My 2021-2022 Trapping Season

QuietButDeadly

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Since my season thread last year had quite a bit of interest, I will try to hit the highlights again this year. During the off season, I have done trap maintenance and dyed and waxed the ones that needed it. And other than a little arranging equipment tomorrow in the side by side, I am ready to put a few traps in the ground at the home farm on the season opener Monday.
 

YanceyGreenhorn

Still Not a Moderator
Since my season thread last year had quite a bit of interest, I will try to hit the highlights again this year. During the off season, I have done trap maintenance and dyed and waxed the ones that needed it. And other than a little arranging equipment tomorrow in the side by side, I am ready to put a few traps in the ground at the home farm on the season opener Monday.
Please do. I know I really enjoyed it .
 

odie408

Ten Pointer
Can't wait QBD, I'm not going to set till after the running of the hounds. Maybe this will pacify me till then.
 

QuietButDeadly

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
The coyotes do not seem to want to play this fall. We have had a few on trail cams in the genera vicinity of some of my sets but none of us have seen any while deer hunting. Last year we were seeing them pretty often during deer season. But at least I an not having to deal with mud yet.

Set a muskrat job a few days ago and caught a pair the first night. Left everything set and got another one today. Only have a picture of the pair before I took their PJs off.
IMG_20211109_205112.jpg

Got another call for beaver creating havoc in a pond. Went and set that today so should have some buck toofs soon.

I also freshened up some of the coyote sets with some fresh muskrat to see if that might interest them.
 

QuietButDeadly

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Well, the beaver job is not going so well. The beaver seem to be missing already. Might have something to do with the land owner shooting at them, Arrgggggg!

Finally picked up a couple of critters on the short line at home. One, I did not mind but the other, I would rather not catch. The rather not catch was a male red fox and any other time would be released since I am in a no fox trapping county. But apparently a coyote decided to give this one a death sentence. Fur was all ruffled up and a quick examination revealed puncture wounds to the neck that could certainly be coyote. The other possibility is a roaming domestic dog but I have not had any problem with roaming dogs in a long time and I would expect to catch them.

The one that I did not mind was a big, wide stripe stinker. It would really be a stunning pelt except for the red dirt mineral stain of the white stripes. But when you live in red dirt, that is what you get. Caught this fella in a set that had been tripped a couple of times but no catch. I make my sets for coyotes, knowing that I will catch, skunks, possums and coons along with the occasional fox. I use offset jaw traps that have a 3/16" gap between the jaws when they are fully closed and they will hold the smaller feet under ideal circumstances. But occasionally, some debris will get caught between the contact points on the jaws and prevents them from closing to the 3/16" dimension and another 1/16" can be enough to allow the small foot to pull out. It is a non issue with coyotes because their foot is bigger. Just one of the compromises involved in trapping.

i forgot to take a picture of pepe before I took his pajamas off so here is one of the pelt.
Pepe-1..jpg
 

QuietButDeadly

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
That's a nice on Harold. Did you save the scent gland?

Just wondering. Could peroxide take that stain out?
I let it cool down overnight. I find that it is easier to remove the scent pods after the fat sets up. Less mess that hot fat too. Then scent pod removal is the next order of business and the smell is the most valuable part of the skunk. Once that is done, skunks are easy to skin. And the empty scent pods are saved to put in dirt hole sets.

I wish peroxide would remove the mineral stain but unfortunately, it does not. I have not found anything that does remove it.

This one got the peroxide/baking soda/dishwashing liquid treatment and fan dry before skinning as it was stinky and the pods were not full.
 

QuietButDeadly

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I am inclined to believe it is going to be a slow trapping season on the home farm line judging by the activity I am not seeing so far. In addition to empty traps, I am not hearing any coyotes, morning or evening and we have had zero sightings while deer hunting. And to further demonstrate the lack of the primary target specie, the remains of a butchered deer have been out since Wednesday of this week and have not been touched.

By this time last year, I had caught a few yotes in traps and the boys and I had killed 6 while deer hunting. Add the remaining trapping season catches, which was surprising to me, and that may help explain why I am not seeing many this year. I have always heard they will fill back in an area where they are thinned significantly but this is not the first time I have seen a big numbers year followed by low catch numbers and reduced sign in the same area.

It actually makes me believe that hitting them hard does make a difference in their overall numbers in an area.

I will keep a few traps in proven good locations and see what happens.
 

lasttombstone

Kinder, Gentler LTS
I would think that there will be an increase over time but it will be interesting to see how long it is before you start to see activity again. One would think that, unless they come back in high numbers all of a sudden, you should be able to control what returns fairly easily.
 

bwfarms

Old Mossy Horns
You are not the only one, nothing has been tripped here either by anything, not that I’m complaining I only want yotes. Only sign has been scat about forty feet or so along the road to a barn.

