John Fraser
Well-known member
Nice job on the coons Steve! Some day I’ll have to give them a try, but for now it’s just beaver and rats. Good luck on the flat-tails. Be sure to report back with some more pictures.
Has anyone been trapping?
- Thread starter John Fraser
- Start date
Hard to believe that back in 1984, when I was trapping in northeast PA, we were getting $7-12 for 'rats, $25-$45 for coons, $50 for red fox, $30 for grays and up to $75 for blanket beavers. Even possums brought $5 back then! That was big money back then to me!
Mark F. Cheney
Member
My brother and I have heard rumors of $7.00 in Utah for good rat pelts. While that isn't as much as in a good year in the past , it's not too bad if you have a 1,000 or so of them.
Mark F. Cheney
Mark F. Cheney
John Fraser
Well-known member
Our marsh at work has had muskrats burrowing into the berm. Last year I caught 11 of them. However they were burrowing again this summer, so yesterday I set out three 110's. Today I caught 1 muskrat in a spot that produced six rats last year. They sure do have nice thick fur by mid December.
Running and gunning for mink, but now with this lock out it's time to seperate the men from the boys.
Rats will be good and I would wager the later you sell the better your going to do.
For some of you eastern boys check out my forum with the PA trappers org
www.pafurtakers.com
Rats will be good and I would wager the later you sell the better your going to do.
For some of you eastern boys check out my forum with the PA trappers org
www.pafurtakers.com
John Fraser
Well-known member
I love castor mounds! The streams are finally opening up enough so that I can get some castor mound sets in. Caught this 43 pounder this morning.
Anyone else have luck with the flat-tails lately? Steve Steffy should have been chasing them. Any pictures?
Anyone else have luck with the flat-tails lately? Steve Steffy should have been chasing them. Any pictures?
Bob B
Well-known member
John,
that is a pig!
We have a few of those in the trout pond at my F&G club.
One walked out of the water one day and my old lab just about got killed thinking she should make a stand against the thing. It was gonna be ugly till she came when I called her off.
They have helped make a heck of a wetland below our damn and we will do a little stocking of brookies in that section I hope.
that is a pig!
We have a few of those in the trout pond at my F&G club.
One walked out of the water one day and my old lab just about got killed thinking she should make a stand against the thing. It was gonna be ugly till she came when I called her off.
They have helped make a heck of a wetland below our damn and we will do a little stocking of brookies in that section I hope.
John Fraser
Well-known member
The beaver can make some nice wetlands if they’re in the right location. In other spots they can create headaches. This beaver was caught in a spot that a county highway worker tipped me off to. They’ve had to clean the road culvert out several times.
The thing about beaver wetlands is that they are cyclical, they change a lot throughout their lifespan. However most people seem to like things to stay the same. I’ve noticed that ducks like the beaver ponds when they are new. As the ponds age and the trees disappear they seem to become more of a goose roost.
The thing about beaver wetlands is that they are cyclical, they change a lot throughout their lifespan. However most people seem to like things to stay the same. I’ve noticed that ducks like the beaver ponds when they are new. As the ponds age and the trees disappear they seem to become more of a goose roost.
Steve Steffy
Well-known member
I have yet to set a beaver trap this year. I was to busy early in the season then the ice came. Everything has been locked up and I just don't feel like chopping ice. Though, some of my spots may be opening up here pretty quick with the warm temps we've had. I'll be sure to post some pics when I get started. Shouldn't be long now. By the way John, I like that pack basket. Where did you pick that one up? Mine will probably be shot after this season and I'll looking for a new one. That one looks like its pretty high quality.
Good luck on the line! Be safe.
Steve
Good luck on the line! Be safe.
Steve
Brandon Yuchasz
Well-known member
I actually had the time this year to finally get a winter wilderness line in. I had been dreaming of doing it since I moved up here and finally had enough knowledge of the area that I could figure out a nice loop. Its centered around beaver ponds so I could do some under ice trapping of them but its turned into a weasel trapping line because that is mostly what I have been catching.
I have been keeping a running thread on another site of each noteworthy check of the line but I will just post a few pictures here and try and fill in a some information about them.
the breaking of the original trail through for the line was exhausting I did it early on and there was not a lot of base to the snow which I wanted since I was exploring as I was going. I got stuck several times on wrong turns. In the end though I had a nice packed trail through the woods connecting two different loops into one line.
Just a view of Madi's Pond. Named after my daughter because of and adventure we took there one spring to drink some coco and explore the woods. The name stuck and now its one of my favorite ponds.
This is a view of my lake one morning as I set out to do a check.
A new pond I discovered this year while planning out the new line. It was very productive for under ice sets.
A pond with no name (yet).
And my first weasel of the season taken at that pond.
Just a picture I snapped of a trap before it was placed under the snow. Its a #3 long spring and I am partial to the long springs. Don't know why maybe the same reason I like wood decoys. Its a fairly large trap size for fox and yotes but with the deep snow here it takes a large trap to reach up and make a catch.
