Post by Steve Gappa on Sept 19, 2005 9:55:07 GMT -6
(from 2005 T & PC Yearbook)
The Evolution of a Trapper by Steve Gappa
Driving home from the Nebraska Fur Harvesters convention a few years ago, my wife Lori asked “How come I can’t do what you do? Why can’t I trap full time too?” I replied that there was no reason in the world why she could not- but she couldn’t quit her job and start tomorrow. On the way home, we talked about if it might be possible and we came to the conclusion that indeed it was- with the proper preparation- so we settled on a 3-4 year program to get her the knowledge and experience to starting full time trapping.
So why would a normal gal like Lori want to get into trapping full time? She says its quite simple “I’ve been working in the same job at the same facility for over 24 years. Where I worked went from a small town elderly care facility to another acquisition for an international medical foundation. The emphasis went from caring and family to bottom line being the almighty dollar. I knew I needed a change and since Steve was already a fulltime trapper and supply dealer, combined with my love for the out of doors, it seemed like a win/win situation”. Since life’s realities still loomed large, primarily insurance, a plan was made to have Lori cut down to a minimum amount of hours- plus the option of picking up hours if we were in a slow period for trapping. She arranged her schedule to 5 days on, 9 days off. That allowed for good continuity in trapping yet didn’t burn all our bridges.
Lori had been taking an interest in trapping for several years- both in the fur trapping and in our summer work of gopher trapping. So she did have some foundation to start on, we just needed to build and develop that foundation. Our first step was to figure out “The Plan”. We had two main options- 1) we could run as partners or 2) we could run separate lines. When we decided on “the plan“, we bounced around the two options available for use…to run two separate lines, with two trucks, etc…or to trap the traditional canine partnership way- each opening the door and setting a trap on their side of the field, so to speak. We decided on the later- in our area and for what we hoped to accomplish- we felt we would be ahead in several areas, including money- by running one rig. Plus- the added bonus of running together and being able to share the day and share the experience. We knew that in future years- we would have to in essence double the amount of fur we took- so that meant learning the ropes the first year or two- and then trapping harder and smarter. With this main issue now settled, our thoughts turned to how best to get Lori from the point of riding along and occasionally helping to being a competent, full time trapper. To further complicate things- I trap fur for over 5 months a year- and do so on a variety of furbearers. So not only would Lori have to learn trapping techniques and mechanics basically from scratch- she would be learning how to do so with multiple species- coon, coyotes, fox, rats, mink and beaver. And in both water and on land.
We decided that the first year would be a learning year- since she was still working full time, the commitment was made to for her to run traps on all her days off and to start taking over some of the fur shed chores. Since she was also able to get the first 2 weeks off at the seasons beginning, we felt this would be enough time to really see the realities of fulltime trapping and to determine if this was indeed the route Lori wanted to take. Even though trapping multi-species would be her ultimate goal, we didn’t want to try to accomplish too much, too soon. So during her first year, she helped on coyotes, but concentrated on making dry land coon sets. I too was happy with the decision to go with the coon first- as anxious as I was to get her coyote trapping- I knew from experience that the key to learning to trap is success. And coon trapping was a good way to ensure success. Lori has seen enough of my demos and heard me give coon trapping tips- so she had a general idea of what we were going to do. The first step was to get her set up with her own setting tools and equipment.
Land trapping was fairly easy. Lori said “After riding along with Steve for many years on my days off, I had a pretty good understanding of coon and coyote trapping. We trapped many of the same areas for years, and I knew pretty much we made one set there, another here. Another thing- in land trapping- I could see what was happening- I was standing right there and it all was there front of me. I like coon trapping, because it was all the same. I‘d use my auger to dig a dirt hole, set the trap and go. But coyotes….always a little different. ” I myself, as a livelong water trapper and a serious canine man only since the early 80s- felt that land trapping would be the toughest to pick up and learn. It was, starting from scratch, much harder for me to learn. But I was wrong on this for 1 main reason- so much of land trapping is mechanical- do this, do that. Things are in many ways the same for each set. So when I would say- make a flat set over there- Lori would have no problem doing so. We had talked locations for several years, so she did have a basic understanding of how and where the yotes were moving. What proved more difficult, was non typical situations. When I asked what she had learned and felt about land trapping, she replied “I believe my first serious season went well - when you consider the rain! I learned how to keep sets operating in bad weather and how to pick secondary locations when you were unable to set up the primary ones due to the slow harvest, hay being cut, etc. I also learned that coyotes could drive you crazy- and that to get those ones that messed with you, you needed to try something a little different. My biggest accomplishment I feel was learning how to catch coyotes in flat sets- I was nervous about making them, but Steve made me give it a try and I‘m glad I did. I like step-downs but flat sets are a lot less work- trickier but less digging!”
