Breunig grew up trapping in Wisconsin with her father and uncle . She now dedicates part of her time to teaching others the craft .
could not trap . So , I started setting my own lines ,” she said , making it clear that it ’ s a true passion . “ It ’ s not about the money . I ’ ve never been around for the fur market prices to get rich on selling fur .”
Leaving her uncle to maintain his land , she not only runs her own lines but helps other landowners maintain healthy populations of furbearers .
What started as a necessity led her down a path of nuisance trapping and putting in for bobcat tags . She became so dedicated to trapping that she set a goal for this past season : to catch a beaver while nine months pregnant . She accomplished that , along with other catches such as otter , raccoon and coyotes .
Katie ’ s most memorable catch came about just this past season : her first bobcat . Bobcat is a draw tag in Wisconsin , with a successful permit being drawn only about every two to 10 years , depending on the location . She had nearly lost hope on filling this tag when her original plan to target bobcats on her property was dashed .
“ The cats had come and gone by the time bobcat season was around . There was no sign anymore ,” she said . However , being no stranger to helping other community members with predator management on their private lands , she put out a call on social media . It wasn ’ t long before a landowner responded , explaining the recent bobcat sign on his property that he tries to manage for deer and turkey hunting .
“ He was very leery about letting me onto his property , just because he held his hunting practices very close to the chest ,” she said . However , the landowner relented , and Katie put traps in the ground with just a few weeks of the season left . And then one day , it all came together .
“ I was by myself , and it was the last trap I had to check for the day ,” she said , relaying the pessimism all hunters and trappers experience as the odds of success stack heavily against them as the final trap or last light approaches . In the end , Katie ended up catching a nice bobcat with a trapping method less familiar to her , the foot hold , instead of the cable restraints she ’ s used for other species .
Katie ’ s advice to fellow trappers and sportsmen in today ’ s landscape is to watch what you post on social media and to stay educated and active .
“ Trapping is very vulnerable ,” she said . “ It is very easy for people to see an animal in a trap and assume that it ’ s suffering .”
She first became aware of Sportsmen ’ s Alliance when she saw an alert — an antisportsman bill in the Wisconsin state legislature . Using the alert , she was able to take action with a single click of the mouse to reach out to her legislature as a concerned sportsman .
“ I tell people about your page all the time . Follow this page and when there is something you need to do , they alert you and make it easy for your voice to be heard ,” she said , adding how important it is to her — now that she has job , newborn baby and runs a trapline — that she can count on Sportsmen ’ s Alliance to keep her up to date and make her voice heard if necessary .
Becoming familiar with and active in organizations that give sportsmen a voice is vital to Katie . “ It ’ s important to participate in a united front ,” she says , adding that she ’ s also an active member of the Fur Takers of America , National Trappers Association and the Wisconsin Trapper Association , where she helps with trapping demonstrations and the Trapping Girl segment focused on women trappers for the two national organizations .
Staying dedicated and active now also means hauling diapers , baby bug nets and car seats along to trap checks as her firstborn is just a few months old . “ It is hard ,” she said . “ But it ’ s one of those things — you just do it , or you don ’ t trap .”
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