Trapping Adventures with Prune

Jammer

Jammer

Six Pointer
Did get a chance to update last night so here is a quick rundown of yesterday. The first 4 properties on the line didn’t produce. The second to last stop had a nice male grey fox. As we pulled up he laid down and stuck his nose in the dirt. It reminded me of a toddler’s “I can’t see you so you can’t see me”. The last property started with mean SOB of a yote. I wish I would have recorded Prune jumping back when the yote reminded him he was in the catch circle. I could have won some money on that TV show. Who says trapping doesn’t pay? [emoji23] we finished out with 2 fat boar coons. They weighed 18 & 20 pounds respectively.

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Jammer

Jammer

Six Pointer
Nothing too exciting today. Just a trio of coons. All the coons we have caught recently have been really nice. The fur is long and prime.

Here are the pics from today. Stay tuned for snowy pics tomorrow. Maybe I’ll catch Prune making snow angels again.

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Here is a pretty blonde

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Jammer

Jammer

Six Pointer
Here is an update for the last couple days. Prune took off early Wednesday morning before the sun to check traps ahead of the snow. I got up at 5:45 and already had 3 texts from him saying he was on the road. So I was stuck at home waiting on text updates from him. It was a heck of a day to sleep in. It wasn't long before he started sending pics. We ended up with 4 grey fox and should have had 3 more. Those sets were destroyed but the traps were frozen and never fired. He finished checking the line just before the snow started. I met up with him at his fur shack and we spent the rest of the day skinning, scraping and putting fur on boards.

Thursday morning we got word that there was 10" of snow where the majority of our traps were set. Prune called the Wildlife Officer for Chatham Co to ask if we could skip the trap check because of unsafe driving conditions. The WO said to stay home but he called his Area Sergeant to verify. The Area Sergeant agreed so we didn't run the line.

No worries about any critters spending 2 nights in a trap. We got skunked. We spent the most of today clearing snow from our sets and adding stink to the holes. Critters should be moving tonight. Hopefully I have more pictures tomorrow.

Here are 3 of the 4 foxes from Wednesday. Prune got excited and forgot to take a pic of the 4th.

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Jammer

Jammer

Six Pointer
Started this morning with a grey at the first stop. As we were walking the trail to the set we saw muddy prints on the crusted snow heading in the right direction. Prune said "looks like a grey fox" and I asked if he meant like the one in the trap that just came into view. From following the tracks we could see where the fox walked right past one trap directly to the other and the tracks disappeared into the catch circle.

The next property was a bust but we scored again at the third stop. As we were driving down a dirt path Prune again sees some tracks and mentioned that a canine came through last night. As he is driving and looking at tracks I'm looking ahead and see red ears sticking up over a small mound of dirt. I said that there was a red in his set. He was still busy looking at tracks. He looked up just in time to see the red stand up. They sure are pretty critters. I wish the snow hadn't melted. It would have made a great picture.

As we were headed to the next set I got a call from one of our landowners letting us know we had a coyote hopping. When we got to that farm we found the yote in a trap that hadn't had so much as a paw print near it for almost 2 weeks. It was the 5th yote we have taken off that farm. Seems like we connect on a yote every 5-7 days. Hopefully tomorrow we break that trend and have another one or two hopping.

Here is today's catch:

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Steelshot

Eight Pointer
The best trapping tool I've used this year is snow. It's a great teacher. I have a property that has good yote activity but I haven't made a catch yet. The snow showed me why. I thought i was on location but I missed the mark by 20 yards. Seems the howlers like to walk this gentle slope that i didn't even know existed till the tracks showed up and it seems to be the first spot/strip in the field that melted. Lets just say I have parked a few victors on that slope. Wont be long.
 
Jammer

Jammer

Six Pointer
Yesterday morning started with a big dose of 'Merica. There was an eagle soaring overhead when we got up the Chatham. Unfortunately he didn't bring us any luck but we didn't get skunked. We did catch a possum. Guess it finally warmed up enough for their little bald feet. Later on the drive between properties I looked out into the woods and saw a piebald spike. He was almost completely white with one small brown spot just below the left ear. He may have had more on the right side but he was broadside left to me. He'd be a heck of a trophy for someone if he can make it a few more years.

That possum was quick! If it wasn't for Prune's cat-like reflexes, I think he would be missing some finger flesh today.

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Jammer

Jammer

Six Pointer
Prune and I split properties today. I checked down in Moore and he checked Chatham and Lee when he got off work. I got a call from the landowner this morning letting me know I had another coyote. The yote was in the same set that produced 2 days ago. He is #6 from this farm. He was blind in the left eye from what looked like damage from a fight. Prune connected with 2 greys and a possum. Both greys were in sets that produced multiple greys this year. His phone died so he didn't get a pic of the 2nd fox.

Check out the yotes eye.

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Jammer

Jammer

Six Pointer
Not a whole lot of action today. Should have known the rain would bring out the possums. Two less egg eater running around.

