Trapping Species Guide
Field-guide profiles for the furbearers trappers pursue — with the best sets, baits, sign, and fur handling for each.
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Muskrat
Ondatra zibethicus
The bread-and-butter water furbearer — abundant, easy to trap, and a great starter species.
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Raccoon
Procyon lotor
Abundant, curious, and everywhere — a perfect species for the dirt-hole and pocket set trapper.
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Coyote
Canis latrans
The trapper's ultimate challenge — sharp, wary, and rewarding to outsmart with a clean flat set.
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Beaver
Castor canadensis
The heavyweight of the water line — big pelts, valuable castor, and steady demand from managers.
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Red Fox
Vulpes vulpes
Beautiful fur and delicate footwork — a refined quarry for the finesse trapper.
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Mink
Neogale vison
A relentless little water weasel — pure blind-set trapping along the shoreline.
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Snapping Turtle
Chelydra serpentina
A prized water harvest — taken on baited hoop nets and set lines where seasons allow.
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Opossum
Didelphis virginiana
North America's only marsupial — an easy, common catch on the same sets that take coon.
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Striped Skunk
Mephitis mephitis
A common catch best taken in enclosed sets that keep the spray under control.
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Bobcat
Lynx rufus
A high-value cat that responds to visual flash and curiosity more than food scent.
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Gray Fox
Urocyon cinereoargenteus
A woodland fox that can climb trees — caught on tight cubby and dirt-hole sets in cover.
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River Otter
Lontra canadensis
A large, valuable water furbearer taken in bodygrip and foothold sets on runs and latrines.
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