Global Moderator TnRiver46 Posted January 30, 2020 Global Moderator Share Posted January 30, 2020 I was considering starting a trapping thread since it's my job, maybe a daily catch pics/story thread? Let me know what y'all think, I've already caught a skunk today and scared a squirrel out of hole in someone's siding. No kidding this squirrel is living in the corner of a bedroom of a vacant house on the carpet, here's a picture of the nest. And an attic fan that a squirrel had been getting in though. We build and install covers for these after the squirrels and raccoons have been trapped 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User Tennessee Boy Posted January 30, 2020 Super User Share Posted January 30, 2020 My grandfather was a trapper and I went along with him many times. He really enjoyed it and made some extra money in the process. Are pelts worth anything these days? He also had a deal where he would sell live foxes to a guy that had like 10,000 acres fenced in for fox hunters. He would catch them in rubber jawed traps and got $100 each for them 35 years ago. No, it wasn't legal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Global Moderator TnRiver46 Posted January 30, 2020 Author Global Moderator Share Posted January 30, 2020 8 hours ago, Tennessee Boy said: My grandfather was a trapper and I went along with him many times. He really enjoyed it and made some extra money in the process. Are pelts worth anything these days? He also had a deal where he would sell live foxes to a guy that had like 10,000 acres fenced in for fox hunters. He would catch them in rubber jawed traps and got $100 each for them 35 years ago. No, it wasn't legal. Plenty of pelts are still worth money but you will lose a lot of money trying to make it. I know one guy that sells skunk essence for $10/oz . I’m usually trapping around people’s yards or roofs so we mainly use cages and release any animals that we legally can. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User Tennessee Boy Posted January 30, 2020 Super User Share Posted January 30, 2020 Do you have to have a special license? I know in my grandfather's day, it was illegal to be in possession of a live fox or most of the other things he trapped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Global Moderator TnRiver46 Posted January 30, 2020 Author Global Moderator Share Posted January 30, 2020 2 minutes ago, Tennessee Boy said: Do you have to have a special license? I know in my grandfather's day, it was illegal to be in possession of a live fox or most of the other things he trapped. Yes. Even with a nuisance permit, relocating a fox is a no no 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User Bird Posted January 30, 2020 Super User Share Posted January 30, 2020 My brother made a great living back in the 70's trapping, he was way better than I was. No money in it today compared to back then. We skipped school and sold all of our Red Fox pelts for $70 a piece. I sold all my steel traps after crippling someone's pet, got to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Global Moderator 12poundbass Posted January 30, 2020 Global Moderator Share Posted January 30, 2020 My good friend traps around our area, mainly muskrat, skunk, coons, Fox, and the occasional coyote. A few months ago he had us over to help him wax his traps. Lol 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Global Moderator TnRiver46 Posted January 31, 2020 Author Global Moderator Share Posted January 31, 2020 3 hours ago, Bird said: My brother made a great living back in the 70's trapping, he was way better than I was. No money in it today compared to back then. We skipped school and sold all of our Red Fox pelts for $70 a piece. I sold all my steel traps after crippling someone's pet, got to me. That’s the good thing about cage traps, if you catch a non target you just let them go. The only problem is it’s darn near impossible to get a fox coyote bobcat or mink to walk into a cage. I know an old timer that I usually refer those type jobs to 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User Way2slow Posted January 31, 2020 Super User Share Posted January 31, 2020 A rodent getting into place he's not supposed to be or destroying property, I have no problem getting rid of it by what ever means will work. Trapping game for the hides etc, I'm to much of a softy, I have to use an instant kill trap even when getting rid of beaver in our pond. I just don't like the idea of making any animal suffer to die. Even when hunting, if I can't make a head shot, it usually keeps walking. