I’ve had times in my life I was happy running just a few sets and others I went harder up through the day. What I never did like was being limited by work as to what I could do. It got harder the older I got to get up very early, run traps and put up fur in the evenings. Now I’ve settled into a “ half day” trapper. I like to be done checking by lunch or a little after and done with fur by dark. The sleep and rest at the end of the day is more directly related to the catch than the setting and checking in some ways. When I find myself in a rut or not enjoying it I’ll completely pull for a day or two and go in another new direction to liven things back up. If you ever dread running your line, just quit.
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I was just thanking about that last night. I’ve finally settled on my seasons plans, I’m gonna trap what I like to trap and focus on cats and otter I’m sure I’ll find my self setting for mink at some point, and I’ll try to catch what ever beaver I can along the way. I’m gonna slow down this season scout really hard(I’ll have to for cats anyhow) and enjoy the fall and winter. Thank Chloe’s gonna try to kill her a deer in gun season so that will limit me anyhow. I plan to do allot of squirrel hunting and just being out in the woods and on the river. Prolly go back to my younger days and spend time out building a fire and cooking a squirrel rabbit or beaver back strap and “layin out”, prolly run some nets, turkey hunt try to kill a few ducks may even do some calling again.
In short I’m gonna take my traps and my rifle and go to the woods.
Enjoy life
Colt
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Colt, I think you have things figured out. You’ve nothing to prove to anyone. You can catch whatever you want when you want to. If you come to the fur sale with just enough fur to fill one sheet of plywood we’ll all know it isn’t because you couldn’t have filled up a dozen down the line. Last year I deer hunted several days before I started trapping and still had a fulfilling season. I specifically remember one season I set a lot of mink sets first week of season and never caught a one. There just weren’t any. Enjoy your daughter to the fullest. I think back to missed days with my kids a lot where I could have done better. Once they’re grown, they’re gone.
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When I was starting out trapping, no, I’d have to run every single trap I owned and have a big pile or I wasn’t happy. Now, trapping with the kids after work, yes. We could run 3 traps and catch nothing but possums and I’d have a ball watching them. Last year I think the most we had out at one time was something like 2 dozen.
Yes you sure can , I don’t set a lot . I have several that never been set and may never be but that fine , it quality not quantity for me! Frosty morning running traps stirs something in my heart and mind of day gone by and lets me ponder on the future !
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It depends on the person, and their general attitude towards trapping I guess. Some guys are goal, or numbers motivated, and could never be happy, or satisfied unless they were slamming in sets, and trying to max out each day with more sets put in! On the other hand, some guys are there for other reasons, such as exercise, being outdoors, solitude, being with friends or Family, etc. I personally think that if a guy limits himself to just a few traps, it has the potential to force him or her to slow down, observe, and learn how to make sets only on good sign, or good locations if you are goal oriented. And if you are just piddling, and enjoying being out there for your own reasons, I think it makes it more enjoyable , simply because your not lugging a bunch of gear, pushing hard to get a bunch of sets in, and kind of reliving simple times in your life when you maybe only had a handful of traps, and you approached each set with quickened breath anticipation! … That’s my take on it.
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Well said
When I was working I got up at 3 so trapping thru the week was just what I could check on the way home but I got off early on Fridays so I more or less had a 3 day weekend and that gave me time for my weekend sets but mostly water sets.
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I have seen times running a few rabbit boxes was fun. As long as there’s an expectation of a check it was rewarding.
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There’s a man on Facebook that has been a lifelong trapper that’s addressing this very thing this season. He’s happy running a few mink and rat sets and is taking time this season to go back to some of his childhood haunts. I have rootwads and seeps that were there 50 years ago and I have places that always produced that are gone and barren now. Although it’s not the most effective use of time I still like to slowly walk a creek with a handful of traps. I think I’m in the mood this season to test, take time and savor the moments and just relax. It’s almost time guys.
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I have to just run a few sets these days because of health issues.I’d rather run hard like I used to.But I’m thankful to still be trapping.Try to make each set count on some proven locations.Don’t do much speckulateing like I used to.I do still have fun.
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