The little guy in this picture with me is my youngest son. He wanted to learn how to trap that year so I took him with me every day after school to run part of my line. He's 55 years old now.
Marten trapping out west around 1972
Found this old miners cabin to stay in just below timberline. The hike up the mountain was a long one so I lived on freeze dried food for awhile until I found a creek full of trout that came out of a mountain lake.
Awesome stuff.. Old pics are just great!!! Thanks for the show..
Great pictures.
I just dream of living like that.
Does your son still like to trap?
This was my trapping partner for several years. He was proud to tell everyone he was 3/4 Chippewa Indian and 1/4 French Canadian. I learned a lot of the old ways from him, he didn't buy any trapping supplies but preferred to make his own that was passed down to him from his family. If he was alive today he would be 110 years old.
He use to say, "When I'm trapping I'm as happy as if I was in my right mind"
Cool pics. I’d love to do that someday. Where did you trap with the old timer? Where out West?
Here's a nice winters catch of Red's that the old man and I caught around 1970-72. That old Ski-do is a Nordic Track, I think 1970 model, great machine. We could set pizzin sets right off the sled without putting a foot in the snow. Fur prices were very high in those days, a good fox got close to $100. before the bottom dropped out. A big coon was bringing $50.00 in the round. When one got hit on the road someone had it almost before it stopped rolling.
Great Pics Ron!, love old pics
Ah those were the days never to be repeated. I dabbled at trapping back in the 40's as a youngster. Cheers NC
this dog was snared behind his top fangs and over his nose. Musta broke his neck as ne never disturbed the set. Sold him to Major Boddicker in the round for $150 in '83 or '84
Was working on the Table Mountain ranch NW of Cheyenne that year. Cowboy wages was $1000 a month. Made more money on coyote fur in the winter than I did on wages.....
You caught a fish in a 330!
Never would have figured that.
Yup. Northern Pike running up a beaver slide to spawn in a irrigation ditch.
Never had any big catch pics as I was always broke on my azz and sold my fur every week...
'72 ford Pinto fur buggy. Never wanted the coyotes inside with me as I'da been COVERED with fleas.....grin
Not old, but we caught a prairie dog in a 110.
A big dog Coyote taken with a bow
BIG ain't a big enough word for that coon!!!
Yup. Northern Pike running up a beaver slide to spawn in a irrigation ditch.
In eastern WA in the late '70s I caught a gorgeous buck brookie in spawning colors in a 110, in a drainage ditch beside a small gravel road, a long, long way from the nearest "trout" water.
this dog was snared behind his top fangs and over his nose. Musta broke his neck as ne never disturbed the set. Sold him to Major Boddicker in the round for $150 in '83 or '84
Great picture!
Loved the prices in the late '70s! Averaged almost $400 per coyote properly washed, fluffed and stretched!
Jim those are some happy kids... Nice..
he's just draped over a wire stretcher for the pic. 47 pounds and missing a front foot and some rear toes
This thread is young but already epic!
Great pics guys!
Does anyone remember when the fur prices dropped out? I picked up a huge road kill coon in the mid 80's that I sold for $65.00 which was kind of unheard of at the time.
he's just draped over a wire stretcher for the pic. 47 pounds and missing a front foot and some rear toes
I bet a coyote thought twice before tangling with him!
I trapped my 16th coon this morning. Does that count?
Has anyone seen Longhunter1 I thought his posts were great... Haven't seen any since May I believe..
Great pics.
It would be nice to see fur prices take a big jump.
Ive been finishing up getting all my stuff ready the last few days. I usually don't lay steel till about mid December and Im getting a bit restless.
'72 ford Pinto fur buggy. Never wanted the coyotes inside with me as I'da been COVERED with fleas.....grin
whats he hair dryer for in the car?
Hey Huntsman, nice fish, Dad & I once caught an otter by the nuts!!!! Lots a diff stuff in the bush when yr there every day, I'm out GWP
Good stuff,love old trapline pics.
We used to grab roadkill coons when we were in HS,had a buyer who didn't want them skinned or stretched,nothin,,usually got around 25.00 for em.
gas and beer money.
I used to try like hell to trap but really sucked at it,I think the coolest thing I ever caught was an Ermine,lol
great pics guys thanks for sharin...
I am not old enough to have real old pictures but getting old enough to say things like, when I was younger I used to do dumb things like try to fill my 3/4 ton truck with beavers...
. . .
Talkin' about flees . . . them beavers were probably covered, right?
Most beavers have fleas but they seem to stay on the beaver. Can't remember ever having an issue with them hitchhiking. Fox are the worst and then coyotes. For some reason they rarely seem to hang on very long though.
Thanks readonly . . . I learned something about the Beaver's "fleas"
Cool pictures! Thanks for sharing
And a few more.
The highly prized and sought after double on skunks.
A Christmas cat.
Pulling some mink sets after an unusually large snowfall with more predicted.
My friend and trapping partner. We trapped together one season as our work schedules rarely lined up but this year they did. This was taken just before a fur sale. There's 127 hanging. We ended up with 35 more before the season ended.
AWESOME pics Mart and the rest. Keep the pictures coming!!! I really enjoy all the old and new trapline pics.
Excellent.. Very enjoyable...
I hope you didn't trap those skunks in Wasilla.
I hope you didn't trap those skunks in Wasilla.
Just south of Wasilla.
By about 2000 miles.
Way to get after it Mart!
I love all the pics, old and new.
I dabbled in trapping for probably 4 years in the early 80’s. Nothing like what’s shown here.
I had a little line on the upper cuyahoga river for muskrat, coon, mink.
I would get up early before school and jump in my aluminum gruman canoe to check the traps.
Good times.
When I read and see old pics of how it use to be makes me wish I was 40 years older. But hell that would mean I’d probably be dead now.
this dog was snared behind his top fangs and over his nose. Musta broke his neck as ne never disturbed the set. Sold him to Major Boddicker in the round for $150 in '83 or '84
Great picture!
Loved the prices in the late '70s! Averaged almost $400 per coyote properly washed, fluffed and stretched!
$400 average. Damn!
I’m too young to have seen those prices, but I think I’ll keep the traps I have left in the sealed drums just Incase fur shines again
Great pictures!
Wish I had taken them when I was younger.
God Bless,
David B.
I started when the prices were headed in the wrong direction. Here in NE Ohio the prices were $4/$5 nice rat, jumbo coon $20/$25 (and the color had to be good) and big male mink $20 $25.
The couple old timers that taught and helped me would talk about $8 rats, $50 coon, $50 mink, $60 red fox, $75 beaver blanket.
Enjoyed all the pics. Thanks
The couple old timers that taught and helped me would talk about $8 rats, $50 coon, $50 mink, $60 red fox, $75 beaver blanket.
I remember those prices. A fisher was equal to a week's wages.
60 years ago when I was 5 and was checking out the beaver my older brother Bob had caught.
My SIL added the caption
'72 ford Pinto fur buggy. Never wanted the coyotes inside with me as I'da been COVERED with fleas.....grin
Dandy rabbit catchers on the mirror!