Favorite trappers

Who's your favorite legendary Trapper?
Second Who is the most influential Trapper in your life?

Savell on both questions

Too many to name.
I could easily list 20 or 30.

MattLA

They aint legends but I like them. Pete Billings, Mark Smith, Terry Diehl, Derek Masenthin, Matt Peek, Andrew Eastwood.
Lee Steinmeyer I guess is a legend. He's a good guy

Charlie Dobbins - very skilled, good writer, super nice to talk to in person and willing to share with you his knowledge. One of the nicest trappers I have ever met and humble as could be.

Asa Lenon - Miss him terribly, super nice man to talk with, willing to share his knowledge of trapping and lure making, also very humble

Influential trappers:

Pop - Charles DiSalvo Sr. - gruff, short, rude at times LOL he took me out checking traps when I was 4 and allowed me to run his big line when Ui was sic. He taught me the basics of trapping raccoons and muskrats as well as foxes.H explained sets but not in great detail, he did stress on locations..




Dad - Charles DiSalvo Sr. - more patient, trapping with him was more like graduating basic trapping and moving to college. Dad taught how to make fox sets in detail and why he set them there. He also explained what lures to use and when. Also taught trap tuning, modifications and dying and waxing



Me on right


Arnold Favinger - my best friend and partner - he taught me to think outside the box when trapping. Using the same traps over and over while trapping foxes. Better ways to make coon set as well as trapping fox in the big woods and finding set locations on pipelines. We had more fun the two grown should be allowed.

Arnold on left,me on the right during a mountain trapping trip

Coonman

The #1 trapper in my book is Charlie Dobbins I will add to what MikeTraps2 said above about Charlie He influenced my trapping career more than anyone else from the time I first met him in 1982 until his passing way to soon . His desire to be a good trapper always lead him to want to know how and why the animals he was trapping did what they did .His mind was light years ahead of my train of thought And at the same time it was generally so plain to understand that I often thought why didn't I think of that His books on Trap Fastening and Trap modifications where worth their weight in gold to me Those 2 books put more fur on my stretchers that any other book I ever bought on trapping With one other one that also was a big help . Number 2 and 3 would be Carroll Black from OH and Kermit Sterns from PA also had a lot to do with the way I approached my trapping career Both of them where down to earth humble guys that where some of the best that ever was They worked hard at their craft and knew how to treat people Carroll once told me "I check a lot of empty traps " And what he was really telling me is it takes a lot of hard work to be successful. .And Kermit was a great. all around trapper from the same state as me . (PA) He was like a legend here in PA and yet so low key about his skill and work ethic . And his mink trapping ability put him at the top of the very best of the best And # 4 would be Phil Presjak from OH At a time I was banging my head against the wall trying to learn how to catch mink in traps set to catch mink Phil Presjak wrote Mink Mania . Somehow that book help me break through the wall of catching mink in the places they can not stop themselves from going through .And that did not make me a high numbers mink trapper .But I WAS CATCHING A FEW ON A YEARLY BASIS AND THEY WHERE CAUGHT IN SETS TARGETED FOR THEM .And that understanding of how all critters use the terrain in their travels carrier over to the other animals I was setting for .And more importantly it allowed me to streamline my methods to catch more with less time and work so I could trap even more .

Jedediah Smith! Man what a life he lived. Killed way to young by commanches.

Yup, he is still doing great and getting after those coons.

Still worries about stuff a little.

Going with Thorpe, and Miranda(Ohio boys gotta stick together)

I followed alot of what russ Carmen was doing both from Pennsylvania met him a few times watched a few of his demos read all his books as well great guy great trapper there ....most influential has to be my uncle Ed good trapper got me into it and taught me the basics

[quote=Turd Furgeson]MattLA[/

I almost miss him

Bedo Hobbs

Asa Lennon. He was very helpful to me especially because I trap where he did. He was always very helpful with questions and forthcoming with interesting history.

Bossman gets a nod as well for running such a helpful forum.

