How to Become a Fur Trapper

The list of species that can be trapped is often split into two categories: water animals and land animals. Land animals, targeted in dryland sets, include foxes, coyotes, opossums, skunks, bobcats, fishers, and pine martens. Water animals, nearly always caught in or near water, include beavers, muskrats, minks, and otters. Raccoons are found both in and around water and on dry land.

Type of Traps

Though gear will vary between land and water trapping, there are many similarities. The first piece of gear needed is, of course, a trap. The steel trap has been around since at least the 1600s in North America. Early traps were hand-forged and varied considerably among the makers. By the mid-1850s, mass production began, and many of the current trap configurations began appearing. Among today’s foothold traps (those meant to trap an animal by its foot and restrain it) are the long spring, the double long spring, and the coil spring. No matter the configuration, they all operate the same way. A pair of steel jaws is opened when the user flips a lever, which is called the “dog,” over the jaws and onto the pan. When an animal depresses the pan, the dog flips and the jaws close. Foothold traps range in size from smaller ones that’ll catch a weasel up to larger ones sized for wolves.

In the 1950s, Canadian Frank Conibear invented the body grip trap. A body grip trap consists of two steel squares held open by either one or two springs. A trigger, consisting of a pair of wires and a dog (the lever), holds the squares open. When an animal enters the trap, the trigger is tripped and the squares scissor together, effectively holding the animal. In nearly all instances, the body grip trap is nearly instantly lethal. Body grip traps are effective for animals from weasels to beavers, depending on the trap size.

The last type of trap is the simple steel snare. Snares have been in existence for as long as humans have, beginning as loops made of leather, roots, or wood. Little has changed in the modern-day snare, except that they’re made of modern aircraft cable. Depending on the situation or state regulations, snares can be made into lethal or nonlethal devices. Snares are most often used for canines, though they’re also effective for raccoons, beavers, otters, and other land animals.

Types of Anchors

Traps need to be anchored to an immovable object when they’re placed, or chained to a drag system, which allows the animal to travel a short distance. For the purposes of this article, I’ll focus on solid anchoring. There are a few different ways to solidly anchor a trap.

The first is by simply attaching a double-looped cable anchor to the trap. The cable is then placed around a nearby tree or bush. This works well for forest animals, such as skunks, gray foxes, and opossums. Raccoons and fishers tend to climb the tree used for the anchor and can exert enough force to pull up and out of the trap.

Earth anchors are another option. They consist of a metal flange at the end of a piece of cable or chain. The flange is driven into the earth with a metal drive, and when the trapper pulls the cable up, the flange turns in the soil and becomes the anchor. The trap is then attached to the cable. Earth anchors are lightweight and inexpensive, but they’re difficult to remove from the soil.

Finally, rebar stakes, from 18 to 24 inches in length, can also be used. They’re pounded into the ground after the trap chain is put through the stake, and a welded nut on top prevents the trap chain from slipping off. A single rebar works fine for smaller animals, but a pair of stakes is needed for coyotes. Rebar is easier for the trapper to remove from the ground, but it’s also heavier to carry.

Rounding out the trapper’s kit is a heavy hammer, lures and baits, a dirt sifter, pan covers, wire, and a wire cutter. I made myself a backpack for my gear out of a plastic garbage can and some adjustable straps, though a commercial pack basket or bucket can also be used to carry gear.

Water Trapping

Water animals have short, dense fur that helps them spend the entire year in water. In North Dakota, where I live and trap, this means living under thick ice for at least three months out of the year. The dense fur keeps the animals warm in the frigid water. A water trapper can’t live without hip boots or chest waders. Water trapping is muddy, cold work. There are two types of sets for water trappers: blind sets and baited sets.

Blind Sets

Blind sets are simply a trap set where an animal travels, with no bait or lure. For instance, last year, I trapped in a large ditch. At the bottom of the gently sloping banks was a small watercourse, 3 feet across at its widest point. As the water zigzagged along the bottom of the ditch, in places it narrowed to only a few inches wide.

Muskrats prefer to travel in water, so I placed several traps in the shallow water, where it narrowed. In some locations, I placed a coil spring trap just below the water surface, and in others, I placed a 110 body grip across the water. For nearly a week straight, I caught at least one muskrat each day, and also got a mink.

Baited Sets

Baited sets use a lure or bait to attract the animal. The pocket set is a classic. A hole is dug into the bank, just above the water. A foothold trap is placed in front of the hole, just under the water. Bait or lure is placed in the back of the hole. When an animal investigates, it steps directly onto the trap.

Lure is the key to the beaver-scent mound set. Beavers mark their territory by building small mounds of mud, infused with their scent, on the edge of streams and rivers.

A scent mound set uses this behavior to the trapper’s advantage. The trapper makes a mud mound and places beaver castor lure on it, and then places a large foothold trap, snare, or body grip in front of the mound, under the water. When the beaver investigates, it’s caught.

Land Trapping

Land trapping, at least in my experience, is less labor-intensive than water trapping. Rather than fighting mud and water, the land trapper must deal with grass, wet soil, and hard ground. As with water trapping, you can either use blind sets or baited sets.

Some animals, such as raccoons, leave many signs; raccoon trails are very apparent, especially in farm country. When I find a heavy raccoon trail, I simply set a body grip spanning the trail and gently place grass around it for camouflage. This is also an effective tactic for skunks.

Canines leave fewer signs than raccoons, so when I find a single set of canine tracks in the snow, I set a snare. They’ll usually follow the exact footprints they used previously, and the snare is then waiting.

Dirt Hole Sets

Dirt hole sets are much like a pocket set. For a dirt hole set, dig a hole in the dry ground with a trap buried in front of it, and place your bait and lure in the hole. I’ve caught red foxes, fishers, coyotes, raccoons, and striped skunks in dirt hole sets. Flat sets are like pocket sets, minus the hole. A lure is used on a tuft of grass, and the animal is caught when it investigates the smell.

Safety First

Practice setting traps in a controlled environment before hitting the field. Each style has tricks and can be dangerous when used incorrectly. Always think of safety first. Be aware of your surroundings when trapping. Before using any type of trap, read and understand the regulations in your state. They vary widely, and what’s legal and common in one state may be illegal in the next. Better yet, find a mentor to help show you the way.

Even though it may be legal, don’t set traps where pets or non-target animals are numerous. It takes the non-trapping public one bad experience to develop a sour taste for trappers in general.

Jeffrey Miller is a freelance writer who has written for over 20 magazines and newspapers, covering hunting, fishing, fur trapping, gardening and homesteading. He lives with his family on the banks of the Sheyenne River in rural North Dakota. and has also written three books.

Originally published in the March/ April 2025 issue of Grit magazine and regularly vetted for accuracy.