Headed back 30 years for this one as we revisit 1987 on the trapline. Lots of thoughts, as always, when I look back at the outdoor photo albums and records. As I noted earlier this year, I had hopes of an over the top trapping blog project spanning the season but just too many other priorities to get it done. However, I couldn’t help but do some writing and reminiscing so you get the abridged version instead. Mixed in are plenty of hints as to what is to come when I do get around to my epic trapline blowout.

But for now…

We’ll start with the trappers.

The 17-year old kid in the flannel shirt is my brother, Brent, a senior at Galesburg High School at the time of this outing. I assume that this trip was on a weekend, but being exceptionally bright, I don’t figure a day of hooky would have hurt him much anyway.

The guy in the middle is our Dad, who along with his brother taught us pretty much everything we know about trapping. Much of what we learned was useful but there was certainly a degree of leg pulling that was also thrown in on more than a few occasions.

I’m the guy on the right in the purple of the Knox College Siwash where I was trudging through what was kind of my first of two junior years. Strange to think, but that 20-year old fellow is now seven years older than Dad was back in 1987.

Trucks have also been an integral part of the adventures and Dad’s Ford Ranger and Uncle Dick’s Chevy S10 were around for more than a few seasons. Both predate the appearance of four wheel drive vehicles on the trapline which made for some interesting situations along with the need for a little manpower assistance when things got slippery.

A little fuzzy on the scan but that’s 85 coons, 101 muskrats and 6 beaver for $2,002.75 during the 1987-88 season with Top Coon at $30

A final bit of flashback fun involves a look at some stats from this 1987-88 trapping season. Dad has data on catches and total dollars earned dating all the way back to 1971 with yearly totals for nearly every season from 1979-80 to just a few years ago. Quite interesting to look back at the numbers and see the ups and downs of the fur market over time. While the rest of the numbers will be reserved for that big future trapping project, I will say that fur prices looked to be pretty solid for the haul noted above.

That’s all for another Trapping Tuesday but plenty more to come with a weekly posting through the end of January. Lots of other outdoor stuff mixed in around those flashbacks as well, so hope you’ll stop by. Talk to you later. Troy

So, I’ve got a new “winter” project that I’m calling “Trapping Tuesday.” It will consist of a weekly look at a family past time dating back several generations that has only recently been put upon the shelf. Therefore, this series of postings will consist of flashbacks from 5, 10, 15 and up to 45 years ago drawing upon family photo albums, old written reports and tales either witnessed firsthand or passed down over the years. I actually have had a major trapping blog project in the works for several years but still working on getting it just right and need more time to write, research, rehash and reminisce. I guess this is kind of a tease to that future trapping project. Maybe next year for the unabridged version.

In the meantime, we go back in time to November of 2002 with the crew pictured below for a look at the results of Opening Day. The following is an excerpt from an original write up I passed along via email to a group of family and friends.

November 6, 2002 – (Left to right): Richard Jackson (my uncle), Richard Jackson (yep, that’s actually my first name), Brent Jackson (my brother) and Terry Jackson (aka Dad) – many miles and just a few stories with this bunch

“Our grand total was 121 traps set. The vast majority were coon sets (though some may also catch muskrats, mink, and, yes, opossum), three were muskrat sets and four were beaver sets. Here’s a breakdown by location.

Big Timber – 4 coons
Rickett’s – 3 coons
Earl’s House – 1 coon
Moore’s Lane – 1 coon
Pat’s Creek – 1 coon, 1 muskrat, 1 beaver (60 lbs.)
Corner Place – 2 coons
Earl’s Pond – 2 coons
Moore’s-North – 2 coons

Totals – 16 coons, 1 muskrat, 1 beaver (also a few opossums but who’s counting)

A reasonable day, very close to one trapper’s prognostication, while failing to meet several optimistic predictions offered by others over a Burger King breakfast. However, there were quite a few thrown traps (the trap went off but failed to catch anything) and ones that got away. Had we caught even a few of these, some of our predictions would have had a chance. As an added feature, we also picked our “can’t miss” set as a tiebreaker (Brent’s idea). We each selected a single trap on the trapline that we felt would produce a catch. None of these produced an official catch. One guy’s pick caught an opossum and after a very brief discussion, Brent, Dad and I decided this species didn’t qualify. The other trapper, whose name will not be mentioned, did not file a protest. As it turned out, Dad was the winner and didn’t miss the actual catch by very much. Here’s each trapper’s prediction and their “can’t miss” set.

Glancing back at the results you will notice a variety of place names included in the totals and predictions. A future article during the trapping season will explore the origin of many of the names that have been assigned over the years. A lot of years have been spent prowling many of these areas and, of course, there’s a story behind all of the names. It’s says a lot about the time spent together enjoying the outdoors when one of us says, “We caught one just around the bend from The German Torpedo” or “We lost one at The Dangerous Crossing.” A mental picture pops into your head and you know the exact area where the event occurred. Most of the time, at least, as I get confused on occasion when I get The Deer Stand, Old Faithful or The Rose Bowl in the incorrect order. Well, you get the picture. Some of the names are obvious, while others require a tale.”

Takes two trappers for this shot with a 60-pound beaver

A book could be written on the trappers, the methods, the quarry, the stomping grounds and so on. But as noted at the outset, this is just a precursor to what I hope to contribute in the future, tip of the iceberg sort of thing. Besides, as the Tuesdays roll on, we’ll have plenty more chances to explore.

And plenty more stuff coming your way in and around the trapping postings so make sure to check in here and the Facebook page. Talk to you later. Troy