Keith Bollinger
November 4, 2011
The word trapper has no formal definition but it has a great amount of meaning to those who are trappers or know someone who is a trapper. A trapper is a person who uses various traps and techniques to capture and kill a class of animals called furbearers. However this is a very basic definition. A trapper is so much more.
What makes a trapper is not simply an urge to kill an animal to sell its fur. No, that is not what a trapper is about. A trapper is a person who first and foremost knows nature and has a deep understanding and respect for nature. A trapper is also a persistent, hard-headed person who doesn’t quit. They are tough, tenacious, and cling to life. Trappers are the type of people to stand for what they believe in, to fight for what they want, and they’re not afraid to get dirty. Trappers are the type of people who are rough around the edges, hardy with rough and callus hands, inventive and thrifty.
Some people call them crazy for venturing out into blizzards, blistering winter winds, flood waters, and thin ice. Some people call them a bit strange for using items such as sleds, bobby pins, cotton balls, and drinking straws as trapping supplies. Others go as far as to say that trappers are cruel people because they kill animals and sell their fur for money. These are the people who claim to know about nature and try to make trapping harder and even ban it for good. This however is a false statement. Trappers are not cruel and understand more about nature and the things that go on in nature than anti-trappers.
Trappers rely heavily on the environment and need it to be preserved in order for future catches to be made. Also in order to make a catch in the first place, a trapper needs to be able to think like the animal he or she is trapping. Trappers have to know where the animal is living, where it travels, where it feeds, how it travels, what its habits are, what it eats, what attracts it, and how the weather affects its behavior. Trappers are in tune with nature and they understand that death is a natural part of nature and humans are a part of nature. For new life to come into this world there must be death. Humans have degraded habitat and have intertwined human kind into the delicate balance of the circle of life. Therefore humans cannot separate ourselves from the processes of nature and we must be a part of all the processes which includes the harvest of animals to allow for new life to enter the circle of life. In order to preserve the environment human must act as nature intends and humans by nature are omnivores meaning we eat meat and plants.
Also some assume that it is easy to catch animals especially in the numbers that some trappers catch animals. However this is also false. It takes numerous hours to make numerous trap sets and many times it takes sometimes at least five trap sets to catch one animal and many times it takes several days before an animal is caught. Think of it this way. A gun hunter says he is skilled because he can shoot an animal at 100 yards. A bow hunter says he is skilled because the animal has to be no more than 40 yards. However a trapper has to get an animal to step on a four square inch area so who is more skilled?
It is these qualities and beliefs that make me proud to be called a trapper. We are a hardy bunch of people and we are proud to have the title of trapper. Being a trapper is much like being a farmer. It is a hard life to live even as a hobby, but it is a good life.
5 comments:
Keith, you provide an interesting look into the all too misunderstood trapping lifestyle. Many condemn trapping as cruelty towards animals, unnecessary as well as for various other reasons due to misconceptions or ignorance of what trapping truly is. These misconceptions are also played up by so called animal rights groups such as PETA. Despite all of this, the main responsibility of a trapper in this day and age is to accurately represent and relay to the often ignorant public what trapping is and what it is all about. This holds true for a number of other practices, such as hunting and fishing. Many see these practices as cruel and negative while blinding themselves to the critical wildlife management implications that each practice provides. Therefore, in order to promote a positive outlook on trapping, it is necessary that one maintain a level of professionalism in order to accurately convey the importance of such practices. Keep up the good work.
-Jonathan Kaiser
Nice job, Keith! Good comments from Jon. I'm in agreement, and hope you can continue your trapping--and maybe become a trapper educator, because we need more of them.
I completely agree with you, Keith. I had the opportunity to take Trapper’s Education last year as a Wildlife 305 course and I ended up learning a lot about trapping, including about the people who do trap. I personally never had a negative connotation about trapping, but I know a lot of people who do. By actually getting the chance to be educated on the topic, I learned a lot about the various rules and regulations that are required of trappers. One thing that I had not thought about was the fact that in many cases, those animals trapped and killer are compensatory losses, like muskrats. By trapping them, their population most likely is not being affected negatively since populations have high mortality due to a number of other factors. Also, trapping an animal within a small radius as opposed to some yards away truly is an extraordinary feat. One can’t help but respect all of the aspects that are needed in order to be a great trapper. Hopefully people will start to be more educated on the subject so that trapping can continue on in future generations because as it stands, it seems like most news anyone ever hears about in regards to trapping are the negatives, when they should be focusing on the benefits.
-Kelly Pardy
I agree with both of you. Being the secretary of the District 5 Wisconsin Trappers Association and a lifetime member of WTA and NTA, I've heard from many that there is a strong need for more educators and younger people to take up officer positions in these organizations which is the reason I am the secretary. If we can educate people on the real facts and drowned out the lies told by PETA and others like them, outdoor activities like trapping can thrive. Although like you said Jon the public can be ignorant and some people just cannot be educated on the realities of trapping.
Keith Bollinger
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