Spring Trapping

Trapping in the spring is a hole differ method and game as trapping in the fall and winter. Spring trapping only involves 3 species in this area which are beaver, muskrat, and mink. The reason it is different is becasue this is prime mating season for these species. Your approch had to be different then the fall for example the use of floats to trap muskrats that swim up on logs to mate. The most important part is not even out in the lakes or ponds but in your fur shed. You have to pay attention to your furs because once you start seeing holes in your fur its time to pull your traps. This is due to teritorial and mateing fights that cause wounds and makes you fur almost worthless.

Fur Market

The fur market is a very unpredictable thing fluctuating not only year to year but season to season. There are many factors that effect the market such as weather, the economy and most importantly the canadian and chineese fur markets. For the last few years the market has been on a downward slide with muskrat prices droping below $ 2.50. This year has started out great though. Most people never saw it coming but the market for some things are at a all time high. The average muskrat price has risen to about $7.50. Hopefully this marks the start of a rise in the general fur market.

National Trapping Association

The National Trapping Association NTA is the leading trapping organization in North America. Every state has an affiliation with this organization. They are the leaders managing furbears and developing effective and humane trapping techniques. I am a member of this group and encourage any trapper or sportsman for that matter to join. It is a small yearly fee that helps with this reasearch. They also send you a monthly magazine that provides alot of interesting current trapping information.

Not Convinced Yet

My last post was how about how far tapping has come and how little pain it causes to the animal. Well I did some reaserch and found an interesting video. A little back ground to this video is that Mass was debating on to alow trapping again when an a person wrote an article on how painfull it was an dared a trapper to stick his hand in one of his traps. This man did just that and without any pain he dispaley just how humane trapping can be. I would like to thank this man for taking a stand for trapping, we need more people like him in the trapping community. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dBysXycPPc&feature=player_embedded

Todays Trapping

Most people have a steryotype about traps, that they are some huge jawed bear traps with teeth that are going to chop there leg off. This however is very far from the truth. In most states teethed trappes have been outlawed for many years. They also are much small than you would believe. In matter of fact most traps used today are conibear trapps that constrict the animal killing them in a matter of seconds which is muck more humane. These traps are almost imposible for the unexpected hicker to get caught in as well.

A Lost Art

The are of trapping has been on the decline since the settlers had almost wiped out the North American beaver population in the European fur trade. The decline in trapping today is not for this reason at all. I believe it is from a lost in interest and also from pressure from anti trapping organizations. Many of these anti people can be very closed minded not seeing the real meaning of trapping. They see the murdering of poor innocent animals for a profit when it is not that at all. It is one of the best ways to control high animal populations that may cause the spread of disease. I would just like them to see this side of of trapping before they make inferences about it.