Well-known Bethel trapper is one of only five left in the state
Daren Slover: Sun Journal
Olson started trapping as a kid with his father, something Olson is seeing less and less of. “Kids have so many more choices to choose from now. So many more opportunities,” said Olson, the third base coach for his grandson’s baseball team, the Southern Maine Black Flies.”Kids are getting so far removed from nature,” worries Olson.
Olson is doing the best he can to keep kids interested. “My best days trapping are when my grandsons go with me. Trapping teaches kids how to work. Teaches them responsibility,” Olson said. “When you leave a trap, you leave a responsibility out there. The next day you have to go take care of that trap.”
Olson has kept a handwritten daily record of his harvest since 1973. He has trapped 10,600 beaver, more than 3,000 red fox and 1,400 coyotes.
“Trapping is not about money, Olson said. “The day it turns into work. I quit. I just love trapping.“
10,600 beaver in 39 years? That’s 271 beaver a year or about a family a week. Gosh, what else can I possibly say?
