Winter is a great time of year for hunters, trappers and outdoor enthusiasts! Temperatures are cool, ticks aren’t active and there are so many outdoor activities to do! One of our favorite things to do during the winter months is set out our Duke traps and remove predators. In Missouri furbearer season is open from November 15 to January 31 and we take full advantage of it. Balancing the predator/prey relationship is an important part of wildlife management on every property.

The first raccoon of the year was caught recently in a Duke cage trap.

Fur prices are the lowest they have been in decades. When fur prices drop this low, fur trapper numbers also drop. This means there are fewer people removing predators throughout the whitetails range. Higher numbers of predators means lower numbers of prey species like deer, turkey, and quail. It’s time for wildlife managers and hunters to step up and fill the void left by lower numbers of fur trappers.

One of the easiest ways to remove predators is setting Duke cage traps or DP’s (Dog Proof). These traps are inexpensive but very effective. We set several of these traps throughout the property every trapping season and have tremendous results with removing predators like raccoons and opossums. Trapping is a great outdoors activity during the winter months. It’s not only enjoyable but very rewarding for both the trapper and the prey!

Daydreaming of whitetails,

Adam