Derek Thompson
Active member
I thought I would post up one of my stories over here.
My adventures at the farm continue. Earlier this year we had a beaver show up down by the willow bar. I made a couple of sets with number 4 long springs. I caught a muskrat and that was it. Evidently the beaver saw the dead rat and decided to vacate the area. Cool. Well last week; the beaver showed back up and with a vengeance. This wood chewing machine is taking down 10 to 15 of my willows per night. Back out come the number 4 traps. I made a couple of sets. Nothing, nothing, bingo. Dang it’s another muskrat. I reset and can’t get the beaver. He is cutting new paths and lots of trees every night. I decided to ask and see if Dave P. can help. He is a beaver trapping fool. He caught thirty some, this spring. I ask him to stop by and make a couple of sets. Well, instead; he brings me some of the needed utensils at the DU meeting. He brought me three rerod trap stakes. When he got these out of the truck; I thought man those are so long I could almost use them for pushpoles in the pumpkin seed. But the reason for the long length is because you are using them in soft crick banks and need the length to keep from being pulled out. Then he got the snares out. Now I used to do a lot of snaring back in the day and these things are at least three times longer than anything I used for coon. As Dave showed me the loop size needed and height to set at; I could see why the snares were 4 or 5 ft long. Next, Dave gave me the secret ingredient for beaver trapping. A small jar of vile looking and even worse smelling stuff that he called “musk” I was thinking of other adjectives to describe it but, ok.
Last night I had time to make some sets. I trudged down to the crick. I am going on an all-out war on this timber clearing machine called a “beaver” I made two sets with my number 4 long springs. Then I made two sets with the long snares and stakes. The secret to using the snares is to make a mud pie pile, up on the bank; put the snare in the path to the pile and then put a drop or two of this foul smelling, nasty looking concoction on the mud pile. All the while making sure that you don’t get any on you because there is no way the wife or dog would come near me for a week if you got some on your skin.
This morning I woke up before the alarm went off. The anticipation was high. Did I catch the tree killer ???? Dang, it was raining pretty good. I went down stairs and grabbed a rain coat. I let Abby out to let her do her morning event. Back in the pen with her. Being as it was raining hard I decided that I didn’t want to take my skunk killing rifle and get it wetter than wet. Even though it is a beater; I just can’t let myself take a gun out in the rain. So I decided to grab my new favorite farm conceal carry weapon. My 22 snub nose Smith. I put it in a holster and it would be under the coat and stay dry. Now this is a pretty cool gun but it is a 2 ½” snub nosed pistol. It does have adjustable sights on it. Hmmm, ok. So I have been doing some shooting with it to “sight it in” this thing is about as accurate as a rubber band gun.
I head down to the crick. First set is a leg hold, nothing. The next set is a snare, nothing. The next set is a snare and it is over the bank edge. As I get closer, Yahoo, I can see the beaver up on the bank. I got the tree killing machine !! He is all hunkered up and it looks like he is sleeping. Holy buckets; this thing is a monster. He is friggin’ huge. So wonder he was taking down so many trees; it was taking that many to sate his appetite. I am figuring that I am going to have to get fairly close to make sure and hit him in the head with this snub nosed pistol. I get up with in two feet and kind of lean in to take the shot ; when all of a sudden this SOB launches himself at me; just like a mountain lion. Multiple thoughts raced through my mind in three milliseconds. First of all; I forgot about the five long snare. I was within two foot of him. That gave him three extra feet of striking distance. Next thought was; holy shit his mouth is open far enough to stick in a soft ball and he has fangs that are huge. Ok, maybe they don’t call beaver teeth fangs but at that moment they looked like fangs. Next thought is that; He is going to hit me about waist high. Mouth is wide open; fangs are huge; the family jewels are in serious jeopardy. I started shooting and the gun was clicking. Holy buckets; how can it not being going off; not realizing that I had emptied 6 shots in 1.2 seconds. I later determined the time factor based on launch rate of the beaver, speed through the air, distance to cover of 2.5 feet.
Thank goodness that years of shooting, my quick response rate, and my ability to hit a target while air born backwards; pulled through. I hit the beaver 4 times; killing him in midair.
