Spring trapping on the water.
 

Well, it is certainly that time of the year! Thought I would start a thread for all the beaver and Muskrat trappers. Post some pics and tell some stories. I set my first couple feeder houses last night, and have plans to really get after it this year. Here is a nice Otter from the other day to start the ball rolling.


Spruce

Oh, and if you make fun of someone's sets or furhandling I will send a thousand shrews your way to wreck everything you catch! Lets be respectful please, there is a reason a lot of people don't post pictures or tell stories any more. If you see something that looks wrong, PM the person.

Spruce

lower rat prices must have put a damper on peoples enthusiasm.


traded pcp for some 1.5 cs. they sure are tuffer to set when the hands are frozen, waist deep in the slough. compared to the 1.5 ls. great trap thou.
http://i1142.photobucket.com/albums/...psheogzuuc.jpg

http://i1142.photobucket.com/albums/...ps4eg3p0lc.jpg


probably took 60+ rats this season in this culvert between 2 sloughs. great spot.
http://i1142.photobucket.com/albums/...ps1jtcabm9.jpg


built some colony traps last week,just to try the 2 piece doors. who ever thought of the idea. was a thinker! works much better than the standard door.
http://i1142.photobucket.com/albums/...psspmxu8ge.jpg

Great pictures Braggadoe. Can you expand a little on the two piece doors? Zooming in on your colony trap it looks like the door does not hinge at the top but a couple inches down is that it? What are the benefits?
Thanks

yeah, the door hinges are down. allowing the rats to jam up(bite the wire) at the top, and the door still functions. which was my big complaint with standard door.

in that pic there are 4 rats wedged at the top. and door is still 100% operational. beautiful!!

Yes they are a little tougher to set,but they take em down fast and are sure easier on the wallet as well, how about clip system working good for ya,dog and I set 13 floats yesterday,going there tomorrow to set more and do check,1 1/2 longsprings are way over priced IMO,don't you use gauntlet's Paul?i'll post pic's tomorrow,happy trapping guys,cheers Peter

the clips are sweet!. slowly changing all the chain over to cable(reused snares) on the rat traps. and will be picking some clips up. i read somewhere, guys are weakening the springs on the 1.5cs. going to look into that. they are a great trap and a bargain foresure.

leaky gauntlets, need a new pair. they don't last me very long. can't stand leaky waders/gaunlets. wish simms made gauntlets.

looking forward to your pics/report.

you can get springs for the #1 coils I believe and change over,was thinking same thing myself,yes had to get new pair this year as well,used wire from spent snares as well Paul.

Brag would you give some more detail on the floating sets maybe a pic of the platform out of water. Are you using bait ?
Also what situation would you use a colony over a sub or visa versa ?

If I knew how to posts pics I would ask you guys if I am setting my subs up right or not. I only got 9 so far in a week 7 in one sub 2 in another

Patiently waiting for the ice to melt. :waiting4:

It'll be a couple of weeks before I get going. :sleep-038:

An 8" x 8" trap is pretty big and there ought to be plenty of room in there. Have you tried the same mod on 6" x 6" or 5" x 5" traps?

Same here. Just spent a week with a trapper in southern alberta and they were all out on the ice. I've noticed painting the cones black on the round sub colony traps makes a big difference too.

i quickly built a dz 8/8 and a dz 6/6,14 ga. the doors where an improvement on both sizes. took a pic of the one of 8/8 because of the 4 rats pinned at the top on the one side and a 5th on the other side.

if the 5/5's i have, with the standard doors, wheren't collapsable. i'ld be trading them away.

as far as which to use, colony/sub. i just put the biggest possible trap that fits in the run. right in front of the entrance. and is still under water

Day #1
 

Well there isn't any ice where I am,little slush now from all this white stuff YUCKKKKK,13 floats 15 nice rats,dog had a blast,and had my other girl as personal photographer,lots of geese and ducks around,awesome check for sure,cheers Peter

Looks like you had a fun day

rats
 

Any day out there Tork is fun,bad days trapping beats day at work HANDS DOWN.:sHa_shakeshout:

I hear you sir. I need to get out and pile up some beaver for bait next year but I'm stuck at work for a few more days still.

Watching this rig work is getting to be like watching paint dry :(

That means you have lots more money than the most of the rest of us!

Awesome pics guys I can't wait till she thaws a bit more

Well it's not like I'm a trapping supply tycoon / professional coyote trapping movie star Marty but I scrape by ;)

Looking forward to getting back in the bush though that's for sure.

Good job Peter , how many skrats you think are possible this spring ? Afraid our coon supply has dried up but one on ice for you .

Thanks CAM my number is 200,the spot i'm at right now produced 100 last year in spring and by the looks of the huts this year,they repopulated quite well,as I only trap there in spring,they have rest of year to do there thing and fall to fatten up for me in spring,rats today were fat and big:sHa_shakeshout:

Peter, what do you use for bait/lure?
Thanks for any help,

Mike

Best lure I have ever had is Hoffmans muskrat lure from Halfords
https://www.halfordsmailorder.com/eS..._ACHOFFMUSKRAT

I use that and a sliver of carrot on my bait sticks

lure/bait
 

spring time trapping is different,the rats want to get out of water and soak up the SUN,I pile on vegetation,good pile in middle to deter coming over sides,but I do incorporate a lot of carrots and parsnip,some apples as well,lotta guys say mint tooth paste,little Anise,i saved some glands from last spring and mixed with some castor and some glycerin to make paste,fennel works as well,hope this helps you out,cheers Peter,really all you need is vegetation,they will want to get on your floats anyways to Sun Tan:sHa_shakeshout:

great pics peter! looks like you got a good rat dog!! when are you launching the boat?

should be a great day out there today!

Excellent pictures south country boys. Running some rat lines now - little early - lots of ice chisel work. On 1.5 coils a friend fixed up too strong spring with 3 quick passes of torch. Worked beautifully - thus is the earliest breakup I have experienced

Anyone on here ever use a simple log set where the rats climb on to sun as Peter says ? A friend swears by it .

I use my stick in the mud set for fall and spring. I don't have to mess around finding spots to set this way. Just put how ever traps I want all 5 feet apart from eachother with a small peice of carrot and 2 drops of lure on top of the stick and good to go. The only issues I have had are last spring the mud was still frozen in some spots for a bit longer and hard to get the surveyors stake to stick in the mud and sometimes the water is too deep close to the shore. But for the most part it works like a charm especially in the small ponds