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TRAPPING TODAY ISSUE 2 Summer 2023

118 PAGES!

Spring Beaver

Magnetic Fields 1

Mountain Bobcat

INDEX TRAGIC WISDOM

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IN THE NEWS SPRING BEAVER TACTICS Tips and tricks for more success on the spring beaver line.

WOLF SNARING TIPS

Josh Fischer shares some of the wolf snaring knowledge he’s gained over the years.

MAGNETIC FIELDS Kirk Dekalb’s years of research reveal fascinating insight into how magnetic fields may be allowing animals to detect your sets.

WELCOME!

GOPHER ADC

LIFETIME OF MEMORIES

BORN ON SNOWSHOES

SIMPLIFYING LURES

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Learn about the different types of lures and how to use them.

Trapping Today Magazine MOUNTAIN BOBCAT

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Kody Tufts tells of a late season mountain bobcat trapping adventure.

www.trappingtoday.com EDITOR Jeremiah Wood CONTACT jrodwood@gmail.com

AND THERE’S MORE!!!!!

No portion of this magazine may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher.

-FUR MARKET UPDATE -AN ODE TO MARTEN -BEAVER TRAP OVERVIEW -VINTAGE FOX TRAPPING

FROM THE EDITOR

THE TRAGIC WISDOM OF TRAPPING Knowing the origin of what puts food on your plate, and taking an active part in it, the sense of autonomy and the full weight of responsibility, are all part of this thing called tragic wisdom experienced during a kill. The harvest. The dispatch. The kill. That feeling of excitement and joy combined with a deep internal sadness as you watch an individual whose species you respect and admire die. As trappers we inevitably deal with a lot of death. It’s a more intense, personal experience than most people could ever know, and when you’re running a productive trapline, it can happen a lot. Some people call trappers bloodthirsty killers who enjoy inflicting pain on animals. We know that’s not true, and that they’ll never experience the weight of emotions that flood a trapper’s consciousness at the time of dispatch. But how do we explain it? Why the extraordinary mix of joy and sorrow? What’s going on in our minds and how do we communicate that with the non-hunting and trapping community? And for some of us, how do we justify it to ourselves? In his 2001 paper “Sport Hunting, Eudaimonia, and Tragic Wisdom”, philosopher James Tantillo explores the emotions hunters experience during the kill, and attempts to describe why we feel the way we do, and why it’s okay, and perhaps a critical part of being purely human. While Tantillo deals specifically with sport hunting, I see a direct connection to our experience as trappers.

As Tantillo puts it, “Reflective sport hunters develop a ‘realistic awareness of death’ and experience what may be called ‘tragic’ pleasure, which yields the important intellectual virtue of tragic wisdom.” Here’s my take as a non-philosopher. On a basic level, we all realize that death is part of life. It’s an unavoidable part of being on planet Earth, and every living thing experiences it. As humans, our simple existence plays a part in causing the death of countless other organisms, including animals. Even the vegan is a killer. By consuming any type of food, breathing oxygen, living in climate controlled shelters, driving on the road, and taking part in every aspect of life, we cause death. The difference with hunters (and trappers) is that we have a much more meaningful relationship with that death. We take an active and intimate role in it. We kill animals to eat. We kill animals for a paycheck to support our families. We kill animals to resolve problems and so that our fellow humans don’t have to. With all of this killing comes a heavy burden. Taking an animal’s life is a serious thing, and should be treated as such, and completed with respect and dignity. For a normal person, killing should be accompanied by a feeling of guilt. Why the guilt? Maybe it’s the regret for taking a life so that, on a broader level, we could continue to live. Perhaps it’s a realization that we too will die someday, a reminder of the ever-present shadow of mortality hanging over all of us. Tantillo describes the emotional response as being similar to tragedy, in that it puts us in an ambiguous situation that is, quite possibly, irresolvable. But it’s not just sadness. There’s another feeling that comes with taking an animal, and I’m not sure it can be described as happiness or joy, although those emotions are mixed in. To me it’s some sort of deep sense of clarity. Tantillo explains that one of the benefits of hunting is a form of contemplative tragic knowledge that comes from a familiarity and intimacy with death. Knowing the origin of what puts food on your plate, and taking an active part in it, the

sense of autonomy and the full weight of responsibility, are all part of this thing called tragic wisdom experienced during a kill. A lot us have trouble explaining to non-hunters and non-trappers what we do. Sometimes we downplay certain aspects of it. Sometimes we lie to ourselves about our feelings or the confusing emotions involved with this whole experience of dispatching an animal. I’m asking you, as a fellow trapper, not to ignore these emotions. Embrace them, and try to understand them better. Don’t brush them aside. It’s okay to feel guilty, and it’s okay to be happy, all at the same time. It’s complicated. And that’s okay too. That’s how it’s supposed to be. 

