Information, Resources, and On-Line Trapping Forum

 

Trap Line Departments

Bulletin Board Rewind Scrap Book On Track Trapper Edu. Lynx State Regs. Feed Back
 
 
Rewind
 

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 

Growing As A Trapper
by Hal Sullivan

(This article was first published in The Trapper and Predator Caller, March 1994)

I was talking to a neighbor whose son had recently been bitten by the trapping bug. Dad, a nontrapper, had taken an active interest but only in a supervisory position. He described the boy's sets, "He just hid a piece of tuna fish at the base of a tree, put his trap out in front of it, and covered it with leaves. That won't catch anything, will it?" I told him it would probably snag a possum or two. "Yeah, but he wants to catch a fox. You can't catch a fox like that can you?"
I carefully explained that it was possible to catch fox with sets very similar to this, but at this stage in the boy's trapline career, he would do better to construct some cubbies and target possum and coon.
I'm sure the vast majority of trappers have such humble beginnings and high aspirations. Trappers seem to go through three stages of development. In the first stage, you want to learn all there is to know about trapping -- in two day's time. Through the second stage, you develop your skills, and increase your experience -- on your way to learning all there is to know about trapping. In the third stage, you finally figure out that you'll never learn all there is to know about trapping.
Let's look at how three different trappers would approach a situation. One trapper is just beginning his second season; he is a beginner. The second trapper has a few seasons under his belt and has the potential to make good catches. The third trapper measures his seasons in decades.
On the bank of a creek there are three muskrat dens. One is old and caved-in above the waterline, one has leaves and a small stick across the entrance, and one shows a trail of fresh mud leading away from it. The beginner sets two traps, one in each of the underwater dens. He catches one 'rat. The second trapper sets two traps, but both of them are in the run leading away from the active den. He catches two 'rats. The third trapper sets three traps. Two on the active den, and a third in the caved-in den. The third trapper will probably catch two 'rats just like the second, however, he has increased his potential to add a wandering mink to his bag by setting up the dry den.
There is no substitute for experience. Simply spending time on the line is the best way to grow as a trapper. But this does not diminish the value of good books and other printed and video material. This information can better your knowledge and round out your trapline education. It seems like the knowledge you gain from books and magazines goes hand-in-hand with the amount of experience you have. You may not fully comprehend something you have read, until you try it on your trapline. By the same token, you may never get the idea to try it unless you read about it somewhere.
The next location is a muddy creek bank, and the target is coon. The beginner sets his trap on the bank and hides a piece of fish beyond it. He catches no coon. The second trapper goes to the waterline and constructs a pocket using bait and lure. But he catches no coon. The experienced trapper scouts up and down the bank for a few yards in either direction. He sets no trap; he catches no coon.
Here, everyone had equal success, but the more experienced trapper expended less effort and wasted less time. It is important to know how and where to set your traps, but it is also important to know when and where not to set a trap. The experienced trapper scouted the area and considered the conditions for finding sign to be ideal. He did not find any sign, so he did not set a trap.
Again, there is no substitute for experience when it comes to reading sign. A beginner might step right on a fox scat and not recognize it. An intermediate trapper might recognize it and make a set. An experienced trapper would examine the scat for age and probably for contents before he decided whether he would make a set or what kind of set he would use. All these have to do with the depth of perception that a trapper has for sign reading. A beginner may have trouble identifying the tracks he encounters. Later he will be able to identify all of tracks he comes across, and finally he will learn to look in the places where he will most likely encounter these tracks.
In situation number three, we have a fresh set of fox tracks along a dusty lane that are quite visible to all. The beginner crudely constructs a dirthole and says, "I hope that's a dirthole." The second trapper plugs in his patented set and says, "Now there's a dirthole." The third trapper says, "I'll bet these fox are sick of dirtholes," and puts in a flat set.