Yet another under ice set. Look closely I was chopping to do the check.
I ended up needing a bigger hole.
This is why. Sometimes this winter trapping is a little work!
I have been keeping a running thread on another site of each noteworthy check of the line but I will just post a few pictures here and try and fill in a some information about them.
the breaking of the original trail through for the line was exhausting I did it early on and there was not a lot of base to the snow which I wanted since I was exploring as I was going. I got stuck several times on wrong turns. In the end though I had a nice packed trail through the woods connecting two different loops into one line.
Just a view of Madi's Pond. Named after my daughter because of and adventure we took there one spring to drink some coco and explore the woods. The name stuck and now its one of my favorite ponds.
This is a view of my lake one morning as I set out to do a check.
A new pond I discovered this year while planning out the new line. It was very productive for under ice sets.
A pond with no name (yet).
And my first weasel of the season taken at that pond.
Just a picture I snapped of a trap before it was placed under the snow. Its a #3 long spring and I am partial to the long springs. Don't know why maybe the same reason I like wood decoys. Its a fairly large trap size for fox and yotes but with the deep snow here it takes a large trap to reach up and make a catch.
Yet another under ice set. Look closely I was chopping to do the check.
I ended up needing a bigger hole.
This is why. Sometimes this winter trapping is a little work!
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John Fraser
Well-known member
Steve,
The packbasket came from: http://www.adirondackpackbaskets.com/ I bought it at a silent auction at the employees banquet last year. It is a nice basket, I've been using it for trapping and ice fishing. It's the medium tall basket, if I were to get another one I'd get the large size for the larger beaver traps.
The winter did come quick this year and has held on strong. Hope things thaw out for you soon. Look forward to seeing some of your pictures.
- John
The packbasket came from: http://www.adirondackpackbaskets.com/ I bought it at a silent auction at the employees banquet last year. It is a nice basket, I've been using it for trapping and ice fishing. It's the medium tall basket, if I were to get another one I'd get the large size for the larger beaver traps.
The winter did come quick this year and has held on strong. Hope things thaw out for you soon. Look forward to seeing some of your pictures.
- John
John Fraser
Well-known member
Nice pictures Brandon. I like that gear sled you're pulling behind the snowmobile. What make is that #3? The #1 and #1-1/2 longsprings are my favorite for rats. Hope that beavercicle thawed out OK for you, can't tell if he got hit when you were chopping out the hole. That under ice trapping is a lot of work.
John L
Well-known member
My friend has a few beaver on his property and they have been doing a great job over the last few years at enlarging his pond. All was going well with the pond and it is starting to hold a lot of wood ducks and other species not to mention more fish.
Problem now is they have started to drop trees on the other side of the pond and it is now it's getting to big and the flooded area is now coming towards his house. Still a bit away, but it's coming in that direction. He has cleared out some of the dams but as fast as he is at removal, they are even faster to put it back.
I have offered my services to, lets say solve the problem but his wife loves them. I don't thnk it will be long before she calls me to say get these gd thing out of here.
I expect I'll get the call when the spring thaw starts to get going. There will be a lot of water coming down the mountain with no place to go.
Problem now is they have started to drop trees on the other side of the pond and it is now it's getting to big and the flooded area is now coming towards his house. Still a bit away, but it's coming in that direction. He has cleared out some of the dams but as fast as he is at removal, they are even faster to put it back.
I have offered my services to, lets say solve the problem but his wife loves them. I don't thnk it will be long before she calls me to say get these gd thing out of here.
I expect I'll get the call when the spring thaw starts to get going. There will be a lot of water coming down the mountain with no place to go.
Capt. John O
Well-known member
still runnin the mink rat and coon line now every night now that its warmer foxes are startin to rub time to switch tactics
John Fraser
Well-known member
Seems like I get a few complaints from people right around the close of the season in early April. Must be when evryone gets out and notices the damage and flooding with the spring runoff.
I'm not sure what the old packbaskets go for. Last time I noticed a year or so ago, new wooden ones at Gander Mt. were around $60. The cane ones like I have cost quite a bit more as you can see on the website. I didn't realize it at the time but my final bid at the auction turned out to be a good deal on the basket.
Yash: It's nice that you can still trap rats. Our rat season ended on Feb. 15.
I'm not sure what the old packbaskets go for. Last time I noticed a year or so ago, new wooden ones at Gander Mt. were around $60. The cane ones like I have cost quite a bit more as you can see on the website. I didn't realize it at the time but my final bid at the auction turned out to be a good deal on the basket.
Yash: It's nice that you can still trap rats. Our rat season ended on Feb. 15.
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John Fraser
Well-known member
John: I just started browning some venison burger for dinner and I thought of you. If you do help your friends out with their problem, don't be afraid to try some of the meat. I quarter the beaver and cut out the back straps too. De-boned and slow cooked in the crock pot along with a single pork steak and enough beer/juice to cover it. After 8 hours or so drain the liquid, shred the meat, and add BBQ sauce. It's great.