I dug out some old video's last night and spent some time in front of the tube last night. Some old VHS tapes on Beaver, Mink, Coons, Coyotes. Even said on the cover that it was filmed with a Bata Cam! Sure put me in the mood to get back out on the trap line! And after the offer to do some Beaver control work here local I had to go out and dig out the old water traps! I am going to get back into the good old trap line this fall. More water trapping than anything. I got a ton of water around me that I have not trapped for years!
I think I am going to jump back into a 100 trap line this fall and also take the offers up on some control work as well. I sure miss the old days of running those water lines as a young adult! Not so Young no more but still in good enough shape to run a hundred traps a day! I think....lol
I am going to be looking for some more traps as well, #1, #1 1/2, #3, 110 and 330 if anyone come across any drop me a line!
Have we got any water trappers here?
Brent
:yoyo:
Running a 100 traps [especially water traps] won't be the hardest part. Puttin up all the fur that comes out of them will :hahaha:
Getting up early with the anticipation of checking the line is a hard one to beat. Good to hear your getting back to it. :congrats:
It should be a good break! The fresh fall air, cold water, and a good old trap line will be good for me! Time to get back some of my roots!
But your right! Putting up the fur will be the hard part! ( I hope! ) LOL
But I think I miss that as much as running the line!
After watching them old video's with tom miranda, bob gilsvik, jerry herbst sure brings back some memory's!
Brent
I do beleive that I also am going to start some traps this year. I may start with a few water, and work my way to some dry ones.....I have a huge learning curve. :biggrin:
New Dog,
If I can help in any way just yell! Water is what I cut my teeth on growing up, and has been my go to so to speak over the years. Mink, Muskrat, Beaver, and coons were my target animals most of my youth. Fox and Coyotes came in later. But I will be glad to help if I can.
Brent
Sweet.....thanks. First off I will need to do some more research. That is always a good place to start.
I had a trap line when I was a teenager(a long time ago) for muskrats. There was nothing more exciting than checking them early morning and evening and finding frost covered fur. I set the traps at the bottom of a slide with a stake out in the water. I tube skinned them and put them on a board. When they were dry, I took them to town and sold them. They were bringing anywhere from $.50 to a $1.00 a piece at that time. Not a lot of money now, but it was a lot to me then.
Good luck to you guys. Keep us posted of your catch and show us some pictures.
Nelson
I was raised pretty much the same way as yall, grampa run a big line. I can remember tons of furs in the shed and I can remember walking up to my first trapped red fox on a frosty fall morning.
My uncle ended up with all the equiptment when my grampa passed with the understanding it was for family use.
Now my uncle has passed and my cousin has all the traps but I'm not sure if he's aware of what gramps word was.
I know he wont sell them, but I know he wont use them either, I'll have to give him a call and see if I can get a dozen foot holds to teach the kids with this fall.
I used Hawbaker lure all the time, wonder if they still make it ? Another lure I used that's made locally by Russ Carmen.
Gramp loved to use cat for bait, he said fox love cat meat.
Hawbaker products are alive, well, available, and as good as ever. Dobbins is another fine set of lures
Sounds great!
I'll be looking forward to seeing a lot of action pics from you guys in this forum this season!!!
Brad
Action pic's I can do Brad! I hope!....lol
Brent
You guys got me itching to set some steel already. My last couple of seasons have been small catches due to time constraints. I'm thinking that trapping this fall may be more important than extending my college career another two years. I wanna be out there while my legs can still carry my fat butt. :biggrin:
Stu...Dobbins makes some great K-9 and beaver lures. I love his stuff.
Here are some pics from last years beaver line to get ya fired up a bit...
(http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid222/pa720ab0f56151e37e206dfc6d2c17e76/eb1b7b66.jpg)
(http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid222/p7cd809fdaaaa70f653ce436211b35c46/eb1b7c18.jpg)
And the results of my sons first real trapline experience last year...
