Trapping conjures up images of Robert Redford as Jeremiah Johnson in the 1972 classic film by the same name. Based on a real person named John “Jeremiah” Johnson, the movie tells the story of a Mexican War veteran who decides to become a mountain man by moving to the Rocky Mountains with little experience. He only survives by developing a relationship with experienced mountain men named Del Gue and Bear Claw.
Trapping in the 21st century? It seems archaic, but it isn’t. Nearly 30,000 “fur harvester” licenses are issued in Michigan every year for those who want to trap or hunt animals traditionally taken for their fur, with half of them being trappers.
What are the rest of us missing?
Winter in Michigan has a way of making you appreciate the old ways. The kind of traditions that don’t just keep you busy, but keep you connected to the land and to history. Trapping is one of those great traditions and a good way to spend time outdoors in the dark season after the holidays and before spring.
Long before tourists flocked to the Great Lakes, and deer camps became a seasonal pilgrimage, Michigan was built by trappers. French voyagers, Native Americans, and early settlers all knew the value of a well-set trapline. It wasn’t just about fur, it was about survival, trade, and understanding the land. The frozen swamps and winding rivers of Michigan weren’t obstacles, they were highways of opportunity for men with packs full of pelts and pockets full of stories.
But somewhere along the way, trapping faded into the background. The world got faster, people spent less time in the woods, the outdoors got commercialized, and most folks forgot how our state was carved out of the wilderness in the first place. What was once an essential skill has become a relic.
If you’ve never run a trapline in the dead of winter, tracking fresh prints in the snow, feeling the cold air in your lungs, and pulling a pelt from a perfectly set trap, you don’t know what you’re missing. Trapping isn’t just about catching animals. It’s about understanding them. It’s about patience, skill, and learning to read the wild like a book written in paw prints and broken twigs.
It’s more than just finding a good outdoor winter pastime, however, there are lots of good reasons to get into trapping. I’ve written about it before, but wildlife management and conservation help control animal populations and reduce disease (mostly rabies and mange), animal starvation, and ecosystem imbalances. It also helps protect certain habitats from destruction, as critters like beavers can cause significant destruction by flooding farms and roads. Lastly, it helps financially support Michigan’s conservation efforts by adding hundreds of thousands of dollars to it’s budget every year.
Before Michigan was a U.S. state—before the highways and the cabins—there were the beavers. And where there were beavers, there were trappers.
The fur trade wasn’t just a business; it was the engine that drove the exploration and settlement of the Great Lakes. Long before statehood, the French and British carved their way through Michigan’s rivers, trading beaver pelts as currency. Beaver fur was the gold standard of the 17th and 18th centuries, fueling European fashion trends and making rugged trappers the backbone of early commerce.
Michigan, being mostly made up of waterways and forests, became a huge area of opportunity for fur trading posts. Fort Michilimackinac, Sault Ste. Marie, and Detroit weren’t just military outposts, they were serious trade hubs filled with trappers, businessmen, and ambitious settlers trying to stake their claim in the wild, like Jeremiah Johnson. At its peak, the fur trade dictated who controlled the land, who got rich, and who disappeared into the wilderness, never to be heard from again.
But like all booms, it didn’t last forever.
By the mid-1800s, the beaver population had been hammered by over-trapping and poor conservation. The fashion world moved on from fur hats. Industrialization shifted the economy away from fur and into lumber, mining, and manufacturing. Trapping went from a thriving trade to a backwoods skill, kept alive by the few who refused to let it go.
As cities grew, trapping started to feel like an outdated relic. The people who once relied on it for survival now saw it as unnecessary. Regulations increased, fewer people passed the skills down, and the old traplines that once crossed Michigan’s forests started disappearing.
But here’s the thing, trapping never really died. It’s kept alive by a faithful few. Today, it’s less about making a living and more about enjoying our beautiful state in the winter and keeping old traditions alive.
Before you hit the woods and start setting steel, here’s what you need to know.
Licensing: Michigan does not require a Fur Harvester License for you to trap, but if you’re new to trapping, you’ll probably want to complete a state-approved Trapper Education Course to learn the basics.
Seasons: Michigan’s trapping season varies by species and zone. Badger and fox season runs from October to March, depending on the zone. Beaver season extends from October through April, with different start dates for residents and non-residents. Bobcat trapping is available in various hunting units between November and January. Muskrat and raccoon seasons extend into March. Opossums, skunks, and weasels can be harvested year-round, with no bag limit. To see more details, visit the Michigan DNR Fur Harvester Regulations.
Trap Types: The state regulates the types of traps that can be used. Leg-hold traps, body-grip traps, and cage traps each have different legal specifications regarding size and placement. Make sure to research this before making any purchases.
Ethics: Michigan requires regular trap checks, generally every 24-36 hours depending on the species, to ensure humane treatment of the animals.
The knowledge is still out there. The traplines still exist. The only thing missing is the next generation willing to follow them. Jeremiah Johnson was definitely onto something.
Tom Zandstra is a passionate outdoorsman and CEO of The Fair Chase. Follow him on X @TheFairChase1.
