Any trappers out there?

songdog

I was just wandering if there were very many trappers/fur harvesters on this forum. If so, lets all get a thread out about techniques, types of traps, baits, and all of that other needed info for every one else to learn. I will tell all i know if i can get people to responde to this thread.songdog

7mm_ultra_mag_is_king

you need to talk to the buckeye cops about traps, I got caught in a few!!!!

---

when all else fails........................

songdog

i do not belive those were the kind of traps that i was talking about but all will work. I have been caught in a few of those traps before. songdog

concealedG36

An old friend of mine used to trap fox, muskrat and mink (among others). But, I guess that pelt prices have dropped too low these days for him to do it much anymore. I used to love going out in the afternoon to check all the traps. One of the coolest ones would trap a muskrat when it came up from it's den. Then, when it would swim underwater in an attempt to escape the trap would go down with him along a wire. But, it was like one of those zip ties, one-way only. Drown them so all we had to do was pull up the trap with muskrat and all!Seems like he spent a lot of time making sure the scent was off of everything. Apparently, those little critters can smell a human a mile away.

---

Gun Control Disarms Victims, NOT Criminals

mtj21

Victor and Bridger 220 connibears and for those needed areas nothing beats price, quality and performance of a Wickenkamp live trap. Very little to the theory of technique used. Find the corn fields, locate the beaten down trails and gang set every one of them with a connibear if possible, if a good eating tree is found set a live trap. Anywhere that connibears are not the best choice for given circumstances use the live traps. No roadside ditches...you are only asking for problems. My brother and his partner take off a week to ten days of work and catch around 600-1000 *. Opening day best is 179 I believe. You can't be afraid to literally set up every trail at each property you trap. The thought is that one will not have enough traps for the next place. So what, the gang set will allow you to pretty well clear the place in about 2-3 days, then you move on. Another thought, there are 3 restaurants in town, 2 are closed up. Which would you go to? Well, a * works the same way, they go to standing corn and they will come from a distance. Two years ago we had the last standing corn in some distance. Take a guess where the * came. Check to see what traps are legal in your state, where you can legally set them, and all other associated laws. The live trap can be used anywhere. If anyone does trap and uses live traps, I can give you the number to the guy who makes the ones I/we use. It will be the best live trap you have owned and the easiest to operate. PS- If you are setting lots of live traps and don't want to waste all the time on opening day setting them.... take your trap out a week or more early. Put the trap upside down and throw a few marshmallows in it..pre-baiting. Legal because the animal can not get caught. When opening day hits you simply flip it over and add more marshmallows and off you go. Marshmallows are cheap, sweet, but most important they are easily visualized by your target. Don't waste alot of money on lures. Get some cheap vaseline jelly, buy some Watkins flavoring and make your own. Never use fish related lures... why catch cats and opposum when you can try to avoid them.

varmit hunter

Yelp,read the E-Mail I sent you.

---

A unarmed man is a subject.A armed man is a citizen.

Mojorisin

I nailed 2 BOSSDOGS this morning the biggest one weighed well over 50 pounds, both of em fell for well disguised flat sets, one in a Sterling MJ600, the big guy was in a modified #3 Bridger.

songdog

Thanks for all of the replies. THis is one of the things that i have found to work really well for leg hold traps. I take one 3'chain and wrap it around a tree At the end put a 6" spring that pulls fairly easily put can hold a lot of pressure. At the end of the spring attach a few other chains to tie the traps to. THis is how i caught my latest victim, it was not able to pull out because the spring would not give her something solid to pull against. Like it was said before, marshmellows are the best thing to use for *, that i have found. I only use havahart or other like traps. Where i am located, i catch more little * than big *. Probably one big 10#or greater to 15 little *. When i first started trapping i used sardines to trap, i would catch 20 opossums per one *. To bad those overgrown rats are not worth anything except for target practice.songdog

simonbs

You could send'em to 218. The way he eats, I bet he likes some good 'ole possum stew every now and then.GOTHCA!!!