I enjoy teaching coyote trapping, and I found Lori to be an apt student. While I’ve had students before, they were all trappers and knew the mechanics of setting traps. Lori did not. She was starting from the beginning but that didn’t prove to be a problem. One concern was the actual setting of the traps, but by starting to practice setting traps many weeks before the season started, Lori developed confidence in setting traps without getting her finger pinched too often and that issue was solved. By the time season had rolled around, she was setting traps like an old pro. I think one thing that make it “real” for her was in the outfitting- hammer, trappers bag, knee pads, etc…everything you needed to trap on land. By opening day, she was as ready and prepped as any trapper ever was.
What I normally do each fur season is trap coyotes heavily for 6 weeks or so- then move to water trapping where we concentrate on mink, rats and coon. We do this to the end of the season- usually late February. I grew up water trapping, and am primarily a blind set man with the exception of coon. I personally thought learning how to water trap would be a breeze- esp. compared to coyote trapping. Not so says Lori “When I’d go land trapping, things were out in the open. Everything was easy to see as I was right there. In water, it wasn’t like that. Even though I had gone along a fair amount- I was standing on the bank and while I thought I was seeing things- until you get into the water you don’t see things with the right perspective. What was my biggest fear, being cold and whiny- never materialized. Wear the proper clothing for the elements and you manage to stay if not comfortable…and least bearable. What was hard for me was speed in making the sets- trying to set traps on my knee standing in water was a trick to learn- as was precise location for the sets. I have to say whoever invented those bulky rubber gloves that you use for water trapping- probably never used them! A large part of water trapping I found is finding places where the animals rest and set your trap there. On land you could make your set where you wanted to a degree- on water inches really mattered”
When trapping water, we found it easier to set up as a team. It proved to be much faster per stop to each be responsible for one part of the set. On rats for example, one of us would find the location and set the trap, while the other prepared the stakes and drowning setups. On coon it proved to be even more time saving. I have kind of an odd theory about coon in MN winters. I believe that they move quite a bit- simple wandering as much as anything….and during their wanderings- they will come to open water. Since our waterlines are run on a three day check, the coon had to be put at the end of a slide cable and that meant water at least 4 feet deep. Such locations are somewhat limited, and over the years I’ve developed a coon line that is pretty much the same year after year. So the opportunity to both be setting up at once as in canines wasn’t really there. After a few adjustions, we developed a 2 person system that allowed us to put in a coon set real quickly. One prepares the set, one gets the weights and slide ready, lure and go- in fact we decided that we both liked the system and it made short work of set up days. Much of the waterline was done like that. With our trapline having the Mississippi River as the back boundary (we live right on the river) and open water being a regional thing- we only have so many streams and expansion to new areas really isn’t an option.
But learning to trap was only one part of the equation. An activity that had just as much importance, was putting up fur. The biggest obstacle was the small shed. And 8 X 12- it was small even for one. But since building a new shed wasn’t an option this year- we knew we had to make do with what we had. A small propane heater was adequate to warm the shed and we had tunes- so dividing the work space up and decided who did what was our next step. For the past 2 years, Lori has been doing a fair amount of fur work preparing for her fulltime days. Primarily it consisted of doing all the fleshing work on rats and mink and putting them on the stretchers. Once again, it seemed easiest, at least for the first few years, to each specialize in certain tasks. Since Lori had started out doing the post skinning work, it was decided that she would expand this aspect of fur prep while I would continue doing the skinning. Eventually, we wish to double my yearly numbers to reflect having 2 fulltime trappers working, so it was important to get a system down now while the numbers were still lower. This system worked out good- Lori would start off her evening by doing any canine chores that needed to be done- turning, taking off stretchers, brushing and hanging. While she was doing this, I’d start skinning coon and then canines. By the time Lori was finished with the canines from previous days- she would wash and prepare the days catch. Luckily we sell coon green, so coon involved only washing out and hanging to dry. We tried to make it so we each had a workspace that was at least somewhat permanent, and this helped a lot in efficiently and keeping things organized. Once we were done with canines, I stayed with the skinning and Lori did all the mink/rat work once again. There is no doubt about it- having another set of willing hands lightened the skinning/prep chores a bunch- plus the company makes the night go by a little quicker.
