Orcon
Member
Hey folks, I'd really like to spend some time running traps for fur-bearers this winter and was wondering what are some good resources to consult. Where's a guy to start?
Trapping for beginners
- Thread starter Orcon
- Start date
- Status
zb338
Member
First thing you have to look for is land that you can trap on without trespassing. There is a magazine
called "Fur Fish & Game" it's pretty much a trapper's magazine. Lots of articles on trapping plenty of
tips and tons of places to buy trapping equipment. You will need a book or two to show you a few sets
for various animals. They are all kind of different. Try to start out with a target animal that won't be too
hard to catch. Lots of luck to you.
Zeke
called "Fur Fish & Game" it's pretty much a trapper's magazine. Lots of articles on trapping plenty of
tips and tons of places to buy trapping equipment. You will need a book or two to show you a few sets
for various animals. They are all kind of different. Try to start out with a target animal that won't be too
hard to catch. Lots of luck to you.
Zeke
OP
OP
Orcon
Member
Not a problem there, plenty of land access and it's perfectly legal here in MT. The plan is to mostly target those dastardly coyotes, maybe foxes. Thanks for the lead.
I would look at a website called Trapperman I think it is.
My experience is one important thing is to bed your trap so firmly that it won't move when you push down on it.
I would also look at snares, they can work pretty good. Good luck.
My experience is one important thing is to bed your trap so firmly that it won't move when you push down on it.
I would also look at snares, they can work pretty good. Good luck.
Starter52
Member
Fur-Fish-Game magazine for sure. Great articles plus ads each month for trapping books.
entropy
Member
F&T Trading Post is where I've bought coyote scent and calls for hunting.
https://www.fntpost.com/catrewrite.php?req=/Trapping/
https://www.fntpost.com/catrewrite.php?req=/Trapping/
buck460XVR
Member
- Joined
- Feb 6, 2007
- Messages
- 10,085
GTS.........Google That <deleted>
Trapping is a sport that is almost a lost art when it comes to being successful. Leg hold, conibear, snare, they all work, but there's times and places where one can work better than the other. My state requires you to take a state approved trapping class before you can get a trapping license. They want to ensure you know what you are doing before they let you start setting traps randomly. 'Yotes learn fast, and can be tough to lure after you catch one or two in an area.
Trapping is a sport that is almost a lost art when it comes to being successful. Leg hold, conibear, snare, they all work, but there's times and places where one can work better than the other. My state requires you to take a state approved trapping class before you can get a trapping license. They want to ensure you know what you are doing before they let you start setting traps randomly. 'Yotes learn fast, and can be tough to lure after you catch one or two in an area.
Last edited by a moderator:
eastbank
Member
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2009
- Messages
- 5,021
I got this handsome harry yesterday in a paw raccoon trap. I took him about two miles away and releasted him, some kill them but I don,t. trapping takes be back 60 years when I trapped for pocket money . today its not about making money(I don,t), only the enjoyment of being out early in the wild. eastbank.
Attachments
MtnCreek
Member
Trapperman.com mentioned above is a good site. If you post there, read and follow the rules; they are Very Strict.
You should read your State trapping laws. Where I'm located you are required to tag your traps with your info, must carry a release pole & 22rf, limit on foothold trap size, no snares except at water, ... You need to know this info prior to ordering traps.
Don't try to take shortcuts regarding trap prep. I tried that and failed. I figured I could just use snare dip on footholds and didn't need to die them. Wrong; they kept getting dug up!
Good luck.
You should read your State trapping laws. Where I'm located you are required to tag your traps with your info, must carry a release pole & 22rf, limit on foothold trap size, no snares except at water, ... You need to know this info prior to ordering traps.
Don't try to take shortcuts regarding trap prep. I tried that and failed. I figured I could just use snare dip on footholds and didn't need to die them. Wrong; they kept getting dug up!