Carmen, Lenin, Dobbins, June and my dad for introducing me to trapping and the outdoors…Jon

Some of the guys that influenced me to want to trap were: Milligan, Dobbins, Thorpe, Carmen, Marsyada, Tom Krause, Miranda, Don Shumaker, Kermit Stearns, Phil Presjak, Paul Grimshaw, Bob Noonan, all the trapline writers of that time, because there was no internet to learn from.

Bud Hall
Russ Carmen and Ron and Pete Leggett

It's me!!!

Kristen

Question 1:Slim Pedersen

Question 2: most influential is my dad, took me trapping, taught me trapping, still motivates me and traps with me

Tom Miranda and my Dad.

Used to be a big fan of Miranda until he went on the meateater podcast saying he wouldn’t even hunt or trap unless he got paid to do so as a celebrity. It’s just a job for him, no interest in it as a lifestyle or hobby. All about the $$$

My Dad got me started when I was 10. Never forget that and wish he was still around to trap with.

That being said I have enjoyed my friendship with Gary Meis and all the stuff he has passed on over our time trapping together. We will get after the Beaver come spring time. Alot of you might not know him but he can hold his own with most any trapper. Also have enjoyed trapping with both Tim and Rob Caven. Great guys also.

Marty Meierotto, Mark Steck, I can name a whole bunch of guys. A lot of them are on here too. I always look up to the guys that have caught over 1000 rats in one season because those are the guys who really know what's going on. I will say the most influential though has been my local fur buyer/mentor who has taught me everything under the sun about trapping.

Brian Fischer & Lesel Reusaat

Thats my guy to lol

Stanley h a w baker, Russ Carman, Johnny Thorpe, Charlie Dobbins, Donald Biermann, Leo h o e f t and Larry s q u i r e s were all Trappers that when they wrote or talked I paid attention. More recently Don Powell, Mark June, k e n Smythe, Bob Noonan and a few others have all contributed to my knowledge and enjoyment of trapping..

Hal Sullivan. Grew up reading his articles in FFG. My mom for buying FFG for me and putting up with my outdoor pursuits in my youth. Eric

Used to be a big fan of Miranda until he went on the meateater podcast saying he wouldn’t even hunt or trap unless he got paid to do so as a celebrity. It’s just a job for him, no interest in it as a lifestyle or hobby. All about the $$$

I agree. But there was a ton of them in the 1970's and 80's. Sold books and lures for a few years and then disappeared.

I always enjoyed don schumakers stories, he lived quite a life. I also admired the leggets for a couple of reasons, one they were really good. And two they were a father son duo that also farmed together. My dad and I trap and farm together.

Great thread . Like some said there was no internet so ordered books and read magazines cover to cover thirsting for knowledge . A lot of great trapper's mentioned in this post . Also Bob Gilsvick

Tom Tyree and Lewis Quarles personally were the most hands on, influential trappers that taught me their skills.


Leggett's, Lewis Quarles, Phil Brown. All share/shared a common work ethic.

Enjoy readings from Charlie Dobbins and Stan Hawbaker.

Russ Carman , OGorman, Lenon , Dobbins have fine lure recipes and I respect them for that .

Tom Tyree for teaching me to handle fur. He’s top notch, and helped me a lot.

John

Tom Krause, Garold Weiland, & Leslie Craig O'Gorman.

Three Early 1970's Fox Trapping Rock Stars of my Trapping Era.

walleyed

There are a lot of trappers that I learned from I had some of the best times with the ones I trapped with--Tom Tyree, John Bijasko, my son Brian, Herb Senderling, Gary Jepson Kurt Beaureguard . Got to help build and test a new trap and trapped in all different places critters and ways to catch them..

Mel Hershberger, Bud Hall, Larry Slim Pedersen and James Lucero for sure.
The trappers who have influenced me most are probably not to well known. Low profile men that have made a living outdoors.

Why, you Joe Meek! I often wish I could go back in time and hobnob with some of those mountaineers.

Bernie, today I drove past the site of the Umpqua massacre of 13 of Jedediah's men in 1828.

Pete Rickard would be mine, Spent a lot of time at his place when we lived in Warnerville, NY. He always had a few pet Red Fox running around the place. Loved the smell of the room where the lures were stored. Trapped my first Red fox a few days after getting advice from Pete. When Pete was getting on in years, Buddy & I would go and chat, Pete would be out in the yard with his .357 shooting gallon water jugs at 50 yards, Wish I could line up my pistol sights at that age.

