Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Trapping Trapline gun

What firearm do you guys carry while running the trapline? My son is looking for the advice of experts.


P

I don't run a hard core long line or anything, but I do run a ways on snow machine, trapping fox, coyotes, marten, etc. In my area there's three things you need a gun on the trap line for. Dispatch sometimes for toe caught animals, something to stop a pizzed off moose, and something in case you see a wolf or a coyote on the snow machine. I've settled on a single six 22lr on my waist and a 22mag marlin 982 in a gun boot on the snow machine.

I think a 223 would be even better, but I don't really like carrying my AR in the winter that well, and I haven't got a bolt gun yet.

510 Remington single shot 22 rifle for the most part, Ruger MK2 spent a lot of years in the packbasket. Single shot rifle easy to load and clear and make safe, shoots cb shorts to stingers

Any 22 rifle that will shoot a CCI CB short.

Sounds like a BB gun, kills anything with a shot to the base of the brain.

Some may tire of hearing about my H&R 922 - 9 shot revolver. with a 4in. bbl. it fits the front pocket very well and I carry it pretty much every time I'm in the woods. I got rid of the plastic grips and made some nice walnut. Fox, bobcat, coon.

I haven't trapped since I was a wee-'flave but I believe the Ruger LCR in 22LR has to be about the best idea since Guinness.



Travis

S&W 617 22lr and either a Win 9422 mad or Mod 70 222. I haven't varied from that in 30+ yrs.

I usually carry a Ruger SR-22, but any type of .22 handgun will suffice.

I carried a little RG(Saterday night special)for a number of years but it wasn't overly accurate but it went off every time, but when your longest shot is 5 feet 25 yard accuracy isn't a big deal.

Then before I got a carry permit I had a Llamma XXII, very accurate and I could just drop the mag when getting back to the truck.

Now I have a permit and a Smith 34.

On back country lines living in a tent the 22's would keep me in grouse and rabbits for dinner. On the canoe lines I had a single shot 12 ga with the barrel cut to 20", I used the barrel for a kill stick and with the gun together pot a duck or goose for a change in diet over Beaver and Muskrat.

Single Six. We have a weird law in Iowa that allows you to discharge handguns in right-of-ways(ditches) but not rifles.

SW stainless 63 4" for 35 years on the trapline and coon hunting, sighted in for 25 yards with stingers. Prior to that SW blued 17 6". Carry a range of bullets in a flat pack, CB, short hollowpoint for coyote and cat, stingers for longer shots.

Depending on my mood, I use a Single Six or an old K22 but any handgun with shorts will work.
Revolver's are safer and more reliable than auto's. (Shorts won't always cycle an auto.)
JMO

Only things on my trapline that get shot are skunks and badgers. No sense in putting a bullet hole in something if I don't need to. I use a S&W 422 for the badgers and the skunks get a round of .223 from my AR and I re-set the next day. The skunk gets buried nearby with just the tip of its tail sticking out and two traps bedded next to it.

you must not make your own lure.....

No expert trapper here, but I got tired (maybe lazy) of toting my 22 rifle, so I purchased a 22 revolver. I dont have to worry about bear or moose, so it doesnt take much to dispose of an animal at 5'.

See my pic!

I make my own bait, but no lure making here. Skunks are pretty effective for me just planted near the set they were caught in. The bonus is that I deal with them very little and my pickup and clothes don't smell like skunk too bad (just the residual skunk from call lures). I leave the lure making to the experts. Give me a few bottles of MN Brand lures and a few others for change ups and I'm good to go.

smart man.....grin


but, IF you did make yer own, you'd shoot the critters. Lots more full bladders than stomp 'n chokes.....

My grandpa was a big trapper and I inherited his trapping gun.

It's a savage model 1911 in .22 short. It looks like a kids gun, maybe.

Lotta history there and I'm proud to own it.

Bearcat