the largest fish, or the biggest buck.


----------



## PQ4evr (Jan 3, 2009)

I am looking to learn how to trap to teach my son he has some developmental delays tried deer hunting he isn't quiet ready for. we have 10 acres filled with skunk **** fox and was wondering is there some more informational links someone could post Thanks in advance


----------



## MTplainsman (Oct 12, 2007)

I've always trapped since I could set one. After high school I trapped professionally for three years. Two of them commercially and the other one aside the Fish and Game for an ADC program. Still, for the last several years, the trapline has made up one of the largest incomes for my livelihood. Now though, I just have to be creative to make it pay. Since a lot of raw furs have such minimal value these days, I now do a lot of tanning, bone/skull preparation, scrapping for lure/bait ingrediants, and for some species like beaver, I save money by filling my freezer with them! I make beaver mittens, beaver tail wallets and bags, etc. etc. Trapping still remains about 35% or more, of my annual income. I could go on and on about trapping, how I do it and what it means to me, but it would take much too long. I did not realize there where others that share my trapping interest/lifestyle on here. That is why I refrain from posting trapping related posts. Dang! it's great to see it's still alive. I thought of starting a trapping forum on here at one time, but I think it would sit stale for a wee bit too long, LOL! Well, anyhow... one more trapper checking in. Joel


----------



## DavidUnderwood (Jul 5, 2007)

This is probly the biggest and best
trapping site. Its very "kid friendly".
http://www.trapperman.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/postlist/Board/1/page/1
NC trappers have one.
http://nctrappers.proboards45.com/index.cgi
Snare-One is a pretty good one.
http://www.snareone.com/forum/default.asp
If you will look under "LINKS" on Trapperman,
there are a whole mess of sites. Most states
have their own.


----------



## trapperJim (Jan 24, 2008)

David, I will agree with ya that Tman is the biggest site but it certainly isn't the friendliest. I started my forum because I couldn't handle the armchair experts, the toe stepping and the bickering that takes place over there. Personally I have no idea how they grew that large with the amount of arguing that goes on. If anybody wants to learn the fur trade and not get there toes stepped on www.swamptalkforum is the place to learn from.


----------



## houndDogger (Mar 2, 2008)

Not real sure how I got into hunting and trapping as nobody else in my family had any interest but when I was around six I found a half dozen old #0 Victors that my Grandpa used to use for pocket gophers on our farm. Grandpa told me they could be used for muskrats and being a bullheaded kid, I set them the next day. It took a LONG time and a large learning curve to catch anything but I've been trapping ever since (24 y/o now). When I was in Jr. High I ended up with an old bluetick hound and thus began my life with floppy eared potlickers. At one time I had 16 dogs and hunted year round with our season the way they are (****, bobcat, cougar,and bear). With being a farmer I would have plenty of spare time in the winter to trap any critter worth hide money and chase everything else with hounds. I used to love taking a pack of hounds with me to set bobcat traps. Lay steel until I come across a decent set of cougar tracks and turn them loose. 

Since Dad passed away and I run the farm on my own now I don't have time to devote to the hounds as I would like, it just wouldn't be fair to them to sit around so much, so I sold most and kept a couple for the occasional **** run, but I still run around 200 coyote traps and a few dozen mink, muskrat and **** traps each winter. Now I love to drive around, check traps, and maybe call a coyote in when I hear them over a ridge. Life doesn't get much better than that.


----------



## -TWO- (Mar 25, 2008)

I used to, & still would if the @#*$%&*@ bleeding heart liberals on the westside of this gad blasted state hadn't of outlawed trapping & hunting with dogs.


----------



## DavidUnderwood (Jul 5, 2007)

TWO- how many members are in your state's
trapping association? Its hard in less dense
states to fight the anti-everything crowd.


----------



## vezoo (Nov 22, 2008)

Has any one else noticed the lack of white in skunks this year? Or have they always been lacking it for a while?


----------



## -TWO- (Mar 25, 2008)

DavidUnderwood said:


> TWO- how many members are in your state's
> trapping association? Its hard in less dense
> states to fight the anti-everything crowd.



You got that right. The ban has been on since 2000. So, of course, membership is down, but there's still some interest in trapping. But understand, that in this state, the outcome of every initiative on the ballot is decided in Pierce & King Counties. Pretty sad. Not just trapping & hound hunting either. Everything. I'll stop here, sometimes I get so agitated about it I'm afraid I might blow a head gasket.


----------



## Bricore (Sep 8, 2007)

Just learning about trapping here. Hope to be here soon.

Dora Renee' Wilkerson


----------



## DavidUnderwood (Jul 5, 2007)

I've been catching black skunks too.
The one yesterday had lots of white.
Its barely visible in this pic.


----------



## Trapper (Jun 2, 2006)

Been trapping since I was eight, never been smart enough to walk away. :dance: Cancer and employment change along with relocation have lead to a greatly reduced effort the last 3 years. But still, I manage a muskrat line this last fall in all new territory, enough so to get a fur coat for the special lady in my life.:happy: I kind of figure trapping will be a part of this life until the good lord says no more.


----------



## trapperJim (Jan 24, 2008)

Thanks for replying to my thread folks. Funny that I've found more trappers on this homesteading forum that I have homesteaders on my trapping forum. 
Also, I just noticed that when I posted the link to my site that I missed the .com so the link doesn't work. Here goes again.
www.swamptalkforum.com


----------



## littlejoe (Jan 17, 2007)

This is a great thread! Just thinking of many great memories my kids and I made.

Used to supplement ranch wages with trapping for many years. In 2000 the implanted citizens along the upper reaches of the front range (Colorado Springs.. north) deemed that an anti trapping amendment was necessary in our state constitution. I did all i could at the time to help defeat it, by writing letters to the editor of newspapers. Quite a few were printed, some were not. In the end, the high population areas had the final say. It was something that never should have been allowed to appear on a public vote.

The DOW was of no help, and my opinion of them has sank to newer lows. No one listened to wildlife bioligists... or maybe no one would support what they said. It was political hogwash!

Never give it up, people! We need trappers and hunters, and we need to stand together!


----------



## trapperJim (Jan 24, 2008)

littlejoe said:


> Never give it up, people! We need trappers and hunters, and we need to stand together!


You got that right Littlejoe. I do a large amount of nuisence beaver trapping and I can't imagine what kind of problems we would have up here if we weren't allowed to trap. I have a tremendous adoration and respect for wildlife and I get countless hours of enjoyment just watching them. I am also an artist and wildlife is the dominant subject of my drawings. For some reason people just can't understand how important it is to keep wildlife in healthy populations. The picture below was from a farm that called me to restore the order around his place. The fields were flooded, timber being cut, ***** destroying corn and coyotes killing sheep. Trapping was the only way to control the damage being done. 










Most of these protesters live in a city and have NO IDEA what is taking place in a farm community.


----------



## tinman1 (Jan 20, 2009)

I trapped for many years,2years during winter full time.. back when muskrats were 10 to 12 dollars a hide.but when the markets bottom dropped out,I had to change my strategy.. Now I only trap problem beavers and live foxes for the foxpens in my area. And of course the occasional groundhog that wont show its head..Wish prices would get to the point I could justify more time to the trapline again.Im just posting another trapper still hanging around.Love the pics!!!


----------

