Welcome!

Hello everyone! We’re glad you could join us for an awesome action packed few days to learn a lot about the tradition of furbearer trapping! We want you to ask lots of questions so you can be able to tell your friends and family about trapping, so don’t hesitate, even if you think it’s a "silly" question. Remember that the most important thing about this weekend besides having fun is to be safe! Think before you act, and be careful

Clothing:

Trapping takes a lot of physical energy, so it’s a good workout. Make sure you have clothes you can move in! The layering system is the best. If you layer, then you can take off layers of clothes when you’re working hard and sweating. Try to not wear much cotton because when it gets damp from sweat or snow, it doesn’t keep you warm; it can actually chill you! A good fur hat is nice because you loose a lot of heat through your head. It’s a good idea to carry another pair of socks, gloves, and undershirts incase you get wet. Just dress smart, as you would when you’re outside for a long amount of time.

Transportation:

There are a few ways to get around on your trapline. If you have some sets close to the road (but you don’t live in a populated area where you might worry about cats and dogs), you can just drive. Most of the time, trappers use a snowmachine. If the going gets rough, or if your trapline is short and you don’t have a snowmachine, you can always snowshoe! Another way is by dog team.

Lures and Bait:

A lure is something that attracts the animal to the set without food, such as a smelly goop or liquid, or something visual, like a sparkly piece of foil or a bright piece of trail marker. Bait is food that attracts an animal to a trap, such as a bird wing tied up in a tree, or a moose carcass. Lures are usually okay to use, but check as to whether or not you can use bait for the animal that you’re trapping.

Kinds of traps:

Foothold: operates when an animal steps on a pan and two half-circle jaws close shut. It is attached to a chain that is anchored in place.

Conibear: a body-gripping trap that is made of two squares hinged together and a trigger that, when tripped, lets the squares swing in opposite directions to grip the animal ideally around the neck and chest or belly. It kills very quickly.

Snare: a thin wire lasso that is anchored to a tree and hung carefully over an animal trail. It can also be used underwater for beaver by putting them on a vertical stick.

Live Trap: a cage-looking trap that an animal goes into trying to get a piece of bait and then shuts closed behind them.

Miscellaneous Tools:

Wire is useful in many situations; you’ll need wire-cutters, too

Trail marker

Pocket knife

Axe

Ziplock baggies

Plain clear bags (to put over footholds so they don’t freeze)

Survival bag

Extra clothes

Trapping is a wildlife management tool as well as a tradition and way of life. Humans have been in the food chain for thousands of years, and wildlife cannot manage itself, like many people falsely believe.

Populations of animals need to be kept in balance by biologists. Biologists are people who go to college specifically to learn how to keep all the animals in balance. What do we mean by "balance"? Balance refers to the correct ratio of animals living in the wild. For instance, if there were too many fish in one pond, then there wouldn’t be enough food like snails and bugs for all the fish to eat, so the fish would start to die of starvation or disease. But if enough bears and humans come along and go fishing, then there is a balance of fish to the amount of food available to the fish. Likewise, if there are too many wolves and bears (predators) for the number of moose and caribou (prey) that live in one area, then all the prey will be eaten and then the predators will die of starvation, disease, and start eating each other.

Overpopulation is bad. It is the job of a biologist to study the balance of populations to make sure that it does not happen, and to advise law makers as to how many animals can be hunted and trapped. Humans need to hunt and trap for the populations that need to be lessened.

If you hunt and trap animals it does not mean that there will be fewer animals the next year. Animals have babies every year, and so animal populations are called a renewable resource. They have more babies to renew their population, and more babies the next year, and the next…It’s kind of like recycling. If you use a soda can and then turn it in to be recycled, it will be used again as another soda can. Or, if you have a garden and you eat all the carrots in the garden, if you save some of the seeds, you can plant more carrots. If you take care, the animals will always be there.

Trapping is also a way of life for many people. They depend on it for money, as well as clothing. Trapping has been passed down form generation to generation and is therefore called a tradition. Trapping is a fun way to exercise and enjoy the out of doors while contributing to healthy wildlife populations.

Another reason to trap is because the fur one traps is the best form of warmth. Fur is stylish, durable, warm, windproof, and has been worn for thousands of years by people.

Most people think of trappers as old, hairy, dirty men. But the truth is that anyone can do it!

FACT: Foothold traps apply pressure to two sides of an animals’ foot, and this causes numbness. There’s some blood chemistry going on that reduces or completely eliminates the perception of pain (Higher levels of endorphine, cortisol, thyroxine, and insulin). Animals settle down pretty quick after they realize they’re held securely.

