[DeerHunter01]

This section was requested by members for a new trapping and fur taking section on the board, Please enjoy and let us know if you need anything.

 

[cuttingout69]

I am sure glad to see a folder for us to talk in. I am so ready for the up coming season. I have all my Traps cleaned and ready to go. I hear that our southern ***** are going to go up this year as our buyer has sold out of last years count. Southern otter are going to hold the same with a little nug up on red fox. Cats down here are down and grays are holding the same as last year with no pecked interest in them as yet. I hear that wild mink across the board are going to go up, as there have been some problems with the mink rancks.

I would like to see more interest in the south again, as it has almost become extinct trade. I feel that one of the reason for the lack of interest is that we as trappers have not joined together as one united voice. We have allowed the PETA’s of the world to over run us and make our trade a sin in the eyes of many. I hope that with this new thread, we can gather together and do the unthinkable, talk about the up come season and the many season to come.

I have purchased new equipment this year with the income from last years catch. I am ready to go. A buddy and myself will spend 8 nights on a river line in Dec. We did this last year and had the best time I have ever had trapping. Caught a lot of fur and made memories that will last a life time. Plan to do it again till we can’t get around. LOL. Let me hear from some of ya’ll around the site.

 

[warcraft1975]

well i will be trapping full time this year,prices seem to be doing pretty alright around here too,i have already been getting traps ready,still have alot to do though,getting snares coiled up and put away,dyeing legholds and trying to fix afew.still buying streachers for the up coming season,should be a heck of a season

 

[TOPS]

When I was in high school I would trap to make money. I put my traps out on Friday afternoon and run them all weekend. I made good money. Mink pelts went for 15 to 25 dollars back then.

 

[Jagal]

I am a novice trapper. I just started right before spring.....if this sounds like a funny time to trap it's because I got permission from IN DNR because they were, and still are building dams in a drainage ditch holding the water back to the business I work for, and washing the bank away. luckily they pay me for time spent instead of getting results. anyways I was just wondering if anyone has any tips for me. I have been using the 330 connibear traps and also snares. Any help would be infinately appreciated.

 

[cuttingout69]

Jagal, they have that program here in Louisiana. They pay by the hour instead of by the catch. I do not like this due to the fact that contractors get the bid and then never take care of the problem and still get paid well. I know an hourly trapper right here in my town and he makes $200+ a week 12 weeks out of the year and only catches 10-20 beaver. I charge by the tail. If I don't catch, you don't pay. Doing it this way means that I have to work hard to take the beaver as soon as possible to keep expense down. I cannot drag out the catch or I loose money. I get $25 a tail.

Why it bothers me so much is anyone can go do the trapping and get paid. Now I have seen a lot of this in years past, and the people doing the trapping just don't catch. And they really don't care if they catch, because they are getting paid weather they do or not. When you figure the price per tail, compared to the cost per hour, it is better for the customer to pay by the tail and get the job done. But our Government and large business don't like the idea, cause there has to be someone come out and count the beaver daily. Then when they are having to call the contractor back out again and again because the problem has never been taken care of. This causes me problems when I try to get a job and do work for them later as they don’t feel confident in trappers and do not think that trapping will take care of the problem.

So all I am asking of you is give a man what he pays for and take care of the problem the first go around and leave them with a good feeling about trappers and our abilities.

 

[cuttingout69]

You did ask for any help in this matter. You said they have a ditch backed up. Sound to me as if you have a family of beaver moved in and this should consist of about 5-7 beaver counting the young. First thing you need to do is have enough equipment to take care of the problem quick. You need to catch 3+ the first night so they don’t get trap smart. Always remember that a beaver is one smart animal and he will leave if he watches his buddy get taken by a 330. You should have caught 5+ beaver in the first three nights. You can leave the traps out for another two to three days, and just see if there are any more passer bys. Warn the customer that unless they take the dam out totally, that another family of beavers may move in set up house keeping in the old hunt and dam area. Hope this helps.

 

[crazy]

Yep by the tail is a better way of doing it. I don't even know how missouri does it. I would like to think that there smart enough to pay per critter. I know we got permission to take care of an otter but that was going to be for free. I know a couple people that do it in the summer just to have fun. I don't even think they charge they just enjoy it that much.

