Fur trapping 2021
Contributors to this thread:General Topic
From: jmiller
29-Oct-21
Second only to bowhunting, I love fur trapping. Fur prices have been depressed for quite some time but I tan all of my fur and hand sew it into mittens and hats. I've found that people really like the story behind their fur garment and I stay busy fur crafting all winter. The season always kicks off with spring beaver. As soon as the rivers are free of ice I get sets out. Cold water, mud and cold weather are all par for the course. In addition to the pelts and tails, I keep all the meat and make it into summer sausage. Its fantastic!
From: jmiller
29-Oct-21
This one weighed just over 30 pounds on the scale
This one weighed just over 30 pounds on the scale
Late October I start getting raccoon sets out. Raccoon make wonderful garments and the hind quarters are good on the table as well. The dry year we experienced have had them concentrated on the rivers and creeks. In addition to coon, I target skunk as well. We are off to a good start!
From: midwest
29-Oct-21
LOVE it!
From: JohnMC
29-Oct-21
I have heard of eating beaver but beaver summer sausage not sure about that. But I'd try it at least once. Wish we could trap here. Cool to not only trap but also turn into garments.
From: smarba
29-Oct-21
Very cool! You mention "besides the pelts and tails"...what do you do with a beaver tail?
From: jmiller
29-Oct-21
Smarba I send them to a tannery and then make wallets of them. The small ones are used for bait
From: PushCoArcher
29-Oct-21
Fur not high but the castor sure is. Tan all my hides myself that I don't sell. Only trapped beaver so far sense last season probably wait till around Thanksgiving to put out my coon, cat, and coyote sets. Goodluck this season!
From: Empty Freezer
29-Oct-21
That is really cool you get the kids into it. Ran my own trapline when i was 12 to 17, remember it like it was yesterday. I think the skunk pelts are underrated, but then skunks do stink :)
From: Missouribreaks
29-Oct-21
Very nice guys. Good luck to all trappers.
From: t-roy
29-Oct-21
Good stuff, Jeff. Brings back a lot of great memories of my youth! 30 lb coon is a monster!
Great to see your kids involved, as well!
From: ND String Puller
29-Oct-21
That’s awesome Jeff! My hats off to you, I know it’s a lot of work. And way to get the family involved! Your teaching them great values.
From: APauls
29-Oct-21
Nice! Friend of mine cooked beaver and said it was really good.
From: Screwball
30-Oct-21
Beaver is awesome table fair, muskrat, coon, bobcat all delicious. Never let any go to waste. Now if we could get people to eat it and wear more fur we could maybe get control of populations again.
From: brokenspoke
30-Oct-21
trapped during the heyday of fur prices (late 70s-80s)put myself thru trade school and bought a new truck with the money i made trapping,i stil have 2dz of those money makers in my attic #1 1/2 victor long springs with teeth and helper springs caught a lot of coons,mink,and muskrats with those traps,thanks for the memories love seeing these threads,btw 5 yrs away from retiring from that trade i went to school for in 81
From: bowbender77
30-Oct-21
Beaver hams that are thin sliced, seasoned, and smoked will make some top shelf jerky.
From: APauls
30-Oct-21
Nice! Friend of mine cooked beaver and said it was really good.
From: jmiller
30-Oct-21
Always a good day when you get a double!
From: midwest
30-Oct-21
How do you dispatch the skunks?
From: jmiller
30-Oct-21
Some are caught in body grips so they are dispatched quickly. Others I use a 22 handgun. A bath in peroxide, baking soda and dish soap neutralizes the odor
From: JL
30-Oct-21
By my place in northern MI.....we have skunks with two strips down the back and some with a single large, solid, pearl colored stripe. I've send blond ones too. Don't know why the two types??
From: Screwball
30-Oct-21
Inject them with 10cc's Acetone and they fall right over in seconds. I use a barkers skunk eliminator on a paint pole. No spray at all. Can then harvest the essence and sell it all. Remember skunks only want to spray as a last resort, takes two weeks for them to reload.
From: t-roy
30-Oct-21
Screwball……I had a buddy back in the late 70s, that used to skin skunks on the weekend for Ludvick Sheda, a big fur buyer in Iowa at that time. Sheda paid him a dollar apiece, plus he got to keep the essence from the carcasses as well. He would skin over 1,000 skunks on a weekend and made roughly another $800-$1,200 selling the essence as well. He stunk to high heaven, but made some dang good money for a month or so.