All in all- the first year of Lori becoming a full time trapper was a success. I asked Lori how she felt about her season. Lori replied “The hardest thing was getting used to the shifting schedules. Steve would make a weekly plan- but I found that the plan shifted from day to day depending on the weather patterns and other things. This made it real hard to plan out other activities and household task like grocery shopping, etc. It was hard to get used to the fact that Holidays are days like any other days- and if we have traps to run, we have traps to run. I really like being able to set a trap and knowing that that animal is going to step exactly on your pan”
I had one of my most enjoyable seasons in many years. Our partnership went well, and we can only look to the future and push ourselves to trap smarter and more efficiently. In the upcoming years, Lori’s goals are simple “I want to be able to pick out locations and be able to set up where I want to set the traps. Right now, I rely on Steve for locations, esp. on water sets. I also want to be able to get faster setting traps. I feel like I‘m slowing things down, but towards the end of the season I was getting pretty quick at making sets. Hopefully, with a few more years experience I’ll be able to be done with a set and stand there and watch STEVE finish up. All in all, it was a good season.”
As to where Lori will be in a few years as a trapper, her goal is to expand more into ADC work in residential areas. As she says, “With my long experience in dealing with the public, I feel that this would be a natural extension of my trapping. I also like to trap gophers and look forward to the upcoming gopher year- you just cannot beat being out in the outdoors in the spring and summer.” Given the choice all over again of becoming a fulltime trapper, Lori proclaims “I’d do it again in a minute! We were at Fort Cyprus in Canada a few years back (a re-enactment fort), and in talking about fur trappers-, they said that a trapper made much less money than a Mounty, a cowboy, indeed just about everything- but a trapper was a free man, and you can’t put a price on that.”
The Evolution of a Trapper by Steve Gappa
Driving home from the Nebraska Fur Harvesters convention a few years ago, my wife Lori asked “How come I can’t do what you do? Why can’t I trap full time too?” I replied that there was no reason in the world why she could not- but she couldn’t quit her job and start tomorrow. On the way home, we talked about if it might be possible and we came to the conclusion that indeed it was- with the proper preparation- so we settled on a 3-4 year program to get her the knowledge and experience to starting full time trapping.
So why would a normal gal like Lori want to get into trapping full time? She says its quite simple “I’ve been working in the same job at the same facility for over 24 years. Where I worked went from a small town elderly care facility to another acquisition for an international medical foundation. The emphasis went from caring and family to bottom line being the almighty dollar. I knew I needed a change and since Steve was already a fulltime trapper and supply dealer, combined with my love for the out of doors, it seemed like a win/win situation”. Since life’s realities still loomed large, primarily insurance, a plan was made to have Lori cut down to a minimum amount of hours- plus the option of picking up hours if we were in a slow period for trapping. She arranged her schedule to 5 days on, 9 days off. That allowed for good continuity in trapping yet didn’t burn all our bridges.
Lori had been taking an interest in trapping for several years- both in the fur trapping and in our summer work of gopher trapping. So she did have some foundation to start on, we just needed to build and develop that foundation. Our first step was to figure out “The Plan”. We had two main options- 1) we could run as partners or 2) we could run separate lines. When we decided on “the plan“, we bounced around the two options available for use…to run two separate lines, with two trucks, etc…or to trap the traditional canine partnership way- each opening the door and setting a trap on their side of the field, so to speak. We decided on the later- in our area and for what we hoped to accomplish- we felt we would be ahead in several areas, including money- by running one rig. Plus- the added bonus of running together and being able to share the day and share the experience. We knew that in future years- we would have to in essence double the amount of fur we took- so that meant learning the ropes the first year or two- and then trapping harder and smarter. With this main issue now settled, our thoughts turned to how best to get Lori from the point of riding along and occasionally helping to being a competent, full time trapper. To further complicate things- I trap fur for over 5 months a year- and do so on a variety of furbearers. So not only would Lori have to learn trapping techniques and mechanics basically from scratch- she would be learning how to do so with multiple species- coon, coyotes, fox, rats, mink and beaver. And in both water and on land.