Good luck.
ridgerunner1965
Member
- Joined
- Dec 11, 2010
- Messages
- 768
coyotes are one of the hardest animals to trap that there is really.besides wolves.
id say trap a few coons and other animals for a year or two first. water trapping in easy compared to dry land trapping in freezing weather.
and yes don't take shortcuts. if your not familiar with trapping canines then calling may be a more productive than trapping.
yu miss catching a yote in one set and he is now educated.there are ways to catch a educated yote. read and learn.
if snares are legal they are easier to rack up numbers of yotes in also.
read and research there is a lot to learn
id say trap a few coons and other animals for a year or two first. water trapping in easy compared to dry land trapping in freezing weather.
and yes don't take shortcuts. if your not familiar with trapping canines then calling may be a more productive than trapping.
yu miss catching a yote in one set and he is now educated.there are ways to catch a educated yote. read and learn.
if snares are legal they are easier to rack up numbers of yotes in also.
read and research there is a lot to learn
JeffG
Member
One of the best (and most enjoyable) ways to start trapping is internship. Find an established trapper that you won't be competing with, to tag along with. It might entail shouldering a lot of the work for a while, but the pointers on equipment, terrain, weather, pelt care and techniques are more than worth the time.
Varminterror
Member
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2016
- Messages
- 14,935
Trapping isn't 100% selective, no matter what set you use, so "versatile" set types will typically yield SOMETHING, whereas not-so-versatile sets will often yield NOTHING, or will leave you with something you didn't want. There are tons of books available, lots of youtube videos available, lots of good and bad (or at least not so good) information in both. Best method is to learn from a veteran, long-lineage trapper - preferably not some dude who bought his first set of bridgers a couple years ago - of course, there's good and bad in their advice too, but it's always best to learn from guys who really KNOW, rather than just learned it themselves last week.
One thing I will say - run WAY more traps than you think you could really use. Some nights you'll almost fill your line with saleable fur, but those nights are few and far between. More often than not, if 10% of your traps strike each night, you're kicking butt. I warned one of my cousins about 5-6yrs ago when he bought 36 footholds, he had permission on about 5 miles of creek line, he didn't have NEARLY enough traps. A season later, he was begging to borrow from my stash of conibears and snares to supplement his lines, then he bought a bunch of my Duke's and all of my coon cuffs from me the next year... He and I share duty on both of our traplines last year and this year, we have over a hundred snares, 40 conibears, I think 6 dozen footholds, and 30 coon cuffs to go into the field in a couple weeks. He's a bit more hard up for cash than I, so he checks weekdays and I check weekends, and I let him keep what he picks up, I keep what I pick up, even though over half of the traps are mine.
Another thing which should be said - learn how to skin and put up your hides properly, and work with your buyers to understand what they want in hides. Some of my buyers over the years have preferred whole carcasses, as they have a team of skilled skinners which do a better job than most trappers/hunters. I've had a guy who flat wouldn't buy head shot coyotes, whereas others preferred it since it meant the usable part of the pelt was without holes. Others want green pelts because their guys can do a better job fleshing than the average trapper. Other guys wouldn't take anything if it wasn't stretched and dried, at least. Get that much work into each hide and you might want to consider putting them up and send them to auction on your own. Or at least consider holding groups which would make good lots to send to auction, even if you need to hold it over a season or two to get a big enough lot to justify it, then selling the lower quality, smaller stuff locally during each season. I've sent furs up to auction, and taken some in person myself, for me, in most years, or more recent years, it's frankly just a lot easier to sell green hides or whole carcass locally most of the time, and not worry as much about the bottom dollar as I used to.
By the by, a club is your friend. I carry a pistol on one hip when walking my traplines, but I carry a hatchet on the other - the flat side face of the hatchet makes a quick kill, but doesn't break the skull/face bones like the heel edge, which makes skinning more difficult. A truckers' "tubthumper" works very nice as well. "No hole hides" are really easy to sell, easier to put up (no blood to wash), and saves money on ammo.
