Anyone running a trapline?

[220]

I know it is trapping season in most states, anyone running a trapline,
what are you targeting?

[Mags]

I'm not.

[JEBar]

while growing up in the mountains of western NC I had a few friends who tried trapping ... I hunted buy never trapped .... I remember looking over a few hides but as best I recall, they put in some hard work but didn't make much money

[Mistered]

while growing up in the mountains of western NC I had a few friends who tried trapping ... I hunted buy never trapped ....

Kinda sorta similar to my own experience here in Oregon.
Back in the day knew a few that messed with trapping with varying degrees of success. Coyote was typically the target and a few actually sold some furs - to pay for trapping expenses!
One guy I knew was pretty serious about it and had a lot of traps and spent a lot of time with it. Kind of became his 'obsession' and about all he did for a while.
I always preferred to hunt by calling them in.

[220]

Thanks for the replies, I will start doing a bit of summer predator control in 3-4 weeks targeting red foxes.
They really get stuck into the sheep at lambing time, I did a little bit before last lambing in July and really noticed a difference. Still lost a few lambs but 3 or 4 compared to 20+ previously. With the last lot of lambs I sold selling for over $200 a head I guess you could say it makes me money.
I can understand how it could become a obsession, there is something very satisfying about getting a animal to step exactly where you want it to.
I think red foxes are like most predators, you can really knock the numbers down but it doesnt take long for more to move into a area if there are none about. With lambing due to start March I will try start knocking the numbers down late December.

[JEBar]

good luck, hope you are able eradicate the population in your area

[RanchRoper]

A trap line is one of the very few ways you can apply for a sidearm carry permit in Canada.

[JEBar]

interesting, thanks for the info

[Mags]

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Good luck to you!

Thanks for the replies, I will start doing a bit of summer predator control in 3-4 weeks targeting red foxes.
They really get stuck into the sheep at lambing time, I did a little bit before last lambing in July and really noticed a difference. Still lost a few lambs but 3 or 4 compared to 20+ previously. With the last lot of lambs I sold selling for over $200 a head I guess you could say it makes me money.
I can understand how it could become a obsession, there is something very satisfying about getting a animal to step exactly where you want it to.
I think red foxes are like most predators, you can really knock the numbers down but it doesnt take long for more to move into a area if there are none about. With lambing due to start March I will try start knocking the numbers down late December.

[PatientWolf]

I don’t trap anymore and haven’t in years. When I did, I lived in Northern IL and trapped beaver, raccoon, muskrat, mink and opossum. Never had any luck in my attempts to trap a fox. Checked the trap line before school and in the evening each day.

For me it was more often more efficient to throw the carcass in a bag and throw it in the freezer to turn in whole than it was to skin it and get dinged on the price if there was a nick in the hide.

More than once we heard my mom screaming because an opossum was frozen on the opposite side of the freezer as the bag it went into the freezer wearing.

[Mags]

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That's funny!

I don’t trap anymore and haven’t in years. When I did, I lived in Northern IL and trapped beaver, raccoon, muskrat, mink and opossum. Never had any luck in my attempts to trap a fox. Checked the trap line before school and in the evening each day.

For me it was more often more efficient to throw the carcass in a bag and throw it in the freezer to turn in whole than it was to skin it and get dinged on the price if there was a nick in the hide.

More than once we heard my mom screaming because an opossum was frozen on the opposite side of the freezer as the bag it went into the freezer wearing.

[dasmoeturhead]

Yeah still running a trap line, no fur lately. Those pesky mice anyway. Lol!

[Mags]

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Ya, I have a nest of them in the pump house. Got in through the hole in floor where the plumbing is. I'll run a glue trap line to collect them. Then pack the hole in the floor with stainless steel sponge.

Yeah still running a trap line, no fur lately. Those pesky mice anyway. Lol!

[220]

Will put traps in the ground again in the next week, lambing is due to start in around a month and need to make a dent in the red fox population to reduce predation. Seems to take around 6 weeks for new foxes to move in and take over the territory so buys me a window for lambing. Rare to loose lambs to foxes once they are a week or more old so I dont need a massive window to increase lamb survival rates.
Big challenge is going to be wet weather, we have had rain 6 of the past 7 days with more predicted for the next 10 days. Will be trying a few new sets that are hopefully a bit more weather proof.
Will try and get a few photos of some of the sets if I remember as i put them in.

May have seen the mice problems we are having in Aus,
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=mo ... ORM=VDQVAP
nothing like that where I am but when I started trapping a few in the house I did manage 7 in the one trap in 24hrs.

[Grunt67]

Tried trapping ground hogs a few times. Critters had more sense than me.