Trapping: A Practical Life Skill

So much technology, information and automation seems to make our practical knowledge and real-world skills atrophy.  For instance, this AP article by Beth Harpaz talks about how many teenagers today have not ever used a can opener or ice cube trays (High-tech World May Spawn a Generation of Nincompoops).  This article is an eye-opener!  Fact is, technology and prosperity have made us lazy and weak, and this effect only seems to multiply with each generation.  Increasingly, we seem to live in this sterile atmosphere where everything is comfortably provided and basic life skills have become the work of "skilled labor."  I mean, who changes their own oil, or fixes their plumbing, or grows their own food.....or makes their own ice cubes?

So, what does all this have to do with trapping?  I think trapping is one more practical skill that is slowly being lost.  There was a time when many people trapped, and if you go back far enough, there was a time in our history when probably most people trapped.  It was a useful skill that used a renewable resource for food, fur and income, and brought balance to the environment in the process.  It made sense to do, and it made sense to learn it and teach it to the next generation.  We've come pretty far since those days, but trapping is still a great example of a life skill with a practical purpose.  It is no coincidence that trapping is historically associated with some of the most self-reliant and innovative people in American history; it is a skill for the practical man.  Seems to me that the challenge of trapping also engenders the quality of self-reliance; the trappers I know are "do-it-yourself" kind of people with a wide range of other life skills.

In this push-button age where practical skills are declining, I think it's a good idea to buck the trend and learn some new skills.  It's just more fulfilling to know how to do things.  I have a few ideas about things I'm going to learn to do myself, but one of the things you can bet I'll do is teach my kids to trap.  Trapping is an all-in-one education about the natural world, and a practical skill that will keep you learning for a lifetime.  It will get your hands dirty, and the more time a man spends close to the earth, the more "down to earth" his thoughts and his life will be.  That's the way I see it.

So, teach a kid to trap.....and for heaven's sake, while you're at it teach him to use an ice cube tray too!             

More on Muskrat Populations

Numerous articles are popping up about the drastic decline in muskrat populations.  I've noticed this but wasn't sure if it was just me or a real trend.  Looks like it's for real, but nobody seems to have any answers explaining why.  In a recent Tribune-Review article I found this statistic amazing:  In Pennsylvania the muskrat harvest went from 621,111 in 1984 to 74,059 in 2008.  A huge drop, and the article reports that the number of muskrat trappers has remained about the same throughout that time.  You can read the rest of the article here: Muskrat Population Suffers Drastic Decline.

F&T North American Trapper Show Update

Alan Probst recently announced that the F&T North American Trapper TV show will return the week of September 27th on the Pursuit Channel (DirecTV channel 608). The airtimes are Tuesdays at 8:30am, Fridays at 11:30pm and Saturdays at 7:30pm EST.  The sponsors of the show are F&T Post, Duke Traps, the NTA, Outdoor Edge Knives, Trapper & Predator Caller magazine and Excalibur Crossbows. USAFOXX has declined to go forth with their sponsorship of the show so Excalibur Crossbows has taken their place. Lastly, the show will also broadcast on Dish Network starting in late December.

Using Cage Traps

by Tony Hursman

Cage traps are an important tool for catching animals and may have a place on most traplines. They will catch and hold animals alive and damage free. You may get more trapping ground by having this ability because most farmers have cats and dogs, and cage traps are by far the best traps to use when domestic animals are part of the situation. 

PA District 3 Trapper's School

District 3 of the PA Trapper's Association held their annual Trapper's School today, and what a great day it was.  Some experienced guys taught some very helpful demos covering the whole range of furbearing species in the area.  Basically it's a day full of demos with a good lunch and a good opportunity to make some new friends and catch up with some old ones.  If your local district doesn't have an event like this it is a great thing to consider starting.  Some folks can't always make it out to see the demos at state or national conventions, but a local event like this makes it easier, and there's nothing better than hands-on instruction from guys who really know their stuff.    

John Wilkinson doing a beaver demo

Doug Bergman demonstrating cable restraints

"Best Grub East of the Pecos"

The Tele-Trap Notifier

We've come a long way in the technology we use on the trapline, and here's the latest example: the Tele-Trap Notifier.  It's basically a device that can be attached to any cage trap that will send a cell phone message to you when the trap is fired.  I don't think the average trapper will find much use for a device like this.  After all, walking your line in the early morning light to check your sets is half the fun of trapping (plus the fact that this sucker costs $350 a pop).  However, I can see how this device would be useful to professional ADC trappers.  It may save a lot on costly trips to visually check traps in remote locations, and time is money to the professional nuisance trapper.  I can also see how this device would benefit wildlife control companies that put out many traps in multiple locations throughout suburbia.  The device would seem limited to use on cage traps, too, although the manufacturers claim it can be used with foothold traps and conibears (I can't really see how that would work so well, but that's what they claim).  But cage traps, of course, are one of the main tools of nuisance trappers.  You won't see me giving up the pleasure of checking my traps, but I can see how this technology would be a great benefit in some situations.  You can check it out here.   