FACT: Wild animals never bite themselves where they can feel pain. Some animals may bite at the trap and at the part of the foot they cannot feel, but rarely do they escape by this.

FACT: Scientific evidence shows that animals are only slightly stressed by being trapped. More stress occurs when an animal is being chased than when they are trapped. Stress happens naturally and is considered valuable for survival. Humans have this feeling of an adrenaline rush called "fight or flight" response.

FACT: A trap usually springs harmlessly beneath their hooves, but if it does catch, a tapered foot can be pulled out easily from the trap by the animal.

FACT: Most wildlife in America is more abundant than ever! No endangered species is threatened by trapping today. Loss of some wild animals is due to habitat destruction, people moving inwards more and more on forests, pesticides and pollution. Also, trapping programs are in effect that protect some endangered species from predators. As an example, keeping beaver populations in control is essential to the health of ducks, geese, songbirds, mollusks and fishes, because the flooding effect of beaver dams destroys much of their habitat.

FACT: Relatively few non-furbearers are caught in footholds. Setting the trigger to the right firmness, making the set only attract the target animal, and baiting for only the target animal minimize non-furbearer catches like birds or squirrels. Contrary to conibears or snares, footholds allow the release of accidental non-target catches.

FACT: Footholds are not a threat to humans, as most spring harmlessly beneath our feet. Attended pets can be released easily, without harm, by simply compressing the trap springs.

FACT: Foothold trap designs change constantly! Spiked jaws are no longer even made or used. New models have swivels to allow the trap to spin, have rounded or padded jaws, shock springs on the anchor chain, and improved leverage principles so the spring pressure or "snap" is less.

FACT: Virtually all scientific tests show that regularly tended and properly sized traps do not cause major, permanent, or life-threatening injuries. Most animals simply nap when they discover they’re restrained.

FACT: Most traps are checked every day, and early in the morning, which is right after most animals are caught (because most animals are nocturnal). On average, animals are held in traps less than 8 hours in America.

FACT: furbearers are born in the spring (so they can grow all summer and not have to be very young when they try to survive the winter). Trapping is done in the fall and winter when furs are "prime" (because it’s colder, their fur is thicker and more desirable). By the fall and winter, baby animals are all grown up and don’t live with their parents.

FACT: If humans do not control the population, then nature will, with starvation and disease. Every year, animals have lots more animals than the area can support. These extra animals can either be trapped and hunted or be totally wasted by dying. Trapping and hunting is beneficial to the animal population, as well as to us humans.

FACT: Keeping animal populations in balance is humans’ job and responsibility. Trapping is the kindest thing to do for wild animals because it prevents overpopulation (which leads to disease and starvation). Overpopulation causes disease because when a whole bunch of animals are close to one another, they have less food and space, which makes them get sicker easier, and then the disease spreads easily and quickly because they are in close contact with other animals. Furbearers are a renewable resource. Man is still part of the food chain! We are more able to control nature than bears, cougars, and wolves, and as us on top of the food chain, we have accepted the responsibility of being a predator.

FACT: Trapping is what keeps animal populations healthy! When there are too many animals in an area, they must become aggressive and compete with other animals of the same species to survive. Dense populations cause weakening stresses and lots of opportunity for disease spread rapidly in a chain-like reaction. Populations that are correctly trapped in have healthier, happier animals, which reduces the chances of rapid disease transmission. This is why we vaccinate our pets, because close contact with lots of other animals increases the chance that they’ll get sick, so we give them a shot to prevent sickness.

FACT: As much of the animal as possible is used! The fur makes warm clothing, bones, teeth, and claws are used for arts and crafts and jewelry, beaver meat is fed to sled dogs, other meat is used as bait for other animals, animal fat can be made into an oily wax for candles, the skulls can be cleaned and used as artwork, beaver castors are used to make lure… the list is endless!

Biologists job is to determine how many animals can be trapped in a certain area each winter. If a population looks low, they will close trapping for a certain animal, or restrict trapping by shortening the season, or lessening the number of animals that one is allowed to trap. It is then the trappers job to follow the laws and regulations that the biologists determine.

One of the first ways that trapping is regulated is by seasons, meaning the time of year that one can trap. Trapping is done in the winter. The reason is because trappers and biologists don’t want to catch baby animals, and since baby animals are born in the spring time, and grow up over the summer, they aren’t babies in the winter. Animals have their babies in the spring time so that the babies can grow as much as possible in nice weather and be bigger and stronger to have the best chance at surviving the harsh winter. Another reason we trap in the winter is because animal’s fur is prime, meaning it is the thickest and highest quality.