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JEREMIAH WOOD

SPRING BEAVER TACTICS Trapping beavers just after ice out can be extremely productive, but often requires a different approach. Of all the times to catch beaver throughout the year, the first few days after the ice melts in the spring is almost always the most effective. After a long winter spent in dark, cramped quarters eating months old food, beavers are eager to break out at the first sign of open water. Whether seeking fresh food or new territory after being kicked out by the others, spring beavers are on the move, and they can move long distances in a short period of time. If your area is open to spring beaver trapping, this season offers a great opportunity to rack up large numbers in a short period of time. Most of what I’ve learned about spring beaver trapping comes from guys like Billy Thompson, an accomplished beaver trapper who catches impressive numbers every spring and approaches trapping with an open mind and willingness to learn. Here are a few of the things I’ve picked up along the way.

Make Them Come to You Unlike other times of year, spring beaver are on the move. That means you don’t have to locate the lodges, bank dens, dams or feeding areas. You can be more efficient by setting close to the road and covering much more territory in a short period of time. In a high beaver density area, virtually every stream crossing 8

“Beavers are on the move in the spring for two reasons: seeking out fresh food and establishing new territories. That’s why lure and bait can be very effective this time of year.”

should have some level of beaver activity shortly after ice out. Set the areas that are easy to access and let those travelling beavers come to you.

Use Lure and Bait to Your Advantage Beavers are on the move in the spring for two reasons: seeking out fresh food and establishing new territories. That’s why lure and bait can be very effective this time of year. Every beaver that catches wind of another beaver’s scent will be sure to investigate it, meaning castor based lures work excellent. In addition, beaver sac oil is a great change up lure and seems to pull in just as many beavers as castor does in the spring. And while you’re at it, why not add a food element to attract beavers? A short piece of aspen pounded into the ground near the water’s edge with a little beaver lure smeared on it makes for a killer beaver set.

Trap Placement Matters There’s an art to trap placement for open water beaver sets. You need to set your trap in the proper water depth, distance from shore, and position relative to the attractant in order for it to be most effective. This includes knowing how to set in shallow water for a front foot catch, deeper for a hind foot catch, offsetting the trap based on which foot you expect to be planted to the ground, trap location relative to bump sticks, the proper use of guide sticks, and much more. It’s a complex art that requires a lot of thinking and experimentation to get right. One tip some of the best beaver trappers recommend is to use a trap with a large jaw spread to increase the catch area. That allows more room for error in trap placement, and it’s why I prefer the TS-85 as a spring beaver trap.

Adjust to Changing Water Levels In the spring time, snowmelt and rains can lead to vastly fluctuating water levels. Where I trap we can see changes of a foot or more in vertical water level from one day to the next. This can leave your traps high and dry or under too much water to be effective. Billy Thompson says he’s never had luck with an

exposed beaver trap, and I have to agree. This may have something to do with the beaver’s ability to detect steel traps via the magnetic energy emanated from them – more on that later. The key here is to be observant, anticipate the water level changes and adjust accordingly. Billy’s tried and true advice is this: When the water is rising, set for a front foot catch. That way as the water comes up over your trap and becomes too deep for your targeted catch, it’s still effective at catching a beaver by the hind foot. When the water is dropping, set for a hind foot catch. As the water level drops, the trap is likely to still be submerged and can catch a beaver by the front foot. Keep your bodygrip traps completely submerged for maximum effectiveness. And of course, you’ll want to be diligent in adjusting trap location as you visit the sets so that they are effectively working the majority of the time. As the water level changes, so do the movement patterns and travel ways beavers use.

