Alright guys, trapping season is finally coming to an end and it was a real grind for us at GGG Outdoors. We love to get out there and set some traps for predators to help keep a good balance on the properties that we manage and hunt on. We also trap several farms for farmers that want to keep predator numbers down for their livestock to stay safe as well as their pets. I myself was new to trapping and had some really great teachers along the way with Chris and his dad and some of my other good buddies who are accomplished trappers. I was unable to catch anything this year due to some crazy weather conditions but I came close a few times missing catches due to frozen traps several times. I learned alot and had a whole lot of fun being in the outdoors and enjoying God's creation he made for us!
As most of you probably already know from watching some of the videos Chris and his dad and some of the other guys tore it up this year catching all kinds of critters. We were very blessed with a great trapping season catching alot of great prime fur and making some great memories. Just wanted to share some pics with you of some of the feature catches we had this past season and also show you a couple of pics of why we do this. We found a dead turkey one day and a dead deer on another that were both taken down by predators. Chris and his dad managed to catch 25 coons, 12 red foxes, 1 grey fox, 6 coyotes, 26 muskrats, 4 beavers, 3 skunks, 39 opposums, 2 huge otters, and 3 bobcats this past season. Like I said, the good Lord truly blessed us this year and we are very thankful for that!! Hope you guys will enjoy some of these pics.
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Cool pics, looks like a lot of fun.
Nice. Congrats on an awesome season...
Nice Job!!!!! Kill em all. Good season.
Very nice. You did a lot better than me. Would love to snag an otter.
Great pictures..Looks like you had a successful season..
Where are you located??
Great pics. That's a great season. That'll help the turkey population. :icon_thumright:
The otters were definitely a great bonus!
We are located in central WV. Kanawha, Braxton, and Roane county. It was definitely a blessed season!
Sweet! One of those in the middle looks like a wolf to me or is it just a huge yote?
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Looks Great, and fewer nest robbers for sure.
No it's just a big yote. Weighed 48 pounds. We have a hybrid strain of coytes here that are bigger than most other coyotes, they have some wolf in them
Dang man send me some otters to Boone County. Hahaha
Very cool pics! Thanks for sharing. :icon_thumright:
Deputy, you definitely dont want otters!! Be thankful you arent dealing with them if you dont have any. They are an absolute aweful animal to have around. They will completely whipe out a river or small stream quick in areas. Eat every fish in there then move on. The less of those things we have the better.
Thats awesome!!
very cool :icon_thumright:
Long live the turkeys!!!
Hopefully our efforts have saved alot of turkey's lives this year.
Nice! I know those bobcats will bring a nice chunk of change. Any muskrat trapping?
Congrats! Looks like you had a great season. :you_rock:
Awesome Brother!!!!
God Bless
yeah junior, caught 29 muskrats this year. No pics on here but you can check out some of our other videos on youtube and they have some muskrat catches in them.
We had a great season and a fun time filming and making the trapping series. Planning to do much more of this in the future for sure!
Awesome job! Sure is some pretty country. I miss running a line. Kids in travel sports slow you down so enjoy.
Thanks! Some of the farms we trap and turkey hunt on are just about as pretty as you can get! We love our landscape here in WV!
Soak in all of that time with your kids playing sports that you can! Some of my best memories are when my brother and I traveled around playing AAU basketball with my dad coaching! Im very thankful for those times I got to experience and have my family there with me. Definitely takes up alot of time and money, but its so worth it.
Dang, I wish I had the land, and the time to do that. Looks like a lot of fun! And it's got to improve your hunting by taking out all of those predators!! :icon_thumright:
Most of the properties that we trap on are our own farms, but we do trap several really big farms for neighbors that give us permission. We dont deer hunt these farms, but do get to turkey hunt them some. Its alot of fun, takes up a lot of time too but man its worth it keeping some of these predators in check. We have definitely seen positive results over the past few years keeping a good control of predator numbers.
very cool. something i have always said I want to get into but have never done it.
I had never done it till this year and my buddies got me into it. I had some very good teachers with loads of knowledge! I really enjoyed it this year and learned alot, I will be doing it again next year for sure, just starting much earlier.
I got started late this year and the winter was brutal, very rough to trap in!! I missed a bobcat 3 different times because he would always come in and work my set when the traps were frozen. Like I said, I learned alot this year and I will get em next year!
The ethics of blood sport require that prey be dispatched as quickly and humanely as possible. Jacking around to get a picture with live prey smacks of cruelty.
I was just waiting for a negative comment, I knew all the positive comments were too good to be true lol. We respect ever animal that we hunt and every animal that we trap. Taking a single picture or video with an animal in a trap, that has been there for a few hours already is really not going to hurt anything. We want to document it in every way possible and the only true way to do that is to walk up on the animal and take a quick video or quick picture. That animal is not harmed by sitting in that trap, its been there for a little bit anyways so a couple extra minutes isnt hurting anything.
