Trappers 2014/15
 

Start off the trappers thread. Post your pics and stories.

Headed out for the day with 357 and set a couple beaver ponds and martens sets up to our cabin. Nice warm day, and just a skiff of snow on the trail.
Picked up one marten and a beaver on the way out.
9 hrs into the season! :character0175:

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Great idea Jim. I got a few snares out yesterday on some crossings and cattle trails and put my baits in at 2 spots. Caught 2 coyotes on blind trail sets with no bait so its a good start for me. I should have a couple more tomorrow and should take the camera

I spent the first week if nov on trapping rats. Got 110 that week. Switched to coyotes once the cold spell hit an got 11 coyotes with 10 that were good hides. Using the rat carcasses as bait on last yrs bait areas. With little snow the coyotes seem to be moving lots

I was hoping that someone would start this thread. Pictures from traplines are awesome and one of my favourite threads on AO.

This is my first full season as a Resident Trapper. I got 283 muskrats and a couple of beaver in October. I'm saving the beaver trapping for later in the season. On November 10th I set my first 10 snares at one bait site and I took out 5 coyotes from there. I've since set snares at two other bait sites and all together I've taken 10 coyotes and a fox so far.

Today I put out 10 weasel boxes and I'd like to make some mink boxes to put out where I've been seeing sign. I was also surprised to see martin sign in my travels, I didn't think that there were any in the area, so I'm going to have to make sets for them as well.

Muskrat and coyotes are going to be my bread and butter but I'm really happy with the variety of furbearers in my stomping grounds.

I started with 2 bait stations. Set some snares at both location about the 5th of Nov once we had are first snow fall. First night caught these 2. http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e2...psnq5we7te.jpg
The bait #2 caught 2 more next day. Then the fourth check on first bait caught this gal. http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e2...psqze1bbbm.jpg.
I am having a blast. Time is short doing a lot of checks and sets at night. Juggling deer hunting and work and snaring is eating up time. But it sure is fun.

great to see this thread up and running again! Here's a few photos from the start of of my year.

some october rats
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y17...ps591ef5dd.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y17...ps042c38a4.jpg

first power-snared yote of the year
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y17...ps21fb4347.jpg

my little assistant and "her" coyotes from the bait that she checked with me last week.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y17...ps83e3a917.jpg

I think she's hooked on coyote hunting and trapping, asks if she can come every time i leave the house
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y17...ps3ee6636c.jpg

hey always glad to see this thread again ... saskabush .. great to see your daughter with you.....

How dare you indoctrinate that sweet little girl in the cruel world of trapping !! :snapoutofit:Great to see guys taking kids out :sHa_shakeshout: they are our future, keep em interested and out in the field .. Good job .

This week is all prep work for me. As soon as the hunters are gone i will be out there. Will get the Lynx cubbies up and running with some marten sets thrown in. Was down south mulie hunting last week and noticed all the sloughs full of rats. I have never chased them but sure wanted to give it a try!

favorite thread aswell! hopefully alot of pics.

have to start taking pics again. certainly seems like a rat explosion down here. seem to be getting more chewed up rats this fall/early winter, compared to last spring. could be a sign of over population. got kind of bored of muskrat pics.

a couple new ones.

[IMG]http://i1142.photobucket.com/albums/...ps69d6c3fe.jpg[/IMG]

http://i1142.photobucket.com/albums/...pscf9a9803.jpg

http://i1142.photobucket.com/albums/...ps305103b2.jpg

http://i1142.photobucket.com/albums/...ps1c4e6c89.jpg

became a real fan of the zip tie. as usefull as a shirt pocket.

http://i1142.photobucket.com/albums/...ps8d1cada1.jpg

http://i1142.photobucket.com/albums/...ps820a4ef8.jpg

start taking pics again tomorrow.

nice looking setup braggadoe. my colony traps are all tucked away for the winter but seeing those photos make it tempting to grab the axe and throw a couple in the truck.

