This year I took the time to drive to Springfield Missouri and attend the National Trappers Association Convention, and let me tell you it was well worth the drive!  There were a ton of vendors, great demonstrations by top trappers in the industry, and plenty of folks to talk trapping with.  If you ever get the opportunity to attend one of the national conventions I would encourage you to do it, and I've heard the ones farther north are even better!

With a young, and growing!!!, family it is important to me to get my son involved in the outdoors and trapping, in hopes that he will stick with it and appreciate the lifestyle that comes with it.  In today's world kids, and people in general, are more and more detached from the land and the realities of life.  Trapping is a great way to engage kids in an outdoor activity and keep them interested.  

In this episode we talk otters and otter trapping. I guess you could say that I am a generalist when it comes to trapping, I like to target anything that is on the property that I am trapping, so when I'm water trapping if otters are present I am setting for them. To me they are like the coyote of the water, they are fairly easy to catch but sometimes it is a waiting game for them to come back through the area. When they do though and end up in your trap, man it is exciting! I hope this episode helps you put some otters on the board this coming season.

In this episode I review the Craig O'Gorman book "Hoofbeats of a Wolfer."  This book is pretty well known among trappers, but it isn't the easiest book to get.  You have to order it direct from O'Gorman Enterprises, but if you are a serious coyote trapper, this book is worth the hassle.  There is a ton of great information from O'Gorman, a professional coyote trapper whose livelihood has been made from trapping coyotes for over 40 years.  You will definitely take some things away from this book that will help on your trapline and make you a better trapper.  

In this episode I interview Alabama trapper Steve Wright.  I noticed him on Instagram, by the many coyote catch pictures he posts, and thought he could provide some valuable insight into his trapping strategy.  He didn't disappoint, this interview has some good tactics that I know I will be integrating into my trapline this coming season.  Hope you enjoy!

In this episode I talk with Australian trapper Chris Booby, who operates CGB Vertebrate Pest Management, as well as It's a Dogger's Life YouTube and website.  We talk about the similarities and differences in trapping thousands of miles apart, for a different but similar species, and the Australian aspect of invasive species management versus the US aspect of fur trapping.  This was a really interesting interview and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

In this episode I talk through what I look for as I am getting my traps ready to be dyed and put up for the coming season.  They are pretty straightforward and simple, stake, tag, proper operation, on conibears the trigger.  I also started checking pan tension last year.  These are simple things but can make a difference when you are out on the line!

Well I had a technical malfunction and didn't record an awesome interview I did with Loren Stallsmith of Circle S Leather, so in the meantime I talk about a couple recent issues that have come up around regulations.  More interviews to come!  And Happy Memorial Day!

In this episode I delve into hog trapping, as I've just recently got my hands on some high tech hog trapping equipment.  I don't yet have much experience trapping hogs but a good friend of mine is a hog biologist that specializes in trapping them so I've leaned on him heavily for some hog trapping knowledge.  And I'll share with you what I learn along the way.

In this episode I go through a recent article published in Quality Whitetails about a large coyote research project in the Southeast.  The article focuses on what the data means for managing deer, but I think the data could also help us as trappers learn more about the coyote and his habits.  I also touch on a few things I'm thinking of doing differently for the coming season, particularly some things that I've read in O'Gorman's Hoofbeats of a Wolfer book.