Trapping this morning

[Trapper]

Wow, started my 50th year trapping today. Just as excited about this one as any of the previous 49 that have past. I have relocated from places that I was familier with for a lifetime to start anew in a completely different area. Life changes and health lead to this move and seeing new competition in high population areas made me want to go back to basics. Muskrats are again my target, its where I started 50 years back. Hopefully I learned a few good lessons over the years to be relatively successful. I did some preseason work about three weeks ago and again yesterday with the hauling out my trap stakes. It would make for a lot more room in the canoe and for easier mobility through the cattails. The competition was heavy for the small area I had chosen. But my plan was to get into the thick stuff. Must have been a pretty good plan as my competition using jon boats with mud motors and airboats hovered on the edges I had the inside all to myself. Watching these guys zip across the lake, trying to beat each other from location to the next kept me thinking how much better basics could be. Arm power was to get me through in my time battered vessel. Winds came up as the morning went by so for safety reasons I quit setting traps at number 50, one for each of my years as a trapper. I will post here a update to let you all know of my success or lack ther of. To all out there that understands this way of life and how it becomes part of you, may your strechers be full, your dreams fulfilled. And all your memories be cherished. Trapper

[brownegg]

Trapper,Congrats on 50 years of having fun afield. My future son in law just became a certifed trapper at Stevins Point University....he lives in Langade Co. and put a few coon and coyote sets out today, I wish him some beginners luck.

I still have just a couple of my dads rat traps with the old trap tags from the late 30's and 40's.....I gave about 50 traps to a high school friend about 40 years ago, stupid eh?

I wish you nothing but the best of luck....being older with our experience should even the curve some eh?

brownegg

[Trapper]

Brownegg, Thank You. Being older than dirt, (maybe not as smart) does have some advantage. Although as I get older my ways seem to get further set in.

You telling me of your son in law makes me feel pretty proud. The Trapper Education program for the state is one of my finest accomplishments. Its my understanding we graduated over 700 new trappers last year and are almost that many again this year. I hope he has a lot of success. Futher I hope he is able to share these new experiences with his offspring.

Hang on to those tags as they are getting to be worth a few bucks. I am a lucky fellow as I do have the complete set. Including the rare 1930 inverted which last time I check was woth several 100's of dollars

Getting back to the trapline, the first check day I have always viewed as a Xmas holiday, as mother nature always surprises me with her gifts....that is....as long as I give her the proper due respect. Going to bed with visions and dreams tonight. Trapper

[pheasantplucker]

reading your posts makes me recall my days of trapping (mostly muskrat) 40+ years ago, and coming in at 6:30 or 7 and having my mom waiting for me with a big plate of fried mush smothered in maple syrup...fond memories. Thanks for rekindling my nostalgia.

[Tom Bombadil]

I wanted to learn to trap but never have. My older cousin used to trap in the 70s and it always had a certain mystic to it.

[DavidUnderwood]

Our season opens in about a week, but
the fur won't quite be prime yet. I been
trapping 40 years. I'm general organizer
for NCTA (for 13 years now). We have
a good trappers ed program now in NC.

[Trapper]

Well now, I am four days into this and the catch is not overwhelming but consistent the competition is now down to only one, as the winds have not allowed for success out on the edges. Cannot help but think if the weather gets better, the catch may go up. I talked with pair of the trappers as I was coming out on Monday. I was told that they scouted there line for two days staking it out prior to setting on Saturday. They also informed me about the $22 worth of gas put into the tank of the 16 ft. jon boot power with a very large mud motor and they express their dissatisfaction with how the season was going. The pair said that they had out well over a hundred sets and only picked up 3 muskrats the day before and only had 2 for their efforts up to that time that day. They said they still had about twenty sets left to check. At the time of this meeting, I had only checked about a dozen sets and already had taken five, Guess there is a bit of a learning curve with experience. As I canoed past the area these two young gents were yesterday, they had pulled out.

Have to say it is not all been gravy either as the winds have taken its toll upon me also. Canoeing through white caps to get into the calms of cattail bogs has left me aching. My hands have taken the form of the grip of the paddle a major hindrance when trying to skin. When I was a younger man my body seemed to answer the call, now as I finish a three-hour adventure I have to take ten minutes just to straighten my legs attempting to remove myself from the cramped position of riding on my knees. I almost think it might be easier to just dream the successes of a trapline, than to perform them. Naw! Trapper

[Haggis]

Congrats on your 50th season, I guess I'm about there myself; Father taught me to where to place traps when I was too young to actually set them, mainly muskrats back then, (when I made a catch or had a trap false licked, I'd have to fetch the trap home for him to reset). It was exciting for a wee lad to be out and about before daylight, no torch, just feeling my way along in the dark; had to be back home in time to catch a ride to school wasn't in but my second or third year.

This year I'll be out again, put out a few fisher and martin sets, and a few dozen coyote and fox snares after deer season.