I haven’t had another one in crosshairs since muzzleloader.
 

QuietButDeadly

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Pretty boring trapping season so far. I did pick up a possum a few days ago but just empty traps since then.

But I did manage to solve a coyote problem for someone this morning. Never had a situation like this before. Caller had a coyote apparently asleep in a corner of a stall in their barn and wanted to know if I could help. Situation was as reported and I took care of it. Certainly not something I would expect to see so I made some phone calls and have arranged for the carcass to be tested for a variety of possible diseases.

Strange, strange, strange....
 

Levi

Spike
Do y’all guys still make any money on trapping? I quit trapping around the 2000’s when I couldn’t even pay for my gas.
 

QuietButDeadly

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Big fat stink cat this morning in the same trap I caught the other one earlier. The slow continues. I thought the few cold nights we had would get the critters moving but just not seeing much evidence of it. If we get some rain tomorrow as forecast, maybe that will help.
IMG_20211210_111938.jpg
 

QuietButDeadly

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I finally had a coon mess up a perfectly good coyote set a couple days ago. Surprised it took this long for that to happen. Oh well, no coyote sign anyway so might as well catch something and maybe save a turkey nest next spring.

And as warm and dry as it has been, I have not used any wax dirt yet. Well, we finally got enough moisture in the ground and it got cold enough last night to frost fire a trap, just setting in the bed fired.

And we got some preliminary data from the lab on the strange acting coyote pup that was sleeping in the barn stable. All I know so far is that it did not have rabies or distemper. More tests are being done.
 

QuietButDeadly

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Finally snagged a target specie. 33 lb male with a perfect pad catch. Short of a major mechanical failure, he was not going anywhere. Hopefull it will not take so long to get the next one.

Before the catch:
IMG_20211211_143811.jpg
Then end of the dotty dead limb is covering most of the dirt hole and has lure and urine on it.

The catch:
IMG_20211221_094036.jpg

Empty trap bed after the catch:
IMG_20211221_094129.jpg
The dead limb got shredded after the catch.

The remake:

IMG_20211221_100744.jpg
I had to find a new piece of wood to use for backing but the trap is in the same bed with the same relationship to the dirt hole. I like using a pre-hooked drag to preserve the location after a catch.
 

PPosey

Twelve Pointer
Ya my sets usually look like a bomb went off using a stake. That yote has some dark markings.
 

QuietButDeadly

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Not ready to say things are turning around but the last couple of days have been eventful anyway. It is a start whether it keeps going or not.

Had another song dog bouncing this morning on another one of my pre-hooked drag sets. Young female with a flat coat that would not even make a decent wall hanger but it is another set of teeth out of commission and she will not be having any pups either. She was not very photogenic and I did not push it as she was toe caught. It was cold enough last night that the trap probably had a crust to bust through but it got the job done.
IMG_20211222_084932.jpg

And I might have underestimated the beaver job I set yesterday. I picked the prime spots and hung a couple of snares and a couple of foot holds set for back foot catches on drowning rods. All sets occupied this morning and I suspect there is another one or two left. Reset everything and got them all to the truck. Will see what tomorrow brings.
IMG_20211222_111255.jpg
Beaver trapping is a lot like work and it is always uphill to the truck. Makes an old man tired!
 

YanceyGreenhorn

Still Not a Moderator
Not ready to say things are turning around but the last couple of days have been eventful anyway. It is a start whether it keeps going or not.

Had another song dog bouncing this morning on another one of my pre-hooked drag sets. Young female with a flat coat that would not even make a decent wall hanger but it is another set of teeth out of commission and she will not be having any pups either. She was not very photogenic and I did not push it as she was toe caught. It was cold enough last night that the trap probably had a crust to bust through but it got the job done.
View attachment 81614

And I might have underestimated the beaver job I set yesterday. I picked the prime spots and hung a couple of snares and a couple of foot holds set for back foot catches on drowning rods. All sets occupied this morning and I suspect there is another one or two left. Reset everything and got them all to the truck. Will see what tomorrow brings.
View attachment 81620
Beaver trapping is a lot like work and it is always uphill to the truck. Makes an old man tired!
Nicely done as always, Harold. You’ve got me wanting to get some beaver traps set. I’ve got a ton of snare setups calling my name from the barn. Great catches.
 

woodmoose

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
Way to go Mr Harold. Getting me anxious to get set. Got beavers and yotes I need to get after. Just waiting for deer season to close so I don't catch the wrong dogs.

that’s what I’m waiting on in most areas

got called back by a landowner for more beaver action in a dog safe area though,,, likely will set that place tomorrow
 
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