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Rewind features articles I have published over the years in various trapping magazines. The articles have been updated with "Fast Forward" information as different perspectives have emerged since the material was published. Articles previously published here may be viewed in the Rewind Archives -- Hal

GETTING THE EDGE
by Hal Sullivan

(This article was first published in The Trapper, September 1995)

My home in southern Ohio, is nestled within the confines of the Shawnee State Forest, a 64,000 acre tract of timber land that is managed by the state of Ohio. When people hear this they say, "Gosh, I bet you catch a lot of fox in the forest." I catch some fox in the forest, but not a lot of them. I'll explain why.
Most of the acreage in this forest is covered with mature and maturing stands of hardwood timber. The canopy formed by the tree tops, shields out most of the sunlight, and very few plants grow on the forest floor. Some have termed this type of mature forest a "hardwood desert", but instead of sand covering the ground, the predominant ground cover is layer upon layer of dead and rotting leaves. This habitat provides very little cover, or food, for the small ground dwelling animals that make up a large part of a fox's diet. Most of the fox trapping in this forest, is confined along the roads or near a regenerating clear-cut.
Why do these places produce most of the fox? Because the roads and the clear cuts provide a break in the forest canopy admitting sunlight and encouraging a growth of brush, briars, grasses, and other seed or fruit producing plants. This habitat attracts small species of prey, which in turn attract fox.
I can't claim to have made any startling discoveries. Wildlife managers have known for quite some time that "edge" cover, the type that exists with varying patterns of land use, is attractive to many forms of wildlife including furbearers. A road or clear-cut in a forest is a prime example of edge habitat, but a good deal of this habit is created in conjunction with agricultural practices especially where forest and field meet.
These edges are important to a trapper as a general location where the potential for catching critters is usually high. The more closely they fulfill the food and shelter needs of a target species, the greater their potential. But a trapper should also be concerned with more subtle situations that create an edge that will be attractive to and funnel the movements of animals.
A lane, road, or trail represents a classic example of an edge that will funnel the movements of animals. By its very nature, such a pathway "cuts" through the surrounding habitat and this cut provides the edge a trapper is looking for. In some cases, like a trail, the animals may have created the pathway themselves. Animals will also follow manmade trails, especially dirt roads and farm lanes that are not subject to a great deal of vehicular traffic. Sets made in proximity to such a pathway are likely to attract the attention of a passing animal.
Bodies of water such as streams and lakes also represent a break in the landscape and offer an edge that the trapper can utilize. In fact, these aquatic edges are extremely valuable to the trapper. Wetland habitat provides a food source for many animals, and they can be found hunting these edges. Larger expanses of water also act as a barrier to many land dwelling animals. Those that are not adept at swimming follow these edges to seek out a shallow or dry place where they can cross.
The previous two examples are rather obvious forms of edges that can provide good locations for sets. There are many others. In farm country, fences provide an edge that will funnel the movements of animals. Also, crop change lines, where the edge of one field butts against another are often scenes of animal activity. Fences, especially if they are made of woven wire, often act as a physical barrier to the movements of the animals. But this aside, fences usually show some weedy or brushy growth along their extent. This may directly provide food for an animal in the form of berries or fruits, but it also provides a haven for many small prey species. The same is true of a crop change line. There is often a small boarder of weeds along the edge of a field that attracts the attention of an animal.
The edges where farmland meets woodland are prime locations for constructing sets. The most important feature of these locations is the change in plant diversity. The cropland is of course devoid of brush and trees. On the other extreme, the wooded areas may be densely packed with mature timber and have very little plant growth at ground level. But, along the edge of the woods, where light shines in under the canopy, a great diversity of bush, weeds and other low growing plants proliferate providing food and cover for many animals.
Another feature of this type of edge are the denning and resting sites offered in the wooded habitat. Indeed some animals may commute from forest to field in their daily routines. Find a corn field adjacent to a woodlot with suitable den trees, and you are almost sure to find some coons.
I spoke of lakes and streams providing an edge in the general sense. But in water trapping, they provide an edge with a much narrower definition. The shoreline, or the point at which land meets water, is the most important edge in a water trapper's manual.
Again, the rules of food and shelter apply, but in a slightly altered sense. Some animals, like the beaver and the muskrat, depend on water for providing a safe haven. But, with the exception of muskrats in a marsh environment, both of these animals depend on food that grows on or within a few feet of dry land. In addition to this, both of these animals will often dig into the bank to make their dens. Although both of these animals can be caught in their runs, some distance from shore, many if not most of the sets for them will be at or near the shoreline.
Mink and coon follow a reversed pattern. Quite often, these animals can find shelter higher up on the bank. But when they are seeking food in this habitat, they look in the shallow water just off the shoreline. Frogs, crayfish, small fish, and minnows all can be found just offshore.
In either case, be it beaver and muskrat or coon and mink, some of the most productive sets, like a pocket set, can be constructed right at the shoreline, half in and half out of the water, with the water's edge acting as a guide for the animal. This does not discount the natural sets which might be found where the animals enter or exit the water either through design or necessity. Here, the edge does not provide so much of a guide as it does a pinpoint location where your trap is most likely to be successful.
Edges, as they appear on the landscape, should attract the attention of any trapper. They certainly invite investigation because in some way, shape, or form they will probably attract the attention of the resident furbearers. With the entire country side over which a critter can roam, a trapper needs all the help he can muster to put his traps in front of them. You can get an edge on the critters, if you can get an edge.