Free trappers
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A free trapper was a mountain man who, in today's terms, would be called a free agent. He was responsible to no one but himself. He claimed no loyalties to any specific fur company. A free trapper would trade his pelts to whoever would provide him with the best price for the furs. This contrasts sharply with a company trapper who typically served a company to pay off his dept for his traps, rifle, gear, and kit. A free trapper was solely responsible for all this himself.
