Considering the weather in North Dakota, then having my trapline aerial gunned and destroyed in Nebraska 12 days into the trapping season by Wildlife Services I am happy with how it finished.
I could have kept trapping another 4-6 days and caught the other 73 coyotes to reach the 1,000 mark. The coyotes had started to break and with the fur deteriorating it was time to quit. My passion is Wildlife Management/Conservation. Conservation means wise use, these coyotes are a resource and should be treated and managed as such.
There were mistakes made in this endeavor with logistics, planning and efficiency. These mistakes were learned from! The educational benefits of pursuing this Quest were tremendous for me. My learning curve the last few years had stagnated and I was only learning the little things. Now I believe I am ready to take it to the next level and have a lot better understanding of what my true potential is.
In the 1930s, Pud Long reportedly skinned 1,200 coyotes during one fiscal year. No one knows exactly how long that time frame actually was. Pud didn't have the benefit of the modern traps we use now. He also didn't have to deal with opening and closing hundreds of gates every day and just as many different landowners. Add in complying with the modern trapping regulations we have today, I consider it a level playing field/fair comparison/challenge. This is what I am shooting for while I am young enough and physically able.
If you enjoyed following along on this Quest or benefitted from it, please join and support the FTA. Support the organization defending your rights as trapper's managing this renewable resource.
My goal is to be the best I can possibly be, I'm not there yet.
Robert Waddell