I've never trapped in my life, but am kind of interested in learning. Is it something you learn as a kid or not at all, or are there some good, modern resources that can get me started. I have an older friend who is an avid trapper, and I am sure he will be willing to help, but I hate going into things as a total rube and making somebody spend their time with the simplest of questions.
-
Having trouble using the site?
Contact support
Hunting & Fishing Trapping
- Thread starter Choid
- Start date
It's not hard to learn as an adult, but its like hunting. The more time you put in, the better you'll get and you will start to pick up on practical things that works specifically in your region.
Last edited:
If you decide to get into it. Fleming Traps has pretty good premade kits or you can buy individual sets.
I’ve been trapping for 35 years. I can tell you that is an absolute great hobby and will teach you more about the woods and animals then anything else there is. Now here comes the truths, one it is fairly easy to learn how to use and set traps but you will probably get burned a lot cause predators are dam smart and catching not so easy. You will probably get frustrated but this is what teaches you. Two and probably the most important is it’s very time consuming both while trapping and caring for your equipment in the off-season. Don’t even think of getting into trapping unless you have plenty of time to devote and also willing to WORK HARD and get dirty and bloody. Also learning to dispatch properly and deal with your catch is also very time consuming. There are a few good trapping supply shops on line and will have what you need. There’s a kid on YouTube that has some great videos that will get you in the right direction. I’ll try to find one and send you a link and then just watch all his videos. You could start with some dog proof raccoon traps which is a no brainer but will give you a taste of having to deal with your catch, skinning and tanning. Hopefully your intentions are to use your catch properly and not just catch to kill and waste. If trapping raccoons in dogproofs and going through all the motions is to much then you saved yourself a lot of time and headaches of getting all the gear and using footholds for coyotes etc.
F&t trapping supplies in Michigan is the supplier i use.take a look at their site. Give them a call and ask what books they would recommend for the type trapping you want to do. Knowledgeable people there.the books don't cost much and you will learn a lot.
It's an awesome hobby to get into. It's also a ton of work. I highly recommend it to you. Once you get into trapping you'll learn so much more about animal behaviors than you can imagine. Lots of good books for reading and YouTube videos available on the subject. I struggle every fall whether to hunt or trap. Usually trapping wins..
I learned it when I was living up in Alaska, I was in my 40's. Look for a local trappers association or check with your local department of fish and game for free resources. There are also plenty of online educational material.
Some advice,
I have seen people wax conni bears 240 and 330's,
do not do that, ever. Traps are dangerous and the big 330's are no joke! I broke the neck of a 63lb beaver in Alaska that swam into my 330, it can break an arm.
Learn your prey habits, signs and you can figure out on your own how to best set traps to lure them in. You never fail, you always learn! Also, learn good skinning, fleshing techniques and pelt care.
Be mindful of public areas and trapping regulations (example, Kansas only allows body gripping traps in water sets aka your 220, 240, 330's(edited to read this line better))
It is a lot of fun and a bit of work. I now do it mostly to protect my livestock.
Where do you live?
The beaver on the tailgate of my truck was a nuisance beaver kill that weighed in at 67 lbs (that is a Ram 2500 tailgate), taken with a 330.
Some advice,
I have seen people wax conni bears 240 and 330's,
do not do that, ever. Traps are dangerous and the big 330's are no joke! I broke the neck of a 63lb beaver in Alaska that swam into my 330, it can break an arm.Learn your prey habits, signs and you can figure out on your own how to best set traps to lure them in. You never fail, you always learn! Also, learn good skinning, fleshing techniques and pelt care.
Be mindful of public areas and trapping regulations (example, Kansas only allows body gripping traps in water sets aka your 220, 240, 330's(edited to read this line better))
It is a lot of fun and a bit of work. I now do it mostly to protect my livestock.
Where do you live?
The beaver on the tailgate of my truck was a nuisance beaver kill that weighed in at 67 lbs (that is a Ram 2500 tailgate), taken with a 330.
Last edited:
I didn’t start till I was in my 40s and LOVE IT. I’m mainly a water trapper but have caught a few things on land in blind sets etc.
I wanted to tell you about another place for supplies too.
https://www.southernsnares.com/
They had the absolute best price on Duke #5 double long springs I could find. $305.00 a dozen. They also have purchased Sleepy Creek Traps, one of the only ones still made in America, if that matters to you.
I trap for the fun of it and beaver trapping is what I really like. I have decided to do it old school this year. Big double long springs along chain. Just like the mountain men did it, but with waders haha.
I wanted to tell you about another place for supplies too.
https://www.southernsnares.com/
They had the absolute best price on Duke #5 double long springs I could find. $305.00 a dozen. They also have purchased Sleepy Creek Traps, one of the only ones still made in America, if that matters to you.
I trap for the fun of it and beaver trapping is what I really like. I have decided to do it old school this year. Big double long springs along chain. Just like the mountain men did it, but with waders haha.
It's a dream of mine to one day get up north and do some water trapping and learn a new game. Down here in Texas it's just mangy coyotes and the occasional bobcat. Lots of varmints. But nothing you'd make a nice fur coat out of. Lol
Youtube is probably the most amazing trapping resource that was ever invented.
In Alaska people sell trap lines (even though they are public land) and honor those sales. Or at least they used to.
It seems like the number of people trapping these days would increase, but I don't know that it has.
The number of people walking their dogs in the forest has increased and to me this is the biggest problem with trapping in a heavily used area. I personally wouldn't do it. Most states will have laws against trapping on a trail anyway.
Trapping is a lot of fun. I have always enjoyed trapping mice and rats in the garage, and that is what originally got me into trapping in the wilderness. Now I don't get to do it much anymore, and New Mexico is working on making it illegal, but I would love to get back into it.
Our own goals are to end up someplace in the Northern USA just for the hunting and fishing offered. Preferrably Alaska, but there are a lot of states that have good trapping.
In Alaska people sell trap lines (even though they are public land) and honor those sales. Or at least they used to.
It seems like the number of people trapping these days would increase, but I don't know that it has.
The number of people walking their dogs in the forest has increased and to me this is the biggest problem with trapping in a heavily used area. I personally wouldn't do it. Most states will have laws against trapping on a trail anyway.
Trapping is a lot of fun. I have always enjoyed trapping mice and rats in the garage, and that is what originally got me into trapping in the wilderness. Now I don't get to do it much anymore, and New Mexico is working on making it illegal, but I would love to get back into it.
Our own goals are to end up someplace in the Northern USA just for the hunting and fishing offered. Preferrably Alaska, but there are a lot of states that have good trapping.
Similar threads
