Índice para February 2025 em The Trapper

I remember well the questions that I had when I started to think about longlining otters on my fisher line near my home in southern Quebec. I had caught otters before, mostly by accident while trapping beavers or raccoons, but wanted to know how to go from three to five otters per year to more than 20 or even 30. I knew that to catch that many, there had to actually be many otters in the area, first and foremost. And I knew that we did have some otters around, enough I figured, to reach my 25-to 30-otter goal. But which sets could I make easily while also running my fisher line? Which traps? How many traps at a stop? Baits, lures, etc.? I asked a lot of the questions,…

Every summer Miz and I travel around to different trapper conventions. You never know what treasures you will find at these gatherings. I have a fancy for old books, and one of the vendors had a book from 1901. That’s several years before I was born, which was a long time ago. The book was: “The New Perfect Speaker, a Compendium of Elocution, Oratory, and Etiquette.” That will give you an idea of how old it is. I don’t think they even use elocution any more. I think it is all lethal injection now. It’s pretty well known in the trapping community that I am one of the foremost authorities on etiquette. “Uncle Hal’s Guide to Etiquette and Manners” is a must for any trapper who does not want to…

Are dogs really man’s best friend? Some are, and as we all know, some are not. The lovable, cuddly fur babies that we rely on every day for companionship, work and sporting activities, unfortunately, are not always the case. More and more dogs are found to be roaming wild and are nowhere near being man’s best friend. Wild dogs are wreaking havoc on wildlife, domestic pets and people. In some areas, it is unsafe to let your animals out unattended, and people are even afraid to walk their neighborhoods for fear of these dogs. Now, as a dog lover, I am not immune to recognizing a problem and having to deal with it. I have done what many other people have done when it comes to dispatching a problem animal,…

February has arrived and by now, most of the wild fur that will hit the market in early 2025 has already been harvested. Trappers down South can still operate in snow-free environments, but in the North, deep snow and cold have put an end to many trapping activities. Up in the far north areas, trapping in winter is a quality activity, but definitely not a quantity activity. Just like catching beaver under the ice — it is fun, the fur is beautiful, but do not expect to fill the back of your truck with your catch. By the end of February some seasons are closed, and even if the season is still open, I would venture that most animals that were suitable for harvest are already in somebody’s fur shed…

Trapping big fur country needs loud stink, like skunk or fish oil. WORKING A LINE of steel is never easy and trappers are forever looking for an edge. Along with good sets and top-shelf steel, a dose of potent lure certainly never hurts. But getting the right stink that works, now there’s a conundrum if there ever was one. YOU SMELL THAT? On my line all scents are called stink because the lady that manages the operation got in the habit of telling me how I was so rank after a day of setting. Which is why my trapping duds live in the woodshed. Saying a scent is offensive or stinks is both unfair and often not true. Many popular lures and other “fixatives” have not unpleasant musky tones, but…

Jim Spencer’s new book, “A Life Well Misspent,” is hard to categorize. Spencer said he intended it to be his fifth turkey book. “But about seven chapters in, it started fighting me,” he said. “Finally I just got out of the way, and from that point, the book pretty much wrote itself. Turkeys drift in and out, but so do ducks, fish, memorable people, trapping, practical jokes (both by me and on me) and more. If I had to describe it, I’d call it part travelogue, part autobiography, part confessional and part National Enquirer. I think it’s my best work yet.” The price is $25, plus $6 shipping, and additional copies are $20 each with no additional shipping. Send checks to Treble Hook Unlimited, P.O. Box 758, Calico Rock, AR…

A good friend of mine that has long since passed away once told me, “If you have a hard time finding a location for coyotes, just make it using large baits.” Those were words of wisdom. Bait or draw stations can and will put more coyote fur on the stretchers. They will also help the Animal Damage Control professionals that find themselves in a tight spot with finicky or trap-shy coyotes. I am not sure how many baits I have used in my lifetime, but it’s been a lot, and I was never disappointed. A bait or draw station can be as small as a skinned beaver or as large as a dead cow. I have also made them using skinned coyote carcasses. Skinned coyotes are not the best to…

As I approached the huge rock outcropping my eye caught some movement near where the set was. I slowed down to see if I could make out what was going on and all of the movement had stopped. But as I moved closer I could start to make out the outline and ears of a bobcat peeking out from behind the brush. Alright, good start to the day since it was the first trap, although I was soon disappointed at the size of the little 'cat, and it was a female, too. With the price of bobcats the last few years I was tempted to let this one go, but I could see that she had somehow broken her leg and the temperature was starting to dip below zero. Usually…