Trapline Scouting

By Robert Vermillion

Now that summer is here I know it’s nice and warm and you’re enjoying summer activities, but now is the time to start preparing for your winter trap line.

When you are fishing keep an eye out for furbearing sign. Do some scouting for coon tracks along what ever water system your fishing. Look for muskrat and mink track’s and scat, look for muskrat cuttings, muskrat slides, den holes, feed pockets, muskrat pushups or huts. Keep an eye out for beaver tracks, huts, sticks and slides. Also, keep a note pad or something along with you to keep notes of sign you’re seeing and the location. That way you can review all your notes and have a lot better plan as to where and when you want to trap each area and who you want to ask for trapping permission. You will have a better idea what traps and how many you might want for a particular area. Be sure to take and keep these notes. Don’t leave it to memory. By the time the end of the summer roles around you won’t be able to keep track of where you’ve been and where you’ve seen all your sign or how much. Unless of course you’re only planning on trapping one farm or one pond or a creek then it might not be necessary to keep notes but I still would recommend it anyways.

It would make your line a lot more enjoyable and productive because you will have started on a plan for your trap line instead of going in blind the first day of season. Not knowing what furbearers are using your area or where they are traveling, besides your probably not always going to trap such a small area. So by scouting and taking notes now you will be preparing for a bigger line in the future, by knowing how to write and keeping a note journal.

Back to scouting when fishing keep an eye out for canine sign along lanes leading to your fishing area. Scat can usually be found here if they're using these areas. If fishing ponds look along the dam area they like to travel these places.

If you go on summer walks or hikes with the family always look and be aware of furbearer sign and take your notes then. A good trapper always keeps his eyes and nose to the ground looking for sign.

If you go on any bicycle rides this is a good time to look for sign, you would be surprised at how much sign you can find from the seat of a bicycle. Two things in particular are trails and culverts that you had no clue where there normally driving by at 55 mph.

When driving this summer keep an eye out for ditches, water ways, power lines, valleys, high field knolls, big timber woods with lots of beach trees in particular and pay attention to crop fields and what’s in them. These are all good places for furbearers. Pay close attention to where all new and old ponds are.

When ground hog hunting keep your eyes open for trails and sign especially along field edges, crop changes, and in the corner’s and points of crops and woods.

If you go canoeing look the banks over for trails, slides, tracks, droppings, or log crossings. All furbearers will use this area, whether for drinking water, traveling along the water, crossing or living in the water.

Note that this is a good start for the season but don’t be fooled by all the sign or lack of it you see now and be sure to double check your notes and sign just before season. Different things in Mother Nature will influence whether or not the critters are still there or will be there come season.

Some of the things that influence critters as to whether they will be there or not are: weather, food, water, shelter, litter dispersal, disease, accidents, and litter size. Anyone of these can move critters in or out of your trapping area. So always keep an eye on these things and be aware of this and re-check you area just before season.

Scouting can be a lot of fun and adventurous you never know what you’re going to see or find. You might find a marsh with a hundred muskrat huts, or you might find beaver have moved into your trapping area or maybe some new places to canine trap. Whatever it is that you trap, good luck and have fun scouting for sign of the critter you most like to trap.