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billmac Posted February 2, 2020 Share Posted February 2, 2020 I trapped as a boy and a young adult. I don't regret it, but I wouldn't do it now. Unless an animal is destroying property or poses a danger, I don't want to kill things unless I'm going to eat them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Global Moderator TnRiver46 Posted February 4, 2020 Author Global Moderator Share Posted February 4, 2020 Update: I’ve been trying to trap this one squirrel for about a week and a half. Several times as I was checking the trap, the squirrel would bail out of the hole in the siding, land on the cage, and jump off The roof into a tree. Today I was prepared and got her with the .177 flat head and a daisy powerline 901. This pellet rifle never ceases to amaze me with its accuracy, $50 at academy 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User Ratherbfishing Posted February 7, 2020 Super User Share Posted February 7, 2020 When I was in high school I used to trap quite a bit in the crick behind our house. Trapped quite a few muskrats, and coons. Never did get a mink or a fox, though. I've gotten "soft" though and while I wouldn't ever tell anyone else not to do it, I can't bring myself to anymore. Trapping is a lot like setting trot lines and the air of anticipation and surprise made it quite fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Global Moderator TnRiver46 Posted February 8, 2020 Author Global Moderator Share Posted February 8, 2020 6 hours ago, Ratherbfishing said: When I was in high school I used to trap quite a bit in the crick behind our house. Trapped quite a few muskrats, and coons. Never did get a mink or a fox, though. I've gotten "soft" though and while I wouldn't ever tell anyone else not to do it, I can't bring myself to anymore. Trapping is a lot like setting trot lines and the air of anticipation and surprise made it quite fun. Except catfish tastes way better than possum! I never trapped at all growing up but somehow fell into it as a career (high demand here). I swear I could just load down a truck with mouse traps and make a Good living, people absolutely CAN NOT figure out what to do about a mouse. They try everything other than getting rid of the mouse, it can get funny. Sub sonic noise makers, steel wool, mothballs, I’ve seen it all and got the pictures to prove it haha. We even had one customer set up an elaborate grid/matrix of kite string about 6 inches off the ground To keep a raccoon from walking through his yard! No joke, it looked like those laser beams in the movies that protect precious jewels by triggering alarms. Probably took about a week longer than it would to catch a raccoon. And of course it didn’t help in any way 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User N Florida Mike Posted February 8, 2020 Super User Share Posted February 8, 2020 I’ve trapped a lot of rats , ‘coons, and nutria rats. We were staying at a cabin on a mountain in N. Georgia and we hadn’t even got settled in good when my wife started screaming in the kitchen. I thought maybe she cut herself or something. So when I ran in, she was up on the table. The mouse came running right at me. It startled me and It ran by and headed for the fireplace. I had grabbed a shoe to hit it with when it went by but missed and it went into a hole in the fireplace. So I went down to the little towns hardware store, got me the last victor mouse trap they had. Baited it with peanut butter and went to bed. Next morning: mouse in trap, wife happy!? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Global Moderator TnRiver46 Posted February 8, 2020 Author Global Moderator Share Posted February 8, 2020 5 minutes ago, N Florida Mike said: I’ve trapped a lot of rats , ‘coons, and nutria rats. We were staying at a cabin on a mountain in N. Georgia and we hadn’t even got settled in good when my wife started screaming in the kitchen. I thought maybe she cut herself or something. So when I ran in, she was up on the table. The mouse came running right at me. It startled me and It ran by and headed for the fireplace. I had grabbed a shoe to hit it with when it went by but missed and it went into a hole in the fireplace. So I went down to the little towns hardware store, got me the last victor mouse trap they had. Baited it with peanut butter and went to bed. Next morning: mouse in trap, wife happy!? That’s all it takes! And if it steals the peanut butter without getting caught, you’ve got him right where you want him because he will come back for more 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
