Last time I had a challenging open water beaver problem to solve, I pulled Kyle Kaatz' "Open Water Beaver Trapping Made Simple" off the shelf for some ideas. Kyle has taken beaver in a variety of open water situations, and his book is loaded with pictures showing set examples and beaver catches. After an overview of beaver population dynamics, harvest management, and the … [Read more...]
The Beaver Trapper’s Bible – Guy Johnson
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 … [Read more...]
Mink and Muskrat Trapping by Herbert Lenon
Following his popular book, "The Secrets of Successful Trapping", which covered methods to catch land animals, legendary trapper Herb Lenon had a lot of requests to write a book focused on smaller water critters. In 1946 he did just that, and published "Mink and Muskrat Trapping", a 20-page book outlining his concepts and methods. Lenon really understood a concept that many … [Read more...]
Furry Critters Book
It's often tough to find a good gift that can share our passion for trapping with the younger generation. For the really little guys and gals, whose age is measured in the single digits, an interactive book can be just the ticket. "Furry Critters of North America" integrates furbearer education and our love for trapping into a great gift for future trappers. It's a board … [Read more...]
Land Trapping Made Simple
In 1996, while most of his contemporaries were probably playing video games, Kyle Kaatz was writing trapping books. A quick learner and an ambitious young trapper, Kaatz shared his knowledge in the book "Land Trapping Made Simple". In about 100 pages, "Land Trapping Made Simple" covers the very basics of most every topic on the subject of land trapping, primarily for fox, … [Read more...]
Competition Line Fox Trapping
Tom Miranda's 1985 book, "Competition Line Fox Trapping" is a true classic in the professional trapping arena. You might know Miranda from his days as a pro trapper, writer and personality in the Fur-Fish-Game professional trapping video series. Miranda was born at just the right time to be one of the last of the professional fur trappers prior to the 1980's crash in fur … [Read more...]
The Alaska Trapline Twins
Miki and Julie Collins are twin sisters who decided to live life the old fashioned way. They inherited a trapline in the northern Alaska bush and never looked back. Here's a video and a book about their experiences. https://youtu.be/lkbaG1dh2VQ Click here to find the book, "Trapline Twins". … [Read more...]
Science of Trapping
Elmer Harry Kreps wrote "Science of Trapping" in 1909. It's a bit dated, but there's some interesting information in there. It's always fun to read the old trapping books and see how things have changed over the years. Oh yeah, and since the copyright has expired, the book is available to read for free! Click here to read "Science of Trapping". … [Read more...]