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Author Topic: A little history on beaver trapping in WA  (Read 3027 times)

Offline Humptulips

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A little history on beaver trapping in WA
« on: December 25, 2022, 10:16:53 PM »
If you have been around trappers in WA going back a way you probably have heard guys talk about being a State Trapper. One conjures up pictures of a grizzled old wolfer out protecting livestock or some such thing. Far from the truth as most of these guys were trapping beaver.
You see after WWII the beaver population had maxed out in large areas of WA. The Game Department was getting a lot of flak about beaver damage and beaver prices were high. Opportunities for trappers to cash in but the Game Department had other ideas. They hired these State Trappers and gave them exclusive areas to trap beaver, paying them a flat rate for their beaver. The Game Department than sold the beaver and pocketed the difference. This started in the era of $1 an inch beaver so the finished beaver was worth $50+ average and the trapper received from personal accounts I listened too, $7. Most trappers were out of luck and couldn't take advantage of this opportunity.
By the 60s the price of beaver had dropped to where the State wasn't showing a big profit off trappers, so they opened beaver up to everyone and did away with the State beaver trappers. (I think that was 62.)
Beaver tags had to be bought and on your person for every beaver in possession. They were $1 and you had to buy them in advance. Woe unto the trapper that was caught on the line with an untagged beaver. They raised the price to $2 about the time I graduated from school and done away with them after a couple years of the $2 tags.
Bruce Vandervort

Offline Loup Loup

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Re: A little history on beaver trapping in WA
« Reply #1 on: December 26, 2022, 10:47:05 AM »
Was just reminiscing about this the other day with another “old timer”.
The beaver tag was a way for the State to keep some beaver money flowing into the state coffers, even though they got out of having a corner on the market whin prices dropped.Part of most game wardens duties in those State owned beaver days was trapping beaver and putting up beaver and otter pelts for sale.
I came in when the tags went to $2. As Humptulips said you had to buy the tag before you caught the beaver. A small beaver pelt only brought $1. So I learned to try to set my trap deeper to hopefully not catch a small one.

Offline boneaddict

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Re: A little history on beaver trapping in WA
« Reply #2 on: December 26, 2022, 10:52:02 AM »
Thank you for sharing that

Offline LDennis24

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Re: A little history on beaver trapping in WA
« Reply #3 on: December 26, 2022, 11:21:30 AM »
Yeah thank you for the info! I mentioned beavers in the Trappers beware thread because it's a perfect example of how if we don't manage their population through trapping then you would see all sorts of issues with beavers damming up drainage ditches used to control flooding and backyard streams and culverts being dammed up. I've seen many beaver dams built on a culvert.

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Re: A little history on beaver trapping in WA
« Reply #4 on: December 26, 2022, 12:22:24 PM »
Already see that here :yeah:
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Re: A little history on beaver trapping in WA
« Reply #5 on: December 26, 2022, 01:59:20 PM »
They were notorious for damming up open irrigation ditches and head gates too!!   About one month every fall on the Big Valley, I was in "pest control"!!   Got $50 for every one I got, kept me in gun monies!! :chuckle: :chuckle:
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Re: A little history on beaver trapping in WA
« Reply #6 on: December 26, 2022, 01:59:49 PM »
Imagine today's "game wardens" trapping and putting up beaver as a condition of employment?

Offline Trapper John

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Re: A little history on beaver trapping in WA
« Reply #7 on: December 26, 2022, 03:05:31 PM »
If you have been around trappers in WA going back a way you probably have heard guys talk about being a State Trapper. One conjures up pictures of a grizzled old wolfer out protecting livestock or some such thing. Far from the truth as most of these guys were trapping beaver.
You see after WWII the beaver population had maxed out in large areas of WA. The Game Department was getting a lot of flak about beaver damage and beaver prices were high. Opportunities for trappers to cash in but the Game Department had other ideas. They hired these State Trappers and gave them exclusive areas to trap beaver, paying them a flat rate for their beaver. The Game Department than sold the beaver and pocketed the difference. This started in the era of $1 an inch beaver so the finished beaver was worth $50+ average and the trapper received from personal accounts I listened too, $7. Most trappers were out of luck and couldn't take advantage of this opportunity.
By the 60s the price of beaver had dropped to where the State wasn't showing a big profit off trappers, so they opened beaver up to everyone and did away with the State beaver trappers. (I think that was 62.)
Beaver tags had to be bought and on your person for every beaver in possession. They were $1 and you had to buy them in advance. Woe unto the trapper that was caught on the line with an untagged beaver. They raised the price to $2 about the time I graduated from school and done away with them after a couple years of the $2 tags.

 :hello:  "1963" ..........   so they opened beaver up to everyone and did away with the State beaver trappers. (I think that was 62.)

I remember quit a few of those state trappers.  Jack Say was one of them from Seattle.  Real nice guy and member of WSTA.  He was a meat cutter and use to bring his used knives to our rendezvous and sell them for a $1.00.
He use to tell me that he use to trap beaver out of the culvert ditches that flooded road including I-5.

