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Any Trappers On Here?

Elitebowhunter

New Member
Just wondering if there was any trappers in the mix of deer hunters? I find it hard sometimes to work in the trapping with bow hunting but I always seem to figure out a way. I am just a hobby trapper. Has anyone tried to sell some of their furs? I heard the prices were not the greatest this year and that really sucks because I got the best coyote I have ever gotten before. I would post pictures but I have to have pictures first. I will add some before I sell. I usually put them all up on the barn wall same with all the beavers.
 
I was till I caught one of my wife's cats last winter. There isn't any catch and release from a 220. Who was to know cats liked marshmallows?

I was gonna try and sell all my mouse pelts but I got so sick of skinnin them that now I just throw 'em out. I know I know, wanton waste of game. Best be callin the DNR. It was a bitch to get those tiny tags around their little legs too.

There are several trappers here. Even a guy with the screen name of trapper pat (I think). Last spring somebody posted harvest pics and a great story in the PMA of some Minnesota beavers.

The 'Bonker
 
Our local buyer is Groenewold. Raccoons are bringing $1-$15. I sold a nice large male coyote (shot with bow) yesterday. Got a whole $5.00 for him. I bet you will average $6-$8 for your raccoons. I am trapping to help out my pheasants, quail, and turkey. (Not for the money /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif)
 
I try to every year but i didnt have much time this year with bow hunting,work and the baby i did get three coon one possum and the biggest tom cat i have seen in a long time from my barn i guess it was better than nothing.Good luck
 
I had the first week of Nov off for bowhunting and trapping. My main goal on the trapping was to keep the rats in the wetlands in check. Last year I caught something like 21 or 22 rats in a week. This year, I caught three.

I still have some leghold traps around from when I trapped back in the late '70's. I figured I might as well put them out for raccoons and check them along with the rat traps. I also threw out a dozen snares and two 220's.

Over the course of 6 days, I caught 5 raccoons, three possum and the three rats. I dropped them off at Duwa's in Wellman a week ago, left my name and address with them. I got a call back and told them to send me the check. I expect it any day. I did not ask how much anything fetched, figuring that Denny is a straight up guy and I'm not doing it for the money.

I heard of a guy who sold a mess of raccoons this year and averaged $6-8 a piece. I'd be shocked if I got a buck a piece for the hissers. Last year I got $2.25 ea for the rats. Again, it ain't about the money.

I'm a fair weather trapper. The pond freezes over and the traps start freezing down, I'm done.
 
I trapped alot back in the 80's but gave it up due to fur prices. Used to really enjoy it but I've pretty much sold off all but a few of the old traps which I have hanging in the shop to remind me of good times spent. I may throw a few back out once the boy gets old enough to at least introduce him to it.
 
I trapped the first week again, not for the money, but to show my wifes younger brother and two cousins how its done.(they come all the way from Milwaukee) I ended up with 18 raccoons, 1 fox, 1 mink, 1 opossum, 1 muskrat,6 skunks, and 3 cats.

2 coon @ $20
4 coon @ $12
6 coon @ $7
2 coon @ $4
1 coon @$2
These prices were for unskinned coon. Last year they said they only dock $1 a piece for unskinned coons, so I'm not wasting my time.

I sold the first 15 coon I caught on the third day of the season because I had heard the prices were going to go down fast. Haven't heard what's happened in the last week or two.

I got $2.50 for the rat, $8 for the mink, skinned the fox and gave it to the wife's cousin because he's always wanted to get one tanned. They didn't want the skunks or the grinner and unlike Bonker, I released the cats unscathed.

It's fun, but it definitely cuts into the bowhunting time. I will probably only do it again next year if the in-law city slickers come back for trapping season. It's all they talk about at Thanksgiving and X-mas so I know they enjoy it.

My buddies dad sold over 200 coon after the first two day! He hits it pretty hard.
 
A good friend of mine takes the first week of trapping season off every year. He was real excited this year when he was hearing rumors of good prices. They went out and trapped the crap out of the coon, and is averaging $7 to $9 on the hides. They had an average year getting them, they caught 102 on that first Sunday alone but only had about 250 by thursday of that week. The warm weather really slowed them down.
I don't know how anything else is doing but the coon hides are down for sure.
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I was gonna try and sell all my mouse pelts but I got so sick of skinnin them that now I just throw 'em out. I know I know, wanton waste of game. Best be callin the DNR. It was a bitch to get those tiny tags around their little legs too.
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Hey Bonks...sorry to have to lay this on you, but I am pretty sure that the tag needs to go on the ears this year, not the leg AND I think you need to have it on there before you move it too. Or at least it seems like I have read something about that lately... /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif
 
I used to hit it really hard when I was in high school. I was the youth trappper of iowa in 99. So you could say I used to be pretty decent at it. I haven't really put in a line for two years. I plan in a couple years to teach my nephew and that will make it more worth while. I just don't know the area well enough where I live now and its hard to only trap on weekends.
 
My son has nearly a dozen coons, a yote and assorted grinners and rats. he complains that school is interfering with important stuff like setting out more traps! /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif

He skins, fleshes and stretches his but hasn't sold any...not in it for the money that's for sure. /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif
 
I usually trap after school. The ranger went into the shop yesterday for body work since a deer thought it could jump over the box. Let me tell you I don't know how I did it before I could drive! Driving that four wheeler 20 miles is cold.
 
Trapped full time back when it was good money (1980's). Wrote a lot of magazine articles and several books on trapping and did a couple videos. Gave a lot of trapping lessons back in the day... there was good money in that. I mean I trapped dang near all over the state of Iowa. Now I dabble in it a little with my younger boys. It's a lot more fun that way, but I do kinda miss the freedom of being a freelance pro trapper. One thing is for sure, it really puts the hurt on the bowhunting. Back then it was all I could do to get a deer in the freezer while preparing for the trapline. CHeck this out, Ya can't get these in Iowa:

fisher1.jpg
 
IW member doubleA is something of a pro trapper himself /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif
 
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