From: AccMan
30-Oct-21
Jeff, how do you tan the beaver. I caught over 40 last year, saved the castor and tails and worked some of the pelts. Fleshing a big blanket beaver is a chore. I also picked up a couple of large otter, beautiful fur and would love to tan them.
From: AccMan
30-Oct-21
Double post
From: midwest
31-Oct-21
I sold quite a bit of fur to Ludy, t-roy! Bought quite a bit of trapping equipment through him, too. He was a real character! I mostly sold to Raphael Pisarik who bought for Sheda.
I still have some of my receipts from back in the day around here somewhere. Miss those days and the smell of those fur houses!
From: jmiller
31-Oct-21
AccMan beaver and badger are the only pelts I send off to a tannery to be done. I use Sleepy Creek Tannery out of Iowa. He does a fantastic job. I tried it once myself and I cant break them. Canines, muskrats, skunks, mink and raccoon I tan myself using TruBond 1000B.
From: lewis
31-Oct-21
Crazy morning here in Tennessee had a big bear in one of my canine extremes luckily he pulled out of it.Tore up some area and not hard to track I’m sure he wasn’t happy had a camera over the trap good luck Lewis
From: lewis
31-Oct-21
From: hawkeye in PA
31-Oct-21
Nice to see the success and the little ones in the pictures. Ran a trap line many fifty some years ago, it supported my archery addiction. Thanks for the memories!
From: Empty Freezer
31-Oct-21
Can you freeze a hide, thaw it out and then tan it with the 1000B? Thanks
From: jmiller
31-Oct-21
Yep! There are a few steps though from pickling to neutralizing and then tanning.
From: HUNT MAN
31-Oct-21
That one coon is huge. Strong work ! Thanks for posting . Hunt
From: Zbone
31-Oct-21
Screwball - "10cc's Acetone and they fall right over in seconds."... You talking about plain ole acetone you get from the hardware store? If so, wow, hadn't realized it was that deadly... Thanks...
From: Screwball
01-Nov-21
Yes it is, buy it by the gallon, Inject it right into the lung. Talk to the skunk in high pitch soothing voice if possible, let them sniff the surynge, place net to ribs they will lean right into it. 10-12 cc's. Here is an example. It really works. Do not use paint thinner it does not work. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtHKKXdiQag
From: Screwball
01-Nov-21
Also be sure you do not poke yourself with the surynge, I did this and went through a pretty good rabies scare, but it tested negative. Skunks are a leading carrier of rabies so always be careful. Rubber gloves and leather gloves.
From: MOBEN
01-Nov-21
From: MA-PAdeerslayer
01-Nov-21
Kinda brutal to leave em in a live trap for weeks to starve to death… I’m all for trapping but that seems like it’s against what most trappers would ever consider…
From: lewis
01-Nov-21
I will not comment on moben post but I’ll never understand that good luck all Lewis
From: KsRancher
01-Nov-21
Holy crap! Go kill that thing. If it's in a place you can't shoot a gun. Get a blanket and hold up I front of you and walk SLOWLY up to it. Then just gently lay blanket over it, tucking it under the trap and then pick it all up, put it in the back of truck and drive to some place you can take care of it.
From: Screwball
01-Nov-21
MoBen, they can last a long time, almost hibernate. That one needs to be put down. ASAP, If you have water near by as stated sheet, blanket, then set it in and drown it.
From: Zbone
01-Nov-21
That's truly sad leaving ANY animal in cage or trap to starve to death.... Where's the compassion...8^(((
Had only shot skunks in the head and they all sprayed, but after reading this thread and checking one dude on youtude said if you shoot them in the heart or/and lungs they rarely spray...
From: HDE
01-Nov-21
"Remember skunks only want to spray as a last resort, takes two weeks for them to reload."
Not in my neck of the woods, it's the first thing they do and can reload faster than democrats can find missing ballots on election night...
From: Screwball
02-Nov-21
If you startle or spoke them, approach fast, move fast etc. they will spray. If they are stationary and they are doing their happy dance with the feet backoff, quickly and quietly. If they do not fully discharge they would have more or are partially full, but to fully recharge when empty. Again spraying is there only defense they do not want to unless they feel they have no choice.