timberbeast

I used to trap a lot, back in the 70's, when a guy could get 50 bucks for a nice, prime red fox, caught one or two evry couple of weeks, I probably averaged about $4.50 for a muskrat (I used angle braces for the slide stop on the drowning wire), and could catch 15-20 'rats a week after school. I still call a one-dollar bill "a weasel skin". Caught lots of '*, too, lots of fleshing, but was getting 20-25 bucks apiece. Opossums were about 3 bucks. Did some deep woods beaver trapping one year just for the experience, did get one otter (oops, wasn't legal), but it was drowned, so I took it in to the DNR, I was only about 17, so they let me keep it. Caught one Bobcat once in a cubby set. Quite a few mink as well, but prices weren't much, maybe 10-15 tops. If I caught a skunk, I shot it with a shotgun and left the trap until spring. You could get about 3 bucks, but I wasn't going to skin one..........Conibears came along around that time, never bought any, I had at least 100 legholds by that time, still have quite a few, mostly 1 1/2 and #2 longsprings, all Victor. Had some Blake and Lamb jumps, and a few stoplosses, those have disappeared somewhere through all these years. Those were good times, and I made a lot more than my buddies with paper routes!!How IS the market now?? Haven't read Fur-Fish-Game for a long time!

gunpaq

S & W Fur Company, Glenmoore, PA 1971 - 1975.Those days running the trapline, skinning, fleshing, buying & selling are too long ago. Today I specialize in smaller vermon using the feared and deadly Woodstream Victors mouse trap. Caught three this week - twenty more and I can make a pair of mittens. Seriously, ran a trapline for years in eastern PA and would be good to exchange tips, info, and stories.

---

Pack slow, fall stable, pull high, hit dead center.

songdog

keep em rollin out boys ( and the occasional LADY).

218Beekeep

Timber,that reminds me of the time me-9 and my younger brother,Joey-7, got into my older brothers * traps,and went and set a bunch of em.The next morning before school,we went to check`em,and came upon one with a skunk in it,in some bushes,I mean we were right on it when it was to late.We got on the school bus stinkin`,got sent to the principals office,sh called my mother,and tolt her she better come get us.My mother asked "what for",..the principal says"well,Joey says him and Point Two Eighteen caught a possum,..and it sprayed them"..218

soop

When I was a kid my mother would pay me for trapping mice in our basement.I would get .25 c per mouse.I can remember sitting in the living room and hearing the trap go off in the basement.Each time it would go off I would make her pay up.Used to trap muskrats and fox when I got older.I am about to start trapping * as our family farm is overrun with them.Found a good way to make a trap in last months Fur Fish & Game

songdog

soopershot- Do you have the email or the 800 number for fur fush and game? I would appreciate it.songdog

soop

songdogThe home office number is(614)231-9585 fax is(614)231-5735They apparently don`t have any 800 number.The only email address looks like it is for advertizing only. Hope this helps.

Miss. Creant

mtj21I cannot believe what you posted. The people doing this are not trappers at all. They are no tbetter than poachers with spotlights killing deer. Not only are the methods used totaly unethical but illegal in every state I know of. I would turn them in relative or not. This type of random slaughter is sickening. I am all for hunting and trapping and do both. Why do these guys even bother setting traps? Why don't they just randomly scatter poison all over the country side? They ARE NOT TRAPPERS. And for those uf us that are they are hurting the sport and giving every one of us a bad name. Christ I hope no antis see this thread. We have enough of a problem keeping our trapping rights without criminals like this in the woods.

songdog

Thanks soopershot- I will give them a call tomorrow during their business hours. I may try a search on the web too. If i have time. songdog

idsman75

Trapping RIGHTS? I don't see the word "trapping" in the Bill of Rights or the Constitution.

Mojorisin

I caught a female coyote this morning in the same set the big guy was in yesterday, I was practicing my right to trap furbearers as stated by The Missouri Dept. of Conservation.

Miss. Creant

Do we have an Anti here?You need to keep reading Idsman. Ever heard of The Bill of Rights, Amendment IX, here is the link. http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.billofrights.html#amendmentix The following is from the South Dakota State Constitution ? 1. Inherent rights. All men are born equally free and independent, and have certain inherent rights, among which are those of enjoying and defending life and liberty, of acquiring and protecting property and the pursuit of happiness. To secure these rights governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.And this one from the Declaration of IndependenceWe hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.Regardless, change my word rights to priviledges in my narrative and I am still making the same point. What this person is calling trapping is no worse than useing dynamite for fishing. Or claymores for duck hunting.Trapping is a sport deep in tradition with a very specific science to it as far as targeting certain animals and how and where they are caught. I hear what you are saying Mojorisin. Alsmost every state along with Ducks Unlimited, Pheasants Forever and biologists recognize trapping as the preffered way to humanely control predator and furbearer populations.Support your hunters and trappers gun people. We have the same interests.[This message has been edited by Miss. Creant (edited 12-19-2001).]

