Are you a trapper with a story to tell? Can you produce a good quality video? Up for a little friendly competition while sharing your knowledge with other trappers? “Ultimate American Trapper” may be the perfect opportunity for you. Shon Butler of Buckhaven Productions is looking for trappers interested in being a part of a new trapping show to be hosted right here on … [Read more...]
Trapping Helps Deer and Turkey Populations
Do you trap for a landowner who manages their land for hunting? You might want to show them this. The Bowhunting.com blog just posted an article on the importance of trapping to enhance deer and turkey populations. Every hunter hates predators on his property. Not that we don’t value these species. I enjoy watching them in the woods but their numbers need to be kept in check … [Read more...]
Trapping on Reality TV
In a small way, trapping is returning to the forefront of some folks' minds through mainstream reality TV. Shows like "Mountain Men", "Yukon Men", "Life Below Zero" and "Great Wild North" are giving average Americans a new view on trapping, and it's pretty neat to see. Overall, modern day television has shifted from drama to the reality show. Reality shows are everywhere … [Read more...]
FHA March 2016 Fur Auction Results
Results are in from Fur Harvesters' March 2016 fur auction, and the low numbers won't surprise most readers who have followed the news of low fur prices this year. Beaver averaged $6-13, muskrat averaged just under $3, half of the red fox sold for around $23, and raccoons didn't sell. The bright spots were coyote and marten. The high quality western 'yotes averaged $90, … [Read more...]
Trapping Today News Roundup, February 2016
It's late February and by now we have a pretty good handle on the poor fur market and what we can expect for fur prices moving forward. Outside of the fur market, though, there's always news going on in the trapping world. Here are a few recent items. NH Bobcat Trapping New Hampshire Fish and Game has approved the state's first bobcat trapping season in decades. Recent … [Read more...]
Lessons Learned from Failure on the Marten Trapline
Over the years, I've learned never to take things for granted in trapping. Things don't always go as planned, and we trappers do make mistakes. I try to take away a valuable lesson from each failed experiment on the 'line, but for some reason, it's taken me much longer to learn from my marten trapping mistakes. I'm still not sure what the lesson is, but I guess it'll get … [Read more...]
“The Fur Trade” in Outdoor Life
Toby Walrath penned a great article on trapping and the fur trade for Outdoor Life Magazine. He takes the reader through the fur pelt supply chain, all the way from trap to garment, interviewing folks in the fur industry in Montana. Having lived and trapped in Montana for awhile, it was great to see some of the old faces in the story. The article provides the best overview … [Read more...]
Still Trapping Despite Low Fur Prices
Times of low fur prices help to highlight many of the other reasons trappers get out in the field. Not only is trapping an enjoyable and fulfilling activity that gets folks close with nature and their subsistence background, harvesting furbearers is also critical to proper wildlife management. Here's a quote from Luke Laha in a recent Wichita Eagle article following a … [Read more...]