From: MOBEN
02-Nov-21
Thank you for your replys. I have trapped hundreds of coons, possums and muscrats over the years on my farm but this is the first skunk. Normally I shoot them quickly . This one sits outside a bunkhouse full of 8 paying deer hunters who would not appreciate a dose of skunk spray. While I understand shooting the animal is the humane thing to do I cant take the slightest chance of discharge till those hunters leave.Sorry if I offended you sensitivitys
From: KsRancher
02-Nov-21
Before you reset the live trap. Tie a 30ft long rope to trap so if you catch another you can just drag it off a long ways and then dispatch it. They won't spray if your 20-30ft away. I always tie a rope if I set one under or around a house or out building
From: BOWNBIRDHNTR
02-Nov-21
I'm not offended MOBEN but your willingness to watch an animal starve to death and asking us how long it should take really shows your lack of respect as a hunter. Call your local C.O. and ask him how long it should take. Maybe he'll stop by.
From: lewis
02-Nov-21
I will not comment on moben post but I’ll never understand that good luck all Lewis
From: No Mercy
02-Nov-21
Sorry Moben-but if your hunters don't understand that something is wrong. Watching any animal starve to death at your own hands is cruel.
From: bentstick54
04-Nov-21
Moben, so you have a skunk in a live trap, sitting outside a bunkhouse full of paying hunters for 2 weeks, and have done nothIng with it? I believe if I was a paying hunter I would be raising hell with you for NOT removing it in one way or another!
From: MA-PAdeerslayer
04-Nov-21
There’s a “shortages” thread on here up top and a lot of people commented there was a “shortage” of common sense going around lately. Case and point.
From: jmiller
06-Nov-21
In between trapping and bowhunting I've started sewing. This pair of ladies sized mittens are made from beaver fur and brain tanned smoked buckskin for the palms.
From: iceman
08-Nov-21
Very cool thread. Thanks for sharing with us
From: jmiller
09-Nov-21
Red Coyote bomber hat
Red Coyote bomber hat
It's such a shame that fur is not valued more. It's the most environmentally friendly cold weather clothing on Earth!
From: jmiller
09-Nov-21
I'm lucky to live in North Dakota, where hunting and trapping valued. I was even able to talk about it on our local NPR station earlier this year! https://news.prairiepublic.org/podcast/main-street/2021-08-10/short-stories-from-klasberg-nd-resrvation-dogs-co-creator-sterlin-harjo
From: No Mercy
09-Nov-21
Can't wait to get the hat you are making out of this one for my son Jeff!
From: milnrick
21-Nov-21
ttt
From: jmiller
22-Nov-21
Nothing beats real fur for hats and mittens. It's crazy how warm it is!
From: jdbbowhunter
22-Nov-21
Ya it is I have a beaver trooper hat, can't wear unless its single digits!
From: jmiller
25-Nov-21
Starting up the line again after deer season. Our fisher season only runs 7 days, was excited to see this big male in a cubby set this morning.
From: Altitude Sickness
25-Nov-21
Man that’s a nice Fisher
From: ND String Puller
25-Nov-21
Wow that’s awesome! Happy Thanksgiving Jeff and family!
From: Wv hillbilly
25-Nov-21
Nice catch jmiller. A lot of work goes into what your doing. Finished products look great!
From: Screwball
25-Nov-21
Going after my7 Fisher next week after rifle season here in WI.
From: buckeye
25-Nov-21
We don't have Fisher in Ohio that I'm aware of but that looks like a biggun! Good day on the line!
From: Elite 1
26-Nov-21
I was also fortunate enough to get a North Dakota Fisher. Large male also.
From: Elite 1
26-Nov-21
From: Altitude Sickness
26-Nov-21
Fishers are very elusive and intelligent. A very unique predator. Congrats.
From: jmiller
26-Nov-21
Nice work!!
From: jmiller
30-Nov-21
I started a short coyote line on Saturday. I've caught fox in the past but never a coyote, and I'm as green as grass with canine trapping. I have to admit I was quite surprised when found this guy caught securely this morning.
From: ND String Puller
30-Nov-21
Way to go Jeff I wish I had spare time to do that. My neighbor is Gary Jepson, he catches a lot of coyotes and bobcat. You might check out his work... pretty interesting guy.
From: Altitude Sickness
30-Nov-21
Congrats, Coyotes are no pushovers
From: midwest
30-Nov-21
Those Fishers are way cool!
From: Wv hillbilly
30-Nov-21
Congratulations. You’ll be addicted now. They are a lot of fun!
From: Cuts
30-Nov-21
Looks like you do great work!