The "Game Department" use to have what they called "Control Officers" (which were and are game agents), those were the guys that trapped nuisance beaver and raccoons in peoples backyards.  That program came to an end in 1985-86.  That is when the department contacted me and a few other guys and ask us if we wanted to do the job of trapping nuisance wildlife year round.  That is when the program stated and it was called "Contract Trappers".  The Game department was than changed to the Washington Wildlife Department.  A few years later it was call "Nuisance Wildlife Control Operators.  And the department became what it is today known as Department of Fish & Wildlife - WDFW.    Years later it became just plain "Wildlife Control Operators" or as you call yourself "WCO's" now.

Yep, I was one of those first guys on the program.
Just a little history on the whole "Trapping Problem" that started back in the 1960's.
JC   :hello:


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Re: A little history on beaver trapping in WA
« Reply #8 on: December 26, 2022, 04:14:19 PM »
Loved the history lessons  :tup: :tup:

Offline Loup Loup

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Re: A little history on beaver trapping in WA
« Reply #9 on: December 26, 2022, 04:56:54 PM »
Make no mistake, what Humptulips brought up and what I spoke to was not nuisance wildlife control. But, the State excluding the public from a resource, so they, the State had exclusive access to that resource. Beaver pelts. The State employees and contractors trapped for fur. The fur was then sold to generate revenue for the State coffers. It was not until the price crashed and beaver complaints increased that the public was allowed to once again harvest beaver. While taxed by having to buy the state beaver tags.

Offline hunter399

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Re: A little history on beaver trapping in WA
« Reply #10 on: December 26, 2022, 06:40:31 PM »
It kinda cool to hear some history from beaver trapping.
From some guys that lived it.
The state trying to profit off the resources is not a huge surprise.
Learn something everyday.👍
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Offline LDennis24

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Re: A little history on beaver trapping in WA
« Reply #11 on: December 26, 2022, 09:22:15 PM »
Now see I have never trapped or been actively involved in trapping in any way. Yet I can see the writing on the wall just being observant of what beavers do in the areas I frequent and wondering what can be done about it. And they wanna put a complete stop to trapping.  :dunno:

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Re: A little history on beaver trapping in WA
« Reply #12 on: December 26, 2022, 10:02:30 PM »
You Ldennis get the point of this reminisce.

Offline AL WORRELLS KID

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Re: A little history on beaver trapping in WA
« Reply #13 on: December 28, 2022, 11:29:56 AM »
Here's a picture of the Fur Grader's from the Seattle Fur Exchange at Southcenter in Tukwila, WA taken back in the 70's (a Fur Auction House used by the State.) I'm the one in  the Visor.
 We saw a lot of piles of Washington State Game Department Beaver Pelts come through our doors and even some Sea Otter Pelts when NOAA was "experimenting" on the populations in the 80's.  :rolleyes:
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Offline Humptulips

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Re: A little history on beaver trapping in WA
« Reply #14 on: December 28, 2022, 09:41:52 PM »
I saw a rack of sea otter at SFE on my first trip to SFE circa about 1980. Incredible pelts, Monstrous things as I remember they were like 6 feet long not including the tail. They have a very short tail. Every kind of fur imaginable in the grading room. I believe the guy said they had $7,000,000 on the grading room floor.
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Offline Mt.Beaver

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Re: A little history on beaver trapping in WA
« Reply #15 on: December 29, 2022, 08:46:00 AM »
Bruce and John,  This sounds like a story to be added to the newsletter for members that do not hang out on this site.  It fills in some info for me on the changes over time in the state regulations that I have been reporting in the Fur Shed. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.  Ed

Offline Trapper John

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Re: A little history on beaver trapping in WA
« Reply #16 on: December 29, 2022, 08:50:06 PM »

Here a couple picture of more History on our Beaver and WSTA

Here is the metal "Beaver Tag" that you had to purchase before you put a trap out.

The two "Cascade Select tags" where hung on all Fur caught by WSTA Members at the Seattle Fur Exchange
Our Fur was recognized by Fur Buyer around the world that went to the SFE auctions.
JC   :hello:



Offline Trapper John

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Re: A little history on beaver trapping in WA
« Reply #17 on: December 29, 2022, 08:55:53 PM »

Here is our "Cascade Select" Certification from the Secretary of State
Issue 1985 until 1996 ................ Alan Worrell got that for us.
JC   :hello:



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Re: A little history on beaver trapping in WA
« Reply #18 on: December 29, 2022, 09:36:38 PM »
I remember buying beaver tags in the 70's, I used to run a trapline after high school every night. When beaver prices dropped too low I quit doing as many beaver and focused more on coyotes and cats. Hard to imagine in today's world, but even a young trapper could make money with a trapline back then.
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Offline AL WORRELLS KID

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Re: A little history on beaver trapping in WA
« Reply #19 on: December 31, 2022, 01:11:25 AM »
Washington Wild Fur was definitely a big draw to interested Buyers coming in from around the world to our Seattle Fur Exchange Auctions.
 Western Washington Muskrats have some of the best quality and color around, when prices were high, a few Trappers would even sneak a few Mountain Beaver skins into their catch.  :chuckle:
Each bundle of Furs when graded and sold, would represent mainly one fur coat when finished.
With the large quantity of Wild Fur coming from Alaska and the Lower 48, Trappers made out a lot better than if they just sold to their local Buyer.  :tup:
« Last Edit: December 31, 2022, 01:17:18 AM by AL WORRELLS KID »
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