Question for some of you serious trappers.

About how much money do you make per year off of hides?

I'm thinking of giving up my career of trying to be a electrical contractor. Just too much capitol involved. But since my place is paid for and all I have to do is worry about the basic utilities and monthly car and insurance payment, why should I have to do something I dread every week.

So, I am thinking of becoming a school bus driver in the school district I live in. Not a whole lot of income, but since it's only 1 hour in the morning, and 1 hour in the evening, I thought I might could make up some of the difference with a few other sources of income. Such as trapping. When trapping season rolls around I could go check the traps between the morning route and the evening route.

Trapping is only one of several things I could do for extra money. All of these ideals won't make me rich, but when it is season for them they will provide me with extra suppliment to go along with the bus driving income. When you add all of the extra income sources up along with bus driving, I believe it would be well worth giving up my electrical career.

Not to mention I would be doing a lot of things I can only dream about doing. I've always wanted to be a trapper but my career and family matters has always prevented me from pursuing it at the most.

[ponyboy123]

Hey RH, I think ur idea is one that some of us only dream of. A busy trapper with well established trap lines can make a marginal living, depending on auction prices, but with a few odd jobs during the off season it's possible. How are you set up for supplies? It can be pricey to start off with the price of traps, lures and snares. Snares can be made by anyone with the purchase of the right supplies, but traps have to be purchased. Streching boards can be made at home with minimal wood working tools. I have a retail trappers store here in Nova Scotia, Canada and am a solictor of wild and ranch furs for North Americain Fur Auctions, as well as owning a 30,000 herd mink ranch. The fur market has not been great the last couple of years but with some cold weather and strong Chinese economy we should be on the rebound. If only we can deal with the weak American green back. Let me know what u pay for supplies, although the shipping would kill any savings I may be able to offer.

Pony

[bowdonkey]

I trapped for 22 years. Quit in 87 when the prices got to low. What kind of trapper was I? My last year I went out with a bang and broke. Caught 156 beaver in 19 days plus other fur and then state hopped and a partner and I caught 5024 muskrats in 6 weeks plus other fur. Not bragging, I'm just trying to give you some idea that I may know what I'm talking about. The keys to trapping successfully and profitably is lots of young, dumb animals,lots of area with no competition and good weather. I did alot of land trapping before going where the $$ were, strictly water. It's a hard road, I can't imagine what expenses would be like with these gas prices. Keep an eye on the 2 auction sites in Canada, North Bay and Toronto to give you some idea of what the markets are looking for. Learn to trap smart and throw in the towel when the young and dumb animals are gone. It's when you beat the bush your profit margin can slide down fast. Only the factory workers on vacation can afford to do this. Hobby trapping and commercial trapping are two different things. In my years of trapping, which included some state hopping, trapping was alot of fun and adventure but not so much that I'd do it for nothing and fun only.

[Rocky Fields]

Hey.

Trapping doesn't pay well at the moment. About 34 years ago or so, there was a short period of time when raccoon pelts were bringing $17. At that time I was trapping for the winter in the Michigan UP. I made $20,000 that winter! After that it slowly dwindled down to only a few bucks a pelt and I quit trapping winters fulltime.

Animal rights activists drove the price of fur pelts down to almost nothing when they convinced women to stop buying fur. At the moment, it seems like fur is slowly making a small comeback.

The price of equipment to run a trap line would probably negate any profits for awhile.

RF

How am I set up for supplies? Well right now I have two rusty leg-hold traps that I use for decoration out on the front porch and a can of sardines in the cupboard!

I can't use snare traps here in Oklahoma legally. So I will have to purchase a few leg hold and conniber traps to get started. I'm not gonna go all out on traps as I will be in the learning stage this year. I thought I would just start around here at the house since I have a major racoon problem and hopefully next year I will be driving a bus and have more time to trap.

I don't think our limit on furs is as numerous as some of you have mentioned. Plus some species aren't in abundance such as muskrats and beavers. But we do seem to have a lot of racoons, bobcats, coyotes, and minks. The racoons are horrible to my sweet corn and chickens. I definitely want to get them trapped out as much as possible.

Thanks for your input, if I can learn how to be a good trapper then I might have a good chance of making my career change worth it.

[pheasantplucker]

I'd say spend a season doing it as best you can BEFORE you throw away an electrical contractor career. I trapped as a kid (many years ago) but it was more of an adventure for me. (I did earn $3.00) per muskrat pelt back then, but to make a living at it requires a drive and passion that few might have. Don't get me wrong. I loved trapping, but I probably loved it cause it wasn't my job. Kinda like this...I know a guy who is a charter captain for fishing in a lake in New York. You'd think he would love it. Well he fished all the time as a kid, and loved it. Now it's his job. He does it to pay bills but it's work. He's kinda burnt out on it. All I'm saying is try it before you commit to it. Good luck.

[Hillbillybob]

Originally Posted by r.h. in okla.

How am I set up for supplies? Well right now I have two rusty leg-hold traps that I use for decoration out on the front porch and a can of sardines in the cupboard!

I can't use snare traps here in Oklahoma legally. So I will have to purchase a few leg hold and conniber traps to get started. I'm not gonna go all out on traps as I will be in the learning stage this year. I thought I would just start around here at the house since I have a major racoon problem and hopefully next year I will be driving a bus and have more time to trap.

I don't think our limit on furs is as numerous as some of you have mentioned. Plus some species aren't in abundance such as muskrats and beavers. But we do seem to have a lot of racoons, bobcats, coyotes, and minks. The racoons are horrible to my sweet corn and chickens. I definitely want to get them trapped out as much as possible.

Thanks for your input, if I can learn how to be a good trapper then I might have a good chance of making my career change worth it.

The only time that I can say I made a good living was back in the 70's
After that fur prices kept creeping down ever year.

I trapped as much for the meat as the extra money. I have a greenhouse, collect wild herbs and did lots of odd jobs. To me driving a school bus would really not go hand in hand with trapping on less you were just water trapping.

I always started running my trap line at 4 in the morning and finished around noon. The rest of the day was devoted to skinning and stretching the hides.

I quit selling my fur back in the mid 80's and started tanning the fur myself to trade at Pow Wow's. Still do this today. You can figure on about 4 times the money this way.

I would stick with what you know. You might be having a little trouble right now but you will never make the money trapping these days that you can by trying to be a electrical contractor.

Hillbillybob

[TedH71]

Why not air conditioner/heat repair person? I'm considering doing this if I'm able to enter my school for carpentry AND ac/heat repair. You can pratically do this anywhere.

[fishhead]

Trapping for making a living? Running a long trapline is a really tough way to go. There might be more money in trapping nusiance animals in the suburbs.

Now I'm not gonna be trapping to make a living, I'm just gonna trap to suppliment my living. I've got several other seasonal jobs I'm gonna be doing to help suppliment my living also. And I'm not just leaving my EC job because of too much capitol spread out on various jobs, but also cause I'm not busy enough to hire and keep hired hands working for me. All this up and down ladders, crawling in floor and attic spaces is killing my back, knee's and shoulders. I either need to get busy enough to hire Journymans or find something else. Hiring Journymans would require more capitol and more headaches. Which I don't have or don't want.

Pleasandplucker, it's gonna be several months by the time I get through with some jobs I've got going right now. In fact tomorrow I start wiring a new 3 stall add-on garage to a house. Plus I still have a new 2-story house that I have to go back and trim out and trim out a rewire house that I'm waiting on the sheetrock and painting to get done. I just don't know if I want to be taking on any more new jobs after say about next spring. As I will probably start the bus driving next fall. But I want to start trapping this December if I can find some time.

[Trapper]

R. H. Your chasing my lifetime dream.....well now that I am approaching retirement and my youth has surrendered to wrinkles and aches maybe reality is starting to gain some second thoughts. I have and still know several professional trappers and every man of them had other means to maintain enough income to survive. Now don't let me put your fire out as you do have plans to supplement your fur check but again speaking from experience of the two hour work day. A seven day a trap week that you must upkeep and fuel a vehicle, Then to maintain your own health to physically perform the riggerest activities of a trapline, has to be figured in to the cost of operation. It does not stop there equipment is not cheap and you will need and awful lot of equipment. Traps typically will run between $8 and $20 depending at what type trapping you are looking at. Used stuff can be purchased cheaper but breakdown and weak springs will cost in loss of fur. Even the new Traps need to be adjusted. Swivels, extra springs, laminate jaws, offsets not to speck of chain or stakes or even night latching triggers. When you get this all done its time to dye and wax the equipment. Say you get past all this preparation you still need tremendous amounts of territory which means knocking doors for permissions. All this done you still need the animal populations that are in demand. then of course there is the knowledge to catch them in enough numbers to pay the freight. You know if your already wealthy enough none of this really matters. Hope this does not rain on your parade.... there are ways like wildlife control. Give you an idea when the calls come in. This week 10 hours each on Monday and Tuesday putting up one way door traps on gable overhangs and caulking every hole or crack that is 3/8 of an inch or larger. this is on a three story restaurant/bar that had a bat population enjoying its offerings. Add in 3 more hours Thursday morning for removal of the traps and closing those holes. I really enjoyed climbing ladders on the first two levels only to lie at the peak of the third level looking down working over the edge. Now Wednesday I setup a 6 acre pond, lake to the owners. This was done because these investors were selling lakefront property that the shoreline was caving in just about every third step. Not many buyers when the neighbors are complaining of rodents on the back porch. Next call was to the local Park where the wealthy have large boat houses in the harbor to store their summer pleasure crafts in. It is funny to walk into a boat house and see microwave ovens, carpeted floors and big screen TVs and resident otter's defecation everywhere but in the refrigerators. That's only because the doors are closed. This is not just one boathouse but four of them and the owners that hired me are not next to each other but scattered among the thirty buildings that border half one side of the harbor. Geezzz I even got to do the clean up (Friday afternoon). I mention all this R. H. because trapping season opened last week for fur. I can tell you that I can not possibly make the money in fur as I will for these three jobs. The fur that comes from my region is in high demand and will command the best prices in the market. Oklahoma does have animals but the prices paid for them seldom reaches the top of the market. If you do consider this as a profession, you had better be able to make constant changes and adjustments. Nothing ever stays the same except the dream.
I will gladly share it. If I can help.....Trapper

