This forum is a riot

[Fawkinnae]

This is the first time I've read through this forum. I have to tell you when I was a kid - up until about ninth grade - there was no doubt in my mind that I would be a trapper living in the northwest territories trapping wolverines and fishers and marten and all that cool stuff. Somehow I turned into an architect living in the suburbs with 2.2 kids. I'm not complaining though - I'm not sure I could cut it in the northwest territories but it sure made sense in Jr. high. I started trapping pocket gophers and striped gophers in about 5th grade. Then I had a buddy in sixth grade who was a fairly accomplished trapper and his older brother and dad both trapped. I couldn't imagine a dad that trapped - this is in Crystal, New Hope. I can't tell you how many nights we walked home well past suppertime pretty sure we were going to freeze to death (or my mom was going to pound me for coming home so late) - but who cared we had muskrats. I trapped until about 8th or 9th grade and I still imagine that someday I'm going to do it again.

[GRIZ]

Fawkinnea

Why imagine? Get out there and do it. Bring along a kid, it doesn't matter wheather it's yours, your brothers or a nieghbors. You'll feel like a kid again yourself, kinda like reliving some old childhood memories and dreams.

While trapping you can also hunt/fish. You might be checking some coon traps and just over the hill is a nice little pothole full of mallards to jump. Maybe the river your trappin beaver on has a nice hole full of fish to be caught?

Since trapping requires daily attention it is not fesible for everyone. Jobs, family or other obligations take presedent(sp). Running a full time trapline isn't in the sceme for most, but a part time line with a few traps, I think could be. You will learn more about the land and the wildlife that inhabits it than you'd imagine.

You can hunt an area your whole life and get a good idea what the deer are doing. If you trap that area for a yr. you won't have an idea because you will KNOW what they are doing.

Due to back injury I didn't trap for bout three yrs and after those yrs my deer hunting success was down the toilet. Most yrs after I still tagged a deer, but it took me most of the season. When I was trappin, I kid you not the longest I ever sat on stand was 1 1/2 hr before I had my buck. I knew what and when they were doing things.

Even if you can only manage to run traps to and from work, it will pay. Just look at it like your paying for the gas that it takes to get to and from work, and your doing something that you enjoy too, spending time outdoors.

I would like to start a topic on the benefits of trapping but can't find the time, as it'd take a whole day. After professionally trapping for yrs I tend to look at the finantial rewards(even though I don't do it for a living anymore). However when has fishing or hunting ever paid for the expense of doing it? Right now I get a bigger kick out of teaching others and seeing them have success, than fooling ol'wiley.

That is one of the reasons I requested this forum. If anyone has ?'s about trapping I'd like to have them ask. I don't care if it's about  rats,cats or bats. If I can't answer the ? I might know someone that can, and hopefully other members will pipe in with thier knowledge too.