Landowner Loyalty

[trappnman]

so break the chain. If 50% give exclusive permission, I'd try to trap those farms. I know- easy for me to say, but working off that 50% ratio- it surely could be done.

As a FWIW-

The dairy farmers are the MAIN ones wanting the coyotes gone. If they want anything, that is something they want to see- its small game and pheasants. Around here, the coyotes don't "control" enough deer to matter.

In fact, the collaring program I was involved in was part of a larger deer collaring program- and the coytes were originally collared to see their interactions with deer. Fawns were collared in the same area as the collared coyotes- to see if any were killed by yotes- none were.

[trappnman]

an extra 100 years of devlopment I am sure makes a big difference. I frankly wouldn't (couldn't) live with that many people around.

If getting exclusive private permissions isn't possible, it isn't. I based my last point on the comment that "50% of the farms allowed exclusive permisisons". I'd start there- and slowly but surely as the years went by, add more.

[bblwi2]

Loyalty is earned not granted very similar to respect.
I know goose hunters etc. that get permissions and they give the families booze, McDonald's gift certificates, gift certificates, and other Christmas type thank yous. These are all nice and yes young dairy farmers appreciate the jester but they really appreciate being valued as people.
Taking the time to send a note, newsletter, card and asking how the farm is doing and the kids are doing is what they really appreciate. I know this takes time and sounds too chummy for some but in my years of working with farmers and trapping it has worked for me. These methods of connecting with land owners takes some time but then how much time does one consume looking for new positions because you loose one or two or three. Also getting new permissions is a lot easier when you can show them a list of land owners that you have worked with for a long time and or can be used as references also if needed.
When I am running a trap line on private ground I am actually a service provider first and foremost for these landowners. My wage is fur and to get fur I need access and access to the interior of those permissions.
I am trapping some properties that are really very marginal for me right now as there will be some big changes for these landowners in the next 2 years as there will be for me this year. I want the first crack at those several 100 acres that are very nicely spaced over a 10 mile loop. Good customer service is a good investment in your future.

Bryce

[trappnman]

When I am running a trap line on private ground I am actually a service provider first and foremost for these landowners. My wage is fur and to get fur I need access and access to the interior of those permissions.


very true. very true. And the good landowners see this, and work with you.

[foxtrapperwoman]

This was a discussion going on just yesterday with me and my part time trapping partner. We stopped at a farm's machine shop looking for the landowner, he wasn't there, but we talked to his son. My friend knows about everyone and has gotten me several places to trap. He traps groundhogs for hunting previliges, and this can go for trapping too. Now he and I were in the truck discussing the other fur trappers in the area. He is sure most do not help with the varmints such as groundhogs and barn coons, they just trap fox. Furthermore he told me he contacted 1 landowner who he has known and got land for me to trap, telling him what I heard of the old guy fox trapper going to trap less and give up much of his trapping lands. So the landowner said I could trap all his farmland now, he didn't like the old guy anyway, he always rutted up and drove all over his cropland when he shouldn't have been. Of course this old guy does whatever he wants, so even if he is told to leave, he might still sneak in. But this old guy has no advantage- he never offered to help with groundhogs or any pesky stuff like coons. My friend however has been trapping groundhogs for this landowner for years, and I set for the problem coons this year despite the gloom and doom price talk. I want the landowner happy, so it is good to get some of the coons out each season so problems don't start up.

Now I am not sure how the longliners can keep up with helping all the landowners every year. How does this work? If you have 30-50 different farms you trap in rotation, thats alot of landowners, even if some own more than 1 bit of the farmland, as in they own this main farm 300 acres, and another 200 acres 2 miles away, and a 3rd 150 acres 5 miles away, then lease oodles more land.

Of course I cannot trap groundhogs for everyone who gives me trapping permission, but removing some coons in season along side the fox trapping, isn't asking too much. It doesn't matter what coons are going to bring next season, there is a bit of land I am going to gang set on next season, it is loaded with coons and the old lady who owns it is very woried about rabies. I would trap some now, and can do so as ADC, but there is no pay for it and I hate the idea of waste of animals that are worth more than any old groundhog. She is ok with waiting though. I assured her and double assured her I would get them thinned way down next fall.

