This article was originally published in the November 2018 issue of the Northwoods Sporting Journal.
Trapping season in Maine. It’s a time that a unique subculture of outdoors folk spend the entire year anticipating, and the rest of the crowd doesn’t even notice. The state is home to around 3,000 trappers, and while they often fly under the radar, trapping plays an integral role in wildlife management in the state.
While trapping season officially starts around the first of November for most species (October 28th this year), there are exceptions in the northern reaches of the state. Muskrat season starts a week early up north, where ice can freeze over much of the trapping grounds by the 1st during cold years, and an early fox and coyote season allows trappers to harvest pelts from these predators before the November cycle of freeze/thaw and rain/snow make it a nightmare to keep traps operating.
Opening season on beaver, one of Maine’s most notorious furbearers, varies throughout the state. The price of beaver pelts has been dismal for years, and this prolific rodent can easily overpopulate when not harvested. Beavers cause flooding problems and washouts when they decide to build dams at road crossings, which they’re apt to do. Wildlife managers have implemented early start dates to the beaver season in northern zones so trappers can help control these problem animals and make use of their pelts.
Trapping for most species in most of the state, however, starts around November 1st. That’s when folks like me take to the woods after a variety of species, including my favorite, the mustelids. Marten, fisher and weasel are a unique group of predators that specialize in forested habitats. They are relatively easy to trap and have beautiful pelts. Chasing these critters in the big woods of Maine is the ultimate trapping experience, at least in my mind.
Most folks riding around the woods in November will have a rifle or shotgun in the truck, and a blaze orange jacket and hat. But you may see the occasional outcast. Usually his truck is parked and he’s nowhere to be seen. The bed of the truck is loaded to the gills with boxes of steel, stinky bait, lure, some gadgets, and maybe a few critters. You’ve found a trapper.
If you catch a trapper at the truck, he may seem a bit unfriendly. Don’t worry, that’s just a defense mechanism. For years he’s worked to keep his set locations a secret from the world, and from other trappers. He’s probably had the occasional coyote or fox shot by a hunter who thought he was doing him a favor, and the ruined pelt left him a little sore. Then again, he may just be in a hurry. After all, you caught up to him at just one of dozens of stops that need to be made.
Most trappers, including myself, don’t mind stopping and chatting with folks we meet in the woods. It’s hard to believe, but a lot of hunters aren’t exposed to trapping at all these days, and it’s good to give them an idea of what we do and how we do it.
Trapping isn’t the most popular outdoor activity in the world. It comes with the most complex set of regulations imaginable. It’s challenging to learn, and involves a ton of work. It requires responsibility and discipline. Financially, it pays very little. All that being said, it’s an absolute blast, and one of the most rewarding outdoor activities I’ve ever participated in.
Every trapping season begins the roller coaster ride that is setting up a trapline and seeing it through. All of the scouting, preparation, and grinding involved in setting out a string of traps finally brings a trapper to the ultimate payday – the trapline check. Most every trapper compares the feeling of checking traps to being a kid opening gifts on Christmas morning. I disagree. On the trapline, there’s no such thing as a gift. If you catch fur, you’ve earned it!
Jeremiah is an avid outdoorsman, biologist, and trapper. His new book, “Fur Profit: A Trapper’s Guide to the Modern Fur Market” helps trappers better understand how to sell their fur in today’s market. He can be reached at [email protected], and you can learn more about trapping from his website, TrappingToday.com.
Good job Jeremiah!