Trapping on Weyerhaeuser land

[bear hunter]

If we all kept track of our trapping expenses like it was a "for profit" venture.  Very few of us would use something other than a red pen in our ledgers.  By and large, we do this because it's our recreation.  My cash outlay is every bit as large as my elk burger priced out by the pound.

[JakeLand]

Oh I trap for the money ! I'm just in the hole $3,000 this year is all 
Keep preaching Bear !!!

[Norman89]

Jakeland sounds like you need one top lot cat to sell! Trapping radio reported 3700$ cats. Ten sold at that price blew me away! Wonder if weyerhaeuser has any high dollar cats with clear bellies good spots and rossetes walking around.....then maybe the money would be worth it but im always happy to just be in the woods!

[bear hunter]

Oh I trap for the money ! I'm just in the hole $3,000 this year is all 
Keep preaching Bear !!!

Not worth my time. Hell I have you beat Jake lol I spent about $6,000.00 so far. I was able to right off 4,000 for WCO but the rest I couldn't. 

[bear hunter]

Jakeland sounds like you need one top lot cat to sell! Trapping radio reported 3700$ cats. Ten sold at that price blew me away! Wonder if weyerhaeuser has any high dollar cats with clear bellies good spots and rossetes walking around.....then maybe the money would be worth it but im always happy to just be in the woods!

Lol

[klikboom]

I hear you, a doesn't it make you a little sick than someone can buy a bobcat fur at auction for like what $100? $150? I mean that's a sneaky animal, I've seen one in the wild during daylight in a decade of hunting. I just picture some fat ass lady walking down the street in Bejing wearing my hard work and what a rad animal that is how much thought and effort went in to getting that hide. Lugging traps on your back, checking every 24hr, game cams, recharging batteries, killing it, gutting it, making an appointment to get it sealed, skinning, stretching, tanning.

I don't think trappers are sell outs, my first post in the thread was a reply to the statement which was of the effect, "hunters who don't boycott Weyerhaeuser are sell outs." As a hunter and an occasional trapper who would buy a Weyerhaeuser permit, I tried to show the ridiculousness of that statement, by posing the ones who literally sell are trappers. I mean it's private land, which is good and bad, but it does mean they get to set the rules.

I'm interested in the real reason they don't allow trapping? Is it a public image thing? Is it for environmental reasons?

[Humptulips]

I would be willing to bet that if there was not a market for fur it would be illegal to trap except for a few hired by the government. It is that way in places in Europe. I know in the Netherlands they trap thousands of muskrat every year besides using poison on them and never a one is used. Toss them in an incinerator.
I've had this conversation before about the sale of wildlife products. Nobody changes their mind on these internet arguments so I don't expect this to be any different.
Myself though I like to trap but I could not do it if I had to use all the furs myself. You would have to be a pretty poor trapper if that was not the case over a number of years. So, I will continue to sell my furs and whether they are being worn by a lady from Beijing or a Russian or a millennial in Minneapolis I will feel good because I will know the fur was put to good use instead of thrown in the ditch which is what happens to beaver that cause problems on Weyerhaeuser land.
Back when I started trapping there was a lot more trappers, the prices were better and there was pressure on the resource. The water trapping season at the time was three weeks. As there has gotten to be fewer trappers and less pressure the season has increased to the point now if an animal is prime it is legal to trap. I would expect the season to shorten if that ever changed.
The real reason? I can only guess but someone either does not like trapping or someone does not like anybody on WEYCO land. I got the impression some Foresters were against it.

[klikboom]

Great reply humptulips. I appreciate your perspective. You're right you'd kind of run out of uses for the fur if you couldn't get rid of it. It's not quite the same as filling the freezer.

[bear hunter]

I would be willing to bet that if there was not a market for fur it would be illegal to trap except for a few hired by the government. It is that way in places in Europe. I know in the Netherlands they trap thousands of muskrat every year besides using poison on them and never a one is used. Toss them in an incinerator.
I've had this conversation before about the sale of wildlife products. Nobody changes their mind on these internet arguments so I don't expect this to be any different.
Myself though I like to trap but I could not do it if I had to use all the furs myself. You would have to be a pretty poor trapper if that was not the case over a number of years. So, I will continue to sell my furs and whether they are being worn by a lady from Beijing or a Russian or a millennial in Minneapolis I will feel good because I will know the fur was put to good use instead of thrown in the ditch which is what happens to beaver that cause problems on Weyerhaeuser land.
Back when I started trapping there was a lot more trappers, the prices were better and there was pressure on the resource. The water trapping season at the time was three weeks. As there has gotten to be fewer trappers and less pressure the season has increased to the point now if an animal is prime it is legal to trap. I would expect the season to shorten if that ever changed.
The real reason? I can only guess but someone either does not like trapping or someone does not like anybody on WEYCO land. I got the impression some Foresters were against it.

