Any trappers?

[backwoodsman]

What does everyone chase/trap? How's the markets where your at this year?

[denaliguide]

I basically removed some predators from my suburban / Farm border neighborhood, to protect my rabbitry, but it seems there is a lot more coyotes around here, so many that people are actually complaining !!

http://www.trapperpredatorcaller.com/GeneralMenu/

I like to start there for surfing trapping links.

The fact that we have lots of confirmed puma sightings around here has got my interest some [ Dont try to look up "Cougars, Bancroft, looking for big cats around Bancroft Ontario, as you will come up with "ANNE BANCROFT" the original COUGAR, in the 1967 movie "THE GRADUATE", which is about the funniest search mis-match I have come up with to date.].

As to hunting and trapping, whatever it is, really gets my interest if its a predator, especially if it stalks humans. While my honey and I are bigger than puma prey, that fact doesnt stop the hair standing up on the back of my neck out in the woods some time.

There is a 120 Mi Square area of Shield Rock, caves, canyons, lakes, tangles and forests so very lightly populated as the American West, and
is full of deer and other game. About 30 registered traplines in this area, kinda wish one of em were mine, but my days of long - lining are over, as I said I just do spot work, local to me.

Try linking around what you'll find will be awesome.

Originally Posted by backwoodsman

What does everyone chase/trap? How's the markets where your at this year?

[big rockpile]

I trap mainly for the meat anymore.

big rockpile

[backwoodsman]

We hunt and trap yotes hard. They are very over populated here and have alot of other critters on the ropes. Red fox numbers arent what they were a decade ago and grey fox are very rare. Our DNR asked a few years ago to report catch's and sightings of greys. We have a few cougar and some wolves but the DNR deny's either although they did list wolves as protected and put out a graph comparing them to coyotes in looks and size(?). Muskrat were worth good money for us and we caught some of them, they are our bread and butter fur and are bringing upwards of $9 at some auctions. We only stretched and dried red fox, muskrat and mink and released all grey fox but 1(FIL dispatched it before I got to the farm on the chicken protection line). Rest of our fur didnt bring much. Mink males $10, female $5. Coon topped around $6, possum .25 and .50 with some not wanted at all. Red fox $12, beaver $3 and $5, skunk $3. Badger were a surprise as they were $3-$35, big price range there and rumor has it some at auction brought $60. Only a few of our yotes brought an offer at all and that was $1. Our muskrat population is down too, lots of theories as to why but I think our exploding otter population has something to do with it. We have quite a few otter(protected). Bobcat sign is really on the increase too (protected).

[Haggis]

I don't really have any interest in selling furs, once upon a time trapping made up the half or more of my yearly income, but no more. These days I trap for a pass time and have the pelts tanned for wall hangers, or anorak/mitten/mukluk trim.

Here, on Wolf Cairn Moor, I trap, or snare, only pine marten, fisher, red fox, and coyotes, but a friend has asked me to trap the beaver off their small holding this spring.

[backwoodsman]

I envy you guys with the more "exotic" species, marten, fisher, wolverine etc. We cant use snares except under water. This is a good time of year to go after those beaver. Hides arent worth alot(green skinned our top offer was $5 for nov/dec ones) in this market but are the primest they can be and the castor is increasing in price and the meat is awesome for home consumption and bait for next years canine etc lines.

[WstTxLady]

Texas prices suck and that's "IF" you can find a buyer & most are not buying. The next place for buyer is Louisiana & the prices suck too. We trap for predator control & will tan out some hide also. Plus its a great learning experience for the kids.

[foxfiredidit]

Trapping has long played out in the south. I know of no market in these parts at all. There are an abundance of coon and possum which need control if you plan to have a garden or chickens around. Bobcat and fox are also of a population worth persuing if there were a market. Mostly live trap now and haul them off several terrain features away. That endeavor starts this month so that the adjacent stream will hopefully be trapped out by the time the garden is up and going. But next year it will be the same all over again as they will move right back in next winter.

[nitestalker]

i don't trap but hunt my fur with dogs. For central nebraska fur on the carcass. this is what have been gettin. they have been pickier this year, than in past year. Not takin anything small or with more than a couple small holes in it. And they are only given a dollar for snared coon

coons of good size,color, and quality will get ya 10-12
red fox 12-17
yote 1-15 can't have a spot of mange on them
muskrat 4-6
shorthaired badger10-15
longhaired badger 25-35
bobcat with good bellies and good spots 75-100
bobcat poor spots or bellies 50-75
beaver blanket 6-12
beaver felt 3-10

[cur huntin' kid]

nitestalker what kinda dogs do you run

[backwoodsman]

Nitestalker those are dandy prices compared to most of ours espescialy considering yours were "in the round". Foxfireedit thats what we try to do on our summer ADC line cept yotes and skunk(rabies), we put them down. Theres auction companies you can ship you finished furs to. NAFA and Furtakers are a couple and theres more out there. We had fewer buyers then in years past but still had competition for our hides from the local/country buyers. It'll be a few years I imagine but fur will "shine again". Wsttxlady we try to get all the kids in the family involved on our traplines and hunting/fishing. Kids get involved with the outdoors and they do better then sitting at home watching the idiot box and video games. Theres always a specialty market for tanned furs too. We have friends we give alot of the unwanted stuff to and they tan it for Ebay and the buckskinner/rendevouz markets/circuit. Ive seen tanned skunks go for $35+. We tanned some 'rats few years back that only had offers of .50 and got $15 each at a rendevouz. If your good at sewing, gloves, hats etc made from furs sell good too. Ive seen "stuffed teddy bears" made from coon with the tail on bring $50. Lots of non-conventional markets for your fur if you need to make a little. With the price of rats I wish we had about a 10,000 acre marsh full of'em. Weather slowed our rat trapping down as it went from floods to freezing back and forth. We were running alot of 110's in rat runs and getting 12-20 rats a day. Then it flooded a week and a half into the season and we dropped to 5 or 6 tops a day in floats. Ran out of open water and season before we caught all of'em we needed to.