galyonj Posted February 10, 2020 Share Posted February 10, 2020 On 2/8/2020 at 3:47 PM, TnRiver46 said: That’s all it takes! And if it steals the peanut butter without getting caught, you’ve got him right where you want him because he will come back for more Everything loves peanut butter. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Global Moderator TnRiver46 Posted February 12, 2020 Author Global Moderator Share Posted February 12, 2020 A few of today's catches Before anyone gets mad at me, it is highly illegal to relocate a skunk in TN. I have to play by the rules to keep my permits 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassin' Brad Posted April 1, 2020 Share Posted April 1, 2020 Today's catches, 3 gophers. I'm getting request right and left for them right now. I ordered 20 more traps today. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User Paul Roberts Posted April 3, 2020 Super User Share Posted April 3, 2020 I've trapped... a lot. Started as a youngster fur trapping: 'rats, 'coons, ermine, and foxes. Bought my first 35mm camera gear with that. Became a research trapper in university: raccoons (pre-rabies popn study), woodchucks (viral hepatitis and liver cancer study), spotted owls with USFWS (university buddy), small mammal survey (mammalogy class), trap-netting, gill-netting, electro-fishing, for fisheries work. Nowadays... it's mouse season here in the mountains. Gave up on the soft-hearted live-trapping. Got too labor intensive. SNAP!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Global Moderator TnRiver46 Posted April 3, 2020 Author Global Moderator Share Posted April 3, 2020 2 hours ago, Paul Roberts said: I've trapped... a lot. Started as a youngster fur trapping: 'rats, 'coons, ermine, and foxes. Bought my first 35mm camera gear with that. Became a research trapper in university: raccoons (pre-rabies popn study), woodchucks (viral hepatitis and liver cancer study), spotted owls with USFWS (university buddy), small mammal survey (mammalogy class), trap-netting, gill-netting, electro-fishing, for fisheries work. Nowadays... it's mouse season here in the mountains. Gave up on the soft-hearted live-trapping. Got too labor intensive. SNAP!!! Snap traps have been the best for nearly a century Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User Paul Roberts Posted April 3, 2020 Super User Share Posted April 3, 2020 Yes! No one's built a better mousetrap. That adage is still going. However, I've gone to a plastic type that is just easier to set, and to clean. Not sure it's "better", only easier. It needs a more powerful spring. Takes a bit longer to do the job it seems. Certainly better if there are children around. For a while, when my son was young, he helped me live trap those mice. We lived in a little 1800's cabin with plenty of mice. We released the mice a ways down the road, at "Mouse Rock" we called it. One issue became, what happens when we catch a tiny barely weanling or two? We started popping the little ones into an aquarium until we could catch mama. Then we could release the whole lot. After we released 24 mice at MR, I figured it was over-saturated with mice. Not a good scenario despite "having a heart". So... SNAP!!! Better all around. My mouse wrangling days are over. Of all the live-trapping I've done, I only caught one fox. A red. BTW, don't know if you've tried them, but raccoons KILL for marshmallows. I had one that after release, would hang out until I left, then go right back in for those marshmallows! So, before I pulled that trap, I sat down by the trap with a camera and waited. Sure enough, down he came, walked right by me and into the trap again, eating each mallow on the way in. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Global Moderator TnRiver46 Posted April 4, 2020 Author Global Moderator Share Posted April 4, 2020 They have a sweet tooth, that’s for sure. I’ve only had a couple raccoons that were hard to catch, most are a sucker for any food. You can typically put an empty bag of potato chips in the back of the traps and catch raccoons, then save the marshmallows for smores haha 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User Paul Roberts Posted April 9, 2020 Super User Share Posted April 9, 2020 Guess you only have to catch them once. We were doing mark and recapture -tagging them. We never did try an empty bag of chips though. Hey, might have worked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Global Moderator TnRiver46 Posted April 10, 2020 Author Global Moderator Share Posted April 10, 2020 16 minutes ago, Paul Roberts said: Guess you only have to catch them once. We were doing mark and recapture -tagging them. We never did try an empty bag of chips though. Hey, might have worked. Catching things twice would be very tricky I would imagine. Just like fishing 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassin' Brad Posted April 11, 2020 Share Posted April 11, 2020 It's amazing how much damage these little things can do to a yard. They're like micro wild hogs lol 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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