trapper1
New member
First things first, Crow Woman, Where can we get a couple of those Varmint calls you showed here???? Now then, I must say that over the past 25 years I have seen a lot of neat things running trap lines. I have harvested countless Coyotes, Bobcats, Grey Fox,Gophers and Ground Squirrels. A fellow trapper told me onece that you should look at each time out differently and always come home with a smile from something you did or saw or experenced on the check. You know what, he was right, you can do exactly that. I wondered what to write about until a quick phone call from my brother reminded me of a few things I will share with all who read. The early days or beginnings if you will, in anything a person does is filled with mistakes and misguidence and usually something out of the ordinary will stick with him all his life. I learned to trap in Arizona of all places. Taught by a mountain man who was to say the least very understanding. I think it was pity for my first set was baited with our leftover Thanksgiving day turkey. No I didn't catch anything but was taken under wing and taught the right way. My first varmint ever was a gray fox, but this is just the begining of the story. After my fox there were great visions of long lines, full fur sheds, as well as fame and fortune. So traps were bought and laid in the ground as a begining to these great thoughts. In Arizona there is a 24 hour check. The first day to run the new line yeilded one very large stripped skunk. Not to dampen the spirits I decided I would start with the skunk but the smell was a little hard to deal with. I ended up hanging him from the rear bumper of my truck for the 20 mile ride. Once back to the trapping shed the skinning was an experience I'll never forget. Skinned, streched, and dried what a begining. Little did I know that this year I would catch more skunks than anyone in the state I believe. I can say that I caught spotted skunks, stripped skunks, and a few skunks that are yet to be discovered. I figured that if I could handle a season like this the rest of my trapping days would be a breeze. Thanks for listening.