Be on the Move For maximum efficiency and fur quality, you want to be trapping for spring beaver as soon as possible after ice out, and don’t want to stay in one place for too long. As the water first opens up in the south and lower elevations, and advances north and to higher elevations, you should adjust the areas you trap accordingly. Starting down low and moving up as the season progresses ensures you’re always targeting beavers when they’re most likely to be caught and the fur is at its best.

Enjoy it! Spring is a beautiful time to be out in the woods and water trapping. The weather is warmer and everything is waking up from a long winter, including us! The fresh air, exercise and time in nature is just another one of the perks of getting out on the spring beaver line. Don’t forget to stop, take a deep breath, and soak it all in once in a while. 

IN THE NEWS

UTAH BILL REMOVES COUGAR PROTECTIONS Utah’s cougar plan specifies detailed management objectives, benchmarks, and strategies to achieve them. So why did the legislature essentially pull management out of biologists hands? This winter the Utah legislature passed, and the governor signed into law, HB0469, which eliminates regulatory protection for cougars throughout the state. This means no closed season, no harvest limits and no license required to hunt or trap for mountain lions in Utah. The move comes as a result of concerns that cougars are impacting deer populations via predation, as well as having negative impacts on livestock. The bill, which also addresses regulations on game cameras and air rifles, passed with virtually no debate. Conservationists as well as some hunters spoke out against the bill, as they believe it undermines the current approach of wildlife management in the state. So what do the wildlife managers say? Initially, the spokesperson for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources stated that they were “a little surprised” by the cougar hunting amendment in the bill. I read that to say “We were completely blindsided by this unbelievable move, but it would be politically dangerous for me not to pretend otherwise”. She later stated that the department would “work to make sure cougar populations aren’t impacted”.

Since wildlife managers weren’t given the opportunity to provide input on this bill, let’s take a look at their position on cougar management here. Volume 3 of the Utah Cougar Management Plan, 20152025, was developed by the DWR in conjunction with the Utah Cougar Advisory Group, a collection of stakeholders, including agriculture, university and hunting interests. The plan’s stated goal is to: Maintain a healthy cougar population within their current distribution while considering human safety, economic concerns, other wildlife species, and maintaining hunting traditions through 2025. Cougars were considered vermin in Utah prior to 1967, when they became a protected species. On a very broad level, the DWR estimates there are around 3,000 cougars in the state. They have issued about 1,000 harvest permits annually, and the harvest mortality is around 400-500 animals. Permits issued and harvest levels have been on the increase in recent years, with around 750 being harvested in 2021-22. Utah’s cougar plan specifies detailed management objectives, benchmarks and strategies to achieve them. So why did the legislature essentially pull management out of the biologists hands with a bill that wipes clean all of their research, discussions, agreements and work? Maybe the DWR didn’t act aggressively enough for legislators who wanted fewer cougars around. Maybe the balanced approach of wildlife management isn’t what the state’s elected representatives has in mind for the future. But at the very least, they could have asked the experts to weigh in on this one. So what does this mean for trappers? I’m not sure, really. The bill allows year37

WRITTEN BY JOSH FISCHER

WOLF SNARING TIPS Alaska trapper Josh Fischer has learned a lot about wolf trapping over the years. Here he shares some tips and tricks he’s picked up along the way. Catching a wolf is one of the pinnacles of trapping in Alaska. North America’s largest canines are beautiful, smart, tough beyond imagine, and can be quite difficult to trap. I have been fortunate to catch a few dozen in the past ten years. I’ve used various methods including large bait stations, setting natural kills, pee posts, and blind sets. My preferred and most successful method has been blind snare sets. Wolves, like most wild animals, are creatures of habit. They run circuits in their territories, usually on a pretty consistent timeline. They stop to investigate droppings/urine they come across just like other canines. They will use close to, if not the same trail each time they come through an area. Whether it be where they cross a road, come onto a snowmachine trail, or come to investigate a bait pile or previous kill, a wolf will reuse an old trail unless something deters them. For the trapper who spends considerable time on their line these habits present a great opportunity to successfully catch wolves.

FUR MARKET The market is bifurcated: it’s good and it’s bad, just depends on the species. If you’re a beaver trapper, now’s your time to shine!

