Philip P. Massaro - Trapping 101: A Complete Guide to Taking Furbearing Animals

Copyright 2020 by Philip Massaro

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover design by Tom Lau

Cover photos courtesy GettyImages; cover illustrations courtesy the author

Print ISBN: 978-1-5107-1633-9

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-5107-1634-6

Printed in China

This book is the product of the generosity of many people, who took the time out of their life to show a kid how to do things; the world would be a better place if more people were this generous.

Among those who taught me about trapping, certain names stick out, and Id like to express my sincere gratitude, even though all these gentlemen have passed on. To David W. Miller, for showing me how to do just about anything, but especially about hunting and trapping. To Kingdom Proctormy 4H leaderfor handing a kid a bunch of used traps and inspiring a lifetime of adventure. To Harold Holsapple, the north country long-line professional trapper, for a plethora of insight and advice. To Harold (Pop) Ellis, for taking a young man coon hunting. And lastly, to my trapping partner Mike Drivas, with whom I spent so much time afield in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Philip J. Massaro, Linlithgo, New York, October 7, 2019

Table of Contents

Foreword

It goes without saying that I owe Phil Massaro a debt of gratitude for seeing my passion for trapping, my concern for the sport and its future, my commitment to family and tradition, and my utter respect for the animals all animals.

Trapping was a sport that I was exposed to as a young boy, though I was removed from it for many years. Ironically, it was actually a writing career which brought me back into the trapping scene. I was on assignment, inking a story about a father-son duo who had been running a line together for over twenty years. That day, the fire inside of me was re-kindled, and it burned strong. Every fall since, Ive spent more time overthinking a set or a specific critter than anyone should. But, thats what trappers do. Its a chess match, and every single day you need to think about your next move. Its more than a game, though. Its an art, the original art. Without trapping, what wouldve pushed settlers west? I think about the mountain men and settlers every time I pull a beaver from a trap. I can only dream of trapping back then.

Phil and I share the love of history, but its more than that for both of us. We spoke on the phone the other day, and talked about how trapping was a family thing for both of us. My uncle was the one who put steel in my hand, and showed me around the creeks and field edges. Phils dad was the one who showed him the ropes. The days of trapping with my uncle are long-gone, but Ive passed the sport on to my children, who have both done more in trapping than I had even dreamt about at their age. They run a winter weasel line each year, after the ermine have all turned white. Theyve both trapped several foxes, beavers, coyotes, raccoons, and muskrats. My son, Tate, even has a bobcat under his belt. I hope that someday they have children of their own, and pass down the art of trapping. I hope that it spreads to their friends, like it has to my kids friends. I hope they all stumble across this book, and find something in it that helps elevate their ability to outsmart a critter on any given day.

We truly hope that you enjoy the book. It may have a title insinuating that its a book for beginners, but there are enough small tricks of the trade and personal observations that we believe everyone will pick up something from its pages. Whether youre just looking to refine your coyote skills, or you want to learn how to begin a weasel line with your kids, the book has it all. Also included are stories of success and failure. If youre a seasoned trapper, youll probably think there are parts of the book that are wrong, but like anything else in life, there are things to be learned no matter how experienced you may be. If youve been around trapping long enough, youll surely think to yourself that youve been in our shoes. You might even crack a chuckle. If youre new to trapping, you might find pieces of the trapping scene that arent for you. You might find it controversial. No matter how you view it, we hope that you find it informative.

Thank you for picking it up; I hope that you cant put it down. May the information in this book lead to as many happy trapping memories as Ive had with my family.

Matthew Breuer, outdoor author, Bemidji, Minnesota

The authors, Philip J. Massaro and Philip P. Massaro.

Introduction

The authors on safari in Tanzania.

First and foremost, wed like to welcome you to Trapping 101. I say we because this book is a joint collaboration between yours trulyPhilip P. Massaroand my dear father, Ol Grumpy PantsPhilip J. Massaro. You see, I was raised hunting, fishing, and trapping with my dad, and while he split his time between running hounds, deer hunting, and running a trap line all fall and winter, I went on to become a big-game junkie. Now, that doesnt mean that I didnt enjoy trapping, but there are twenty-one years between us and the mid-1960s were not the mid-1980s. By the time I had a car, and the opportunity to run a trap line of my own, my father had established a land surveying business, and I began my apprenticeship to follow in his footsteps. However, for the previous two decades Grumpy Pants was obsessed with trapping, and I spent much of my youth helping him as best I could, and soaking up all the information I could.

Fast forward three decades to the present, and GP and I have been business partners in our land surveying business for fifteen years, and I have somehow found myself the author of five books on guns, ballistics, and hunting, as well as hundreds of magazine and Internet articles.

GP and I have been on safari together, and have hunted in the US and Canada together, but my second career has literally taken me around the world, having hunted four continents. Mind you, this is in no way a bragging session; it is an affirmation of my roots, as the farther I travel to hunt the remote places of the world, the more I appreciate those memories made with my father at home, at a young age, when we had little money.