Another way that biologists regulate trapping is by location. Some parts of Alaska have more of a certain kind of animal than others. Therefore, people can trap more of that animal where there are lots of the animals.

One of the best ways that trapping is regulated is by bag limits. A bag limit is the total number of animals a trapper is allowed to harvest in a season. If there looks to be a really healthy population of marten, for example, then biologists will allow more marten to be taken that year. If, however, a population looks like it is really low, they may decide to restrict the number able to be taken, or close the season for that animal all together. It’s important to note that for different animals, the seasons may be different. For example, the season for wolves may be December through February, while the season for beaver may be November 10^th through January 22nd. Before you begin trapping for an animal, look in the Trapping Regulations book published by The Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and check it often! Seasons and bag limits may not be the same from year to year!

Beaver: The easiest time to trap for beaver is in the fall, when the ponds and lakes are frozen over, but there is not a lot of snow and the ice isn’t super thick! Locate the lodge, which looks like a big pile of sticks and mud. Locate the food cache. If the twigs in the cache are freshly cut trees, then you can be sure that a beaver lives there that winter! Then, locate the runway, which is the "path" the beavers take going from the loge to the food cache. You can find this by looking for a lot of bubbles in that area, because the beavers release air as they swim, marking where they have gone. The bubbles get frozen in the ice. Another way to notice the runway is by its thin ice. Because the beaver are constantly moving through that part of the pond, ice doesn’t form as quickly. Once you have the runway, put a 330 conibear on a stout spruce pole and push the pole into the lake bottom to secure it.

Marten: While you are out, look for marten tracks. When you find some, nail an upside down bucket onto a nearby tree about 5 feet up. Inside the bucket, wire a bit of bait. Put a 110 conibear at the entrance of the bucket, so that the marten climbs the trunk of the tree trying to get the bait, and gets caught. The bucket protects the bait from birds (and thus virtually eliminating the chance of catching a non target species) as well as preventing twigs and snow from setting off the trap. Put a dab of lure somewhere close, and go make the next set!

Otter: When you find a place where otter have played, usually around sloughs, ponds, and creeks, find a place where you can anchor a conibear (220 or 330) that is on the trail they have made, preferably in a spot where they have come out of the water onto dry land. You may have to use twigs to block the otter from going around the trap. These are called guide sticks.

Fox and Coyote: Both these animals seem to be trapped the easiest around places where they are scavenging for food. Find a well-used trail, and on it place a foothold or a snare. Snares targeting coyote are going to have to be placed higher than for fox.

Wolverine: These are super tough animals! Sometimes you can find them on a moose kill. They probably haven’t killed the moose themselves, but no other animals will eat off of a kill after a wolverine has marked it as his! In this case, setting a conibear near the kill is the ticket. Sometimes you can find where a wolverine has been digging around the base of a tree-maybe napping, or burying food. In this case, make a cubby set, which is a totally enclosed little dome with bait in the back, and a 330 conibear for an entrance! A snare for these animals wouldn’t hold up very well, and a foothold runs the risk of having the animal tear the area up so much in their fury that they dig up the anchor, and they run off.

Lynx: These sporadic, solitary cats are trapped most efficiently using a cubby set in a place where they have recently walked (because the odds are high that they will walk that way again). Make sure the cubby set is plenty smelly to attract them to it. Use a foothold, or even a snare. These traps are more obscure, so the lynx doesn’t see or smell them and get shy of investigating your set.

Wolf: These smart animals are fun to trap! First, find a kill they have made, or a trail that they travel often. They will likely return, especially if there is meat left on the kill. Use clean gloves, stored in sterile plastic baggies, and don’t let your nose drip and don’t spit in the area, as the wolves will smell it. Carefully walk off the wolves trail, and set snares on the trail. Make the loop about 12 to 14 inches around, and put the bottom of the snare 8 to 12 inches above the ground. Put the snares in a circle around the kill, but at least 40 feet from the kill. If you find a place where the wolves have peed on a stump marking their territory, place a foothold at the base of the stump, where they will step again. Sometimes, wolves will follow your snowmachine trail. In that case, place a foothold on the trail. Set the trap while you are on your snowmachine so that you do not step on the trail and risk the wolf smelling or seeing your footprint, and thus, getting off the trail. Put the foothold in a clear plastic bag to prevent it from icing. Gently sprinkle snow over that to hide the trap.