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Rick
07-13-2008, 07:55 AM
Here are some questions for those of you that trap. I don't so this is a learning opportunity for me.

1. Do you use jaw traps or body traps most often and which is more productive?

2. Do you use a trap setter to set your traps or do you do it by hand?

3. Do you stretch your pelts with boards or wires?

Thanks

wareagle69
07-13-2008, 07:59 AM
i have talked to a trapper latley rick he says he uses's wire snares that way he can carry like 300 snares on him more than he would be able to carry traps and explained a few ways or trapping beaver. thats about all i know of trapping trax man will be the one to talk to

TrappinGal
07-13-2008, 09:24 AM
whether or not you use footholds or bodygrips ia a choice often dictated by law. here in wv we are only allowed to use conibears(body grippers) if they are sumerged in water.so we can basically only use them for beaver.(330s) we can use 110s for muskrats in the water as well.

footholds are what i use the most of. i use #11 for raccoon, that have a 4.5 inch jaw speard. theyre very productive for me and we caught, me and my partner, over 200 coon in the state of wv alone. the bigger tha anmal youre after the stroner the jaws need to be so the bigger the trap to hold the animal. traps with teeth are illegal.

i set the #11 by hand by "breakng them" over my knee. a setter can be used if people prefer it. i use a setter for 330s because the springs are tougher and my hands arent strong enough to do it.

depends on your choice of wire or wood as well. i stretch muskrat, possum and coon on wire strtchers.
beaver go on boards for us but can be stretched on wire as well.

be careful with your cats coyotes and foxes as they start fur side in for drying drying then they have to be fininshed fur side out.you usually will dry them for 12 or so hrs before you turn them fur side out. be careful if you dry them skin side out t long theyll be hard to turn and youll ahve to wrap them in a wet towel to soften the leather enough to do it which is a pain in the butt.

the fur drying system i use lets me dry fox coyote and cats fur side out from the beginning.

here is a picture of inside the fur shed.

http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff160/WYbyCat/IMG_0251-1.jpg

you can see the drying system i was talking about. this system was originally used for ranch fox but this past season all the ranch fox were harvested due to high prices for food. the return was marginal at best on them.

even though it isnt required we drum all long haired fur..it makes coon 1000% easier to stretch.

beaver are stretched upstairs in the house because there is more room there and the boards are rather large.

we put up everything from possum to cats. all furbeares we catch.

snares are deadly effective in trails.

rebel
07-13-2008, 10:27 AM
Nice picture and information. It also says TrappinGal is a survivor.

Riverrat
07-13-2008, 11:14 AM
Nice shed TrappinGal, I used to trap but work took over. Hope to get back into it this year or next. I trapped Marten, fox, mink and beaver, and loved every minuite of it.

TrappinGal
07-13-2008, 11:17 AM
ty. i just thought id share one more pic with you guys.

here is the first coyote i ever caught. i caught it using a #3 northwoods while trapping in Wyoming last fall.


http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff160/WYbyCat/IMG_0069.jpg

it meant alot to me beacuse i had never caught one before. i ended up catching 2 and am waiting for their return from Moyles tannery out of Idaho now.

to me the memories assciated with them was worth way more than any money i could have made on the pelts.

TrappinGal
07-13-2008, 11:18 AM
the second one i caught is drying behind the first one.

the other things drying are muskrats and with a few coon in the back.

crashdive123
07-13-2008, 01:48 PM
Are those pictures the same shed with the vice in it?

Sourdough
07-13-2008, 01:57 PM
Is there a good website that has current prices for pelts....? Fair Prices....?

TrappinGal
07-13-2008, 02:23 PM
crashdive.. curious eh? lol

hopeak, the fur market fluctuates so often its hard to stay "current" on prices but heres a link with the latest NAFA auction prices..

https://www.nafa.ca/auction/NAFA_08-05-26_WF_USD.pdf

NAFA is a fur auction house in Canada where all our fur is sent.

this year was a record for us on coon. we averaged, junk in, 18.18.