The true state of the 2023 fur market has finally come to the surface, with state fur auctions and regional fur buying wrapped up and the Fur Harvesters March and May auctions behind us. In short, the fur market is in a bifurcated state: it’s good and it’s bad – depending on the species you’re looking at. This year there’s been a dramatic difference between the higher and lower ends in the market. The bottom line is that if there’s a fashion-related demand for an item, or the item is available in very low quantities, the price is high. For everything else, there’s barely a market and prices are poor. Let’s get into the details. Beaver

Beaver is by far the hottest item in the fur market right now. Many years of rock bottom prices for beaver pelts have resulted in low trapper effort, low harvest and fewer pelts on the market. A recent spike in demand for felt in the hatter market has increased the number of pelts needed in this poorly supplied market, and beaver prices have shot up as a result.

“A recent spike in demand for felt in the hatter market has increased the number of pelts needed....and beaver prices have shot up as a result.”

The felt (hatter) market does not require a prime or long haired beaver pelt, and so most of the hatter beaver were the lower grades and damaged beavers. These were traditionally the lowest priced beaver pelts on the market. With the spike in demand, brought on partially by the increased popularity of Stetson-type cowboy hats, Fedora hats and others, every class of beaver pelt is in play as a hatter.

SHORT TERM TRENDS Coyote - down Beaver - up Otter - up Muskrat - down Fox - flat Skunk - up Marten/Fisher - up Raccoon - down Bobcat - flat

The overall average for beaver pelts in the FHA March 2023 auction was $30, with 100% clearance of the offering! This was repeated in May, with 100% of the 40,000 beaver on offer averaging just shy of $29. Even more importantly, there was little disparity

JEREMIAH WOOD

MAGNETIC FIELDS CAN ANIMALS SENSE YOUR SETS? Science tells us that many animals can detect magnetic fields, which are emitted by the steel that makes up our traps. Have you ever had that strange feeling that an animal knew a little more than it should have while avoiding your set? How did it know the trap was there? Why did that beaver swim around the 330 bodygrip? Why did the coyote dig up that foothold trap, even though you were ultra careful about scent control and proper bedding? There’s one key factor that almost no trappers have given any thought to, and it might just provide an answer to that nagging question of set avoidance: magnetic fields. Georgia trapper Kirk DeKalb has caught more than 16,000 beavers in his career and helped design and develop a number of trapping inventions and devices, including numerous types of cage traps. Over 23 years of professional trapping, after piles of catches, careful observation and numerous experiments, Kirk began to develop a theory that animals are sensing the magnetic field of certain types of traps, and it’s impacting their willingness to work a set. It all comes down to these things called cryptochromes. Cryptochromes are a class of flavoproteins found in plants and animals that, among other things, allow certain animals to sense magnetic fields. They are what enables birds to 56

“This could explain why coyotes will notoriously avoid uncovered traps while bobcats will step on a trap pan with no concern.”

AUSTIN ANDERSON

GOPHER ADC Between working long hours in forestry, low fur prices and not owning my own registered trapline on public land, I thought working as a nuisance wildlife control operator would be a good opportunity to extend my season, and maybe even result in more land access permissions. I figured I would be tasked with a few skunks and a raccoon or two, maybe a beaver job for the highway department if I was really lucky. I filled out the application and paid the fee. Time would only tell if I would be approved or not. After a few months had passed, I received an email from the province stating that my application had been approved. I was ready to offer my services. The terms and stipulations were strict on my permit, but I wasted no time in getting some advertisements out. I advertised my services on a couple local community and farming pages on social media and waited for the calls to roll in. There were a few requests for ground squirrel trapping and a call for a skunk I never could catch (pretty sure it had moved on weeks before). Just as fur trapping season was starting to ramp up, I received a call from an environmental management consultant company. The management company was retained by the Province of British Columbia to oversee and monitor a mine remediation site. The old-timers were not too careful about containing mine waste or reclaiming mines after the ore ran dry, so there are many mine remediation projects in my area. Turned out the problem was not a furbearing species, but it did pertain to furbearer conservation. Northern pocket gophers were tunneling and creating mounds in the topsoil that capped a remediated mine site. The concerns were groundwater contamination, invasive plants taking root in disturbed soils and furbearers and avian 62

predators feeding on potentially contaminated gophers. Pocket gophers were not on my bucket list of species to trap, but I did catch a few growing up so I was ready to give it a shot. I met a representative from the consultant company at the site to do a walk around and come up with a plan. The site sees a fair amount of recreational use, so signage would be required and traps could be tampered with. Pocket gophers are not deemed cute and most people are unaware of their existence

