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Trapping has long history in Vernon County
So, you want to join likes of John Colter, Jim Bridger and Kit Carson and become a trapper? The name of Jedediah Smith and men like him conjures up a romantic image of the lone mountain man trekking the wilderness clad only in animal skins and eking out a living by fighting off Indians with his Hawken rifle and pulling money from the forests and icy mountain streams in the form of fur.
What you may not know is that some of that romance began right here in Vernon County. Some of the earliest immigrants to the Vernon County area were trappers and fur traders. The Osage and other indigenous people had been utilizing the abundant fur of the area for untold generations and the coming of Europeans saw them use fur as a form of currency to obtain the goods the fur traders had to offer.
The Chouteau family of St. Louis, which by the way, was founded as a fur trading post, built a fur trading post named Fort Carondelet along the river in 1794 in what is now Vernon County. It stayed in business for a few years, but most of the traders and explorers stayed to the north and worked their way up the Missouri River into the far western frontier in search of beaver plews and other fur, according to the Web site kclibrary.org.
If you want to be a trapper, there is no better place to start than here. Missouri has a long history of trapping, an abundance of furbearing species, and seasons and bag limits that are liberal compared to some other states. Many furbearers are nocturnal, and the most efficient and reliable way to control their numbers is by trapping, so the Missouri Department of Conservation is very pro active in the trapping aspect of wildlife management.
Missouri is still an important state in the fur trade. And the fur trade is important to Missouri. According to the Missouri Department of Conservation Web site, there are at least 10,000 people who are out there trapping each season. The site goes on to say that the annual harvest of more than $8.5 million in fur generates more than $60 million annually in the state's economy. "With the fur industry and trapping playing such an important role in the heritage of our state, it is easy to see why Missouri is still among the top raw fur-producing states in the country."
That doesn't mean that trapping is easy, far from it. Trapping takes a lot of hard work. It takes a lot of time both before and during the season. In order to do it on anything but a shoestring budget, it takes a lot of equipment. It takes dedication, and in this day of falling fur prices, there is scant monetary reward. But for many of us that do it, it's not about the money.
It's about standing in an icy creek in the worst weather December can throw at you and trying to outwit an animal that lives there year round. It's about knowing where that critter is going to put one foot rather than just knowing where he may pass through an area. It's about the preparation and the past and the feel of raw fur, soft and slick, glossy in the frosty morning sunshine.
There is a lot of gear you can accumulate in the trapping business. However, one of the things that make it so popular and appealing is the fact that you can take a dozen fairly inexpensive traps and a handful of simple tools and begin catching fur. One of the easiest and first target species that most beginning trappers catch is the raccoon.
There are a number of reasons for this. Raccoons are common throughout the state. They are easily baited because they will eat a wide variety of things. It doesn't take a big, heavy or expensive trap to hold them, so a novice trapper can experience some success early in their trapping career with nothing more than a few traps and some sardines.
The steel trap as it is presently known has been around for about 400 years. As with any machine, it has had some modifications and improvements during that time. The basic foot-hold trap comes in two types; the long spring and the coil spring. The first is what most people think of when they hear the word steel trap. The second is just a newer, more efficient version of the original.
Trapping is sometimes considered a cruel method of harvesting fur, but modern improvements in trap styles have been designed to reduce the harm done to an animal's foot. Some new traps have padded jaws and some are designed with offset jaws which do not come completely together. They cause less foot damage and allow more circulation to the foot while the animal is in the trap. Some trap jaws are laminated to create more surface area that comes in contact with the animal's foot. This, too, is designed to reduce damage and allow more circulation. Some jaws are offset and laminated.
You can use live traps, which is how my son began, and there are also Conibear or killer type traps, but the Missouri Department of Conservation has very specific regulations governing their use. And snares, or cable restraint devices, have become more popular in the last few years, but a special class and permit is required to use them in the limited number of ways allowed by law.
There are so many different trap manufacturers and sizes and models that it is easy for a new trapper to feel confused. The beginning trapper should probably stick to a No. 1 or No. 11 or No. 1 1/2 foothold traps or the small or 110 sized Conibear traps, which are adequate for mink and muskrat. The larger traps, and they get much larger, are more often used for the predatory species and larger critters like the beaver. Good quality traps of the smaller sizes will also hold some of those larger animals, but anything bigger than a raccoon or a fox probably needs a bigger, stronger trap. Whatever traps you decide to use, make sure they are scent free and slicked up. Commercial solutions for this can be purchased from trapping supply houses, or you can do it the old fashioned way with walnut hulls, paraffin wax and hard work.
Trapping can require the use of many different types of lures and baits depending on the target species. There are gland lures, call lures and food lures just to name a few. Baits can be anything from sardines or canned cat food to whole fish for raccoons or putrid fish for coyotes or beaver meat for bobcats . Most of these things are pretty smelly and some caution is needed to keep the odors off of trapping gear and clothing. You don't want your tools or traps to have any scent contamination from those baits and lures. If you do, The animal begins looking for the trap, and they will find it.
