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Any Trappers here?

4K views 9 replies 5 participants last post by  jake112 
#1 ·
My brother and I took the trappers education course so we could begin trapping in NY. Up till now I know very little about trapping other than what was in the class manual. A lot of information was gleaned from the instructers of the course and many thanks go out to those who volunteer to teach the Hunting/Trapping education and safety classes.

Most trapping seasons are closed or winding down here in NY so I've got the untill fall to get ready to give it a go. It should be interesting since most seasons overlap with deer season. (juggling time will be even more challenging). The furbearrs that I would be trapping would be muskrat/mink, possibly beaver for aquatic species and primarly cannines on land. I might try for racoons also.

I'll be in the market for traps and places to purchase them. I'll be looking for 110's body grippers for mink and muskrat and 2.5's for cannines. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

The outdoors just got much more intersting for me!
 
#4 ·
I have trapped a bit just for fun. And it's been a while ago too. ***** mostly, they're easy and possums are too. Never tried for a possum but have caught a bunch of them. Pesky critters. I assume by canines you mean coyotes? Be careful, you'll catch the neighbors dog. I never have caught a coyote in my legholds but have snared a few. It's fun, but time consuming. Hard to do for me now. I know a guy at the metal shop up the road that runs his traps everyday before work, mostly by flashlight. He's dedicated.
 
#5 ·
The young trapper in PA had a coyote in a leg trap last fall, it wasn't pretty. The animal suffered for many many hours. We actually thought about shooting it with an arrow, but considered the law possibility so we didn't hunt those two stands that were close to the trap. Seems like a snare or something else might be better. I'm not against trapping in fact its a necessary conservation tool, it just caused us some ill feelings for the animal in that situation.
 
#6 ·
I never had a problem like that. The animals I caught in legholds were calm when I found them, until they seen me. But the legholds I have, have a rubber cover on the jaws. It may hurt and hold tight but I wouldn't think it as suffering. The snares on the other hand was a fight. I'm sure it didn't last long, being strangled, but the ground and brush was always tore up from the fight. I think snares are illeagal in some states or areas, not sure on that. I'm sure death isn't pleasant however it happens. I guess those body crushing traps are the most humane (I don't know what they are called) but there is a limit on size for those I believe.
 
#7 · (Edited)
The instructors at the course said that the leg hold traps do not cause any suffering if set correctly. Obviously they cause pain when the trap snaps shut but quickly shuts off circulation and the foot/legs goes numb. This is what leads to some critters chewing off a foot, they cant feel it so they keep chewing away. NY, in my part of the state we are required to check the traps every 24 hours, and they should be checked early in the morning since most target animals are most active at night. This cuts down the time spent in the trap. They also said to approach traps with the wind to your face to avoid spooking them too much. Snares are illegal in NY but the instructors said that we should expect them to be renamed body hold traps and be made legal again as they kill the animal quickly. Theres also new ways that snares can be modifed to limit the chances of catching cats and dogs, however they should not be used if the chance of catching a pet dog exist. When next year rolls around I hope to be able to post some experiences of my own.

Theres always going to be exceptions, just as in hunting it dosen't always go the way we would like it too.
 
#9 ·
good luck

I loved trapping when I was a kid and i'm sure I still would, but it is so time consuming that I would rather fight with the wife for deer hunting time than trapping time. However, we had two neighbors that had their dogs attacked and killed by coyotes this year, so my wife is giving me the green light to do whatever I need to do to keep our dogs safe. So,of course, I'll tell her that I have to trap every day, all winter long, and that it won,t take away from my hunting time. Yea, I know, it won't go over that great.

I'm not sure if I can plug another site or not, but " midwest control center" has a lot of good info on trapping.
 
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