Had a good day checking snares yesterday, brought 5 home with me last night.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y17...ps39bb1aed.jpg

checked my northern baits today and came up empty…but they sure were coming to the calls. tagged three doubles in 5 stands.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y17...ps57ad407d.jpg

ended up with my best day calling.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y17...ps239fa7a7.jpg

beautiful coyotes sakabush!

looks like you've got as much snow as we do.

with a 24hr check time on foot traps. rats and coyotes go together so well. no snow on the ice and there so easy.

one in the hut and 3 in the runs. multiplied by many huts with some funnel traps aswell. they add up fast.

http://i1142.photobucket.com/albums/...ps34865a75.jpg

http://i1142.photobucket.com/albums/...psf167a57e.jpg

a wise man once said" it doesn't take very many rats, to add up to a coyote."

I like this thread. I respectfully request that members and participants don't "quote" entire strings of pictures. It's unnecessary and greatly increases thread load times.

This is my first year trapping, I put out my first snares this evening.

[IMG]http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/...242EC1290C.jpg[/IMG]

If your going for coyote with that snare I would suggest you have it tied off to low for a quick clean dispatch. The tree looks good and solid but you should always tie off high if possible in order to position the snare high on the neck at the base of the skull, best dispatch location. I would also suggest you add kill springs to your snares as they greatly increase the effectiveness of any lock.

Nice to see that you are getting at it, Sureshot! :)

If you want some constructive criticism about your snare setup to help improve how you are doing it, I'd start a thread with a picture of your snare and ask for advice. I think that it'd be a great thread that a lot of us could learn from.

I'm new to trapping as well but I see a couple of things that I might do differently. I just don't want to hijack this thread.

One other thing for success is get your boot tracks off the trail. Stand off to the side. I have found that that is the biggest no no. Looks good though. I would add an extension and tie higher if you can as well. I hope you catch one

I put a stick in the ground under the snare to get the coyote to lift his head.

I didn't know yotes could climb but this one did. And I am running a kill spring. This snare was set on a trail that a yote was going under the Paige wire fence. Then was caught and climbed the fence and fell over. Odd.
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e2...psmjfca0hb.jpg
I reset the trail and found a yote had grabbed the snare and pulled it out of the way of the trail. I may have to switch up some tactics.

Thanks for the advice I took the pic at a poor angle the snare is actually 10-12 inches of the ground and all my snares have dispatch springs on them.

I welcome any advice though as I am just learning. I do have a mentor but nobody knows everything. I will remember the advice about my boot prints.

Thanks everyone

strange, a couple the sloughs around here where almost dry last year. this year full of rats and suckers. don't understand where the suckers came from.

http://i1142.photobucket.com/albums/...ps977cacca.jpg

finally getting some snow.

http://i1142.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6f0ae06c.jpg

north america's smallest carnivore.....been catching a bunch of these guys this year. slow in the long tail dept so far. kind of annoying.

http://i1142.photobucket.com/albums/...psfe5db052.jpg

Catching fish, eh? Kinda wish we had more rats up our way.
Are you trapping your marten line this year?

nope, my numbers where way down last year. the price tanked IMO and they could barely give them away in sept.......just kidding, the actual price could of been worse. i guess. can't see it rocketing back this year.

letting another guy trap it. hope he does well.


coyote and rats prices will probably tank, for no other reason than i've got a bunch.

BY tying off high I am not talking about the height of the snare off the ground. I am talking about tying the snare to the tree. Either use a longer snare or add an extension so you can secure to tree 5-6 ft up its trunk.

Yotes.

It worked! Finally got a smart phone and have been taking some pics on the line. Just figured out how to post from phone. Greatly enjoy those from others so will start to post up some of my own.

I got permission to pick up and use roadkill for bait. When I found this doe I drug her up a coulee near some snares. This is what I found the next check! A badger had attempted to bury it. He had moved a TON of dirt around it. I was initially concerned a grizz had claimed it. A 330 now waits.

Here is the deer the badger buried.

great tail gate pic! high dollar southern ab coyotes

going to be ugly out there today.

How did you get it to work. I used to be able to post from my phone but lately it hasn't worked!