While all of us at sometime strive to master a certain kind or construction of a set, the real key to trapping is versatility. By all means a beginning trapper should try to learn the construction of the basic sets like the pocket and dirthole set. In fact, a beginner should try to master the fundamental sets before he tries anything fancy. On the other hand, intermediate trappers sometimes get stuck looking for the "perfect" construction of a set that will take all animals in all situations. All experienced trappers have their favorite sets that they use over and over again as the conditions warrant. But they also have at their disposal other sets that will better suit the varied conditions in our natural environment.
Before I say it again, if you think that experience is the best teacher in learning and applying various kinds of sets, you are right. There is no way to make the years and the seasons roll by any faster -- thank God. However, you can expedite the process, by studying books and magazines as mentioned before, and by being observant and inquisitive on the trapline. To the beginner, it can be quite bewildering; I know it was for me. You spend most of the time running from trap to trap just to see if you've caught anything. When you finally stumble on the fact that certain locations and conditions are more likely to produce a catch, you are on your way to cashing in on your observations.
You begin to ask questions about why you caught, or did not catch, an animal at a certain set. You begin to remember things that happened from one set to the next and can combine them into a workable set for future use. To aid in remembering and recording what happened on the trapline, more experienced trappers use notebooks to write down the information. I know that most beginning trappers would disdain keeping a notebook, but it is never too soon or too late to start keeping a permanent record, even if it’s just a few short notes to jog your memory.
Please bear in mind that none of this discussion is meant to dissuade anyone from taking up trapping, nor is it meant to belittle beginning trappers. I never discourage anyone from learning to trap. I do stress responsibility, and I'll be the first to encourage the efforts of a beginner. Sometimes I have been effective in steering a beginner towards more realistic goals, but I never discourage the ambition to improve and become a better trapper. We crawl before we walk, and every beginner has the right to work his way up.
Nor do I mean to detract from the trappers in the middle category. However, many trappers in this class fall into the "trapper-in-a-can" syndrome. They become convinced that there is a certain secret set or secret lure that will instantly make them successful as soon as they can get it out of the can. Fortunately, in the quest for this super set or lure, the trapper usually gains enough practical knowledge to keep him progressing despite himself.
And finally, I don't mean that years of trapline experience alone are the sole judge of the skills of a trapper. Some trappers who have taken a keen interest and have invested a good amount of time in study and careful observation have gained a lot of experience in a few years. And again, some trappers can be on the line for years and not make any practical advance in their skills. Trappers who excel in the field are those who are constantly learning, be it beginner or pro.
Now let's look at the last situation. Here we have a clearing in the brush that shows a good amount of fox sign. The beginner hides a chicken leg at the base of a low bush and sets his trap in front of it. He catches a possum. The intermediate makes a good baited dirthole set in the middle of the clearing. He catches a possum. The experienced trapper uses a fox scat and a drop of lure to make a flat set. He catches a possum.
The beginner is pleased with his catch no matter how humble it may be. The intermediate trapper is humbled by his catch and vows to do better. The experienced trapper, with a truck load of possums-past giving him a proper degree of humility, smiles and shrugs his shoulders. Despite his best efforts, he has had no more success than the kid with a chicken leg. Conversely, the intermediate can take consolation that he has done no worse than the experienced trapper. Finally the beginner knows he is on the right track to becoming a better trapper. Through each phase, the trapper grows and develops his skills at catching furbearers. And catching a furbearer, even if it's no more than a possum, is the thread that ties us all together.

###

Previous "Rewind" articles may be viewed in the Rewind Archives

Please visit our Supply Line for all your trapping needs

[ Back To Top ] 

 
 

For Trapping Books, Videos, Lures, Supplies & Equipment, Visit the Supply Line

 
  Other Trap Line Pages:

Bulletin Board | Rewind | Scrap Book | On Track | Trapper Edu. | Lynx | State Regs. | Feed Back

 
 

Design and Production by Sullivan Promotions
Copyright 2000-2010 Sullivan's Scents and Supplies - All rights reserved.