SIZING UP TRAP SIZE
Having choices in life is great. Do you want chicken or pork? And what about the all of the ice cream flavors? But, sometimes making a choice can be downright exasperating, like what is the right trap to use? Is there a perfect size trap that is the optimum tool for the species you are pursuing? Questions — as my college instructors said — always lead to more questions.
No one seems to be ever truly satisfied with their choices, and picking the correct steel has troubled fur trappers endlessly. During my first years on the line I oft en visited the local fur buyer, hoping to pick up a few pointers about trap size. One fellow that I remember was the fox champion of the county and his Fargo’s cab was always stuffed with the cheery reds. He was species specific in his pursuits, with high-number results, despite working long hours at the local manufacturing plant. So, his methods were something that I was mighty curious about. Unfortunately, like many trappers back then he was tight lipped, but I asked the fur buyer if any scrap of wisdom might have slipped out as they talked. The old gentleman could only recall the trapper saying he used the same trap and only
