Connected this morning with this beautiful girl! :)

Interesting.
I don't know if it's just me, but I'm not sure I could just shoot one sitting in a trap.

I'd prefer to have them dead when I got there - but I understand what trouble that presents.

I'd be trapping coons to help our turkeys and quail, but I just can't bring myself to kill a coon from 2 feet away. And I completely understand how devastating and worthless animals there are...

I must be a softy! :D

 

Your not the only softy.... I love hunting as much as the next guy and all it brings... but after seeing those pics of the foxes... there's no way I could take that animal for the sole purpose of mounting.... In that manner...(trap). I just wouldn't have the heart to dispatch it while it set there helpless....

Not diminishing in anyway... please don't think so... it's just not for me... But I definitely look forward to more of these posts from you.... Beautiful Pics Greg.


And just a question... what did you do with the Husky? She's beautiful too.

 

I'm with you, I don't think I could do it.

That is a fine looking husky too. I might have kept her!

 

Interesting to see your guys reactions.

I think trapping is very cool, and extremely tough to do.

Like I said, I just think it is just too gruesome for me to do.

 

I agree, it seems like it would be extremely difficullt and it seems like it would be a lot of fun but I just don't think its for me. I'd love to try it once though.

 

Most trapping is not done for the sheer visual joy of looking at a mount, just as bowhunting is not done for that primary purpose either; 99% of animals trappers catch are "put up" with great care and sold to a fur buyer. Not only does this allow the trapper to enjoy a very important part of our nation's heritage, but it also allows him or her to earn some extra income in the process. Presently the furs harvested in Missouri are valued at more than $8.5 million annually, which in turn generates more than $60 million to the state's economy.

Animals are trapped for a number of reasons though. Wild animals may be trapped to protect people's property or to control unwanted damage. Wildlife biologists use foot-hold traps to catch many kinds of animals so they can be studied. Traps are sometimes used to catch animals for re-establishment in other states. Trapping is also a way to capture sick animals quickly before they can spread disease to other wild and domestic animals or people. In addition, trapping provides a renewable resource for clothing and fashion.

Obviously, I don't need to tell this crowd about the importance conservation departments place on trapping as a viable means of population control; coyote, fox, bobcats, raccoons... they all need to have their population kept in check just like anything else. It's one of the most effective ways to do so, because trappers are so good at targeting specific animals and avoiding non-target catches.

When those do arise -- as in the case of the Husky asked about -- it's a simple matter of turning them loose. She'd probably lick her paw a bit the first night and she'd be good as new the next day.

The trapper I was with running his line was tempted to keep her; though she didn't appear to belong to anyone and was a bit on the poorly fed side, she was extremely sweet and gentle and we didn't even have to use a catch pole on her as we released her.

I appreciate all the comments on the thread, and enjoy discussing and showing pictures from my trapline. Hope you guys continue to enjoy looking at them.

 

The more I look at that husky the more I'd like to have her! lol.

 

Very cool looking dog for sure.

 

Agreed, those pictures are beautiful.

Makes sense Greg, and I had no idea that trappers were still that active in their pursuits.

Very neat/cool.

 

Our rifle season ends on Saturday so on Sunday the coyote sets will be going in, if I have the time.

 

Greg where do you sell your furs? The only old man in our area that used to buy them got out of the business.

Me and some local friends hit the woods every winter chasing our coonhounds. We do it more for the fun we have, than any economical benefit. It has been years since I have sold my furs to a local man. Over the recent years we just give them to a guy here and he ships them up north somewhere.

 

WOW!!!!!! Excellent pics Greg, what a coat on her too!!! Congratulation's there trapper!!!

 

I sell them to one of the MidWests' largest fur buyers who operates out of Perryville, MO. It's nice he's only about 30 miles away.

Thanks Steve; appreciate it buddy! Shoot me pics from your Dad's stuff whenever you can.

 

O_O
That. Looks. Painful.

 

Nice catch and great pics.

 

Jim, be sure to share some pics if/when you connect.

 

Bump for OH... look at post # 18.