You have to walk up on animals in the trap anyways and inspect them and make sure their fur is fine and not rubbed. That takes a little bit of time as well. If you do happen to catch an animal that is rubbed really bad and you know is not good quality fur it is then your judgment call whether you want to release the animal or dispatch of it.
Congrats on a good season!
Quote from: longbeard11 on February 27, 2014, 08:18:33 AM
I was just waiting for a negative comment, I knew all the positive comments were too good to be true lol. We respect ever animal that we hunt and every animal that we trap. Taking a single picture or video with an animal in a trap, that has been there for a few hours already is really not going to hurt anything. We want to document it in every way possible and the only true way to do that is to walk up on the animal and take a quick video or quick picture. That animal is not harmed by sitting in that trap, its been there for a little bit anyways so a couple extra minutes isnt hurting anything.
You have to walk up on animals in the trap anyways and inspect them and make sure their fur is fine and not rubbed. That takes a little bit of time as well. If you do happen to catch an animal that is rubbed really bad and you know is not good quality fur it is then your judgment call whether you want to release the animal or dispatch of it.
I thought for a while about whether I wanted to comment on this thread or not. This is a hunting forum and those of us that participate here do so with the realization that what we do results in the deaths of other "beings" that share this planet with us. We also realize that for each of us to exist on this planet, other living organisms have to lose their lives in the process. That is the reality. We cannot change it,...nor can those who frown upon hunting and trapping.
Having said that, we as hunters must eventually come to the realization that the great majority of people in this country do not hunt or trap,...and that they have the power, through the legislative processes, to either allow us to hunt/trap or to tell us we cannot do so legally. As such, we tread a fine line with how we portray ourselves to them, and how they "interpret" our actions.
Your response above to spaightlabs comment is about as reasonable as it could be. I agree that the animals in the pictures are probably not going to be traumatized any further by the taking of pictures for another minute or two. And your assertion that if the pelts are not satisfactory, you can release the animal, is a reasonable statement.
However, spaightlabs comment should be taken seriously. All of us must understand that the general public does not always see things the same way we hunters and trappers do. Also, there are plenty of people out there that, frankly, hate our guts and will do anything they can to make us look bad in the eyes of the majority of the public that is willing to accept what we do,....as long as we do it within their view of what is responsible and ethical.
I will pretty much guarantee you that pictures like the ones posted are an anti-trapping/hunting group's gold mine. They will exploit them to the max to turn the general public against trapping. ...And ultimately, they will succeed. They already have in many states. Out here in the west, some states have already outlawed trapping on public lands, and the others are quickly moving that way.
I am not a trapper, but I have nothing against trapping. However, those that trap better wake up and smell the coffee or you are going to see your privilege of doing so taken away,...and it will not be in the too distant future.
Wildlife in every state belongs to the people, even that which lives on private land! If the people of this country decide that they do not want us killing their wildlife,...either by trapping, hunting, or even fishing,...they can legislate it out of existence! It is happening on public land now,...and it can happen on private land, too!
We must become more conscious of how we present ourselves to the public. I know you meant no harm on this hunting forum by posting those pictures. I also know that I will get vilified by some people here for going on this little tirade about it, too. But folks, if we want to keep doing our thing in this country, we better start understanding that we do it at the will of a very fickle public. Start thinking about that before posting pictures that can and will be used against us!
Come up to Marion county and get some of our Coyotes. They are everywhere up here.
Very Very well said. I totally agree with all that you said, and I thank you for putting it all into perspective for us. We realize that as hunters we are a dying breed! It is our responsibility as outdoorsman to pass on our heritage and our traditions in the outdoors down through the generations or else we will surly see it die. Habitat for our wildlife is slowly shrinking, and so are the populations of the animals we love to hunt. Like you said, there are a whole lot of people out there that hate us and what we do and will do whatever they can to stop us.
That being said, I posted these pictures on a hunting based forum for other hunters to enjoy and discuss. Part of hunting, fishing, trapping, that I have always enjoyed so much is being able to share the pictures and memories with others and talk about it, its what we all love to do. I am not going to stop doing that for fear that some tree hugging nut job (for lack of better words) could get ahold of those and bash me. I am a hunter, its in my blood, its what I do. Yeah I dont want to fuel a fire that is against us, but hey lets face it, no matter what we are doing they are gonna be against us and try and dig up dirt on us for every little move we make. They will take stuff that is nothing at all and turn it all around to make us looke like violent killing machines.
We all know what hunting is about here, its not about killing at all, harvesting an animal is just icing on the cake. Hunting and the outdoors is about spending that time out there with God seeing his beautiful creation. Listening to the woods wake up in the morning and see what masterpiece he paints in the sky that day. Sharing that time with your dad or your loved one out there making great memories that you will never forget. Sure people that are against us will always see our picture as sensless killing, but to me and to us as hunters we look at that picture and we relive that whole hunt in our head and that to me is priceless and is something that I wont stop doing and sharing.
