School Days: A Trapper’s First Trapping Trip

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Austin Kolb, 13, Oley, Pa.

Pennsylvania boy caught a red fox and a gray fox in an exciting weekend

My name is Austin Kolb. I am 13 years old, and this is my second year of trapping.

My first trapping trip started when we decided to go to our cabin in November. I started to pack my trapping things like my traps, lure and dry dirt. We left at noon on Friday for our trip.

When we arrived, I immediately went to set traps with my dad and uncle. We set off to make our sets. It was a lot of fun even if we didn’t end up catching anything. All of the sets were dirtholes. Altogether, we made four fox sets — two sets in corn fields and two in an old alfalfa field that now is a natural gas pad. I was so excited to check traps the next morning.

I got up nice and early, but we had to wait until the sun came up. First, we set out to check the traps in the corn field. Sadly, there was nothing in those traps, but I was not disappointed because we still had more traps to check.

As we arrived at our next sets, I saw something moving around where our traps were. My heart was pumping so hard. When we walked up, I was so excited because we caught a red fox and an opossum. Once the animals were dispatched, we carried them down to our cabin and went back to reset the traps.

While I was waiting for the day to end, we skinned our animals. When I was done, I went inside to pass the time by watching a bit of television. Then I decided to go to bed excited about what we might catch and happy about our catches that day.

I woke up early and had to wait for the sun to come up again. Finally, the sun came up, and we got ready to check our traps. This time, we went to check the sets in the corn field first. Unfortunately, that day there was nothing in those sets.

As we walked upon our sets in the alfalfa field, I saw a gray fox in our traps. I was so excited, but at the time, sad. I was sad because we had to pull our traps and leave that day.

At the cabin, we skinned out the gray fox and went to go get our traps so we could leave. As we left the cabin that day, I was filled with wonderful memories of my first fox trapping weekend.

As my season comes to an end, I have caught six red foxes, two gray foxes and 18 raccoons.

“School Days” is sponsored by Duke Traps and the Wisconsin Trappers Association. Winners receive six traps, a Wisconsin Cooperative Trapper Education video, an NTA handbook and a membership to their state’s trappers association. To be considered, send a 300- to 500-word story and photo of the trapper or hunter with a catch, kill, fur or trap to School Days, The Trapper & Predator Caller, 700 E. State St., Iola, WI 54990; or email the story and photo to jared.blohm@fwmedia.com.

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