PROVEN TIPS TO MAKE YOU A BETTER TRAPPER
When I was a kid just getting into this trapping business, I had no more knowledge of trapping than I had of quantum physics. Six decades of hard knocks later, I think I’ve got some of it figured out. Trapping, that is, not quantum physics.
But after all of these years, I’m still learning stuff. I pick up new ideas at every convention, and sometimes things happen on the trapline that make me change my way of thinking about this or that. Still, there are a good many things of which I’m pretty sure.
What follows, in no particular order, are a few scattergun-type tips that may give you something different to think about during the long off-season. These things may or may not work for you, but I know I’m a better trapper for having used them.
PAN TENSION
Right off the bat, this first topic is tricky. Some trappers use absolutely no pan tension, while others advise using three pounds or more of pan tension to fire the trap. I live in both camps. For water trapping (mink and muskrats especially, but also ‘coons, otters and beavers as well) I loosen my trap pans so that they’ll fall of their own weight — in other words, zero pan tension. But for dry-land sets for cats and canines, I use about two to three pounds. This substantially reduces the annoyance of catching mice, squirrels, rabbits and other small critters.
PAN CREEP
Regardless of your pan tension preferences, it’s crucial that your traps
