Summer Is The Season To Gear Up For The Trapline

Myriad things may be done now to get ready for the coming trap line, and I rather enjoy most of these tasks. Unlike the frantic days of October, I get things done at a more leisurely pace.

- Jack Whitman

All of the traps and rigging hardware need to be checked, anything worn or bent fixed. If I can’t fix something, I order a replacement before the supply houses get busy. Summer is also a good time to pick up used traps at trapper conventions. Real bargains turn up at garage and estate sales. Just make sure the chains and springs are strong, that the pans set level with maybe a bit of fine-tuning. A wire brush cleans off the dirt and grime for a better look.

When 110 Conibear springs get weak, I usually just convert them to 120s by adding a spring to the other side. Supply houses carry the springs, and I also keep a stash in the shed. It’s a simple procedure with a pair of vice-grips. Just open the spring loops and bend them back around the jaws. The triggers also get bent or broken, and replacement trigger assemblies can be an upgrade at a reasonable price. But ask for installation advice before you order.

Once all the traps are ready to go, I fire up the boiling pot, throw in a half bag of Log wood dye and a few ounces of baking soda. When all is lightly boiling, I dip traps for 20 minutes and then hang them to drip-dry. I bundle the dry traps in half-dozens and hang them in the shed. If you want to wax them, now is the time.

My state requires trap tags, and now is also the time to make sure each one is legible and replace any that aren’t.

Snares that caught critters last season were brought home and relegated to a 5-gallon “junk” bucket. I go through this bucket salvaging parts I can use. Then I put together a couple hundred snares with new cable. After assembly, snares are degreased and dyed, wrapped in bundles of four and hung in the fur shed.

I use a 3-gallon stainless steel pot atop an outdoor propane cooker to degrease snares. I fill the pot nearly full with clean water, a half-box of baking soda and a half-pound of logwood powder.