Kenneth Diller, 14, Tennessee
Tennessee boy plans to trap bobcats, coyotes,
raccoons and mink in his second season
My name is Kenneth Diller. I am 14 years old and enjoy trapping. I live in western Tennessee.
My older brothers used to trap a little, so I had a few traps to start out with. Two seasons ago, I started trapping in a little creek that borders our land and flows into the Obion River, which also borders our land.
That year, I caught two raccoons from about five or six traps. The next year, I got started very late and caught one opossum.
Then one day I was at an auction and bought a small crate of traps for very cheap. In that crate was a Victor #3 single longspring and a Victor #3 double longspring, along with a few raccoon and muskrat traps. The #3s got me thinking about coyotes, so soon I bought some more coyote traps. The farmer who lived behind us said the coyotes were killing his calves, so I could trap on his land.
Soon, I got to know a local animal control trapper named Mark Sampson. He was glad to help me and told me a few tricks. We shot quite a few coyotes, but I couldn’t catch any.
Then one morning my brother went with me to check traps. As we came over the hill, I thought I saw something in one of the traps.
At first, I thought it was a coyote, but as we got closer, we saw that it was a bobcat. It was a nice, full-pad catch in a Duke #13/4 4×4. I used Mark June’s Canine Candy.
This season, I plan to do some more bobcat, coyote, raccoon and mink trapping. Also, Mark plans to come help me set some traps. I really enjoy trapping and would like to thank Mark and the others who gladly teach me more about it.
“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. Please include the trapper’s name, age and address.
This column appeared in the November 2013 issue of Trapper & Predator Caller.
You can pick up a copy of the digital issue on www.ShopDeerHunting.com. Or if you’d like to subscribe to Trapper & Predator Caller, please visit the subscription page on our website.
hi i am 12 live in the western side of middle tennessee and have taken up trapping no one in my family has done it before and i am struggling if you can give me some advise that would be apresiated we are targeting the same furbearers contact me at jakeshoots365@Gmail.com