In the history of trapping there’s never been a more time-honored standard than the tradition of dyeing traps. When I began trapping back in the 1950s the old-timers insisted that all traps should be dyed annually, giving all of the common-sense reasons that prevailed at the time: Dyed traps lasted longer, snapped faster, and provided additional camouflage meant to fool inquisitive, curious, sharp-eyed furbearers.
For decades I followed the rules and dutifully dyed my traps every summer, letting them “set” for several weeks before the trapping season began. I caught my share of animals and attributed much of my success to diligent trap maintenance, dyeing in particular.
A TRAPLINE REVELATION
Somewhere back in the 1970s, during the glory days of modern trapping when fur prices were sky high and target animals were phenomenally abundant, I discovered a simple truth about trapping that I had never considered before. One very
