I started off trapping in the north country of New York and carried a Winchester 67, single shot 22. I always used the standard velocity solids, mostly because that's what we got at the rifle team and could buy them for 50 cents a box. I progressed to a 22 magnum, but even with FMJ's, it was hard on fur at close range.
In later years when I trapped for a living, I carried a variety of guns. My first trapline handgun was a Charter Arms Pathfinder 4". It really was a great gun for the job. Very accurate and light. Wish I still had it. When I was coyote longlining and trapping big ranches where I could drive to nearly every set, I kept an old 1902 Winchester single shot behind the seat and a handful of CB shorts in the ash tray. That little rifle killed more coyotes than all my varmint guns put together.
Along the way I picked up an old Ruger Single Six, from before they had auxiliary 22 mag cylinders. It became my trapline gun and sent the old 1902 into retirement.
I killed a lot of coyotes, coon, beaver, bobcats and skunk with the CB shorts. The CB shorts are a solid and seem to penetrate better than the short HP's. One of the tricks I learned with skunks was to lung shoot them with the CB shorts and just wait a few minutes. Head shots tend to cause them to involuntarily discharge. The lung shot with the CB doesn't seem to bother them enough to spray. In a minute or less they just fall over. If you step up to the standard velocity LR or high velocity HP and lung shoot them, they'll spray.
If a handgun is out of the question due to his age or state restrictions, I would consider one of the Savage Rascals. They are very light, accurate, and with a synthetic stock, nearly kid proof.