STEVE CLEMENTS

A LIFETIME OF MEMORIES “As I entered the shop in the back section of the garage I couldn’t help but think of the hundreds of critters that had been brought through those doors.” In 2003 my dad, Howard Clements, had a stroke, at which time he lost 80% of his eyesight. Knowing that he was no longer able to trap and work in the fur shed inspired him to publish an article for the “American Trapper” titled “Go Make Some Memories”. Recently I sent a copy to Jeremiah Wood and he suggested that I write a story for the magazine. What could a small time trappah’ from Maine come up with of interest? Then it occurred to me that many stories have already been written in my mind and could be recalled by reviewing the notes and numbers written on the rafters of my dad’s former garage. I would make that trip to our old fur shed to do some reminiscing. With the goal of reading through those numbers I made that trip to our longtime fur shed. The trip next door to my dad’s former garage / saw sharpening shop / fur shed was short, but encompassed a lifetime of memories. As I entered the shop in the back section of the garage I couldn’t help but think of the hundreds of critters that had been brought through those doors. Dad was a proud fur handler and wanted to make each and every pelt look its very best. As a result, we had received quite a few NAFA “Top Lot” certificates through the years. He would express his willingness to do our best by saying that we needed to “put a smile on every pelt.” 70

Howard Clements at work in the fur shed Once the pelts were stretched and dried we would take them upstairs to hang in cold storage. As I approached the top of the stairs I could see the year-toyear records still written on the rafters. While reading through the numbers my mind drifted to a few memories…….like notching out that tree limb at water level in the stream behind the house and placing a #1 long spring in the notch, going through that sleepless night of anticipation and having my dad take me down back the next morning to find the trap was missing! Dad carried me out so that I could pull the chain……my first muskrat! Then there were the times we searched for and found the perfect location for that coyote set. You know, the ones where the wind and crop changes make for the perfect spot. And then we returned to that all familiar smell…..we’d been skunked!

Born on Snowshoes Written by Evelyn Berglund Shore First Published 1954

BORN ON SNOWSHOES They trapped all winter, hunted muskrats in the spring, and floated down to Fort Yukon during breakup to sell furs and resupply.

Three girls, their mother and an old man, 280 miles deep in the wilderness, running traplines for a living. It may seem like an odd combination, but it was reality for much of Evelyn Berglund Shore’s young life. George Berglund and his brother caught gold fever during the Klondike gold rush of 1898. They returned years later to work mining claims, searching for riches along the Yukon River for years. George met and married Maude, and they had several children. When mining didn’t work out, George and family took to the trapline to catch fur.

The Berglunds trapped the Sheenjek River, north of Fort Yukon, Alaska in the 1920’s. Little money and a big family to feed made it difficult at times, but Evelyn remembered those early childhood days very fondly. George and Maude ran traplines on foot and by dog team, and the children helped where they could. They trapped all winter, hunted muskrats in the spring, and floated down to Fort Yukon during breakup to sell furs and resupply. Then, tough times hit the Berglund family hard. George suffered from severe arthritis, which began to worsen and have a crippling effect. He deteriorated to the point where he could no longer support the family on the trapline. Three of he and Maude’s six children died tragically around that time. They sold the trapline and moved to the village, hoping George’s health would improve. John Roberts was an old time trapper who ran a line way up the Salmon Fork of the Black River, hundreds of miles from town. Seeing the family falling on hard times, he lent them money for food and supplies, and offered to take them on his line to trap for the winter. They loaded up and tied on to John’s big boat and motor, and went trapping again. George’s health continued to deteriorate, so Maude and the three girls – Evelyn, Hazel and Elsie, started to do much of the hunting and trapping on their own. The girls shot moose and caribou, ran dog teams, and stayed out from their home cabin for weeks at a time running traplines during the brutally cold winter months. His debilitating arthritis forced George to leave the bush and live in an old folks home until his untimely death. He never saw his wife or children again. For thirteen years, Evelyn and her two sisters ran traplines up the Salmon Fork each winter. There were good times and bad times, and not much in between. As the girls got older, they longed for freedom, friends and marriage, but their aging mother and old John Roberts depended on them to help provide food and fur in the harsh Arctic country. Feeling the need to go out on her own, Evelyn met and married Bill Grinnell, 77