Miss. Creant

I forgot to add, I don't have the time for much trapping this year, but have been running my * hounds and got a shed full of fur on stretchers.

timberbeast

idsman: I don't see the words "Sig" or "Winchester" or "Remington", etal, in the Bill of Rights, either. The U.S. would never have survived without trapping. (neither would my family in the 30's) It's no different than hunting, just a different choice of weapon. And, yes there are unscrupulous folks who abuse trapping, just as there are those who abuse the right to keep and bear. Get real. A man doesn't have a right to a livelihood?????? That is the exact purpose of the phrase "Pursuit of Happiness". I suggest a bit of reading of the Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers.Yes, there is a right to trap furbearers. Both Jefferson and Patrick Henry were trappers. I think they understood the Constitution a bit more than you or I.

idsman75

I still don't see the word "trapping" anywhere. Hunting isn't a "right" either.

Miss. Creant

Pursuit of happiness. I don't see the word work either? What about playing baseball or riding a bicycle. Next time you take a breath stop to think if it is in the Bill of rights before you do it. It is, (The pursuit of life) would apply here.That is the reason the founders in their infinite wisdom worded it the way they did. So people could not indiscriminetly withhold certain things they did not personally view as rights.What part of certain inherent rights/ certain unalienable rights don't you understand?There are still people who make their livlihood from trapping, My dad did and my neighbor still does. Not trying to be a jerk Idsman. I am not a good debater and tend to make a fool of myself when I get exited so do not take me wrong. Trapping/hunting/fishing are a tradition which runs in my blood and I have to defend them when I feel they are slighted.What are the opinions of some of the other people who posted in this thread?Thanks for the support Timberbeast[This message has been edited by Miss. Creant (edited 12-19-2001).][This message has been edited by Miss. Creant (edited 12-19-2001).][This message has been edited by Miss. Creant (edited 12-19-2001).]

timberbeast

Hunting is most certainly a right. Those who interfere with this right are prosecuted. Does one have the right to eat? Does one have the right to make a living? Does one have the right to read what one wishes to? Does one have a right to speak one's mind??There is only one FUNDAMENTAL right, which is the right to one's own life. All other rights are corollaries. Life is a process of self-sustaining action, which means the right to take any actions necessary to support the fulfillment and substinence of one's life. It is not the right TO an object, but to the ACTION and consequences of obtaining or earning. It isn't a guarantee that one WILL obtain such, but IS a guarantee that one will own it if he earns it. Your rights stop only where they impose upon the rights of another. Do some reading, please.

songdog

If any one else was looking to order that fru fish and game magazine, you can do so by going to www.Magazine.com and look up the magazine there. I recieved a 1 yr, 12 issue sudscription for $17.songdog

idsman75

It is one thing to make a point. It is another to suggest that I haven't done any reading. I am not going to toot my own horn but I am not the village idiot. Let's get one thing clear, the only "RIGHTS" we have are those which are outlined in the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Hunting is not a RIGHT. By treating it as a "right" we run the danger of assuming that the "right" to hunt will always be there. There is more than just one fundamental right. The one that you mention is important but it is not the only fundamental right that we have. By claiming that some rights are "fundamental" and all others are corrolaries, we run the risk of placing some rights on a higher pedestal than others. This is what society has done with the 2nd Ammendment and look what has happened to it. Now our protections from unreasonable search and siezure are slipping because somebody thinks that they aren't so important after Sept. 11. Be careful. The Constitution guarantees my right to hunt and trap no more than it guarantees my "right" to drive an automobile. Those things are priviledges that we fight to keep. They are part of our way of life. Assuming that there is Constitutional assurances that such a right exists is folly and could lead to a loss of that priviledge.I was walking through the halls of a local college and noted a flier that outlined "YOUR HOLIDAY RIGHTS". I nearly gagged because this word "RIGHT" is thrown around so loosely these days. It went further to state that you have the "RIGHT" to do this and a "RIGHT" to do that. Just because you can legally do something doesn't mean that there is a Constitutional mandate protecting your participation in that activity.[This message has been edited by idsman75 (edited 12-19-2001).]

timberbeast

If our "outlined" rights are not derived from a fundamental, then where are they derived from? All rights are Individual Rights. There is no such thing as a collective right.A group has no rights. You can't "get" more rights or "lose" more rights by joining a group, and the first right of an individual is the right to that individual's life.A RIGHT IS THAT WHICH CAN BE EXCERSIZED WITHOUT THE PERMISSION OF ANOTHER!! You are not granted rights by the government, nor by the Constitution. You are born with them. The Constitution is merely an affirmation of this, as it relates to our form of government, which is a Republic, NOT a Democracy. In a Democracy, the majority can remove the rights of the individual. "The main danger of a republican form of government is that one day it may degenerate into a democracy" - Ben Franklin. Yes, we seem to have been heading down this path for a long time. I am speaking of natural inborn rights, as our Founders did, via Locke, where you seem to believe that your rights are being "donated" to you by the government, and you couldn't be more wrong. This is not a personal attack, understand, and if it comes off that way, I apologize. I guess you are speaking "legal" and I am speaking "moral". Doesn't seem to be going anywhere except me p!ss!ng you off, so I'll go and put the presents under the tree!

