Gimmicks
Article from May
- Jun 2008 Buckeye Trapper
by Nick
Bower
Yes sir, that’s the best title for this article. Believe
me when I say that over the years I’ve seen plenty of these.
They range from the mild to the wild and everywhere in between.
Most of this all started back about 20 to 25 years ago, during
what we call the fur boom era. Seems that many wanted to cash
in, so to speak, and came up with things that no one really needed
but everyone had to have. Now don’t get me wrong. There
have been some dandy things to come of this that are very useful
to us trappers and fur handlers. I, for one, have been called
cheap. I prefer to say I’m thrifty. First off, I had to
make do as money was never all that plentiful nor was it that
easy to come up with some extra money for things that just plain
old weren’t absolutely necessary. When I was fortunate enough
to lay my hands on extra cash, I might spend it on a trapping
related item, or even waste it on some foolishness like the electric
bill or mortgage payment.
I’m lucky in the respect that the Lord has blessed me with
the ability to use my head and hands. One of my favorite sayings
is, “If I can’t fix it, it ain’t broke.”
So, over the years I have made a few things that, well, just plain
old made my life and work a bit easier. I guess this falls into
the same realm as trapping to me. Whatever I can do to cut a minute
off here and there and lighten the load a bit is well worth it.
I try to work smart, not hard.
It’s been near three, maybe four years ago, a couple of
friends of mine (Bob Best and Russ Collar) started on me over
some crazy contraption they both had fashioned and were using.
They went on and on about this thing. I just chuckled as I listened
to their tales about how I needed to have one of these. Bob referred
to his as a “Jami Jerker,” as Russ hadn’t named
his. Being rather bold and somewhat pigheaded at times, I told
them both that when the day came that I couldn’t pull the
hide off a critter, I’d quit trapping. Okay, so on I go,
same old methods I’d always used. Well that season I had
been asked to handle an overpopulation situation at a campground.
Seemed that the raccoon had just about taken over the area there.
Don’t get me wrong; as I saw it, it was an opportunity for
me to harvest some easy and most welcome critters. Naturally,
the head man of the campgrounds wanted to see some results. Not
a problem; numbers were not difficult to produce, at least for
the first few days. What it did do, though, was to make for some
long hours in the fur shed. Believe me, with the normal load to
handle and then the extras that had to be taken care of, it made
me kind of scratch my head and ask myself how I got into this
situation. Oh well, on we go. Lets just say that after that, them
contraptions became a whole lot more interesting to me.
Near the end of that season, I began looking and listening a lot
more seriously. I finally gave in and after making a trip to Bob’s
place and asking Russ a lot of questions, I decided on a plan
and went to work. Yes sir, I built me one of them contraptions.
As we all know, necessity is the mother of invention. I will say
that this rather rough and crude looking thing worked pretty darn
good from the get go. I did have my doubts, naturally, but when
the next fur season rolled around my fears were soon put to rest.
It’s funny now when I think back, my exact words on my first
use of the contraption was, “Well slap me simple.”
I quickly had seen the light and thought to myself, now why had
I been so stubborn and not done this a long time ago?
I relate to my newfound friend, my skinning machine, as I do to,
say, a pneumatic nailer. A nailer will not replace a person. What
it will do is allow this person to be a lot more productive, better
able to accomplish more in the same amount of time, and more than
likely with less physical exertion. I guess I prefer to get another
hour of sleep rather than spending that same time jerking and
pulling the hide off of an animal.
There have been several changes in the original unit. Like most
things, after you use it you find things that make it more convenient
and user friendly. I have seen other units in all shapes and sizes.
Some would take a forklift and flat bed truck to move around.
Some are equipped with a hand-operated winch; most use an electric
motor in some fashion. They can be vertical or horizontal in nature.
A lot of these things need to be looked at by the end user as
to what is going to work best for you and the location you normally
work in. I did my best to work into mine as much versatility as
I could to fit more than one situation. Strong yet mobile, adjustability
in the areas I felt there was a need. I soon found that different
species of animals demand some adjustment in places. You should
take into account where you’re going to be using it and
will this be in the same place for the most part. I kept mine
mobile so I can break it down, pack it, and take it wherever I
need it. And as you never know for certain where you may end up,
it has to be adaptable to the surroundings. Evidently, for the
most part my ideas are sound as I was coaxed into building one
for a fellow trapper. Now it seems keeping up with the demand
for these contraptions keeps me rather busy during the off-season.
In closing, life has taught me that I must be adaptable to my
environment and keep my eyes open to the ever changing things
around me. Keep an open mind and never do as I did and go off
half cocked thinking you know it all. As you get older, don’t
be afraid to lean on an assistant to help with the chores. It
will keep you younger longer. ### Nick Bower, PO Box 181,
New Athens, Ohio 43981.
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