(http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid220/p116cbb339bff248a2c8c8905eeab1366/ebe3ba09.jpg)
Steve
Nice.....I am really getting trapping fever......anyone looking for an apprentice? :biggrin:
You and anybody else is more than welcome on my trapline...looks like it might be a haul for ya though.
Steve
That's some nice looking fur there Steve! I didn't need any help getting pumped up! :biggrin:
Newdog,
You know your welcome to run a line here with me anytime your up this way.
Brent
Cool pics Steve. And the boy's gleeming with pride.
Thanks Brent...you and I both know the work really begins when you start skinning and fleshing them big beaver.
Jim...I guess I should have smiled a bit more in that pic too...here ya go :biggrin: He actually shot the last coon on that line. I held and aimed the pistol while he shot it. What a proud moment that was. :biggrin:
Steve
Steve,
Do you clean skin your beavers or just skin them then flesh them?
I started clean skinning mine several years ago and man now that I got the hang of it. Saves me tons of time.
Brent
Brent...I skin them then flesh them. I haven't tried to clean skin any, I always figured I'd have to do some touch up fleshing anyways. Them 60 poundf beaver ain't no fun no matter how you put 'em up.
Steve
What is 'clean skinning' :confused:
Clean skinning.......... Just taking the extra time to make sure you skin as close to the hide as possible with out cutting the hide.
I have a table set up for clean skinning beaver. It has clamps on one side of the table, after I make my first cut I cut the skin on both sides of the belly. Roll the beaver over on its side and clamp one side of the fur to the table. I grab the other side of the fur and pull back to keep pressure of the skin. As I pull I run the knife along the hide in short downward cuts, making sure not to leave anything but the white hide, no fat or flesh at all. It takes me more time but I don't haft to do any fleshing at all. It takes a very sharp knife and I cant get in a hurry at all or I screw it up...lol
Brent
Stu, Thanks for asking.
Brent, Thanks for answering.
Jerry
A novice (that's me) can sure learn a lot of neat stuff on this site! Thanks guys! :congrats:
Here's the only thing I can give you guys that I know you haven't seen from me in my first season. This is a killer rock covered hill that get visited by a big tom bobcat or two once or twice a season. This time around though, all I caught was this skunk in my Montana reg #3. It's my first skunk and it shot Lucas Smith in on the leg when he approached it to dispatch it. I think he underestimated the skunks spraying range. Anyway, I'll try this spot again next year.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/BradH/allyotepics027.jpg)
That is a pretty good looking skunk - even stripes. When I was a kid I had a few traps and I got one or two skunks a year. They sure do stink when they want to. I was lucky and never got hit with the spray. :whew:
Jerry
I been there with the skunks!! :puke:
Growing up, my uncle took me to chek the traplines and showed me a few tricks. But I could never get my hands on any steel. I remember seein alot of conibare traps too. Box trappin was how I've done and has mostly consisted of fisher cats. For those of you who arent from the North, a fisher is (in my opinion) the most vicious critter in North America. We had one chew its way out of a havahart in the welding shop while all the guys were hangin around. I've never seen a look of terror on so many faces as they all scrambled for the door. I was only 12 and had no option but to pee my paints laughing.
Trapping sure makes for some warm memories.
PS anybody got a source for purchasing traps?
I've heard fisher are bad ass. I hear about them being taken in NY state alot of the time. We usually get around four or five wolverines trapped every year on the west end of this state, but no fisher that I know of.
Here's two of the places I bought traps from last year...
http://www.minntrapprod.com/
http://www.rpoutdoors.com/
Any watre trapping up heres through some serious ice. :innocentwhistle: I got a a crap load of traps in the shed........................I might get them out this year depending on the snow fall and such. Plus I think Wyatt wants to trap pine squirrels. :biggrin:
Steve nice falt tails and Brad.......................nice striped coon ya got there. :roflmao:
Nice picture of the skunk.
Oh yeah! Must have Zoom on that camera cuz that's way to close judging from the position of that tail! :laf: