So dh just called..

fishhead · #21 10/15/13, 09:22 PM

I remember it was the first issue of FFG that got me trapping. I still have it.

littlejoe · #22 10/15/13, 11:03 PM

To get top dollar from your hides, they do need to be put up right/stretched and dried. Fur handling after the catch is just as important as the catching. I had a dedicated freezer for storage, a washing machine, wire and wood stretchers, and fans. I never got rich, but I made a very sizable subsidy for the few months furs were prime.

It's time in this area to have steel in the ground. Yes, you will have a few blue and unprime hides. But if you wait, the early, easy catch will be gone. That's where most of your income will be made, and a lot of that is due to favorable weather condition.

FFG has already been mentioned several times, and it's an excellent all around magazine for hunting/fishing/and trapping. Another magazine that would excel over FFG for the fur trapper and fur hunter is The Trapper and Predator Caller
http://www.trapperpredatorcaller.com/

He will learn by mentorship and just doing and reading, what will work the best for him. I do believe Nebraska has a state association? Probably with rendezvous? Would be a great place to meet other trappers, as well as demonstrations. The above magazine, Im sure will contain all pertinent info about state associations, as well as great articles on trapping and calling.

Guard your rights folks! Colorado went down the drain several years ago. I have kept a gross of traps, a few dozen snares, and bodygrips, etc just in case I need them someday.

Two Tracks · #23 10/21/13, 07:16 AM

Hi Hercsmama, We did some trapping years ago for coyote, fishers and beaver in Montana, it's awesome! Watch out you may find yourself his "trapping buddy" It's probably a good idea anyways, as trapping can be dangerous (to an extent) I know of a guy who got pinched in his beaver trap and he had quite a time of getting himself out of it, not to worry you ~just remind your husband to be very deliberate and intentional in working with traps. My husbands back went out once when he was trapping beaver, it was not good... he made it home but was in utter pain for days. Trapping is rewarding like outsmarting a coyote, luring a beaver and getting your fisher. Have fun with it

hercsmama · #24 10/21/13, 07:23 AM

I am "Officially" his trapping buddy as of Friday!
I got my License too!
Also I just dropped both of our applications for the Nebraska Fur Harvesters organization in the mailbox.
We spent the weekend doing alot of reading, and are shopping for gear now.
Ya'll have just been such a huge amount of help, and dh said to thank ya'll for getting me more involved.

Oh, two of our three boys want to join us as well. So I guess we are going to make this a family affair. LOL!

Two Tracks · #25 10/21/13, 08:29 AM

Yea!!! Glad to hear this will be a family affair!! ~Good ol' heritage family involvement, your wise to dig in and sort it out before hitting the trap line, looking forward to photo's of your harvest's

Snowfan · #26 10/21/13, 09:21 AM

Keep us posted on your progress. How old are the boys?

hercsmama · #27 10/21/13, 10:10 AM

Well, it's our Middle and youngest, so 22 and 21. Our oldest one 23, called his dad this morning and said he also might want to get involved, So it may be all three..

Snowfan · #28 10/21/13, 11:30 AM

I LIKE IT! Hard to find anything wrong with this picture.

Twp.Tom · #29 10/25/13, 01:33 PM

I always enjoyed the last page in FFG,"End Of The line"-pictures of others furs.

rod44 · #30 10/25/13, 02:33 PM

Me too. How do some of them get that many?? They sure must be good at it.

fishhead · #31 10/29/13, 05:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rod44

Me too. How do some of them get that many?? They sure must be good at it.

Using simple fast to make effective sets and a lot of hard work.

One of the best mink trappers I've ever heard of uses pocket sets almost exclusively. A simple fast and effective set repeated over and over all day. He runs a lot of traps and works really hard. His best season was 760 mink and 550 coon and who knows how many hundred muskrats.

I spent some time riding with a top notch fox and coyote trapper and he could make a dirt hole set in under a minute. He caught hundreds and hundreds of fox and coyotes. Another simple fast and effective set combined with a lot of work.

pheasantplucker · #32 11/08/13, 05:52 AM

Used to trap when I was a kid. Mostly muskrats. Find some old FF&G magazines...they still offer some of the old books you can get about all kinds of sets and stuff. Some of my fondest memories were of getting up at 5:00 and going to the creek to check my trapline. Coming home and having mom fixing a big plate of fried mush and bacon for me. People will turn their noses up at it, but muskrat is delicious, if it's slow cooked. Too much info regarding skinning, stretching, drying pelts, etc. for a response in this kind of forum. A lot depends on which type of animal is sought. FF&G will give current pelt prices, etc. Good luck.

rod44 · #33 11/08/13, 06:19 AM

I too like to eat muskrat. Every time I gutted one however, they stunk so much (worse that a gut shot rabbit) that I couldn't bring myself to cook them. So, I would skin and gut them and give them to my brother. I would go over to his house at some later date and he would cook them and we would eat them.

1shotwade · #34 11/08/13, 08:55 AM

To me muskrat tastes like a rabbit cooked with sugar. Sweet,mild taste that stays with you.They are very underrated as a food source.

Wade

fishhead · #35 11/08/13, 11:06 AM

Beaver is good too. I like it better than venison.

rod44 · #36 11/08/13, 06:42 PM

I like beaver too. Also had a roast off of my friends Belgium horse, it was good too.

fishhead · #37 11/08/13, 07:04 PM

I've caught the smallest muskrats in my life this year. They must be from a late litter.

Our spring was long, wet and cold so that must have had some impact on the rats.

rod44 · #38 11/21/13, 06:30 AM

Just read the latest issue of FF&G!!