We decided that the first year would be a learning year- since she was still working full time, the commitment was made to for her to run traps on all her days off and to start taking over some of the fur shed chores. Since she was also able to get the first 2 weeks off at the seasons beginning, we felt this would be enough time to really see the realities of fulltime trapping and to determine if this was indeed the route Lori wanted to take. Even though trapping multi-species would be her ultimate goal, we didn’t want to try to accomplish too much, too soon. So during her first year, she helped on coyotes, but concentrated on making dry land coon sets. I too was happy with the decision to go with the coon first- as anxious as I was to get her coyote trapping- I knew from experience that the key to learning to trap is success. And coon trapping was a good way to ensure success. Lori has seen enough of my demos and heard me give coon trapping tips- so she had a general idea of what we were going to do. The first step was to get her set up with her own setting tools and equipment.
Land trapping was fairly easy. Lori said “After riding along with Steve for many years on my days off, I had a pretty good understanding of coon and coyote trapping. We trapped many of the same areas for years, and I knew pretty much we made one set there, another here. Another thing- in land trapping- I could see what was happening- I was standing right there and it all was there front of me. I like coon trapping, because it was all the same. I‘d use my auger to dig a dirt hole, set the trap and go. But coyotes….always a little different. ” I myself, as a livelong water trapper and a serious canine man only since the early 80s- felt that land trapping would be the toughest to pick up and learn. It was, starting from scratch, much harder for me to learn. But I was wrong on this for 1 main reason- so much of land trapping is mechanical- do this, do that. Things are in many ways the same for each set. So when I would say- make a flat set over there- Lori would have no problem doing so. We had talked locations for several years, so she did have a basic understanding of how and where the yotes were moving. What proved more difficult, was non typical situations. When I asked what she had learned and felt about land trapping, she replied “I believe my first serious season went well - when you consider the rain! I learned how to keep sets operating in bad weather and how to pick secondary locations when you were unable to set up the primary ones due to the slow harvest, hay being cut, etc. I also learned that coyotes could drive you crazy- and that to get those ones that messed with you, you needed to try something a little different. My biggest accomplishment I feel was learning how to catch coyotes in flat sets- I was nervous about making them, but Steve made me give it a try and I‘m glad I did. I like step-downs but flat sets are a lot less work- trickier but less digging!”
I enjoy teaching coyote trapping, and I found Lori to be an apt student. While I’ve had students before, they were all trappers and knew the mechanics of setting traps. Lori did not. She was starting from the beginning but that didn’t prove to be a problem. One concern was the actual setting of the traps, but by starting to practice setting traps many weeks before the season started, Lori developed confidence in setting traps without getting her finger pinched too often and that issue was solved. By the time season had rolled around, she was setting traps like an old pro. I think one thing that make it “real” for her was in the outfitting- hammer, trappers bag, knee pads, etc…everything you needed to trap on land. By opening day, she was as ready and prepped as any trapper ever was.
What I normally do each fur season is trap coyotes heavily for 6 weeks or so- then move to water trapping where we concentrate on mink, rats and coon. We do this to the end of the season- usually late February. I grew up water trapping, and am primarily a blind set man with the exception of coon. I personally thought learning how to water trap would be a breeze- esp. compared to coyote trapping. Not so says Lori “When I’d go land trapping, things were out in the open. Everything was easy to see as I was right there. In water, it wasn’t like that. Even though I had gone along a fair amount- I was standing on the bank and while I thought I was seeing things- until you get into the water you don’t see things with the right perspective. What was my biggest fear, being cold and whiny- never materialized. Wear the proper clothing for the elements and you manage to stay if not comfortable…and least bearable. What was hard for me was speed in making the sets- trying to set traps on my knee standing in water was a trick to learn- as was precise location for the sets. I have to say whoever invented those bulky rubber gloves that you use for water trapping- probably never used them! A large part of water trapping I found is finding places where the animals rest and set your trap there. On land you could make your set where you wanted to a degree- on water inches really mattered”
When trapping water, we found it easier to set up as a team. It proved to be much faster per stop to each be responsible for one part of the set. On rats for example, one of us would find the location and set the trap, while the other prepared the stakes and drowning setups. On coon it proved to be even more time saving. I have kind of an odd theory about coon in MN winters. I believe that they move quite a bit- simple wandering as much as anything….and during their wanderings- they will come to open water. Since our waterlines are run on a three day check, the coon had to be put at the end of a slide cable and that meant water at least 4 feet deep. Such locations are somewhat limited, and over the years I’ve developed a coon line that is pretty much the same year after year. So the opportunity to both be setting up at once as in canines wasn’t really there. After a few adjustions, we developed a 2 person system that allowed us to put in a coon set real quickly. One prepares the set, one gets the weights and slide ready, lure and go- in fact we decided that we both liked the system and it made short work of set up days. Much of the waterline was done like that. With our trapline having the Mississippi River as the back boundary (we live right on the river) and open water being a regional thing- we only have so many streams and expansion to new areas really isn’t an option.