LURE CORNER

SIMPLIFYING

LURES

The various attractants for furbearers can be grouped into four main categories: Food, Curiosity, Territoriality and Reproduction The trapping industry is awash with lures. Lures for canines, water animals, predators and prey. Heck, there are even multiple lure formulations for each individual species available from each lure manufacturer! Choosing which lures to buy can be pretty confusing, even mind numbing at times. Rest assured that buying and using trapping lures doesn’t have to be that hard. You don’t necessarily need a lure for each species (that’s a marketing gimmick in a lot of cases), and many lures work great for multiple species. More importantly, buy lure that fits your objectives on the trapline. When I’m looking at buying or making lures, I like to focus on what I’m trying to accomplish in terms of animal attractants. Different lures will elicit different responses, and a variety of attractant types will ensure you have your bases covered. Scent is an incredibly important sense in furbearing animals. It allows them to find food, sense danger, detect the presence of other animals and establish territories. As trappers looking to lure animals to a set, we want to use attractants that appeal to their senses. To simplify things, the various attractants for furbearers can be grouped into four main categories: Food, Curiosity, Territoriality and Reproduction. The 100

“Different lures will elicit different responses, and a variety of attractant types will ensure you have your bases covered.”

ability for us to appeal to these four attractant categories with lures is quite variable. For instance, attracting an animal based on reproductive urges is typically only effective during the breeding season, and the pheromones a female produces when in heat are highly complex, volatile and almost impossible to duplicate in a lure. The ability to appeal to an animal’s food desires is much easier, but also varies based on level of hunger, food availability in the environment, and type of food in the lure. The territoriality appeal can vary based on animal population density, range size relative to trapping area, animal species and resource limitations. Curiosity appeal is highly dependent on species and perhaps the most difficult to predict. Within these different attractions, lure makers have designed a variety of lure formulas that can be categorized into three main types: Food Lures, Call Lures and Gland Lures. Most trappers find it good practice to have a few of each of these types of lures in their arsenal. In other words, if you’re trapping for coyotes, it isn’t enough just to buy a few ‘coyote lures’ made by some of the big lure makers. More specifically, you want your arsenal to include at least one of each type (food, call, gland). A food lure will appeal primarily to animal hunger. Type of food attractant can be based on what an animal typically consumes in its diet – for instance,

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KODY TUFTS

THE MOUNTAIN BOBCAT “What was I missing? I needed to know this cat’s schedule. I needed to know what he was hunting and when he was hunting it, and how often he was coming through the area.” On December 8th around 7 a.m. he set foot in front of my trail camera for the very first time. I couldn’t believe my eyes. This was no ordinary bobcat. The first half of the 2021 trapping season wasn’t overly kind to my trapping partner Adrien and I. By the end of November we had bagged a fisher, a coon, two bobcats and several fox. However, that bit of success came at a cost. I had a coyote stolen, we both had several sets vandalized, and a miscommunication with a landowner of a prime piece of property led to a temporary loss of trapping permission. We decided to take the week of Thanksgiving off as we knew the deer hunting pressure would be high and we could use the rest. Sadly, between his work picking up and morale being hit pretty hard, Adrien couldn’t join me for the second half of the season. Rifle season came to an end and now not only was I trapping new ground, I was doing it alone. It was a piece of property that I had hunted for years, but only had a few coyote sets in the log landings closer to the road earlier that season. Fortunately, although there was still two weeks of muzzle loader season, the only people hunting the property this late in the game were my dad and my older brother. This fact, along with my plan to go up further than any

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UNTIL NEXT TIME! Join the Email List TrappingToday.com Trapping Today Podcast Contact me: jrodwood@gmail.com

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