idsman75

I understand what you meant and I know what you mean by natural "inborn" rights. I know where you are coming from. What good are these rights if they are not guaranteed though? What I have the right to do without permission from another may, in another's opinion, not be a right at all. The point that I am trying to make is that it is dangerous to consider it a right and rest on that laurel if it isn't constitutionally guaranteed. I suppose I did not communicate this effectively. I must confess that I was trying to do a little pot-stirring. I intended to get some people a little riled up. Take it easy...no harm no foul. [This message has been edited by idsman75 (edited 12-20-2001).]

Miss. Creant

Actually it is even more dangerous not not consider these things as rights. There are certain unalienable rights just because they are not specifically named does not give anyone the power to say what the are or aren't. If we do not demand that these things are our rights to do then we run the risk of losing them faster then ever.

Matt45

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but, aren't we garunteed the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness??Seems to me in some cases, such as my own not-to-distant past, survival may depend upon what is hunted, angled, or trapped and sold.At any rate, my "right" to trap has been taken away from my by the State legislature, Gov. Gary Locke, and the popular vote. Trapping is banned is WA State as of last year.At any rate, back to the original point of this whole thread:When I first started trapping I had obtained permission to trap 90 acres owned by an old timer who trapped as a kid in the 20's and 30's. He relayed the following simple "set" for coyotes that, to me, sounds like a real winner, although I was never ambitious enough to try it, and never really had reason to. How it works is simple. Play off of the animal's natural curiosity- dig a large hole with a mound in the center, about 10' wide, 4' deep and a 3' mound. Place a wooden box in the center of the mound, and inside of the box, place an old "Big Ben" style alarm clock. (Y'know the kind, "ticks" real loud.) All around the outside place brush in a wall, except for 2 entrences opposite from one another, place your traps all around the bottom of the pit and up the sides of the mound. Once you catch one or two, you need to place a scent stick or two in the enclosure. After one or two more are caught, place traps around the outside of the hole, and close out the deal after 2 or 3 more are bagged.

---

Reserving my Right to Arm Bears!!!!

mtj21

Miss Creant,Sorry if you don't like the sounds of it. I guess I don't see what is so bad about the post. All the sets we used are legal in the state of Iowa. The post said, "check your state laws". This isn't going out to slaughter, its work. Pre-season scouting starts in October, several phones calls to confirming trapping is o.k- most places have been trapped over 18 years, we just always call and confirm. Taking out traps to areas, and then setting them on opening day. That starts at about 8:00 am, get home around 9:00pm. The days only get longer with re-setting, skinning, and everything else. Is it unethical that some find ways to be efficient and catch a large amount? Are there more * in our area than yours? We get along with * hunters, and mark sets with flags for bird hunters. Maybe some nbird hunters should get permission to actually hunt the ground they are on. Maybe to you the joy is in doing ground sets, water sets, or whatever. WE like to use our method as it is every bit humane and effective as yours, maybe more so.

Miss. Creant

The conibears you mention are not legal for dry ground use in SD. Maybe they are for your state. Gang setting an area or trail you have no control over what you catch. No worse than the local in my area who had a coyote problem and laced all his pastures with poison. Killed every critter for miles. Including valuable hunting dogs and other nongame animals. I guess I have a problem with gang setting where you are targeting anything that walks down the trails. There is a reason the big conibears should not be used on dry land. They kill everything immedietly. So you cannot let the landowners dog go when he gets caught or the protected Kit Fox. What about a stranger or kid that would come across a 20 or 330. Granted they should not be messing with it, but I think it would almost be considered booby trapping for trap thieves is a trap thief walked into the hospital with a broken arm. I guess if it is legal to use them in your state then fine, I stand corrected. I will stay with my opinion of blinkly gang setting an area as being unethical and giving trappers a bad name. Why do you think snares are illegal in some states? Some states that do allow them make you have breakaway devices and other safeties on them. It is because to many people put them on every trail and fence and everything else and catch all kinds of non game animals they are not supposed to. At least with a trap set there are a jillion ways to target it towards a specific animal or two.