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At 37 pages, I’m not sure I’d call Guy Johnson’s “Beaver Trapper’s Bible” a bible, or any sort of reference book, but the 1979 book does provide some useful tips for beaver trappers. Johnson wrote the book at the height of the fur boom, when a guy could make a good living trapping. He was in his prime and running hard.
The concepts Johnson covered in this book are very simple and straight forward. He developed an efficient system and didn’t stray very far from it. He only recommended two traps – a #4 Jump and a 330 bodygrip, and only a few sets. The scent mound set, dam break set and channel set were recommended for open water trapping, and he recommended a focus on baited sets only under ice.
The set illustrations are very well done and explain how to construct different sets, proper bodygrip trigger placement, and drowning slider rigs. A few pictures from the line and fur shed are helpful as well.
Overall, “The Beaver Trapper’s Bible” is a neat little book that has a few key concepts and sets that are still useful for trappers today. It’s not a complete beaver trapping book, and some methods are outdated (we have newer trap designs and no longer put beavers up round these days), but it’s still a great addition to the trapper’s library, and may help you pick up a few extra beavers on your line.
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