 

[warcraft1975]

i know i cant wait till this season with bobcats being so up in price i am just plain excited to be going out after them i have been scouting for months,here soon i will going out and building my cubbies sets early so that they will be ready some time

 

[Jagal]

Thanks for your help guys.... As far as getting paid to do the job even though I'm not getting results is concerned. I'm not contracting out to these people, I already work for them and they have me go out and do the trapping for them. I am in no danger of ripping them off. I am very interested in giving them their money's worth though. Anyways....the help you guys have given me so far is great and I appreciate it. I am also wondering where to set these traps up. Before I was finding their slides and setting up snares with beaver scent behind them, but most of those get pulled straight either by the beavers or by the abundance of muskrats in the area. I would try to funnel them into 330 conibear traps at the end of the drainage culvert that they are living in. but they seem to be able to avoid it every time. I would also set the 330's in little channels that run off the main ditch but that doesn't seem to work either, in fact I could see the tracks where they had walked right around it. any tips as far as that goes? I am completely at a loss. I am also a smoker and I'm thinking that this is very bad for my cause. :cursing:

 

[primitivefrn]

If the animai is walking around your trap, fence on the sides of trap, weeds [dead] sticks. so to go through the trap is the easyest way, set your trap and back up and look at it, if your were the animal where would you go ,
Try to think like the animal, dont fence any more than you have to. drainage ditches, usely, good sets. my have to use dive pole on 330. Charles Dobbins
book on beaver trapping, is good about all trapping supply houses has it.
Good luck this winter.
[If you dont go you know what youve caught]

 

[Jagal]

I do fence them in but it never seems to work. I guess I'll have to get a little more creative. What is a dive pole? I've never heard of those before... Like I said I'm a novice.

 

[Jagal]

also I don't know about other states but here in Indiana we have to keep our conibears completely submerged in the water or we will get fined....what is it like in other states?

 

[primitivefrn]

when you set your 330,put a stick, on top of water, about size of.inch pipe can vary, in size, not to small, run this with the jaws, when he comes down ditch he will duck under, the stick or dive pole into your trap, You can fence heaver, Norm is no more than you have to but if they knock, down your fence, go heaver and stronger so the only hole is your trap, they will go throgh your trap or turn around.

 

[cuttingout69]

Jagal, you said you have to have them in the water all the way. One thing I love to do is find a channel. Just take off walking across the water and you will find a channel deeper than than the rest of the water. I have seen them with only 6" difference and they will be about 12" wide. Set all the way on the bottom on these channels and you will bust him. Like primitivefrn said, think like a beaver. The more you know about the animal the better you can catch him. Good luck and catch a pile of them.

 

[Jagal]

when you set your 330,put a stick, on top of water, about size of.inch pipe can vary, in size, not to small, run this with the jaws, when he comes down ditch he will duck under, the stick or dive pole into your trap, You can fence heaver, Norm is no more than you have to but if they knock, down your fence, go heaver and stronger so the only hole is your trap, they will go throgh your trap or turn around.

Thanks primitivefrn,

It seems like we are doing roughly the same things, and that brings my moral up. If it isn't too much trouble could someone tell me what steps they take when preparing to go out and what you look for to decide where to set your traps. Any little tricks anyone has with snares would be awesome. I don't mean to ask so many questions but I would really like to trap some beaver this year. It went from a job to a personal challenge. Thanks again for all your help.

 

[crazy]

The easyest way to catch a beaver is to place the 330 infront of there din hole. Bust there butt when they swim out. Just make sure to stake it down real good they have a lot of force when they swim out. Same goes for rats. The best way to tell if it is an active hole is the bottom will be harder then the rest of the mud around it.

 

[flatheaddundee]

I'm also a novice trapper and I was wondering where a furbuyer was located in the Mississippi area. If I could just get some directions on fur trapping or pest control trapping from one of you more experienced guys that would be great.

 

[center12]

Tom, sounds like you better ship your ***** north if you want any money for them!! Our local buyers will try and price us as "southern goods", but I've had friends that have shipped to the auctions or sold in Iowa and gotten far better prices. Wouldn't worry about mink to much, not that many on Clinton or the river, you'll catch a hundred ***** to every couple of mink. We did a lot of mink sets.........they were very good for ****!! Blind setting 110's did get a few but not enough to make it worth the trouble.

I assume the strechers are #4's, they did everthing from small to 3X(3X were all the way to the bottom). They are used and will probably have to be cleaned up, I haven't looked at prices but will. I only want to sell off a doz. or less.

Was out on the river yesterday and it's loaded up with ****, lots of tracks and runs. Only problem I had with the river was getting stakes to hold, that sand just won't get it done. I also had trouble finding deep enough water(or to deep) to drown my *****, All my footholds are set-up with drown lines. Bucket sets with 220's(BMI) were about the most effective way to take ***** on those sandbars, trouble is you have to catch every skunk and possum in the area before you get to the good stuff .

Good luck this season. Don't know what your using for bait but Blackie's Fatal Attraction was a dynamite pastebait for us, We also used a lot of fish oil with Super Shellfish mixed in on the bank as an attractor.

 

[center12]

Also, if your thinking about coyote snares and footholds on our local WMA remember there are a ton of birddogs and deer on that land..........set accordingly.