Beaver prices were also high in May.

wareagle69
07-13-2008, 06:20 PM
i do not trap mainly cuz i haven't met anyone yet to teach me but what i do respect trappin gal is someone who can live that close to the earth, and we have a few hear that bear listening to when they speak.

TrappinGal
07-13-2008, 06:23 PM
i hope i prove to be one of those few.

Rick
07-13-2008, 06:29 PM
Well, you've got my vote on trapping so far.

Is the reason body traps have to be used in water for a quick kill?

crashdive123
07-13-2008, 06:31 PM
i hope i prove to be one of those few.

I do believe you are.

TrappinGal
07-13-2008, 06:36 PM
they dont have to be used. we use footholds fon a drowning wire for most of the beaver we catch.

the main reason Connis have to be submerged is to avoid domestic dogs. people around here have alot of dogs that run loose.if theyre set under water you drastically reduce the chance of catching someones pet.

the main good thing about body grippers is, dead is dead. when you use them you do not have to worry about losing fur due to pullouts as you do sometimes with footholds.

Rick
07-13-2008, 08:08 PM
Thank you. I do appreciate the information!!!!

wareagle69
07-13-2008, 08:17 PM
trapper was telling me he made basically a tree with snares alternating on either side of a pole and then lodged it in front of a lodge as the beavers come out they swim right up into it and the noose tightens around the neck the after a set time trapper would come back and have several pelts in the snares.

warman87
07-13-2008, 09:36 PM
that sounds a bit like a squirrel pole variant

klkak
07-13-2008, 11:16 PM
Rick I would have answered all your questions but Trappingal did a good job of it. I will say that "what" and "where" you are trapping will determine what type of trap you will use. As far as board or wire stretchers I mostly use boards because most of what I trap for are mustelids. I use setters for 280 and 330 conibears and #9 leg holds and up. For what I trap here in Alaska I use mostly conibears and snares. I don't like coming up on a live wolf, wolverine or otter.

tacmedic
07-14-2008, 03:25 AM
Is there any time you would use a longspring trap over a coilspring trap or vice versa? Or does it not really matter?

Gray Wolf
07-14-2008, 01:01 PM
TrappinGal, very informative post, and Great Pic's!

klkak
07-15-2008, 02:34 AM
Is there any time you would use a longspring trap over a coilspring trap or vice versa? Or does it not really matter?

I still have some long springs but I don't use them any more. I've found that coils are a little easier to set. I started out on coon with longsprings when I was a kid.

TrappinGal
07-18-2008, 09:08 PM
IMO, its all about personal choice when people chose a trap. i like longspring for coon but coilspring for coyote.

i had some #1 Northwoods for coon but they easily pulled out of them so i culled them from my line.
i now go with #11 Sleepy Creek dj. i like the 4.5 inch jawspead on coon.they have helled bobcats for me as well.

Ryleyboy
08-16-2008, 08:15 PM
i like my body traps because if i catch a small coyote i can still let it go and let it live a few more years if its a baby and its not harmed.
2.i set my traps with a trap setter because my dad always said that an animal can smell human on the trap and try ot avoid it ,dont know if thats true or not but i learnt that way.
3. i stretch my furs with boards but would like to try wire sometime because most ppl say its easier.

Ryleyboy
08-16-2008, 08:23 PM
Trapping gal do you have any info on trapping foxes like what kind of a trap to use and were to put it . always wanted to trap them,

Beo
08-20-2008, 03:29 PM
Wow, love this thread, its my favorite and Trappin Gal you got the vote, great posts and pics and very informative.

DOGMAN
08-20-2008, 03:55 PM
Great looking shed! Very nice and orderly, and clean. It looks like you have a great respect for the animals you harvest and act as a professional in all ways. Nice work- you seem to be a fine representative for trappers. Keep up the good work

trax
08-20-2008, 04:57 PM
Nicely done, TrappinGal, and excellent answers. Most of the trappers I know (they're getting fewer and farther between) have also gone over to the coil spring pretty much exclusively.