end of the trapping season

[fishermann222]

Well the fox are rubbed so I pulled all my traps. I ended the season with 106 reds and 4 white fox. Thought some of you might like a few pics.

[BIGBORE]

NICE CATCH FOR THE YEAR, I LIKE TO SEE THAT YOU BRING IT RITE IN THE HOUSE WITH YOU. RITE UP MY ALLEY. WAY TO GO.

[fishermann222]

I live on native corporation land "eskimo" so I can not build a fur shed, otherwise i would do it outside.

[poutpro]

Those fox in the last pic on the right side look HUGE.

[winniewalleye777]

WOW quite a season!!

[fishermann222]

poutpro-

the fox here are exceptionally large. My largest fox this season weighed a touch over 23lbs. When I stretch them I have to use coyote stretchers for almost all of them.

[poutpro]

What is the reason for them being so large? Are they all that big or are you just that good of a trapper to only get the big ones?

[fishermann222]

The majority of them are between 15-20lbs i would say. My average length for a stretched fox from head to tail is probably about 55 inches. I have had quite a few over 60 as well. We have a very large food supply for the fox, we have a reindeer slaughtering company that slaughters and sells over 1000 reindeer every winter. they put all the guts, hides, heads etc... in a large pile on a frozen pond. the fox have a hayday eating there. I think that may be one of the reasons. But on average even in other parts of western AK they are very large. Not like the MN fox I used to get. I only use those MN stretchers on the tiny ones now

[riverrat56]

Whats a catch like that bring?

I'd love to get into trapping some day, but time and money are short, as well as knowledge.

[poutpro]

NICE!! How many traps did you have in your line/s?

[fishermann222]

The main thing with trapping is the time that goes into setting, checking, keeping set, and skinning. During trapping season I get started with work around 6 in the morning, and by the time I finish skinning and putting up it is usually around 10 at night. weekends are a lifesaver. I ran a pretty small trapline this year, I ran around a dozen footholds and another 30 or so snares. I averaged a little over 40 a fox, which was alot better than I was expecting. It is nice having the fur prices up again. It paid for half my new snowmobile I needed to run the line. So from trapping this year I am only a little over 4 grand in debt

[protrapper]

I always laugh when people say you can't make money or a living trapping. one year I sold over ten grand just in beaver.

[poutpro]

Even if you didn't make money people would still do it. I don't make any money fishing and hunting, but I still pour money into both of them every season.

[fishermann222]

Protrapper the money is there to be made that is for sure. If I was not working my regular job I probably could have stacked up 5 times as many fox and done quite well for 2 months of hard work. I tried to apply for a leave of absence for next school year in Dec, and January, but the school district was not too fond of the idea . Looks like I will be trapping part time again

[protrapper]

I ask for a layoff by the last week of October. And then just set and tend traps like mad. Every day hard for three months. And then for spring beaver from the first hint of ice out to the last day.