Trevor is a fellow trapper from the far northern reaches of Maine. He and his family operate a successful trapline each year in the North Maine Woods. Here are a few pics he shared for the site. Thanks, Trevor, and hope all that work on the line is paying off this season! … [Read more...]
Where to Sell Your Fur This Year
We're at a low point in the fur market, which has those of us left trapping wondering where to sell fur this year. If you're fortunate enough to have a local fur buyer in your area, they can be a good dependable resource, both for selling fur and getting advice. The trouble is that the low market has many local buyers sitting out of the game this year, and the ones who are … [Read more...]
Maine Marten Trapline 2016: Check 1
If you've followed this blog for a while, you have a good idea of my struggles on the marten trapline in recent years. This year I got the chance to put our a marten line earlier in the season, and got 25 sets out in new country that looked to be good marten habitat, but I'd never trapped there before. On Thursday, I checked the line for the first time. The sets yielded … [Read more...]
2016 Election Results for Trappers
Regardless of how you feel about this year's presidential election, in some states voters turned out to decide on issues directly affecting trappers. And we won two victories this year. In Montana, I-177 was a ballot initiative to ban trapping on all public lands in the state. The animal rights folks tried to get this on the ballot last time around but failed. This time … [Read more...]
New Trapper Pics
Trapper Keith and family have had a pretty good season so far! Here are some of their pics from the line. … [Read more...]
Why Am I Trapping This Year?
Passion and education. That's why I'm trapping this year. Fur prices are in the tank. If you're in it for the money, there's really no reason to trap this year. But I can't stand the idea of sitting out a season of trapping. I love trapping. Can't get away from it. Maybe that's a little bit crazy, but I really enjoy trapping regardless of fur prices. So I'm trapping … [Read more...]
What are You Trapping This Season?
The low fur prices have a lot of us down, but most trappers can't stand to sit at home when the season opens. So far I've stuck close to home, trapping muskrats in the swamp across the road from home. It keeps the gas bill low and I haven't got much to lose if fur continues to be near worthless this season. Trapping season for all furbearers opens soon here in Maine, and … [Read more...]
Where We’re At in the Fur Market: Summer 2016 Update
Has the fur market bottomed out? It's tough to say, but it's also hard to imagine prices could get any lower. The major spring fur auctions brought very disappointing results. Here's a recap of average fur prices from North American Fur Auctions: Muskrat - $2.65 Otter - $21.34 Mink - $7.95 Coyote - $6 - $68 (Easterns $30, Westerns $68 Raccoon - $2 - $6 (no, … [Read more...]