You don’t hear much about fur trapping nowadays, and when you do the words “cruel” and “uncivilized” are usually used. Of course the folks who think this really don’t know much about trapping or wildlife itself. In fact trapping is a very important wildlife management tool and it is needed, just like hunting, to keep nature in balance.

I started trapping at a very early age, around 12 years old — you know, when parents didn’t baby their children and instead let them learn about nature by experiencing it firsthand. I trapped even when I was going to college and after returning home from Vietnam. It gave me some pocket money and, more important, it gave me a good understanding of nature. To be a good trapper you not only have to be a hard worker with a lot of ambition, you also need keen knowledge of wildlife. Such knowledge can’t be acquired from books; it has to be learned by the “hands on” approach.

Full story here.