Quote from: GobbleNut on March 02, 2014, 01:42:29 PM
Quote from: longbeard11 on February 27, 2014, 08:18:33 AM
I was just waiting for a negative comment, I knew all the positive comments were too good to be true lol. We respect ever animal that we hunt and every animal that we trap. Taking a single picture or video with an animal in a trap, that has been there for a few hours already is really not going to hurt anything. We want to document it in every way possible and the only true way to do that is to walk up on the animal and take a quick video or quick picture. That animal is not harmed by sitting in that trap, its been there for a little bit anyways so a couple extra minutes isnt hurting anything.
You have to walk up on animals in the trap anyways and inspect them and make sure their fur is fine and not rubbed. That takes a little bit of time as well. If you do happen to catch an animal that is rubbed really bad and you know is not good quality fur it is then your judgment call whether you want to release the animal or dispatch of it.
I thought for a while about whether I wanted to comment on this thread or not. This is a hunting forum and those of us that participate here do so with the realization that what we do results in the deaths of other "beings" that share this planet with us. We also realize that for each of us to exist on this planet, other living organisms have to lose their lives in the process. That is the reality. We cannot change it,...nor can those who frown upon hunting and trapping.
Having said that, we as hunters must eventually come to the realization that the great majority of people in this country do not hunt or trap,...and that they have the power, through the legislative processes, to either allow us to hunt/trap or to tell us we cannot do so legally. As such, we tread a fine line with how we portray ourselves to them, and how they "interpret" our actions.
Your response above to spaightlabs comment is about as reasonable as it could be. I agree that the animals in the pictures are probably not going to be traumatized any further by the taking of pictures for another minute or two. And your assertion that if the pelts are not satisfactory, you can release the animal, is a reasonable statement.
However, spaightlabs comment should be taken seriously. All of us must understand that the general public does not always see things the same way we hunters and trappers do. Also, there are plenty of people out there that, frankly, hate our guts and will do anything they can to make us look bad in the eyes of the majority of the public that is willing to accept what we do,....as long as we do it within their view of what is responsible and ethical.
I will pretty much guarantee you that pictures like the ones posted are an anti-trapping/hunting group's gold mine. They will exploit them to the max to turn the general public against trapping. ...And ultimately, they will succeed. They already have in many states. Out here in the west, some states have already outlawed trapping on public lands, and the others are quickly moving that way.
I am not a trapper, but I have nothing against trapping. However, those that trap better wake up and smell the coffee or you are going to see your privilege of doing so taken away,...and it will not be in the too distant future.
Wildlife in every state belongs to the people, even that which lives on private land! If the people of this country decide that they do not want us killing their wildlife,...either by trapping, hunting, or even fishing,...they can legislate it out of existence! It is happening on public land now,...and it can happen on private land, too!
We must become more conscious of how we present ourselves to the public. I know you meant no harm on this hunting forum by posting those pictures. I also know that I will get vilified by some people here for going on this little tirade about it, too. But folks, if we want to keep doing our thing in this country, we better start understanding that we do it at the will of a very fickle public. Start thinking about that before posting pictures that can and will be used against us!
Another great response. I agree that we, as hunters, trappers, or whatever, should not have to defend our way of life against those that do not realize that they, too, are participants,...not just spectators,... in the everyday life and death struggles that take place on this planet. Unfortunately, in this day and age, we must be very careful about how we portray ourselves. No personal offense intended by my comments,...just trying to emphasize the point that we all must watch what we do,...there are those out there that will exploit any opportunity they see to condemn us.
I totally agree with you!
I have seen this moreso first hand through our trapping series. There have been multiple people come out and say they are totally against it for whatever reason, and I have come to find out that most of these people that are totally against it just dont understand it whatsoever. With most of this you will never sway their opinion, all you can do is try and talk with them about it and educate them as to why we do what we do and that we respect all animals we pursue.
Great Catch,Great photos! :icon_thumright:
Quote from: GobbleNut on March 03, 2014, 04:57:55 PM
I agree that we, as hunters, trappers, or whatever, should not have to defend our way of life. Unfortunately, in this day and age, we must be very careful about how we portray ourselves.
X/2
Unfortunately..Social media has has hurt us as a whole.
The first and last photo were all that were needed.
Trapping allows one to use a natural resouce from the land. Most predator populations are sustainable - these means you can work the same areas every year and kill about the same amount. It also means that statistically speaking trapping has little impact on the overall game population on which they prey.
The predators populations are largely compensatory. You are killing what would have died anyways from disease, starvation or other means (road kill). Trapping at least pulls value from these animals deaths.
Research show that the only way trapping will actually increase game populations is through intensive harvesting ... in the spring and summer when birds are nesting and raising broods. An area trapped in the fall and winter just gets back filled by other predators in the neighboring areas.