In this episode, I sit down with Noah Frost, a young marten trapper from northern Maine. We discuss getting into trapping, trapper education, setting up a marten trapline for the first time, and thoughts on running a trapline in an area with complex regulations and competition from other trappers. We recorded this episode from a camp in the woods, and I forgot my voice … [Read more...]
Trapping Today Podcast #39: Neil Olson’s Trappers Weekend
In this episode, Cole Porter and I discuss our experiences at Neil Olson's 42nd annual New England Trappers Weekend in Bethel, Maine. The episode is recorded on the car ride home, so you'll notice some background noise and a few distractions, but I think we had a great conversation about what we picked up from the event. In my mind, there are three aspects to a trapper's … [Read more...]
Trapping Today Podcast #38: Conventions, Trapping Podcasts, and Helfrich’s Fox Trapping Book
In this episode, I introduce Kaatz Bros. Lures as a new sponsor of the show. Since we're in the swing of trapping convention season, I talk about the benefit of conventions, and the upcoming convention near me, Neil Olson's New England Trappers Weekend. I bring up other trapping podcasts, including mentioning Clint Locklear's recent podcast interview with legend Tom Miranda, … [Read more...]
Trapping Today Podcast #37: Evaluation of Lures, Baits and Urines
After touching on some listener emails, fur prices and trapping news, I go into detail on Charles Dobbins' book, "Evaluation of Lures, Baits and Urines". Lure testing is an often overlooked topic in the trapping world, but being a professional trapper, Dobbins took it very seriously. In this book, he described how he put lures through extensive testing to determine their … [Read more...]
Trapping Today Podcast #36: Make Money Selling Traps on Ebay
Looking to unload some of your old traps and make room for more inventory? How about another source of income working on something you enjoy? In this episode, I discuss my experiences and lessons learned from a decade of selling traps on Ebay. … [Read more...]
Trapping Today Podcast #35: Fastening Traps – Stakes, Drags and More
In this episode I discuss the different options for fastening traps, and go through the evolution of stakes and drags throughout trapping history, as well as the current products available on the market. Enjoy! Show notes: Fur Real website i mentioned early in the show Why Use Trap Drags? A Review of Trap Drags … [Read more...]
Trapping Today Podcast #34: Getting Permission to Trap Private Land
In this episode, I discuss the need for, and process of getting permission to trap on private land. Trappers are held to a high standard when it comes to landowner permission, and gaining permission is critical to our success on the trapline. I wrote a blog post about this a while back, and I read through that post and provide additional thoughts and commentary. I also … [Read more...]
Trapping Today Podcast #33: Lots of Topics!
In this episode, I finish up the marten/fisher/mast discussion, go over listener emails, discuss the preliminary results of the NAFA July fur auction, and a few other odds and ends. I'm a bit tired and it was a bit rough, but I hope it turned out okay. Enjoy! … [Read more...]