White men might not be able to jump; but beavers sure can !
My adventures at the farm continue. Earlier this year we had a beaver show up down by the willow bar. I made a couple of sets with number 4 long springs. I caught a muskrat and that was it. Evidently the beaver saw the dead rat and decided to vacate the area. Cool. Well last week; the beaver showed back up and with a vengeance. This wood chewing machine is taking down 10 to 15 of my willows per night. Back out come the number 4 traps. I made a couple of sets. Nothing, nothing, bingo. Dang it’s another muskrat. I reset and can’t get the beaver. He is cutting new paths and lots of trees every night. I decided to ask and see if Dave P. can help. He is a beaver trapping fool. He caught thirty some, this spring. I ask him to stop by and make a couple of sets. Well, instead; he brings me some of the needed utensils at the DU meeting. He brought me three rerod trap stakes. When he got these out of the truck; I thought man those are so long I could almost use them for pushpoles in the pumpkin seed. But the reason for the long length is because you are using them in soft crick banks and need the length to keep from being pulled out. Then he got the snares out. Now I used to do a lot of snaring back in the day and these things are at least three times longer than anything I used for coon. As Dave showed me the loop size needed and height to set at; I could see why the snares were 4 or 5 ft long. Next, Dave gave me the secret ingredient for beaver trapping. A small jar of vile looking and even worse smelling stuff that he called “musk” I was thinking of other adjectives to describe it but, ok.
Last night I had time to make some sets. I trudged down to the crick. I am going on an all-out war on this timber clearing machine called a “beaver” I made two sets with my number 4 long springs. Then I made two sets with the long snares and stakes. The secret to using the snares is to make a mud pie pile, up on the bank; put the snare in the path to the pile and then put a drop or two of this foul smelling, nasty looking concoction on the mud pile. All the while making sure that you don’t get any on you because there is no way the wife or dog would come near me for a week if you got some on your skin.
This morning I woke up before the alarm went off. The anticipation was high. Did I catch the tree killer ???? Dang, it was raining pretty good. I went down stairs and grabbed a rain coat. I let Abby out to let her do her morning event. Back in the pen with her. Being as it was raining hard I decided that I didn’t want to take my skunk killing rifle and get it wetter than wet. Even though it is a beater; I just can’t let myself take a gun out in the rain. So I decided to grab my new favorite farm conceal carry weapon. My 22 snub nose Smith. I put it in a holster and it would be under the coat and stay dry. Now this is a pretty cool gun but it is a 2 ½” snub nosed pistol. It does have adjustable sights on it. Hmmm, ok. So I have been doing some shooting with it to “sight it in” this thing is about as accurate as a rubber band gun.
I head down to the crick. First set is a leg hold, nothing. The next set is a snare, nothing. The next set is a snare and it is over the bank edge. As I get closer, Yahoo, I can see the beaver up on the bank. I got the tree killing machine !! He is all hunkered up and it looks like he is sleeping. Holy buckets; this thing is a monster. He is friggin’ huge. So wonder he was taking down so many trees; it was taking that many to sate his appetite. I am figuring that I am going to have to get fairly close to make sure and hit him in the head with this snub nosed pistol. I get up with in two feet and kind of lean in to take the shot ; when all of a sudden this SOB launches himself at me; just like a mountain lion. Multiple thoughts raced through my mind in three milliseconds. First of all; I forgot about the five long snare. I was within two foot of him. That gave him three extra feet of striking distance. Next thought was; holy shit his mouth is open far enough to stick in a soft ball and he has fangs that are huge. Ok, maybe they don’t call beaver teeth fangs but at that moment they looked like fangs. Next thought is that; He is going to hit me about waist high. Mouth is wide open; fangs are huge; the family jewels are in serious jeopardy. I started shooting and the gun was clicking. Holy buckets; how can it not being going off; not realizing that I had emptied 6 shots in 1.2 seconds. I later determined the time factor based on launch rate of the beaver, speed through the air, distance to cover of 2.5 feet.
Thank goodness that years of shooting, my quick response rate, and my ability to hit a target while air born backwards; pulled through. I hit the beaver 4 times; killing him in midair.
White men might not be able to jump; but beavers sure can !