There are really only two kinds of trapping. Water trapping and dirt trapping. Water trapping targets those species that live in or near the water, and dirt trapping targets those critters that don't like to get their feet wet. Water trapping in Missouri means you will be catching raccoon, mink, muskrat, otter, and beaver and in some parts of the state, nutria. Target species for the dirt trapper include the coyote, red and gray fox, bobcat, raccoon, badger and in some cases, coons, mink and otter can be taken in dry land sets. Squirrels and rabbits are also legal species to trap.
There are many different kinds of "sets" a trapper can use in the water and on land. Again, the target species and the situation at each individual location are the determining factors for which type of set you will use at any given set location. The novice trapper will likely be using water sets most of the time. They have the advantage of being a bit forgiving about scent and hiding the trap, and there are a large number of different types to use.
Some of the more common water sets are the pocket set, the baitstone set, and the blind set; all of these will catch raccoons. Coons can also be caught in dirt sets, but so can skunks and possums, usually non-target species. Some of the dirt or dry ground sets in common use are the dirthole, the flat set, and the scent post. These are designed primarily for the predator species, but they will also take raccoons and the occasional mink or otter and non-target species like the skunk and possum. There are so many different kinds of sets that a large book could be written just on the different types.
Whichever kind of trapping you decide to do, you will need the same basic tools. Of course, personal preference plays a role in the choice of equipment, but there are a few items that are universal and vary only slightly. Some of them can be purchased at the local hardware store, others you may have to order through a trapping supply house or make yourself.
A good four pound hammer for driving in anchor stakes is one thing you'll need. So is a trapper's trowel for digging pockets and dirtholes. A sifter is a must for covering and blending in traps while dirt trapping. You will need a good, clean, five gallon bucket or a trapper's pack basket to tote your gear in, and all of it needs to be kept away from your scent and lure bucket. Hip boots are a necessity for either type of trapping. They keep you dry in the water and keep your scent off the ground at dirt sets. A quality Leatherman type tool is handy for cutting tie wire, adjusting trap pans and other little trapline jobs.
Good clothing is a must. I like wool, because it keeps you warm even if it gets wet. And if you are water trapping, you're going to get wet. Good gloves are also a must. Rubber is best, but if you can keep your gear scent free you can use something else. The rest of your clothing is a matter of your choice. Just make sure that it is durable, because trapping is hard, dirty work.
Now that you have your gear lined out, how do you go about getting started. If you have your own land, you are set; especially if it has a couple of ponds or a stream on it. If you don't have that luxury, you're going to have to get out there and rustle up some permission from landowners. You may want to carry a small trap with you to show them that it doesn't have teeth on the jaws and that it is nothing that their livestock could get caught in, or you may want assure them that you are only going to set your traps in the water where their pet can't get into them. Be courteous, dress casually, not in camo, and be honest. Many farmers or people in the rural areas have problems with critters getting into their trash or fruit trees or eating their pet's food. Permission is not that hard to get if you are willing to do the leg work.
Assuming you can't get permission, there is the option of running a road line. I have ran a number of road lines over the years and they can be very effective for a water trapper. All you need to do is get a good map of the area you live in and choose a circular route beginning and ending at your house. Every place along the route where water goes under the road is a possible place where you can set a couple of traps.
This may sound like it is illegal, but as long as you keep on the public right of way between the road and a land owner's fence, you are within the law and your rights. This kind of trapping works very well for two men; one can take each side of the stream or road and you can get out a lot of traps quickly. A thirty mile line may seem long, but I have had road lines over fifty miles long with more than a hundred traps strung out along the way. If you are worried about dispatching the animals you catch, don't.
Most people know the law which states, according to 3CSR 10-7.405 of the General Provisions of the Missouri Wildlife Code, "No person shall take or attempt to take any wildlife from or across a public roadway with a firearm, longbow or crossbow." Trappers are working along side the road. Even when the law read "from along or a cross any public roadway or right of way," trappers were allowed to dispatch their catch. I always use a .22 revolver. It is small and not as likely to alarm a passing motorist as a rifle. It is also very effective and quiet when loaded with CB Caps. With proper bullet placement, the damage to a pelt is minimal.
Your final option for establishing a line is public land. Many times you can mix a road line and use public land that falls within your route. Just remember that you will have to get the special use permit lined up ahead of the season for any public land you want to trap. Contact the Department of Conservation Office nearest to the area for information. If that office does not manage that area, they can point you in the right direction.
You're about ready to go trapping and join the ranks of Joe Meek, and John C. (Grizzly) Adams. However, it wouldn't hurt to do a little reading on the subject or visit the Missouri Department of Conservation's Web site. The magazine "Fur, Fish and Game" caters to the trapper with articles on specific sets and general know how and also has a number of trapping supply houses in its advertising section. If you are interested in dirt trapping, try finding a copy of "The Dirthole and its Variations" by Charles Dobbins. It is a first rate little book that will get you off on the right foot. You can also contact the Missouri Trappers Association at missouritrappersassociation.org. Good luck and "keep your pan low."
See more spring hunting and fishing features on pages 7B-9B.