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Jammer

Jammer

Six Pointer
I’ve really been slacking for past few days. Not that there was a lot to update y’all on. A couple coons and a couple possums and that’s it. It’s about time to move farms again. Prune had to work on Saturday so I had to take a different partner with me. Don’t tell Prune but I she did a better job.

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Ldsoldier

Ldsoldier

Old Mossy Horns
Jammer said:
I’ve really been slacking for past few days. Not that there was a lot to update y’all on. A couple coons and a couple possums and that’s it. It’s about time to move farms again. Prune had to work on Saturday so I had to take a different partner with me. Don’t tell Prune but I she did a better job.

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She's definitely cuter....
 
Jammer

Jammer

Six Pointer
Yesterday was awesome on the line! I got got tired of getting out of the truck to snatch up critters. I ran through a box of .22lr.

Then the alarm went off and I heard the rain that had been coming down all night. Everything on the line was wet. Not just wet, it was sloppy mud. I think a couple sets could have been drowning sets. Maybe I should have thrown some castor in the holes.

But we didn’t get skunked! I caught a possum that looked like it had male pattern baldness. Can possums get mange? It looked good as it was laying there but when I took it out of the trap I saw that it was missing big patches of fur.

Hopefully the water has drained some and we’ll have a better day.

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Jammer

Jammer

Six Pointer
Things have slowed down considerably for us the last couple weeks. Looking forward to pulling traps and setting 2 new properties this weekend. No history of them being trapped before. We like those kinda places....dumb critters.

The Moore Co farm produced another coyote today. That is #7 this year from that property and there are still more there. It doesn’t help that the land borders Ft Bragg. Even if we do clean out the yotes new ones will just backfill from Bragg.

She is a pretty one.

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Triggernosis

Triggernosis

Ten Pointer
Jammer, are y'all catching most of those yotes using dirt-hole sets? I can't put out any traps due to the rain. It's a muddy mess where I trap and there's more rain predicted for tonight and even more later this weekend.
 
Jammer

Jammer

Six Pointer
Triggernosis said:
Jammer, are y'all catching most of those yotes using dirt-hole sets? I can't put out any traps due to the rain. It's a muddy mess where I trap and there's more rain predicted for tonight and even more later this weekend.
Click to expand...

Dirt holes are about all we use. Occasionally we'll throw in a blind set on a well traveled path. That last yote was in a trap that was underwater for the 3 days before she was caught. If we have to set in the mud or know that its gonna rain we will go heavy on the peat. We will also use the driver to punch a couple drain holes in the trap bed before bedding the trap. The dry peat does a great job at repelling water.
 

Steelshot

Eight Pointer
talked to prune at work this week. Really busy and of course the end of season dash so to speak. Not sure of the were about's of jammer lol
 
Ldsoldier

Ldsoldier

Old Mossy Horns
Just so ya’ll know, Prune and Jammer are both still alive. I saw them both last night. Now I gotta wait for Prune to clear the bodies out of his freezer so I can get to my skulls.
 
41magnum

41magnum

Twelve Pointer
Thanks Charlie
I was bout to text BOTH to get an update!
I should see Prune in a couple weeks to pick up fur, drop of some 660 and 330 triggers and BeavRcat lure and a dozen beaver snares and skinning knives.
 
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Jammer

Jammer

Six Pointer
Sorry y'all. Real life got in the way of trapping season for me. I couldn't keep up with the young kids any more so the Army medically retired me. Then I had to find a job. Now I'm working harder than I did as a Private.
 
Part-time hunter

Part-time hunter

Ten Pointer
Jammer said:
Another slow day but a 10% catch rate again. This time it was a trash panda and a beaver. The coon was a back foot catch in a foothold but other than that there isn’t a story.

The beaver was a different story. We have to wade about 75 yards along the edge of a swamp to get to the dam where we busted a couple holes and filled them with 330s. The first hole was repaired without snapping the conibear. I pulled that trap so I could clear the hole and then reset. Prune headed to the second trap. That trap had a small beaver in it and the other beavers had repaired the dam right around the dead beaver. Guess they didn’t need as many sticks and mud that way. Now back to me at the first trap. As I was pulling it up the safeties slipped off and the trap snapped on both my hands. If y’all don’t know, it kinda hurts when that happens. I ended up with sore knuckles on my right hand and a blackened fingernail on the index finger of my left hand. I threw the trap down and made my way out to Prune.....cussing the whole way. Prune, of course, is laughing at me. Not once did he ask if I was ok. Some friend he is!

Anyway, he was clearing the break in the dam with my wife’s tater rake when the head fell off the rake. My wife said he is just lucky he found the head and the rake can be fixed!

So to recap the day, we ended up with 2 critters. I was injured due to Prune’s FAULTY trap and he broke a rake because of OPERATOR ERROR. Yeah that sounds about right.

Here are today’s pics:
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I hope that beaver meat isn't going to waste. It makes for some good stew.
 
41magnum

41magnum

Twelve Pointer
It won't PTH, Prune won't waste a thing.
Most meat ends up as yote/cat bait, if he doesn't then I do..........cept the backstraps....get grilled.
 
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