Paul Koch from Wright, MN
Ardell Grawe

I have to say...
Tom Miranda
Charlie Dobbins
Ron and Pete Leggett

Lot of old names id forgot and my story sounds very similar to the other older guys on here.

Jim Helfrich id say inspired me more than anyone as a greenhorn in the early 80's.

Later on a few years Charlie Dobbins changed the way i thought about things, their books and articles id say kept me going day after day of bad weather and no catch's.

Read Phil Prezjak's book as well, got to meet him many years later and a really funny story of that meeting, Swamper Swartz was involved as well, lol

Became friends many years later with Slim Pedersen and our conversation's on predator's into the wee hour's of the morning made me question things id of never even thought about, he is without a doubt on a level i doubt any of us will ever manage to get at if we trapped none stop for 200 years!

JC Connor's is same way and what a great guy he is as well as his whole family.

As we said too many to mention.

George Sisson a local trapper got my mind changed going from trapping grey fox to coyote. I was trying to trap coyotes with grey fox location's and sets so his teaching's were a game changer, especially the grass clippings deal that Matt Jones later made famous.

Wow where to start.
I have to credit my uncle Fred for getting me started and steering me to land trapping coyotes and coon. He is still always a text away if I have questions, some 40 years later.
My old high school boss Ken Kreshel influential also on my coyote and cat trapping.
I have to give credit to Dennis Vicars too. Guy could out trap most folks in our area when I was a kid. Soft spoken, hard working guy. Watched him take 500 beaver one year and all put up before sale. I was impressed.
Same with Jim Miller. One of those quiet, hard working dudes who would roll up to the buyer with a pickup load just about every night. Solid 1,000 coon season guy.
Lots of others, lots of others. I still read my hand signed copy of Charlie Dobbins’ land trapping book before I start out each season. I had to tape and glue the binding on it several times. It’s getting pretty worn but always a good read. Somewhere around here I got a couple hand written letters he sent me way back when. I had some questions on my land sets and he quite happily penned out some suggestions. Can’t hardly read them well but I remember how he talked at a convention once when I was young and if I read the letters imagining his voice explaining them to me it makes all the sense in the world. Great stuff.
Jim

All the guys that contribute to the forums, for free, over the years.
And, guys in the PTA.

Lot of people here like that too

I would say Lewis Eckhart in Barryville,NY. He taught me how to trap Fox and Otter back in the early 1970's.

Probably ol crusty Wayne derrick. An leegend steinmeyer

There were no trappers in my family and started small time with pocket gophers and did not have info from anyone for those.
Not having that much of the history and not really starting to trap until 1980 I did not create or build a relationship with the older generations of trappers.
Early on through videos and books Weiland and Miranda were my canine information persons.
For the last 15-16 years I have organized 18 demo slates for convention and with help being in short supply I introduced and watched about 80% of the 400-500 demos that were presented. Learned an a lot from a great may great trappers who were willing to share their knowledge and that knowledge was more contemporary as to methods, traps and managing a line.

Bryce

X2, I took lessons from Lew when I was 16. I was a trapping fool from that point onward.

Major Boddicker
Dwight Coppock
Bill Rogers
Marv. Miller

The good old days

Well if your a professional trapper then the “making a living” part is important I doubt many other folks have put in the effort he has to bring hunting and trapping to other. The reason everyone is not doing what he’s doing is they don’t take the risks and put in the endless hours he puts into what he does to live his dream. There’s a lot of easier ways to make a buck I think you missed the point maybe.

Andy Weiser

When I attended the FTA college several years ago Tom Miranda was a teacher. I enjoyed the day I got to spend with him, but my teacher for the entire week was Kermit Stearns and I think Kermit had forgotten more about trapping than Tom knew at that time. I owed a lot to Kermit for what I learned from him. This was 35 years ago.

Craig O’Gorman and Robbie Campbell and a man named Barney Fox

Awwww, shucks!

Phil Brown

Wayne Derrick would be up high on my list. A good man who’s always treated me fair. CJ