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Old 01-04-2022, 09:00 AM
Dubious Dubious is offline
 
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Default New trappers need tips

My brother in law and my self have decided to do the basic trappers course this February. We have access to many sections of private land and are excited to get out and get trapping once we’re done the course. Do any of you seasoned veterans have any tips for a couple of new guys. We’re hoping to start out with prairie species like coyote or badgers and hopefully work our way up to some wolves if we can fine a senior trapper willing to let us give it a try.

Thanks for any tips and feedback.
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Old 01-04-2022, 10:36 AM
Big Grey Wolf Big Grey Wolf is offline
 
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I would recommend you work through coyote,fox etc then if can become partner on RFMA line then marten, fisher, ermine, mink etc. Wolf trapping requires a Phd in trapping knowledge, steep learning curve and good wolf population.
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Old 01-04-2022, 10:23 PM
TrapperMike TrapperMike is offline
 
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If your going to trap badgers wait till late February and early March to get the best value.
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Old 01-04-2022, 10:55 PM
HunterDave HunterDave is offline
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You’ll be getting licensed right at the end of the season for most furbearers. What I would suggest is to plan on trapping muskrats once things begin to thaw. The season is open for them until end April in many zones. They are fun to trap and put up and it doesn’t cost a fortune to get started trapping them.

Get your feet wet with rats, it’s a good place to start IMO. That’ll give you all summer to setup for trapping next season.

Last edited by HunterDave; 01-04-2022 at 11:01 PM.
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Old 01-05-2022, 06:47 AM
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South west trappin RG South west trappin RG is offline
 
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Default Rats

Dave’s right, rats are a great way to get started. They are plentiful an you will have success right away. I see your from Calgary if you want rat traps I have lots you can use an I would probably give u a bunch to get set up as well as stretchers. I also would have some really big areas I know that have thousand of rats that allows trappers.
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Old 01-05-2022, 07:31 AM
spoiledsaskhunter spoiledsaskhunter is offline
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get some really warm underwear!.....man its cold out there.
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Old 01-05-2022, 08:25 AM
Dubious Dubious is offline
 
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Thanks for the tips and suggestions. Muskrats are on the top of the list for sure one of the properties is on the rosebud river and you can see where the banks are exposed from scrats feeding on the roots. Badger is on the top of the list to the rancher shot 3 recently trying to break into his chicken coup we also see a lot of coyotes and ermine And that’s just the stuff we know about I dont think this land or the land around it has been trapped in decades if not longer.
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Old 01-05-2022, 08:44 AM
Marty S Marty S is offline
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Beaver is another great beginner species, easy to catch, plentiful. Just challenging to get them put up for a beginner.

Best advice is to find accomplished trappers on youtube, both for trapping and fur put up.
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Old 01-05-2022, 02:14 PM
Dubious Dubious is offline
 
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Do you have any channels you recommend? I’m going to need to buy a few pieces of equipment like neoprene waders and traps but I would like to wait until after the course. What does everyone use for a dispatch rifle for coyotes? 22lr to the head? Generally we hunt them with 223 but I suspect a lot of guys just use the old 22 to get it done and save fur.
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  #10  
Old 01-05-2022, 02:41 PM
st99 st99 is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dubious View Post
Do you have any channels you recommend? I’m going to need to buy a few pieces of equipment like neoprene waders and traps but I would like to wait until after the course. What does everyone use for a dispatch rifle for coyotes? 22lr to the head? Generally we hunt them with 223 but I suspect a lot of guys just use the old 22 to get it done and save fur.
I watch these guys religiously:
northern trapper, the wild north, what I do, trapper furever, fsj wild, bc newfie, abe driedger, 330 maniac
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Old 01-05-2022, 03:38 PM
wolfcrazy wolfcrazy is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by st99 View Post
I watch these guys religiously:
northern trapper, the wild north, what I do, trapper furever, fsj wild, bc newfie, abe driedger, 330 maniac
Some good channels there. You can also look up North American Wild Fur Shippers Council and Environment and Natural Resources have some good pelt handling videos. Also the Alberta Trappers website under education has some videos as well.

I think Northern Trapper takes requests for pelt handling videos. Just subscribe, like and share.
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  #12  
Old 01-08-2022, 12:47 AM
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KegRiver KegRiver is offline
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I started with Squirrel and Weasel around the farm when I was a kid.

Then worked my way up to Beaver and Fisher, we had no Marten back then and not many Coyotes.

We snared Beaver over the winter and hunted them come open water.

Snaring them is an art in itself and fleshing them takes a lot of time, and patience to learn.

I was fortunate, I had a mentor, my dad, and he would give us kids, Kits and damaged beaver to learn on.

Squirrel, Weasel, Coyote and Marten are easy to skin and flesh. You don't have to actually flesh them, just remove the fat, most of the meat and leave the rest.

Coyote can be tricky. Always scrape from head to tail, going from tail to head can lead to damaging the hair follicles which can cause the hair to slip, which greatly reduces the value.

Squirrel and Weasel have tough hides, you can work them hard without doing too much damage, but it's really not necessary because there isn't much flesh on the hide. Just remove the fat and most of the meat.

My best tip was to pay attention to tracks, see where the animal is heading, how often it appears in a particular area, what sort of habitat it prefers and what it does when traveling through an area. Is it hunting to just moving from one hunting area to another.

Animals will follow travel corridors. Bush lines, farm trails, water edges, valley bottoms and ridge tops.

Learn what an animals is feeding on. Squirrel rely a lot on Spruce cones for winter food, Weasel hunt mice and small birds, Beaver prefer Poplar and won't eat Spruce.

The more you know about the animals you pursue the better you will be at catching them.
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