Season’s
Over, Now What?
Article from Jul
- Aug 2006 Buckeye Trapper
by Jack
Turner Jr.
Unfortunately, the trapping season is over. In about two weeks,
we’ll be ready for the next season. Well at least mentally.
As far as our trapping supplies and fur shed are concerned, we’ve
got some work to do.
For some, pulling the trap line usually results in a large pile
of tangled and dirty traps, wire, and stakes in the trunk of the
car or bed of the truck. Then the mess is transferred to the fur
shed or left in the vehicle until we have a day to untangle, sort,
and clean the equipment.
While this is okay for you, I prefer to make my job a bit easier.
As I am pulling my line, I separate the traps and stakes and place
them in a manner that keeps them that way. Any wire on the stakes
is immediately cut off and coiled up. Traps that have excess mud
on them are “quick cleaned” with a glove or towel.
The next thing I do is to spray off the traps and stakes with
a garden hose. Some prefer to go to the car wash and clean traps
and stakes. After allowing everything to thoroughly dry, I place
my stakes in five gallon buckets. Traps are placed into large
plastic containers for storage.
For carrying equipment and catches, trappers often use pack baskets
and five gallon buckets. These will need cleaning as well. Every
two years, I like to add a coat of varnish to my pack basket to
help preserve it. Repairs to the basket may be needed as well.
Cloth or leather gloves will need to be washed to remove blood,
dirt, and foreign odors. Boots, waders, or rubber gauntlets may
need to be patched or replaced.
In the fur shed, skinning knives will need to be cleaned and sharpened
and wire fur stretchers will need to be wiped down. I wipe down
the stretchers to remove fat and sticky film. To help keep them
from rusting, I like to wipe them down with a light coat of WD-40
or other rust preventative. This helps preserve the life of the
stretchers so that rust doesn’t transfer to your pelts.
Fleshing boards and fleshing knives will need to be cleaned well.
Your fleshing knife will most likely need sharpening.
Wire is one trapping supply that is often neglected from treatment.
During the trapping season, coiled wire gets wet and begins to
rust. So at the end of the season I spray the wire down with WD-40.
Another option is to drop it into old wax to keep it from rusting
further.
The shed floor and garbage can are usually covered in grease and
fat. You’ll want to clean these with soap and water to keep
down germs, disease, and bugs.
Bottles of lures, baits, oils, etc. are wiped down and separated
into species-specific aluminum cans. For example, I have cans
marked “mink lure,” “muskrat lure,” etc.
This gives me the opportunity to immediately see what lures I
need to stock up on over the summer. Coffee, peanut or baby formula
cans work great. Five one-ounce bottles of lure fit nicely into
these cans. Lids are placed on the cans to help keep odors down
over the hot, humid summer months.
An inventory of all your trapping supplies may need to be done.
You will want to check lures, baits, urines, wax, dye, stretchers,
traps, replacement trap parts, snares, fur handling equipment,
wire, stakes, gloves and gauntlets, trowels, hatchets, boots or
waders, etc.
At some point during the off-season, your traps will need to be
treated. Treatment may include dyeing, waxing, spray painting,
and/or dipping. The most common treatments are dyeing and waxing.
This combination allows the trap to be somewhat camouflaged and
protects the trap and helps speed firing of the trap. About fifteen
years ago, speed dips started to be used by trappers to treat
traps. I have never used this product, but will say that trappers
seem split on their decision as to its usage. Spray painting has
its limitations, but is primarily used with body gripping traps.
I will discuss trap treatment in depth in a future article.
One thing often overlooked is dirt collection. I collect dirt
over the summer, allowing it to thoroughly dry and then placing
it in sealed five gallon buckets. This dirt is then used during
trapping season when wet weather attempts to keep my sets out
of commission.
Obtaining permission to trap additional properties next season
is one chore that can take time, but might pay huge dividends.
The worst a landowner can say is “no.” Always attempt
to acquire new land to trap. As time goes on, you can drop those
properties that aren’t producing well. You can never have
too much land. And don’t forget to do some scouting before
season starts.
Still, there are other things to do during the off-season such
as attending conventions and meets, as well as practicing making
sets. Practicing set making can be as simple or as in depth as
you’d like it to be. When I first began trapping, I would
make a dirt hole set, bed the trap, place bait, lure, and urine,
lay stepping guides, etc. This was done to make me more proficient
in getting sets made. Obviously, I would not use real bait, lure,
or urine at my practice sets, but the idea was there.
Attending a trappers’ convention is one of the best things
a trapper can do in the off-season to increase his knowledge.
Six to ten trapping related demos are done daily, ranging from
weasels to coyotes. Trap modification, fur handling, and snare
making are often included as well. While at the convention, one
can often pick up traps, lures, or other supplies at bargain costs.
As you can see, there is plenty of work to be done during the
off-season. Before we know it, trapping and hunting season will
be upon us. Don’t wait too long to get started on next season’s
preparation. ### Jack Turner Jr. 309 Weathervane Lane,
Harrison, Ohio 45030.
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