Trapper Jon bears no resemblance to TV's Pernell Roberts, star of Trapper John M.D. in the 1980s. He just traps animals for a living and always has, even before he finished his fisheries and wildlife-biology degree three decades ago at Iowa State University. He'll help a paying snake owner locate a missing reptile, but most of his business comes from pesky varmints -- raccoons, squirrels, possums, moles -- who ruin suburban gardens and claw into attics and basements. During the summer, he frequently rids homes of irritating yellowjackets and bees: "You've got to get to them fast. After a week, they might have a pound of honey in those walls." He has dozens of horror stories, like the one about the elderly lady who reached down to pet her feline but found a possum in her house instead.
