New Trap Design by Tony Hursman

Tony is a contributor to this site and a very experienced trapper.  For the last three years he has been testing and perfecting his new traps which are now available to the public.  Based on his experience, Tony has incorporated some unique design features that trappers will appreciate.  That's what you get from a trap designed by a trapper.  Tony provided some of the following info and pics as a preview. 

The trap is made of 1 1/2" 14 gauge square steel and measures 5" long.  It comes with 6" chain, two swivels, and a stabilizer, and has a centered push type trigger. This trap can be set with one finger making it easy to set for trappers of all ages. All mechanisms are on the inside of the trap, including fully enclosed springs, which eliminates external damage and freeze up. This trap is light weight and compact even in comparison to other dog-proof traps.  The interesting part is the design of the trap door. When a raccoon is caught and pulls it will tighten the door, when the raccoon lets up the door will relax causing minimal (if any) damage to the foot. If the raccoon pushes down on the trap it will only be caught deeper in the trap. The coons that Tony caught during testing still had circulation in the caught foot with no damage.  Tony reports having no pullouts during testing, and releasing a coon is as easy as pushing the door open with a stick or similar object. The bottom of the trap is open so you don`t have a clogged up trap after use, and they are easy to clean.  The trap is cost efficient at $13.95 and looks like it has better features than many other dog-proof traps on the market.

The manufactuer is HD Outdoors LLC, owned by Jason and Jessica Vandergriff, located at 3593 4th Street, Owensville, MO, 65066.  Orders and inquiries can be sent to demo33@fidnet.com.  The traps can also be ordered at The Trapboard.

Give this trap a try and support an innovative trapper!

All pics can be enlarged.

 

Tony also sent this short video that explains some of the features and benefits of his trap design.  His roosters get a little rowdy toward the end :-)  His video is also available on YouTube at this link.  Thanks Tony!

Bienville Outdoors

My name is Justin Rogers from Morton MS and I am the owner of Bienville Outdoors. Bienville Outdoors was started as a nuisance trapping company and also as a means of the sale of raccoon carcasses for table fare to people in the surrounding area, and just because I love doing anything that has to do with the outdoors. And I just wanted a way to share my outdoor experiences with every one. Bienville Outdoors is a family friendly, Christian based company that can be viewed by all. The name comes from the Bienville National Forest where we live and where I have hunted and played my whole life. I have always wanted to be involved in the outdoors no matter what I was doing. From hunting, fishing, to trapping I have done it all, but trapping has always been at the top of the list.

As a young person I always enjoyed sharing information and taking about outdoor activities with others. I have been doing some writing on the side for several outdoor magazines over the last few years, but I want a way to be able to offer more and hear more from other people. So I decided to come up with Bienvilleoutdoorsmen.com, a web site for everyone interested in the outdoors. I decided not only to include trapping information but to include information on all type of outdoor activities.

I have also always taken pride in doing something myself and being successful at it. So several years ago I decided to make my own lures to use on my trap line. After several trial and error runs, I came up with a few things that worked for me and decided to offer them to other trappers to help increase their success rate. While no lure or bait will produce 100 percent of the time, these I have come up with work fairly well for me. Since raccoons were my main focus at the time, that was the animal that I really focused on making lure for. But, we do have several others that will be added at a later date. We will also be adding several hunting products to the site as well.

I also encourage any one to send us pictures that we can put on the site for others' viewing pleasure.

As far as trapping goes, beaver, coon, otter and bobcat are my main focuses. These four animals are very plentiful in the swamps that surround my trapping area. And that’s what I tend to write about the most. So please stop by and visit the site or give us a call.  Bienville Outdoors

Justin and his son

Bienville Forest in Spring

Minnesota Trapline Products

     Review by Tim Caven

     The following info was sent to me by Tim Caven, the owner of Minnesota Trapline Products. Before you read a little about Tim's story in his own words, let me just say that the Caven family and MTP are about the best in the business. I've had nothing but good experiences with MTP in the past, and it's wonderful to see a family working together supporting the trapping industry. I'm sure Tim is a busy guy, but he took the time to interact with me by email and write up a short history of MTP. Thanks Tim! Best wishes and every blessing to the Caven family and MTP.

Minnesota Trapline Products

Minnesota Trapline Products was founded in Wabasha Minnesota in October of 1978 by Tim Caven. In 1983 Nancy and Tim were married and moved the business to Pennock Minnesota. Nancy worked nights as a nurse and Tim worked days as a truck driver during the early years and the one that was home ran the business. We long ago left our other jobs behind and plunged full time into the trapping supply business. We started in the trap manufacturing business in 1994 with the MB-750 being our first trap. We have since added many more traps to our Minnesota Brand Line as well as heavy duty trap accessories. In 2009 we purchased the Bridger Trap Company from Terry and Jody Montgomery. 

We are lucky to have our daughter Erin (24) and son Rob (21) working by our side daily. Our youngest son Sam (18) is going to college for Manufacturing Engineering and hopes to join the company in 4 years after graduation. We have been blessed with a great crew including our long time employees Mike and Jeff. Both are very seasoned and knowledgeable in the world of trapping & trap supplies. Other valued employees are Brian, Joe, Chris, Randy, Cody, and Casey. We are thankful that each day we wake up we get to work at something we enjoy and love, we are blessed for sure.

 Tim with a tail caught beaver in a MB-750 trap.

Erin and Nancy Caven on their 'coon line.

Rob Caven with a Carolina coyote

Western-Nevada-Traps.com

Review by CJ Williams
    
     Ever since the days of Jim Bridger, Kit Carson and Jedidiah Smith there have always been a few trappers who stand out among the rest.  I don't know what it is about trapping, but there are always a few who excel and become the face of the trapping community.  Maybe the days of the famous Mountain Men are gone, but we trappers are still a group that recognizes and looks up to the most talented among us, especially those who support other trappers as a way of life.  One such example is James and Kelly Towbridge of Tonopah, Nevada.

     James goes by the handle "Lone Gunman" on the Wild-About-Trapping forums, where he chronicles his trapping exploits in Western Nevada.  His threads are always the most active as the forum members anticipate his updates on the coyote and bobcat count for the day.  It's about as close as we trappers get to having a prime-time mini-series to follow.

     The business that James and Kelly started naturally grew out of their passion for trapping.  One look at the dozens of photos on their website tells the story of their success.  Trapping with such intensity, there's no doubt the need for supplies was greater than that of the average trapper, and that's when the idea of a trapping supply company was born.  As James puts it on his website, "We decided to open a trap supply store for a simple reason - we got tired of waiting for our supplies or getting the wrong stuff.  I know we all hate to wait so here is my promise to you - we will send your order out the day of, or the day after, your order."

     The problem James describes is one we've all run into.  Ordering something from a big supply company is a process with many stages, each of which can get fouled up and slowed down.  James and Kelly thought to do the trapping community a service by starting a small, personable company that understands trappers.  Folks, this is exactly the kind of business we should use and support.  Trappers are a tight knit community, and the more we support each other the better off we are.

     So, if you've never visited their website check them out at Western-Nevada-Traps.  And, be sure to look for "Lone Gunman" on the Wild-About-Trapping forums.  He makes trapping look so easy that I have still not decided whether his posts are encouraging or frustrating!