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There was a time when rural high school students helped local farmers decrease their pest population and got a grade in school at the same time. Normally offered through the school’s agriculture program, the FFA (Future Farmers of America) Chapter would rid local farmers of beavers, bobcats, foxes and crows for their service learning project. The kids loved it because they got a grade, helped someone and were able to be in the place they enjoyed most—the outdoors.

The Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) is an FFA program offered in schools that provides students with hands-on, supervised, career experiences in different fields. One field of study is "Trapping as an Income Enterprise."

Dana Turner, a retired Cleburne County FFA instructor who now teaches in Georgia, sees a big demand for training kids to be able to trap and control wildlife populations on farms. "There are still plenty of farmers who suffer from the damage beavers and other pests cause," said Turner. "As a community service project, we want these kids to be able to help landowners like kids did years ago."

Chase Miller, a senior at Lineville High School, is one of those motivated teens who loves the thrill of trapping and doesn’t mind getting up before school to check his trap lines. For him, trapping is just another way to devote full time to the outdoors.

Chase Miller sets up a conibear trap in a beaver dam.

Chase began trapping at age nine simply by following and watching his dad, Gene Miller, keep the varmint population in check on their family farm in Delta.

Using body grip and leghold traps, Chase and his father have been able to keep the fox, bobcat, beaver and coyote population in check while making a little side money through selling pelts. The body grip, also known as a conibear trap, is used for beavers. This square-shaped trap is often set in a creek or along a beaver slide.

Once the beaver slides through the conibear opening, the two wires that serve as the trigger are released and the trap closes shut on the animal.

"Beavers tear up our corn patches along the creek bottoms if we don’t trap them," said Gene. "Chase helps us keep the beaver population under control, and this helps us preserve corn for our local deer population as well."

Chase covers the leghold trap with a light layer of sandy soil to conceal the trap.

Chase and Gene use leghold traps for the remaining furbearers. To use the leghold, Chase will first find a rock at least the size of two fists. Next, he digs out a small hole with a spade under the rock to place a piece of meat underneath the rock. He then digs out a bed to place the trap in front of the rock. Once the trap is set and anchored with a length of rebar, he covers the trap completely with fine dirt or sand and sprays fox urine and lure on the rock. The animal comes to investigate the smell, and in his efforts to get the meat, he will often step on the submerged trap.

Learning about the outdoors through watching, hunting and trapping wild animals is what hooked Chase on the outdoors at a young age. "I started taking Chase hunting with me when he was old enough to walk," said Gene. "I held a rifle in one hand and Chase’s hand in the other."

As Chase entered his teens, his outdoor education took off. Trapping meant he had to familiarize himself on the habits of the animals he was searching for. "To trap an animal, you have to learn its patterns, know what it eats, be able to guess where it’s going and know where to set the trap," said Chase.

Chase and his dad have had many adventures while trapping. "One time, my dad and I caught a skunk in a leghold trap," said Chase. "We thought we were safe walking up to the front of the skunk, but we were wrong because we got sprayed with the skunk looking straight at us."

Chase spends at least 30 days out of the year trapping animals on approximately 1,000 acres on and near his home. For the rest of the year when he’s not trapping, he’s hunting for any animal that is in season. "During hunting season, I hunt every day unless I have football or baseball practice, and I study after it gets too dark to shoot," said Chase.

In addition to trapping, hunting, and playing sports, Chase was academically third in his graduating class. "Sometimes its tough to balance the outdoors with school and sports," said Chase. "But I put my trapping and hunting at the top of the list."

Chase’s family always encouraged him to be involved with the outdoors. "Our family has always loved to trap and hunt, and we help Chase to do the same thing since he has access to the land," said Gene. "I never worry about Chase because if he’s not at school, he’s either running his trap lines or hunting."

Chase and his father often prepare and sell the pelts. "We look for places to sell the hides in trapping magazines," said Gene. "Right now, we’re getting $50 to $75 for otter pelt, $35 to $50 for bobcats, $20 to $30 for foxes and $20 to $25 for mink."

"We don’t trap just for the money because there’s not a whole lot to be made," said Chase. "Overpopulated beaver that tear down corn in our food plots and fields would be killed regardless, and trapping just gives us a way to make money off something we would have done anyway."

Since trapping involves the use of equipment that can be dangerous in the hands of beginners, use close, adult supervision. Teach a youngster how to trap, and he will be able to enjoy the outdoors while helping his fellow landowners.

All the materials you need for successful trapping can be found at your local Quality Co-op. For more information about SAEs offered through Future Farmers of America, visit www.ffa.org.

John Howle is a freelance writer from Heflin.