In the early days of the fur boom of the 1970's, trapper and lure maker Russ Carman put out his first trapping book, targeted toward beginner fox trappers who needed to know the basics. Years later, when fox prices were sky high, competition was stiff, and everyone and their brother was looking for trapping information, he rewrote it with more advanced information geared … [Read more...]
The Basics of Bait Preservation for Trappers
In a perfect world, we trappers would have all the bait we need, from the animal we want to use, at the desired level of freshness or taint, just at the moment we need to deploy it on the trap line. But we know that's totally impossible, so bait preservation is a must. Preserving bait, quite simply, is what we do to keep it from rotting. Left to its own devices, meat will … [Read more...]
Why I Use Coni-Pans for Marten and Fisher Trapping
Traditional body gripping traps have a two-pronged wire trigger that the animal pushes as it moves through the trap, which causes the jaws to fire and make the catch. But this trigger isn't always the most ideal, and a number of modifications and improvements have been made over the years for more effective trigger setups in certain situations. Don't get me wrong - in many … [Read more...]
Lynx Exclusion Devices on the Maine Marten and Fisher Trapline
Sometimes politics get in the way of trapping and wildlife management. It’s just a reality that trappers in some states have to deal with, and such was the case with marten and fisher trapping in northern Maine. After a long battle in the courts over incidental trapping of ‘Endangered’ Canada lynx, Maine trappers were required to use newly approved - and specifically designed … [Read more...]
Vermont Fish & Wildlife Commissioner Weighs in on Trapping | The Bridge
Here's a great interview with Louis Porter, Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife. He brings up some excellent points about trapping, wildlife management, and the things animal rights advocates don't consider in the trapping debate. Great job, commish! I couldn't have said it better myself! Source: Vermont Commissioner of Fish and Wildlife, Louis … [Read more...]
Trapping Today Podcast: Episode 17 – Preserving Meat, Conibear Springs, Writing Articles, and Reviews
In this episode I talk about some recent videos I made for the Trapping Today Youtube channel, including preserving meat with salt for trapping bait, rotting down some meat for a lure base, and spring strength on 330 Conibears that have had their springs compressed for probably 20 years. I briefly go over how the recent Fur Harvesters auction went, and discuss dealer options … [Read more...]
Indiana DNR Proposes Allowing Trapping, Hunting Bobcats | WBAA
The Department of Natural Resources is proposing to change several fish and wildlife policies , but one in particular is causing heated controversy. The Source: DNR Proposes Allowing Trapping, Hunting Bobcats | WBAA … [Read more...]
Tanning Options for Trappers
In years of low fur prices, many trappers turn to alternative methods for marketing their fur. I talk about this a lot in my book Fur Profit, and discuss the option of sending your raw fur out to get tanned at a tannery. This opens up the option of selling tanned fur locally, online, at craft fairs and sportsman's shows, or turning it into garments or other items you can sell … [Read more...]