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What it means...

What does trapping mean to those who do it? Explore the meaning of trapping through the articles written by these trappers from across North America

Coyote

     Trapping has always been an aspect of my life, even as a young kid growing up. I remember having to wake up early to help my dad comb coyotes out before school. For me, it was a way to spend time with family and do the things we loved together. There are so many amazing memories made with friends, family, and people you meet along the way. After a while, it turned into something more than a hobby, it was something I loved to do. 

 

      I didn’t just fall in love with the trapping, it was everything else around it: 

  • Going out in the cold mornings while watching the sunrise as a light snow comes down

  • Wildlife standing with a stark white background, watching you, curious of what you are

  • The memories made late at night with friends and family all laughing and playing games

 These are just some of the reasons I fell in love with trapping, and I hope to continue doing it for a long time. 

 

-Chase

My love for trapping began when I was a young boy. My father liked to trap, so I would tag along, watch what he was doing, and ask lots of questions. I’m sure at times I was more of a pain, falling in the water, venturing off, and getting cold but it’s what got me started. About the time high school started my best friend and I had a decent size coon trap line. We would get up before school to check our traps on his father’s three-wheeler. After school and our job working on the local dairy farm, we would flesh and stretch our catches of the day. As young teenagers it taught us discipline, time management, and workmanship. We learned quickly the better-quality fur we put up the better the price was. My dad would always send them to the fur auction for us. The hard work and dedication paid off a few times with a couple “top lot” trapper awards. In about year 2005-2006 the highest price we got for one of our coons was $35.00. The most we trapped in one year while attending school and working was 55 coons. after high school, Tyler and I went to college together. We would come home on the weekends. Some of our other friends like to trap also. With that being said, we thought it would be a good idea to have a competition, who could trap the most coon, and the largest coon. During the week while we were at school, my girlfriend, now wife, would check our traps for us. It was a team effort and we won the competition. 

    

Fast forward ten years, I married my high school sweetheart, and we have two beautiful daughters. The past ten years I have worked my regular job plus help a friend grain farm. With having children its time to slow down a bit and show and teach my daughters how to trap. Last year was the first year getting back into trapping. Needless to say, my daughter Laken seemed to have a great interest in it. So, it’s a family affair, my wife, my daughter, and myself. It gets us outdoor together and has given us a family bond. I take pride in showing and teaching my daughter the passion I have for trapping. My daughter’s favorite animal to trap is muskrat. She loves how soft their fur is. What I enjoy most is listening to her tell other people about her trapping experiences. When I think she is not listening, she really is. She enjoys telling me which lure to use for each set and where she thinks I should set a trap. When anyone comes to visit at our house, she tries to get anyone willing to smell lures that she can. While out trapping she is just not learning about the ropes of trapping but looking for animal droppings, their tracks, to looking at the trees and their leaves. There is nothing that makes this father prouder than to see the interest my family has for one of my passions. I looked forward to the trapping season ahead with my family. 

-Dustin and Laken

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