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>>DANIEL: We’re past the peak of the rut across much of the whitetails’ range. But as deer start shifting back to that food/cover, food/cover pattern, there’s still some great hunting opportunities.

>>DANIEL: The GrowingDeer Team still has some deer tags in our pocket. But we’re starting to think about our turkey population.

>>DANIEL: It’s no secret that many folks have seen a decline of turkeys where they hunt. In fact, some state agencies have reduced bag limits for the spring and changed other hunting regulations in hope to improve the turkey populations.

>>DANIEL: Here at The Proving Grounds, we had a great turkey hatch this past spring. As we monitored the poults during the summer, it seemed we had a great survival rate and we’re still seeing good turkey numbers.

>>DANIEL: We believe the turkey population here at The Proving Grounds is a result of all our habitat improvement work and trapping every year to reduce nest predators.

>>DANIEL: One of the main predators we target are raccoons. They are notorious nest predators. Not only raiding turkey nests but other species like pheasants, quail and even songbirds.

>>DANIEL: As wildlife managers, trapping is a great tool to help balance those predator numbers, especially in areas where they’re extremely high. That way both prey and predator species can thrive.

>>DANIEL: Trapping also provides beautiful quality pelts that can be used for blankets and other garments for your home.

>>DANIEL: When we share trapping techniques and other information, one of the most common notes we receive is, “Man, I would love to trap, help balance that predator/prey ratio, but I just don’t a lot of time to spend on the trapline.”

>>DANIEL: We get that because we’re busy also. And that’s why I wanted to take time today and share just three tips that help reduce time spent on the trapline.

>>DANIEL: The first tip is to use a trail camera to monitor predator activity. If you’re like us, you probably still have a trail camera out that you use to monitor for deer. While you’re going through those cards, take time and make notes of where predators are active.

>>DANIEL: These locations can be great for trap sites.

>>DANIEL: Knowing exactly where predators are active, well, that’s a huge timesaver. You don’t have to dive off deep into the woods looking for fresh sign. You know exactly where the predators are and where you should set your trap.

>>DANIEL: Maybe your camera is overlooking a portion of an interior road or a mowed path. Well, that’s easy to check and those areas are also highways for predators.

>>DANIEL: A great example is one of the Reconyx here at The Proving Grounds is set on time lapse mode looking at a food plot, but it’s set right next to an interior road. And within just a few nights, there were multiple species of predators traveling that road.

>>DANIEL: We’ve set several traps at this location, and we’ve already caught a couple critters.

>> ANNOUNCER: GrowingDeer is brought to you by Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s. Also by Reconyx, Green Cover Food Plots, Winchester, LaCrosse Footwear, Thlete Outdoor Apparel, Morrell Targets, RTP Outdoors, Fourth Arrow, HuntStand, Scorpion Venom Archery, Case IH Tractors, Burris Optics, G5 Broadheads, Prime Bows, and Redneck Hunting Blinds.

>>DANIEL: The second tip to save time on the trap line is knowing which trap to use.

>>DANIEL: Duke cage traps are quick and easy to both open and close.

>>DANIEL: If you’re going to be gone for a few days or you see some bad weather heading your way and you need to close that trapline, gosh, you can simply just hit the door and it’s shut. And then, when you come back, you just open it back up. You may need to rebait, or you may still have some bait in there that’s working for you.

>>DANIEL: Being able to open and close your trap line very quickly, well, that saves time.

>>DANIEL: The third tip I’d like to share to save time on the trapline is work with others. Maybe you’ve only got a few days you can run the trapline. But you pair up with a buddy or a neighbor and you work together to figure out that schedule where you can get your traps working the most nights out of a week. Man, that saves a lot of time and still keeps you working toward your management goal.

>>DANIEL: That’s exactly what we do here at The Proving Grounds. Grant, Carter and I, we all have different schedules, but we all chip in to run traps, depending on who is out of town or out hunting.

>>DANIEL: When you have multiple folks running the same trapline, one thing that can be difficult is communicating the exact trap location.

>>DANIEL: One tool we found to be very useful is HuntStand. Grant, Carter and I – we’ve got a shared map with all the trap locations on there. No matter whose checking traps that day, they know exactly where each trap is.

>>DANIEL: If a trap gets moved, we update the app. Nothing gets missed. We’re not spending a lot of time looking for a trap out in the middle of nowhere. It’s a great tool to help us save time.

>>DANIEL: Using tools like HuntStand, trail cameras, working with others, is a great way to save time on the trapline and keep those traps working more nights out of the week.

>>DANIEL: Trapping is a good wildlife management tool and a great way to hone outdoor skills.

>>DANIEL: I hope you’re able to get outside this week, maybe run the trapline, or just take a walk. But no matter what, I hope you slow down, listen to what the Creator is saying to you and the purpose He has for your life.

>>DANIEL: Thanks for watching GrowingDeer.