The Trapperの April/May 2025 の目次

I’m one of those weird people who can’t seem to get even the simplest of things accomplished without first writing them down on a to-do list. If I had any control over this annoying personality tic I’d change it, but after 77 birthdays I’ve accepted the fact that I’m stuck with myself, just the way I am. So I keep a running, ever-changing, never-ending to-do list, writing down all the stuff I need to get done. Stuff around the house or in the fur shed. Stuff I want to do. Stuff I don’t want to do. Stuff that wouldn’t even be on the list, but it’s there because Jill made me put it there. Stuff I need to do with other people, and stuff I need to do for other…

I was extremely frustrated. I hadn’t stored my traps properly at all. Being a kid that didn’t know better, I’d left them in a pile behind the shed. If they were fine being out all season, no reason the off season should be an issue, I had incorrectly concluded. Further complicating matters, I knew nothing about prepping traps. I just tossed them in a bucket and headed for the swamp. To make an embarrassing story shorter, hours later I was heading home with several of the same traps to replace chains or do some file work. Unfortunately, I didn’t have close to enough traps to start with. I was super miffed at myself! Here’s how you can avoid the same. BECOMING TRAP WISE As already alluded to, one of the…

Before manufactured lures, #120 body-grip traps and repurposed mailboxes, every serious marten trapper carried nothing more than a sharp axe, a pocket full of nails, and long-spring traps to accompany their old-fashioned woodsman skills. The simple peg set had every element trappers needed to be successful and not one element more. A close look at the simple sets made by these old time trappers can help every trapper on the planet be more successful, no matter where or how we trap. Technology has altered the way many trappers go about the daily tasks of trapping. Things like mandatory trap modifications to trap check requirements and ever changing regulations often determine how we will approach our trapline. No matter how the laws affect the trapping techniques used in your part of…

Colorado Trappers & Predator Hunters Association www.coloradotrapper.com President, NTA Colorado Director, NRA Representative — Dan Gates, P.O. Box 128, Canon City, CO 81215, 719-275-4077 or 269-7972, Dan@ColoradoRidACritter.com Vice President — Adam Warren, P.O. Box 734, Dove Creek, CO 81324, 970-739-9404, adamwarren64@yahool.com Secretary-Treasurer — Karen Gates, P.O. Box 193, Canon City, CO 81215, 719-276-4260 or 719-275-4077, office@coltpha.com NW Regional Director — Kevin Herrman, P.O. Box 1862, Basalt, CO 81621, 970-379-5976, kherrman@advantagebuildersco.com SW Regional Director — Christy Bryan, 2375 Road 1.7, Dove Creek, CO 81324, 970-739-6437, skylinetaxidermy77@gmail.com SE Regional Director — Ethan Gates, P.O. Box 750, Canon City, CO 81215, 719-371-6401, ethangates21@gmail.com BOARD OF DIRECTORS Sept 1st 2022 – August 13th, 2023 NE Regional Director — Naomi Yates, 38921 Poudre Canyon Hwy, Bellvue, CO 80512, 970-420-4250, naomiyatesgtb@gmail.com Wildlife Commission Liaison — Dan Gates…

Trapping seasons across North America are pretty much done by now and a few trappers may still be out chasing spring beaver or spring muskrats. For the most part however, the fur catch for the year is already harvested, and the warm spring rays take our mind to other outdoor ventures such as turkeys, spring fishing, morels, or getting gear ready for the next trapping season. The delay between harvest and sale of fur is always bizarre – most of the fur is sold when trapping seasons are over, and by the time we learn about ‘real’ fur prices, we can only start planning for the upcoming year. I can maybe start by saying that we have been on a holding pattern in the last few years. Once the coyote…

BLANKETS & HATS Some websites advertise hand-plucked and shearded beaver fur blankets for up to $2,895. Aviator-style hats can fetch $400, while Stetson-style hats might go for $700 or more. CASTOR GLANDS Castoerum is used for anxiety, restless sleep, and as a calming agent. It is also used as a fragrance or fixative in cosmetics & soaps. An average beaver has 100 - 200 grams of castor sacs. Dried castoreum can bring $40 per pound or more. CURRENT FUR MARKET As reported by The Trapper contributor Serge Lariviére in the our January issue, now is the time for beaver trappers to cash in on last season’s catches. He predicts the market will soften as 2025 progresses. The going price of one beaver (as of press time) was anywhere from $20…

When I was young and getting started in coyote trapping, I was amazed at how any coyote trappers could catch hundreds of coyotes in one season. There were pros out there with pictures of hundreds of coyotes tacked to a barn wall. I felt there must be a wellkept secret to making a catch like that. It wasn’t until I met a Colorado State trapper that put that mystery into perspective that I understood. There was a position back then opening up for a state trapper and I was to meet with this gentleman to find out more about the job. This particular trapper was crowned as a legend with 117 coyotes caught in just weeks. There was a newspaper article written about him and what he had accomplished. As…

FEBRUARY 28-MARCH 2: West Virginia Trappers Association Annual Spring Fur Auction at the Gilmer County Recreation Center, 1365 Sycamore Run Road, Glenville, WV. Vendors will be present throughout the weekend. Consignment for finished fur starting at 9 a.m. Friday and again on Saturday at 9 a.m. Dealers’ lots are graded at the end of each day. Fur auction will be Sunday at 1 p.m. Contact Jeremiah Whitlatch at 304-916-3329 or log onto www.wvtrappers.com. MARCH 8-9: Idaho Trappers Association Fur Sale. Elmore County Fairgrounds, Glenns Ferry, ID. Contact Rusty Kramer at 208-870-3217. MARCH 22-23: New Jersey Trapper Association Spring Fur Sale at Space Farms, Beemerville, NJ. March 22 drop off at 9 a.m., March 23 fur sale at 10 a.m. sharp. Contact Jay Staudt at 908-896-2638 or Jim at 973-617-6181 for…

Coyotes were becoming an ever increasing phenomenon on my Ohio trapline as the end of the 20th century came to a close. Fortunately, through the auspices of the Ohio State Trappers Association, we got the snare legalized in Ohio starting with the 1996 Season. I was pleased to have played a part in that and tickled that I could now use snares on my coyotes. I’ve found a good trail that goes through a stand of weeds. Perfect for a snare. The first consideration will be fastening the snare. There is no tree or bush along that trail that could make an anchoring point. The snare will have to be fastened out in the open. The fastening system I’m using here is one that is tried and true for my…

After several years of snaring coyotes I knew that cable visibility was a major factor contributing to coyote refusal to enter a snare loop. For that reason I began searching for a way to use a system of fine diameter cable for the catch loop and stronger cable as a holding line. A first reaction of a snared coyote is to attempt to escape by pulling. My goal was to use that pulling force to swap a low visibility catch line for a heavy, chew-resistant leash line that would hold the coyote. Thinking of ways to do that, I had an idea. A snare could do double duty if small cable was spliced to large cable and both ends of the resulting dual cable snare were fastened. Slack would be…