very well said Bruce 

[cougforester]

I would be willing to bet that if there was not a market for fur it would be illegal to trap except for a few hired by the government. It is that way in places in Europe. I know in the Netherlands they trap thousands of muskrat every year besides using poison on them and never a one is used. Toss them in an incinerator.
I've had this conversation before about the sale of wildlife products. Nobody changes their mind on these internet arguments so I don't expect this to be any different.
Myself though I like to trap but I could not do it if I had to use all the furs myself. You would have to be a pretty poor trapper if that was not the case over a number of years. So, I will continue to sell my furs and whether they are being worn by a lady from Beijing or a Russian or a millennial in Minneapolis I will feel good because I will know the fur was put to good use instead of thrown in the ditch which is what happens to beaver that cause problems on Weyerhaeuser land.
Back when I started trapping there was a lot more trappers, the prices were better and there was pressure on the resource. The water trapping season at the time was three weeks. As there has gotten to be fewer trappers and less pressure the season has increased to the point now if an animal is prime it is legal to trap. I would expect the season to shorten if that ever changed.
The real reason? I can only guess but someone either does not like trapping or someone does not like anybody on WEYCO land. I got the impression some Foresters were against it.

I sure don't mind trapping, and like it, especially when they start building dams and wrecking my plantations. However, I would be pretty pissed if I was working near a stream and my dog got into a trap. If it was the foresters who were pushing back on it, there would have to be some sort of happy medium... GPS trap locations maybe? I don't know.

[JakeLand]

Dog get into a cage trap for beaver All my beaver cages are 10x10 x40 and completely under water . Catching a dog is very unlikely now with a cat cage it is possible for a medium to small dog but a lab size dog would just back out

[cougforester]

Dog get into a cage trap for beaver All my beaver cages are 10x10 x40 and completely under water . Catching a dog is very unlikely now with a cat cage it is possible for a medium to small dog but a lab size dog would just back out

Fair. I've got a lab, so I guess it wouldn't be an issue. That was the only thing that I would have an issue with. Bring on the traps!

[huntingfool7]

I would be willing to bet that if there was not a market for fur it would be illegal to trap except for a few hired by the government. It is that way in places in Europe. I know in the Netherlands they trap thousands of muskrat every year besides using poison on them and never a one is used. Toss them in an incinerator.
I've had this conversation before about the sale of wildlife products. Nobody changes their mind on these internet arguments so I don't expect this to be any different.
Myself though I like to trap but I could not do it if I had to use all the furs myself. You would have to be a pretty poor trapper if that was not the case over a number of years. So, I will continue to sell my furs and whether they are being worn by a lady from Beijing or a Russian or a millennial in Minneapolis I will feel good because I will know the fur was put to good use instead of thrown in the ditch which is what happens to beaver that cause problems on Weyerhaeuser land.
Back when I started trapping there was a lot more trappers, the prices were better and there was pressure on the resource. The water trapping season at the time was three weeks. As there has gotten to be fewer trappers and less pressure the season has increased to the point now if an animal is prime it is legal to trap. I would expect the season to shorten if that ever changed.
The real reason? I can only guess but someone either does not like trapping or someone does not like anybody on WEYCO land. I got the impression some Foresters were against it.

I sure don't mind trapping, and like it, especially when they start building dams and wrecking my plantations. However, I would be pretty pissed if I was working near a stream and my dog got into a trap. If it was the foresters who were pushing back on it, there would have to be some sort of happy medium... GPS trap locations maybe? I don't know.

Washington legal traps are as dog friendly as they come.  I hunt upland and waterfowl with a small pack of dogs.  I have no  worries about one of them getting caught in a cage trap.  In fact, I routinely bring dogs while checking traps.  The one pictured is a 28 lb field bred springer spaniel.  She'd easily fit into any cage trap I'm using.

[JakeLand]

Yes a  dog would fit in one of them but I guess I only use swim through cages so it's not much of a factor for me as it would be for others using koro style traps
Great pic with your dog !