Coyotes in the City

The stories about coyotes roaming urban neighborhoods are coming fast and furious over the news wire.  The latest example is from Chicago, complete with a video of a coyote walking around a playground in broad daylight.  Of course, "concerned parents called Animal Care and Control," says the story (link).  I think it's a sign of the times that the perceived solution to an increasingly bold overpopulation of predators is concerned urbanite parents calling a government agency called Animal Care and Control.  I wonder if they took good care of the coyote?  But I digress.  Here's the video:

 

Where Have All the Muskrats Gone?

I've noticed in the past few years that muskrat populations seem to be declining, at least in my neck of the woods in PA.  Apparently that's the case throughout the Northeast.  A recent article in the Times Leader talks about studies being done by the PA Game Commission to determine the reason.  Tom Hardisky, a furbearer biologist, thinks that cleaner water may actually be part of the problem.  Here's a quote from the article which can be found at this link:

“In Northeastern Pennsylvania, where I grew up, muskrats have basically disappeared from many areas, and I haven’t seen a comeback,” Hardisky said. “Farm ponds are the only areas in the northeast where there are still some muskrats. In the rivers and streams it’s way down.”

Reasons for the decline are still being tossed around by biologists, but disease, at least in Pennsylvania, has almost been completely ruled out because populations usually rebound a few years after an outbreak occurs.

Hardisky said impacts of heavy metals or pesticide contamination also don’t seem to be factors either.  Predation is a partial factor, he added, as muskrats are a popular prey species for great-horned owls, red-tailed hawks and mink.

Still, increased predation might be pointing biologists to the main reason why muskrat populations are plummeting. “The cause of high predation goes back to habitat,” Hardisky said. “It goes back to streambank conditions. It all has the symptoms of a bigger problem – environmental changes. One of those changes is cleaner water.”

In the past, when runoff from farms and residential areas was discharged directly into waterways, the increased nutrient load caused vegetation along streams and rivers to flourish. In turn, muskrats benefited from a lush food source and thick cover.

Also, before flood control measures resulted in the banks of streams and rivers being covered in riprap, those shorelines were generally dirt and muskrats were able to easily burrow and make dens. Today, the riprap, which is large stones, prevent muskrats from burrowing and prohibits vegetation from growing on banks.

If less runoff and cleaner water is really the cause of muskrat decline, it's hard to imagine what the solution would be.  I doubt anyone will turn back our present water quality standards for the sake of building muskrat habitat.  It will be interesting to see if this theory is really confirmed, and what a solution might look like.

Trap Preparation From Start To Finish

J.C. Desclos, the author of this excellent article, is an accomplished outdoorsman and artist.  He is the founder of the Swamp Talk Forum and his artwork can be seen on his other website J.C. Desclos Outdoors.  This particular article is one of the best I've ever seen on the subject of trap preparation.  Thank you J.C. for sharing your experience and insights!

An Insider's Perspective on the Fur Trade

The International Fur Trade Federation is an organization that promotes the fur industry and supports trapping in many ways.  They have an interesting website where I recently came across an article called "A Life in the Fur Trade - An Insider's Perspective." (link) The article is about the career and experiences of Andreas Lenhart, the chairman of IFTF.  I found this quote by him especially interesting:

“The biggest challenges I have experienced are without a shadow of a doubt the actions of animal rights organizations” says Lenhart: “It shocked me deeply to see how they attacked our trade in a very disrespectful and non-negotiable way. The violent attacks on people as well as businesses were an absolute downside of my life in the fur trade.  It still saddens me that the attacks had no ethics, no dignity, no room for conversation or respect. Despite the hard work and love for their industry, the reputation of countless family businesses was contaminated.  Feeling that you almost had to apologize to belong to your trade was hard to bear and is fundamentally unjust.”