One thing I will say - run WAY more traps than you think you could really use. Some nights you'll almost fill your line with saleable fur, but those nights are few and far between. More often than not, if 10% of your traps strike each night, you're kicking butt. I warned one of my cousins about 5-6yrs ago when he bought 36 footholds, he had permission on about 5 miles of creek line, he didn't have NEARLY enough traps. A season later, he was begging to borrow from my stash of conibears and snares to supplement his lines, then he bought a bunch of my Duke's and all of my coon cuffs from me the next year... He and I share duty on both of our traplines last year and this year, we have over a hundred snares, 40 conibears, I think 6 dozen footholds, and 30 coon cuffs to go into the field in a couple weeks. He's a bit more hard up for cash than I, so he checks weekdays and I check weekends, and I let him keep what he picks up, I keep what I pick up, even though over half of the traps are mine.
Another thing which should be said - learn how to skin and put up your hides properly, and work with your buyers to understand what they want in hides. Some of my buyers over the years have preferred whole carcasses, as they have a team of skilled skinners which do a better job than most trappers/hunters. I've had a guy who flat wouldn't buy head shot coyotes, whereas others preferred it since it meant the usable part of the pelt was without holes. Others want green pelts because their guys can do a better job fleshing than the average trapper. Other guys wouldn't take anything if it wasn't stretched and dried, at least. Get that much work into each hide and you might want to consider putting them up and send them to auction on your own. Or at least consider holding groups which would make good lots to send to auction, even if you need to hold it over a season or two to get a big enough lot to justify it, then selling the lower quality, smaller stuff locally during each season. I've sent furs up to auction, and taken some in person myself, for me, in most years, or more recent years, it's frankly just a lot easier to sell green hides or whole carcass locally most of the time, and not worry as much about the bottom dollar as I used to.
By the by, a club is your friend. I carry a pistol on one hip when walking my traplines, but I carry a hatchet on the other - the flat side face of the hatchet makes a quick kill, but doesn't break the skull/face bones like the heel edge, which makes skinning more difficult. A truckers' "tubthumper" works very nice as well. "No hole hides" are really easy to sell, easier to put up (no blood to wash), and saves money on ammo.
jimmyraythomason
Member
There are dozens of great youtube videos and trapper tv shows for the "how to". "Wolfernation", "Trapping Inc. tv", "Trapping Time" and F & T Fur Harvesters are all great shows but before hitting the woods and fields study your state's trapping regulations. After that is out of the way, join your state trappers Association as well as the National Trapper's Association. As mentioned above, learn to put up your own fur. There are lots of youtube videos on that too. I sell through the North American Fur Auction. NAFA puts out information on how to prep your furs for auction including dimensions for drying boards/stretchers. BTW, this is my 53rd season.
MagnusHarrell
Member
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2018
- Messages
- 5
I invite you to visit this resource https://under-the-open-sky.com/best-decoy-for-coyote-hunting/ In this article you will get knowledge about the best 10 traps. Nowadays there are a lot of them. Every kind of baits needs to be
picked up very carefully. Success depends on many factors, such as whether you have considered in what terrain you will use a bait, for which animal in what weather conditions, etc. I think it's a good resource for choosing the best bait.
picked up very carefully. Success depends on many factors, such as whether you have considered in what terrain you will use a bait, for which animal in what weather conditions, etc. I think it's a good resource for choosing the best bait.
Fine Figure of a Man
Member
The guy that get a lot of coyotes around here use snares almost exclusively.
Armored farmer
Member
Coyotes are wary.
Im lucky here, 'coons are plentiful.
A great way to be alone and enjoy the real world.
A big commitment if done right.
Good luck.
Get a good tomahawk.
Im lucky here, 'coons are plentiful.
A great way to be alone and enjoy the real world.
A big commitment if done right.
Good luck.
Get a good tomahawk.
rondaxe
Member
Does your state have a state trappers association, if so that's a good place to start. Youtube has a great deal of videos that are very helpful. I've been trapping coyotes since they started showing up in numbers in the early eighties, they aren't really that hard to catch, good scent control and having sets out when they come thru are two of the biggest keys.
- Status