But learning to trap was only one part of the equation. An activity that had just as much importance, was putting up fur. The biggest obstacle was the small shed. And 8 X 12- it was small even for one. But since building a new shed wasn’t an option this year- we knew we had to make do with what we had. A small propane heater was adequate to warm the shed and we had tunes- so dividing the work space up and decided who did what was our next step. For the past 2 years, Lori has been doing a fair amount of fur work preparing for her fulltime days. Primarily it consisted of doing all the fleshing work on rats and mink and putting them on the stretchers. Once again, it seemed easiest, at least for the first few years, to each specialize in certain tasks. Since Lori had started out doing the post skinning work, it was decided that she would expand this aspect of fur prep while I would continue doing the skinning. Eventually, we wish to double my yearly numbers to reflect having 2 fulltime trappers working, so it was important to get a system down now while the numbers were still lower. This system worked out good- Lori would start off her evening by doing any canine chores that needed to be done- turning, taking off stretchers, brushing and hanging. While she was doing this, I’d start skinning coon and then canines. By the time Lori was finished with the canines from previous days- she would wash and prepare the days catch. Luckily we sell coon green, so coon involved only washing out and hanging to dry. We tried to make it so we each had a workspace that was at least somewhat permanent, and this helped a lot in efficiently and keeping things organized. Once we were done with canines, I stayed with the skinning and Lori did all the mink/rat work once again. There is no doubt about it- having another set of willing hands lightened the skinning/prep chores a bunch- plus the company makes the night go by a little quicker.
All in all- the first year of Lori becoming a full time trapper was a success. I asked Lori how she felt about her season. Lori replied “The hardest thing was getting used to the shifting schedules. Steve would make a weekly plan- but I found that the plan shifted from day to day depending on the weather patterns and other things. This made it real hard to plan out other activities and household task like grocery shopping, etc. It was hard to get used to the fact that Holidays are days like any other days- and if we have traps to run, we have traps to run. I really like being able to set a trap and knowing that that animal is going to step exactly on your pan”
I had one of my most enjoyable seasons in many years. Our partnership went well, and we can only look to the future and push ourselves to trap smarter and more efficiently. In the upcoming years, Lori’s goals are simple “I want to be able to pick out locations and be able to set up where I want to set the traps. Right now, I rely on Steve for locations, esp. on water sets. I also want to be able to get faster setting traps. I feel like I‘m slowing things down, but towards the end of the season I was getting pretty quick at making sets. Hopefully, with a few more years experience I’ll be able to be done with a set and stand there and watch STEVE finish up. All in all, it was a good season.”
As to where Lori will be in a few years as a trapper, her goal is to expand more into ADC work in residential areas. As she says, “With my long experience in dealing with the public, I feel that this would be a natural extension of my trapping. I also like to trap gophers and look forward to the upcoming gopher year- you just cannot beat being out in the outdoors in the spring and summer.” Given the choice all over again of becoming a fulltime trapper, Lori proclaims “I’d do it again in a minute! We were at Fort Cyprus in Canada a few years back (a re-enactment fort), and in talking about fur trappers-, they said that a trapper made much less money than a Mounty, a cowboy, indeed just about everything- but a trapper was a free man, and you can’t put a price on that.”