Anyway back to my friend. We are talking to the landowners son and my friend keeps mentioning trapping groundhogs and even says that the other trappers should be removing a bunch of groundhogs each year, as if to state that he and I should have permission, not the other guys. Though he wasn't saying it direct but alluding to it. Was he wrong? I didn't really say anything, though I was being friendly and even cracked a joke which got the son laughing. Then my friend later tells me to not go talking like that, which has me wondering WTF. I deal with people all the time as a taxidermist, and people like someone who is not all serious, heck I even get into redneck jokes with some of my regulars. I can judge each person, a grumpy looking old guy I stay right on track, a guy with a smile, hey lets loosen up.

[trappnman]

God post Stepha- let me explain how I do it.

I don't send cards and stuff like that- but it is a good idea. Bryce has a real advantage in that he knows agriculture. I don't know what I'd say in a 2 page newsletter. I usually see most of the landowners during trapping. Typical stop is talk to him at setup, then sometime during the week we will touch base a time or two. And then of course, many of my farmers also have gopher land, so I see them often during the year.

As far as problem animals, the farmers know I do this for a living. So stuff like coyotes, coon, beaver, unless doing immediate damage they know I'll be there in the fall.

For the problems like badger and the occasional coyote or coon, the farmers know time is money. If I can take it during gopher trapping, I charge a token fee. If its a special job- I charge them a little more, but nothing close to the fee I charge for other ADC work. In other words- for beaver I'd maybe charge them $15 where on real ADC work is $100 setup, $100 a beaver. Same on coyotes.

I do a bit of free ADC work while fur trapping, and it goes a long ways. I typically get asked to catch the 1 gopher in the yard, or the skunk under the shed or the coon in the granary. Easy enough to do, and they appreciate it.

When you pull up, and they tell you about the beaver here or the corn damage there- I make a special effort to hit it hard.

A large part of it- is appreciating the land. Most of my farms are "beauty places" Farms you'd like to grow up on. So- when I comment on the ducks on the pond, or a view, or something neat- they can see that I DO, sincerely, enjoying being there and I always thanks them often, for allowing me to trap.

What really keeps loyalty is doing right on the land. Closing gates, heck I many times FIX gates, walking when needed, staying out of where he'd "rather ya didn't go..." , treating it as if it was mine...but knowing it was not.

Another thing too- is I've helped out many a farmer on my routes. Nothing major- but a lot of those little things over the years- usually "Do you have time to give me a hand for a minute?" where a second person makes an impossible job take a few minutes.

You know what it really boils down too- I'm one of them. I grew up on a farm, I work on farms gophering, I'm just a long haired farm boy- like about half of my farmers LOL....

I'm not some anonymous trapper- I'm a neighbor.

Speaking of permissions- the best thing you can have is local references. My father in law was the rural telephone man here until he retired. When I first moved here and looked for permissions, I'd say. "You don't know me, I'm SG from Winona (a nearby town) but yo might know my father-in law..." they'd usually ask "know which one did you marry..." and I was accepted whereas in that era, a long haired guy wasn't accepted so easily.

So if you have connections- use them. One thing farmers respect more than anything else- is other farmers who are known for being hardworking and successful. When you use those farmers names, you immediately have a little of that respect rub off on you. I'll say "Do you know so in so or so in so (farmers close by he SHOULD know) and when he says "sure, I went to school with brad, etc" I say "I've been trapping brad's place for X amount of years, and thought maybe you had too many X here too and would let me trap some?

Its a good start. I rarely get turned down.

PS- I often dry call farmers, and when I do, I always have a card in my hand. Many times when approaching, I see "that Look" so my first words are "I'm not trying to sell you anything. I'm SG from LC and its looks like you might have a coon or coyote or two that I could trap." Then introduce myself and drop names. This usually gets the "try a hundred of the things, yah you can trap"

The more permissions you have here, the easier it is to get them. Its a tight knit community here on the river.

[trappnman]

Winston- I don't envy you. Here I sit next to the high school on a "major" street- and haven't had a car go by for at least 15 minutes.... I do live in Mayberry and love it.

although we are changing too- condos going up all over, big gated community going up- lots start at $80,000s. My, I've got my place where I can "make my stand...and take it easy..."

[bobwendt]

30-50 farms! At one time I had 350 written permissions from 350 different land owners in 7 counties here in indiana. in desolate areas like wyoming I need at least 1 million acres to stay busy, in better habitat like kansas, at least couple hundred thousand- and spread out. The term longliner or professional is something 99.99% of trappers just can`t grasp the reality of the amount of ground it takes.