“On the upside, it is heart-warming to see that lots of people, in and around the industry stayed loyal.  Family driven businesses, great retailers, distributors, dynamic and refreshing designers, editors of countless magazines, and - let’s not forget - loyal clients have kept this industry thriving.  The passion, skill, and dedication of these people have made the fur trade a better, responsible industry that has a firm place in today’s society. The loyalty of all people concerned, and the support we got even in the most difficult times kept me going, especially when times were rough.”

Makes me proud to support the fur industry in whatever small way I do.

 The IFTF promotes a positive image of fur in the realm of fashion and clothing design.  This is a foreign world to most of us trappers, but I find it amusing that our world of dirt holes, chest waders and skunk essence is so connected to the world of supermodels and fashion shows.  I also find it gratifying to think that the skill of some trapper or the hard work of some rancher is behind that beautiful coat worn by a supermodel on a catwalk.  I like the results of our work!

 

Fast Trap Prep

by "ADC" in Iowa

Run new traps through the dishwasher with the same amount of dishwasher soap you use for really dirty dishes. Be sure to keep the chains up out of any moving parts...

Then dip them in a mixture of 1/2 white vinegar and 1/2 water (redip and turn traps every hour or so)...

Lay them out in the grass and about 7 hours later they have a light coat of rust and are ready to be dyed...

At this point I dye them a dozen at a time with commercial logwood dye by boiling them over a turkey fryer burner. I use one 1lb. bag of dye to 3 1/2 or 4 gal. of water.  This will dye 4 to 5 dozen traps before you'd want to add another bag of dye. Boil them about 10-15 minutes on a medium boil then hang them to dry. Then I heat wax in a large stockpot until it is completely melted and starting to smoke (turn the burner down so it doesn't burst into flames and keep the lid handy if it does). Be sure the traps are completely dry before dipping them or the wax will boil violently! I dip each trap in the wax one at a time using a stiff piece of #9 wire with a hook on the end to lower the trap in the wax.  I leave it in the wax until the "sizzling" stops (about 30 seconds to 1 min.).  The trap needs to be heated to the same temperature as the wax for it to coat correctly without too thick a coating.  Then I pull the trap out, shake off the excess wax and hang it to dry. As soon as it is cool it can be set, but hang them up outside until you are ready to use them.

 
 Be extremely careful when waxing traps.  The wax is flammable and should not be overheated. 

The dye and wax is available through most any trapping supply company.

For used traps I take them to a car wash and power wash off all the dirt and loose rust then skip the dishwasher and vinegar and go right to dying and waxing.

Late Summer 'Coon Scouting

Scouting this time of year is tough, but that doesn't stop me from getting a head start.  Everything is still green and thick, and in my neck of the woods the ground is bone dry.  Looking for animal sign under these conditions is like looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack, and any travel patterns and food sources may change before the season starts anyway.  Still, what the heck?  Animals still leave sign; it just may take a little more power of observation to find it under these conditions.  Besides, it was a nice day for a walk.....

I went looking for raccoon sign along this creek bed.  Usually in this kind of situation I walk both the high creek banks looking for trails parallel to the creek while also looking down along the banks for tracks or crossings.  Some guys don't bother trapping water sources because they say the little 'coons run the creeks while the big ones run the ridges.  That may be true to some extent, but I've caught some big 'ole coons along creeks so I still set these locations.  You can always let the little ones go.

The following pics aren't great but can be clicked and enlarged for a little better detail.

While intently scanning the creek bed and the high banks I almost forgot to look up for den trees.  Just as this thought crossed my mind I looked up and saw a hollow tree den and a raccoon peering out at me.  He must have heard me and was watching me make my way up the bank.  He ducked down before I could snap the picture, but here's the den.

The tree showed a lot of scratch marks from the 'coons climbing up and down, but the ground was so covered with dry debris and leaves that I could not find any distinct trails leading away from the tree.  Looking more closely, I found a nearby log that sat about 18" off the ground with the dirt underneath worn smooth and showing faint tracks.  I figure that this is a pinch point on their travel route and the log above the trail helped preserve the evidence of the trail running underneath it.  The point I'm talking about is circled in red.

This point would be a good location to try a trail set, but if the trails don't clear up and become more obvious I'd throw in a bait set or two on the bank below the tree.  When I'm putting in a bait set in a spot like this I like to look for some kind of natural cubby, especially at the exposed roots of larger trees.  Right near this den I found this tree with an odd root configuration that forms an excellent natural cubby.  It would be easy to put a bait set in here.

Well, there you have it - just one little discovery from a late Summer scouting trip.  When the season comes and the fur gets prime I have a feeling I'm going to meet that 'coon again in person, but next time he won't be peering down at me from the safety of his tree den.......