Some of you guys are aware that I’ve been spending every spare minute I’ve had for the last month soaking up information about predator trapping. I’ve been fortunate enough to have my taxidermist, who’s a long-time trapper, take my boy and me under his wing and let us ride along on a few of his traplines in the last couple weeks. After watching a couple hundred dollars’ worth of DVDs, spending four or five hours a night on the trapping forums and falling asleep reading trapping books, we finally got our own traps all boiled, dyed and waxed a couple nights ago. Matthew and I ran out of time putting in a couple quick sets out behind the house day before yesterday, but the next day we got to build a set in the area I was most excited about; a couple turkeys from our local flock had fallen prey to something in the same spot. I was thinking cat, so I built a fairly “loud” set with a goose feather as flagging and some cat gland lure tucked tightly into a dirt-hole set with a clump of grass as backing and left with high expectations. Matthew woke me up shortly after daybreak to go run our “line” (all three sets ), and we checked the one I just described first. We crested a rise and peered over to find this little lady waiting on us. It was a very cool morning.
Very cool Greg, excellent pics as well!!!! How did you dispatch the fox??? I really want to do some trapping, I'm hoping to get set up over the spring/summer and be ready for next season! Once again, congrats bro!!!!!!!
Thanks, guys... Christine, I don't have a welder and after some initial investigation found that it'd be cheaper just to order them exactly the way I wanted them... jaw lams, four-coiled and base-plated with center swiveling wasn't too much more than the regular version. We dispatched him with a .22 rifle I've had for years and years. It's WAY too nice a rifle to take on the trapline with me, so I'll be picking up a pistol here shortly. Been looking into that as well, and there's a model by Heritage Arms that's really cheap ($150 or so) sold at Gander Mountain that's been getting great feedback from some veteran trappers. I also went out and bought some subsonic Remingtons as well to keep the "crack" of the report down so we're not drawing too much attention to ourselves; I think they'll really help as well.
Greg, is that a Bridger? It kind of looks like my old Montgomery traps but they quit making those a long time ago. I used .22 cbs to dispatch my catches. (when I didn't just clock them on the head, which honestly, kills them every bit as fast) I had a really cheap (in quality more than price) Rossi .22 revolver. A .22 high power shell was ear splitting in out of that gun. Anyhow, cb shells are about as quiet as you can get but you have to know exactly where to shoot them and the effective range is about 3 ft and less. Did you get the book, How to Become a Millionaire Trapping 'Possums?
Yep, good eye Christine... Bridger #2's, in fact. Let's see... I bet the main lesson of that book would be that it would take, oh ... a million possums?
Exactly right! Though it was written several years back when fur prices were slight better. Might need 1.5 million possums now.
Absolutely fantastic! What an awesome Grey, she is beautiful. I've been waiting on these pics......... Your pics and trapping stories really remind me of time spent with the gentleman I truly consider my "mentor" when it comes to the outdoors. He is the one that inspired me and taught me to trap when I was maybe a few years older than your son. Make sure to keep us updated, I'm excited to hear more!
Greg, do you shoot them in the head to kill them or???? Also do you have any good links to some trapping forums etc....? Thanks!
Joe, the best place to shoot them is right between the eyes... aim so that the bullet's path ends inside the body and there's no exit hole. A .22-sized entry hole is very small and the hair on the forehead easily covers it if one desires to mount the animal. If you're planning on putting the fur up and selling it, it'll be unnoticeable as well, though it really doesn't matter as the heads don't get used by garment makers. It's still nice to keep your presentation looking good for the buyers. Some choose to use blunt-force trauma, as Christine alluded to, though there's a concern about massive bruising and fur slippage occuring on something delicate like a fox. For cats, I've got a catch pole at the ready... closing off the carotids on a cat dispatches the cat amazingly quickly -- they're probably out in less than 10 seconds, with no blood on the fur. Very clean, very efficient. MNKK, I don't know of anyone who eats fox, though a conservation agent who put on a trapping seminar last week in the area who is also a big trapper himself said he's got a Korean gentleman who buys all his coyote and fox carcasses. I thought he was kidding, but when I pressed him he told me he was dead serious.
And thanks, Matt... I really appreciate it. It was so neat seeing her there. Called up my taxidermist -- who, don't know if I mentioned it or not, is the gentleman mentoring us in our new-found passion -- and was going to see if he'd let me borrow his fleshing board and knife to get her put up. He told me he had a buyer for her who wanted to mount her. We drove her over last night, and he "bargained" with my boy for a minute or two and they ended up settling on $40 for her! My boy drives a hard bargain, for sure LOL! Actually, he was following the unwritten code of REALLY making it worth a young trapper's time to ensure they keep at their new sport. Matthew doesn't understand yet, but one day he will. He said on the drive home last night he wants me to help him save it so we can buy a dozen Lil Grizzes next year for coon. Yep, he's hooked for life. Joe, sent you a PM.
Cool about the buyer. When I was little and started trapping I didn't have message boards and whatnot. I had a really old book on trapping and pelt prep. Anyhow I skinned my first 'coon open, tacked it out squarish (like was vogue back then) and then scraped it with the back of a claw hammer. Which was all I could come up with. Then, to top it off I salted it. So, all proud of myself, I go the fur buyer and without blinking at my totally worthless to the market 'coon hide, he offered me $25. (and some lessons on how to properly prepare fur) It was one of Groenewold's buyers and if I knew his name, I'd find him and thank him. BTW, the lil grizzes are great. Also, are all your footholds #2's? (You'll loose some coons with traps that big) Congrats again!
Sounds like every young trapper has a similar story, Christine... it's another thing I love about the sport! Yes, all my coilspring traps are #2s, as I'm targeting coyotes, fox and cats with them. From all accounts, they're about the perfect trap for those three. If I were ONLY going after yotes, I'd probably opt for the #3, and probably the 1.65s if I were ONLY going after fox, but these are great for everything; I'm not using them for coon at all. We'll use the Lil Grizzes for coon, specifically. I did look at some little cheap Dukes today at a local hardware store today that I may pick up for additional coon sets as well. Thanks for sharing the coon story; I loved it!
Greg, THANKS for the PM info. Excellent stuff, I already joined up at trapperman! I tell ya 15 minutes browsing that site answered a million questions I had going around in my head!
Congrats on the fox there Greg. Are you ever going to mount one? What do you use to attract them to the trap? or is it just near their den/walk way?
