Registered Traplines and Season Openning Dates

I'm bored, you all are far too quiet on this here forum. Time for a new topic...

I would be interested in buying a registered trapline in the Boreal Zone. My dilemma is that I live far away from that Boreal Forest area. My main interests as far as species goes would be for trapping the "Finer" animals... Otters, Fisher, Marten, Lynx and Wolves.

The only time that running a trapline for me that far away from home would be through the month of November, as I already am spending some time in the Boreal Forest in pursuit of a meat moose as well as a trophy whitetail. So that would be fine and dandy, buy a trapline in the Boreal Zone, hunt big game during the morning and evening and spend the rest of the day trapping those "finer species". Sounds like a very good time now doesn't it? A guy takes his time off from work, goes big game hunting and trapping all at the same time... kill two birds with one stone... actually kill a moose, a monster whitetail, and a few truckloads of fur with one stone.

However, my problem with doing such is this... Trapping season for lynx, fisher and otter is closed during the month of November.

This does not enable me to make the most of my time off. There is no scientific reason to have the fur seasons for these species closed at this time, simply a perception that the fur is not good at this time.

I would really like to see the seasons for such species lengthened so as to co-incide with the month of November, thus increasing my opportunity to enjoy a high quality outdoor experience.

Debate Please!!!

That includes all you lurkers, no more lurking! There aren't enough of us posting to spend time lurking this forum!

Well Marty

On the trap lines I run, I personally don't trap the month of November because there are too many people out in the bush.
Too many curious hunters that want to see what the ravens are yelling at. The hunters don't mean wrong, but by the time they see the bait sight they are knee deep in snares and start touching them and might even check them for you.
And once they know where the snares are you might be lucky enough for them to help check them during the winter when they go skidooing.

I think because of quota's on these animals, the quota's are easily filled in the two month period. Thus you might as well get the fur when it is prime.

Marty your new killer springs work great
Thanks Turney

I wouldn't presume to know the reasons why the season is closed on those animals inNovember, but I share your dream. I've always thought it would be fun to trap a few marten, somewhere. Used to have a friend north of Rocky Mountain House who had a stud that I used from time to time. Every time I went out there, I would gaze at those lovely piney ridges running up to the front range, and wish that I could spend a week there in November. Probably it's all held ground, though.
Buying a line would solve that problem neatly, but would the proposed new guidelines regarding defining an active trapper affect your decision? I have no problem with the proposals on the table, in fact it sounds like such action is overdue. All it would take to satisfy me would be a week or so packing bait boxes up and a couple of marten back down. Not sure I would commit to a long-term deal. Besides, those hills look awful steep to an old flatlander like me.

Personally, as a former owner of a registered trapline, if you guys want to "vacation" trap, find a trapper who will sign you on as a partner. If you want the responsibility to run a registered trapline, buy one and work it within the current guidlines, my two cents...

That would be fine with me Rocks........how does that work? Is it a percentage deal?

Find a trapper who wants a partner, he has to go to SRD and sign you up as a partner and pay a small fee, and you're away. Thats how I started, the trapper who signed me up was more than happy to have the help, I went out with him lots for a couple of winters learning all I could from him, he also gave me certain areas he didn't have any sets in to go and do myself. Any deals on the harvest you can work out with the line owner.

Who said anything about vacationing on some trapline? From the sounds of things an awful lot of this is already being done by many holders of such lines. I want my own! It will not take me all winter to fill a lynx quota, or fisher quota, or otter quota. Some people will get an awful lot done in a short period of time, I am such a person! I do not want to be dictated to by a senior holder of a line, nor do I want to share my catch!

What I get for my pelts is my business... nobody else's business. If I get $42.00 for my November caught fisher and the next guy gets $46.00 for his december caught fisher, who really cares? It would be of no consequence to anybody else. Like I said, it's nobody's business what I get for my fur. So many people are so quick to say "...wait until the fur is fully prime before trapping..." Most often what you will recieve for your fur depends upon current market conditions at that time, not necessarily on the quality of the fur. Take this May sale for example... I had my best coyotes of the season in the May sale at NAFA, however, what I recieved for them paled in comparison to what I recieved for my early caught October coyotes, simply due to the timing of the marketting of the fur, Not the primeness of the fur.

Again lynx... a slight bit early in November compared to December but not much. So I get $225.00 average on my lynx whereas the guy that traps in December gets $245.00. So what???

At least one more trapline in this province would be getting trapped and not just sitting there doing nothing, while the holder impedes industry at every opportunity.

Quota animals are protected from overharvest by their quotas. By having an earlier season, none of these animals will be overtrapped as the quota prevents such from happening. Not? In all likelyhood November caught Lynx, Fisher, and Otter are going to fetch me the virtual same grades as Dec caught critters, and that is a fact.