[Okie-Dokie]

You may want to do a quick search for Hal Sullivan's trapping site. He is the trapline editor for Fur Fish Game Magizine and has an excellent web site for trappers of all types. Keep in mind that what the fur in Oklahoma is not the same as prime Northern fur and is considered flat southern type fur and is discounted as such at all the fur auctions. I'm not a real serious trapper but just try to keep the critters out of the chicken house and tan the hides for my personal use. You may want to concider nuisense trapping if you are near Tulsa or Oklahoma City. Can't beat cash income. Thought seriously of purchasing a Critter Control Franchise myself, but WAY expensive investment!

[Hillbillybob]

Originally Posted by Okie-Dokie

You may want to do a quick search for Hal Sullivan's trapping site. He is the trapline editor for Fur Fish Game Magizine and has an excellent web site for trappers of all types. Keep in mind that what the fur in Oklahoma is not the same as prime Northern fur and is considered flat southern type fur and is discounted as such at all the fur auctions. I'm not a real serious trapper but just try to keep the critters out of the chicken house and tan the hides for my personal use. You may want to concider nuisense trapping if you are near Tulsa or Oklahoma City. Can't beat cash income. Thought seriously of purchasing a Critter Control Franchise myself, but WAY expensive investment!

Just don't ask Sullivan about fixing carp. He doesn't know a thing about them and has stated they are just trash fish. Over the years of reading him in Fur Fish & Game I have come to realize how little he knows about preparing game for the table.

Hillbillybob

[pancho]

Skinning and hide preparation is just as important as learning to trap. A lot of the price depends on the condition of the hide. A poorly skinned animal will not bring much but a well skinned and prepared hide will bring top dollar.

I never did learn all of the secrets of skinning.

[Trapper]

"Skinning and hide preparation is just as important as learning to trap. A lot of the price depends on the condition of the hide. A poorly skinned animal will not bring much but a well skinned and prepared hide will bring top dollar."
"pancho"

Every bit the truth....catching fur is only part of the game. Taking care of it properly and marketing it also plays into this way of life. Its not all romance but constant effort. Thank you Pancho for your insite. Trapper

[Silvercreek Farmer]

Maybe if you could work out someway to make use of all the critter meat, it may improve your trapping income, say maybe feeding it to gators! No lie, in FL they feed the gators nutria carcases. Now in your part of the work that may not be possible, but maybe "natural" dog and cat food, or figure out how to raise fish from the scrap. No promises here, but just a little food for thought.

[Country Doc]

The beaver trappers in East Texas quoted me $150 set up, $50 a beaver , and minimum $300. If you are in an area over run with beaver you might make more for removing them than for the hide.
As a doctor, I see people regularly chuck their job and go for the dream of some independent business. Few succeed. Keep the day job till the other pans out.

[littlejoe]

Trapping isn't just fun, it entails lots of hours. I trapped coyotes mainly, for several years. I was a part time "trapper", running traps after dark, remaking sets by the light of my battery pack. Staying up skinning until midnight or later, put the hides in a freezer, and wait until you had time to wash, flesh, and stretch.
Yes, the extra income was nice, and it was something the kids and I loved doing. But in a couple months time EVERY year, my butt was draggin' hard.
Coyotes and cats were high at that time too. At todays prices.... I wouldn't think of it as a money making venture, unless you can charge for the service also.

[seedspreader]

Sounds like a lot of work to me.

Looking at ROI, I can't see EVER doing it... as a hobby... maybe.

Yes skinning the different critters would be something I would have to learn also as I know that you don't skin all of them the same. Some you split down the middle and others you just split along the back legs and pull the skin off like a hoody. But which animal gets which, I don't know.

Anywho, I'm gonna start off slow and easy and hopefully increase as the years go by.